Potential Spoilers Below
The number thirteen is considered unlucky in many cultures around
the world and the Game of Thrones as well as the Wheel of Time are no
exceptions. My intention is to show you
the similarities that I found between the two shows.
Excerpt from The Dragon
Reborn:
“Sheriam
sighed, glanced at the other Aes Sedai again, then dropped her voice to a
whisper and spoke swiftly. “This is something known only to a few, child, even
in the Tower. You should not learn it now, if ever, but I will tell you. There
is — a weakness in being able to channel. That we learn to open ourselves to the
True Source means that we can be opened to other things.” Egwene shuddered.
“Calm yourself, child. It is not so easily done. It is a thing not done, so far
as I know — Light send it has not been done! — since the Trolloc Wars. It took thirteen Dreadlords —
Darkfriends who could channel — weaving the flows through thirteen Myrddraal. You see?
Not easily done. There are no Dreadlords today. This is a secret of the
Tower, child. If others knew, we could never convince them they were safe. Only
one who can channel can be turned in this way. The weakness of our strength.
Everyone else is as safe as a fortress; only their own deeds and will can turn
them to the Shadow.”
“Thirteen,” Egwene said in a tiny voice. “The
same number who left the Tower. Liandrin, and twelve more.”
 |
| Sheriam |
 |
| Myrddraal |
 |
| Liandrin |
So this tells us that thirteen Dreadlords/Darkfriends who can channel
weaving their flows through thirteen
Myrddraal can turn another who can channel over to the Shadow (i.e. the Dark
Side). Many fans refer to this as the “13x13 trick.” We know they do this through what is called a
“Circle” or “Link.” We also learn that the
stronger the will of the individual the harder it is to “Turn” them.
Excerpts from A Memory
of Light:
“She had been
Turned easily. Apparently, linked with thirteen Halfmen, it was easier for male channelers to Turn female
channelers, and vice versa. That was why they were having so much trouble with
Logain.”
“Yeah,” Dobser said,
letting Androl refill his cup again. “Logain is a strong one, though. Takes a
lot of work to Turn a man like him. Willpower, you know? It will be a day or
two to Turn him. Anyway, you might as well come out to Taim, explain what
you’re up to. He’ll understand, and he keeps saying men are more useful to him
if he doesn’t have to Turn them. Don’t know why. No choice but to Turn Logain,
though. Awful process.” Dobser shivered.”
So is there a similar process that
takes place in the Game of Thrones? Yes,
otherwise I wouldn’t have pointed it out.
This goes back to Craster and the reason why he has no sons. Apparently he sacrifices his own newborn sons
to the White Walkers. We see a White Walker
on horseback holding a baby and taking him to the Land of Always Winter where they supposedly live.
He then takes the baby and places him on an ice pillar in the middle of a
circle surround by ten ice stalagmites. The
scene pans back and we see thirteen out of focus blobs. One of the blobs comes forward and we see
that it is a different type of White Walker than we have previously seen. HBO put out a snippet saying that this was
the Night’s King and then tried to backtrack and put the cat back into the bag. Anyway we see this White Walker touch the
baby boy on the cheek and his eyes immediately “Turn” blue making it appear for
all the world to see that he is now one of them. So if this was indeed the Night’s King it
would complete the “13x13 trick" and this is how. For anyone who has read the books you know
that the Night’s King was the thirteenth Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. So being the thirteenth Lord
Commander in a group of thirteen White Walker completes the “13x13 trick” similar to the seventh
son of a seventh son in my opinion.
 |
| Craster |
 |
| Is this how the White Walker replenish their numbers |
 |
| Notice the Circle |
 |
| Do they use babies because they can't resist? Why only baby boys? |
Far Madding is an independent city-state in the
southeastern part of the Westlands. It is situated on an island in the
midst of a lake, and is connected to the mainland by three bridges. While
trade flourishes in Far Madding, foreigners may trade at only three of the
town's markets. At a junction of major overland trade routes, Far Madding
is an important commercial center. It is ruled by the Hall of the Counsels which consists of thirteen women.
It is defended by the Guardian an immense ter'angreal in the Hall of the
Counsels. Made of three disks, it creates an area around the city in which
channelers are cut off from the True Source. To enter the city you
have to agree to have your weapons “peace bonded” or you are refused
entry.
The first time Rand al’Thor goes there he
is captured and released. The second time he goes he is in his full
power but allows the four member of the leaders of the Borderland army to slap
him and ask him a question. They tell him of a prophesy that that
had been hidden and passed down that said if he did not answer the question
correctly to kill him. He then gives them an ultimatum to join him
or be left where they are. Have you figured out what Far Madding is in
the Game of Thrones World?
Qarth is a great trading city located on the
southern coast of Essos, on the straits linking the Summer Sea to the Jade Sea. Ships from Westeros, the Free Cities, the Summer Islands, and
Slaver's Bay all pass through the Straits of Qarth on their way to the great
trading cities of the Jade Sea, such as Yi Ti and Asshai. Qarth is
defended by immense stone walls and strong gates. The Qartheen have been known
to bar entry to the city to those who do not meet their approval. Due
to Qarth's isolation behind the Red Waste, being denied entry will often spell
doom for travellers, and their bones can be found extending around its walls.
This area is sometimes called the "Garden of Bones". Qarth is
nominally ruled by the Pureborn, who are seated in the Hall of a Thousand
Thrones. However it is truly ruled by the powerful guilds of The Thirteen who all attempt to jostle to play
a role in the governance and political machinations of the city.
 |
| Qarth city walls |
 |
| Inside Qarth |
When Daenerys was in Qarth the
warlock Pyat Pree persuades her to seek answers in the House of the Undying. Due to her bringing dragons back into the world they want
to keep her there indefinitely as it also increases their powers but with the
help of Drogon she escapes by killing them.
 |
| Daenerys and Pyat Pree |
 |
| House of the Undying |
 |
| Drogon |
Will she have to go back to Qarth again and if so will she be
handing out an ultimatum?
References to "Thirteen" scattered throughout The Song of Ice and Fire books:
It seems
like bad news or rough times follow when events are tied to you that are associated
with you being thirteen. Here is what I found.
A Game of Thrones:
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| Khal Drogo and Daenerys wedding day |
 |
| Mycah |
 |
| Arya and Mycah pretend swordfighting |
 |
| Osha |
A Clash of Kings:
 |
| King Joffrey |
There are thirteen members of the
merchant guild (or the prominent group of traders) of Qarth. The rulers of Qarth basically.
Jojen Reed is thirteen when he meets Bran.
 |
| Jojen Reed |
A Storm of Swords:
Tyrek was the son of his
late Uncle Tygett, a boy of thirteen. He had vanished in a riot not long after
wedding the Lady Ermesande, a suckling babe who happened to be the last
surviving heir of House Hayford. And
likely the first bride in the history of the Seven Kingdoms to be widowed
before she was weaned. (He has never
been found)
Varamyr Sixskins had a white
snow bear that stood thirteen
feet tall on its hind legs.
 |
| Varamyr riding his snow bear |
The Night’s King was the thirteenth Lord Commander to
lead the Night’s Watch. He ruled for thirteen years.
King Joffrey, at the
Purple Wedding, dies at thirteen.
 |
| The King is dead |
Sansa Stark was thirteen, a woman flowered
and wed, the heir to Winterfell.
 |
| Sansa Stark |
A Feast of Crows:
Pate a novice came to The Citadel arriving when he was no more than three-and-ten.
He met a person who calls himself the Alchemist and promised him a
golden dragon coin if he brings the Alchemist the personal key of Walgrave in
three days. He thinks on it for two days
and decides to do it to claim the maidenhood of Rosey, the youngest serving
girl of the Quill and Tankard pub. He
dreams of running away with her. Her steals
the key and the Alchemist gives him the dragon coin which he bites into. He tries to walk away and falls to the ground
and dies.
Balon Greyjoy at thirteen could run a
longship’s oars and dance the finger dance as well as any man in the iron
isles.
 |
| Balon Greyjoy |
A Dance with Dragons:
Xaro Xhoan Daxos of the thirteen of Qarth gifts
Daenerys with thirteen Qartheen
galleys under the condition that she sails from Slaver’s Bay to Westeros as her
presence has disrupted the slave trade which many Essosi cities such as
Volantis and Qarth depend on for their economies.
 |
| Xaro Xhoan Daxos |
 |
| Jhiqui |
In the temple of Aquan the Red Bull every thirteenth
day, his priests slit the throat of a pure white calf, and offer bowls of blood
to beggars.
The World of Ice and Fire:
King Maegor I Targaryen,
also know as Maegor the Cruel, married his first wife Lady Ceryse Hightower at
the age of thirteen.
Ser Damon Morrigen challenged Maegor to a Trial of seven, which Maegor accepted. Ser Damon and six
Warrior Sons fought against the King and his six champions. In the end, only
King Maegor was left alive. The other thirteen participants were dead.
Hundreds
came, amongst them the salt kings and rock kings of the seven major isles, and
even the Lonely Light. Yet scarcely had they gathered when Urron Redhand loosed
his axemen on them, and Nagga’s ribs ran red with blood. thirteen kings died that day,
and half a hundred priests and prophets. It was the end of the kingsmoots, and
the Redhand ruled as high king for twenty-two years thereafter, and his
descendants after him. The wandering holy men never again made and unmade kings
as they once had.
“When the
Jogos Nhai resorted to their traditional tactics, melting away at his approach,
Lo Bu divided his huge army into thirteen smaller hosts and sent them forth in all directions to
hunt down the nomads wherever they might go. It is written that a million Jogos
Nhai died at their hands.”
“In courage,
valor, and skill at arms, Lo Bu had no peer, but in cunning he proved to be no
match for Zhea. The war between the young emperor and the wizened jhattar
lasted less than two years. Zhea isolated each of Lo Bu’s thirteen armies, slew their
scouts and foragers, starved them, denied them water, led them into wastelands
and traps, and destroyed them each in turn. Finally her swift riders descended
upon Lo Bu’s own host, in a night of carnage and slaughter so terrible that
every stream for twenty leagues around was choked with blood.”
 |
| Nagga |
 |
| Jogos Nhai |
The Tales of Dunk & Egg: The Sworn Sword:
Lady Rohanne Webber, aka
the Red Widow, was thirteen when she wed her second husband. Her sixth husband was Lord Gerold Lannister. She had four sons with him
twins Tywald and Tion, Tytos and Jason Lannister. She was the grandmother of Tywin, Kevan,
Gerion, Tygett and Genna Lannister. She
disappeared under mysterious circumstances in 230 AC.
References to "Thirteen" scattered throughout the Wheel of Time books:
Everything
associated with thirteen
is bad in this series.
The Great Hunt:
The Aiel War lasted three
years, and that was only four out of the thirteen clans.
That thought was only a
little less painful. Even so, it meant
the Day of the Dark One’s return must be close at hand if one of the Forsaken
was free. The Forsaken, thirteen of the most powerful
wielders of the One Power in an Age filled with powerful wielders, had been
sealed up in Shayol Ghul along with the Dark One, sealed away from the world of
men by the Dragon and the Hundred Companions.
 |
| The Forsaken |
The Dragon Reborn:
“They were thirteen altogether, Perrin,
and bound in the sealing, not in the prison that holds the Dark One. Thirteen of the most powerful
Aes Sedai of the Age of Legends, the weakest of them stronger than the ten
strongest Aes Sedai living today, the most ignorant with all the knowledge of
the Age of Legends.”
 |
| Perrin |
“I suppose you don't, at
that. You are the only two in the Tower I can be absolutely sure are not
Black Ajah.” The Amyrlin's mouth still twisted around those words. “Liandrin
and her twelve went, but did all of them go? Or did they leave some of their
number behind, like a stub in shallow water that you don't see till it puts a
hole in your boat? It may be I'll not find that out until it is too late, but I
will not let Liandrin and the others get away with what they did. Not the
theft, and especially not the murders. No one kills my people and walks away
unscathed. And I'll not let thirteen
trained Aes Sedai serve the Shadow. I mean to find them, and still them!”
 |
| Siuan as Amyrlin |
“But I would be useless,”
Egwene blurted. Her voice came out as a squeak, but she was too afraid to be
ashamed. She means it! Oh, Light, she means it! Liandrin gave me to the
Seanchan, and now she wants me to hunt thirteen like her?
“What excuse could she
give for refusing, what explanation for pages telling all about thirteen women of the Black Ajah
and the ter'angreal they had stolen?”
“Egwene stared at the
glowing arch, stared at some far distance beyond it. Liandrin and twelve
others. Thirteen Darkfriends
who can channel. Light help us all.”
“A cluster of Aes Sedai
stood to one side of the room, talking among themselves, voices low yet urgent.
The pain in her head made thinking difficult, but it seemed important to count
them. Thirteen.”
“Egwene had no need to
count the Myrddraal. She knew. Thirteen
Myrddraal, and thirteen
Aes Sedai. Without another thought, she screamed in pure terror. Yet even in
the midst of fear that tried to split her bones, she reached out for the True
Source, clawed reached out for the True Source, clawed desperately for
saidar.”
“Forcefully, Egwene pushed
the rest of it out of her thoughts. Thirteen Aes Sedai. Twelve sisters and the Amyrlin, the
traditional number for gentling. The same number as for... She rid herself of
that, too. She had no time for anything but what she was there to do.”
“Egwene was mixed in with
the Black Ajah. Light, you're becoming suspicious of everybody. Better that
than dead, or captured by thirteen
of them and... Hastily, she stopped that line of thought; she did not want
it in her head.”
She
sent us off chasing thirteen
of the Black Ajah and forgot to mention that thirteen is just the number needed to turn a woman
who can channel to the Shadow against her will.
“What
chance that thirteen
women chosen solely because they were Darkfriends would be so neatly arrayed
across age, across nations, across Ajahs?
Item.
A rod of clear crystal, smooth and perfectly clear, one foot long and one inch
in diameter. Use unknown. Last study made by Corianin Nedeal. Item. A figurine
of an unclothed woman in alabaster, one hand tall. Use unknown. Last study made
by Corianin Nedeal. Item. A disc, apparently of simple iron yet untouched by
rust, three inches in diameter, finely engraved on both sides with a tight
spiral. Use unknown. Last study made by Corianin Nedeal. Item. Too many items,
and more than half the “use unknowns” last studied by Corianin Nedeal. Thirteen of them, to be
exact.
The
dusty room inside was perhaps ten paces square, but it held only a heap of
large bags made of heavy brown cloth, each stuffed full, tagged, and sealed
with the Flame of Tar Valon. Egwene did not have to count them to know there
were thirteen.
But
Liandrin only smiled. “Once your time as bait is done, you will tell us
everything. You will want to. They say you will be very strong one day, but I
will make sure you will always obey me, even before the Great Master Be'lal
works his plans for you. He is sending for Myrddraal. Thirteen of them.” Those rosebud lips laughed
the final words.
Nynaeve
felt her stomach twist. One of the Forsaken! Her brain numbed with shock. The
Dark One and all the Forsaken are bound in Shayol Ghul, bound by the Creator in
the moment of creation. But the catechism did not help; she knew too well how
much of it was false. Then the rest of it came home to her. Thirteen Myrddraal. And thirteen sisters of the Black
Ajah. She heard Elayne screaming before she realized she was screaming herself,
jerking uselessly in those invisible bonds of Air. It was impossible to say
which was louder, their despairing screams, or the laughter from Liandrin and
Rianna.
 |
| Nynaeve |
 |
| Elayne |
Nynaeve
and Elayne exchanged looks over her. Nynaeve said, “Liandrin said thirteen Myrddraal are
coming, Egwene.”
“Perhaps,”
Moiraine said. “Perhaps it was Ishamael. But if it was, at least nine of the thirteen still live. Lanfear,
and Sammael, and Rahvin, and... Paah! Even knowing that some of those nine at
least are free is not the most important thing.” She laid a hand atop the black
and white disc on the table. “Three of the seals are broken. Only four still
hold. Only those four seals stand between the Dark One and the world, and it
may be that even with those whole he can touch the world after a fashion.
Whatever battle we won here — battle or skirmish — it is far from the last.”
 |
| Moiraine |
 |
| Ishamael |
 |
| Lanfear |
 |
| Sammael |
 |
| A broken seal |
The Shadow Rising:
“What
fish do you expect to catch with me?” Min asked in a faint voice. She thought
she knew, and hoped desperately she was wrong.
Her
hope did not stop the Amyrlin from saying, “The Black Ajah. Thirteen of them fled, but I
fear some remain. I cannot be sure who I can trust; for a while I was afraid to
trust anyone. You are no Darkfriend, I know, and your particular talent may
just be some help. At the very least, you'll be another trustworthy pair of
eyes.”
A list lay in
Egwene's pouch of the ter'angreal, most small enough to slip into a pocket,
that had been stolen by the Black Ajah when they fled the Tower. They all three
had a copy. Thirteen of
those stolen ter'angreal had “no known use” written alongside, and “last
studied by Corianin Nedeal.” But if Corianin Sedai had truly not discovered
their uses, Egwene was sure of one of them. They gave entrance to
Tel'aran'rhiod; not as easily as the stone ring, perhaps, and perhaps not
without channeling, but they did it.
“I did not
mean destroy, exactly.” Loial leaned on his longhandled axe. “A Waygate was
destroyed once, less than five hundred years after the Breaking, according to
Damelle, daughter of Ala daughter of Soferra, because the Gate was near a
stedding that had fallen to the Blight. There are two or three Gates lost in
the Blight as it is. But she wrote that it was very difficult, and required thirteen Aes Sedai working
together with a sa'angreal. Another attempt she wrote of, by only nine, during
the Trolloc Wars, damaged the Gate in such a way that the Aes Sedai were pulled
into —”
 |
| Loial |
 |
| Waygate |
 |
| Entrance to a Stedding |
The Fires of Heaven:
“Channel?” he sneered. “She is not strong
enough to be allowed outdoors without a keeper. They call untutored children
Aes Sedai when half what they know is selftaught tricks and the other half
barely scratches the surface.”
“Would you still be so complacent if those
untutored children put a circle of thirteen around you?” The cool mockery in her voice stabbed him,
but he did not let it show.
“I doubt he is arrogant enough for that,”
Lanfear replied smoothly. “He can see where it took Ishamael. And that is the
point. A point Graendal raised. Once we were thirteen, immortal. Now four are dead, and one has
betrayed us. We four are all who meet here today, and enough.”
 |
| Graendal |
Asmodean was not finished. “If two women
link, they do not double their strength — linking is not as simple as adding
together the power of each — but if they are strong enough, they can match a
man. And when they take the circle to thirteen, then you must be wary. Thirteen women who can barely channel could
overpower most men, linked. The thirteen weakest women in the Tower could overpower you or any
man, and barely breathe hard.
Rand shivered, thinking of a time when he
had been among many more than thirteen
Aes Sedai. Of course, most of them had not known who he was. If they had...
Moghedien would probably torture them
until they begged for death. Or arrange a circle of thirteen Black sisters and thirteen Myrddraal; they
could turn you to the Shadow against your will that way, bind you to the Dark
One. Maybe Moghedien could even do it by herself... Don't be ridiculous, woman!
If she could have, she would have. You beat her, remember?
 |
| Moghedien |
But you forget that only thirteen sisters linked can
shield any man from saidin, and even if they do not know the trick of tying
flows, fewer can hold that shield.”
He has a teacher, remember. A poor one,
but not a complete fool. Next you will ask to include enough of those Black
Ajah children to take the circle beyond thirteen, so you or Rahvin must have control.”
“And why did you not tell us?” Sheriam
asked quietly, but with a hint of steel. As Mistress of Novices she had never
raised her voice, though sometimes you wished she would. “Three Accepted —
Accepted! — sent out of the Tower chasing thirteen full sisters of the Black Ajah. Do you use
babies to plug the hole in your boat, Siuan?”
“We are hardly babies,” Nynaeve told her
heatedly. “Several of those thirteen
are dead, and we thwarted their plans twice. In Tear, we —”
“She doesn't even ask,” he said wryly. He
remembered Elaida well for having met her only once. A woman hard enough to
make Moiraine seem a kitten. The “honor and respect” he deserved. He would
wager that the escort of Aes Sedai just happened to number thirteen.
 |
| Elaida |
“Nothing, except make sure that Elaida's
'escort' doesn't get within a mile of me.” Thirteen of the weakest Aes Sedai could overwhelm
him linked, and he did not think Elaida would send her weakest. “That, and be
aware that the Tower knows what I do the day after I do it. Nothing more until
I know more.
“You do not have thirteen Aes Sedai,” Aviendha said, “but you
have two. And myself. I may not know as much as Moiraine Sedai, but I am as
strong as Egwene, and I am no stranger to the dance.” She meant the dance of
spears, what the Aiel called battle.
 |
| Aviendha |
“Be careful of that name, Aviendha. Rand
cannot be allowed to find them without preparation.” The way he was now, they
would be more likely to gentle him, or at least send thirteen sisters of their own, than help him.
The
Lord of Chaos:
Lews Therin murmured uneasily. It was the
sound of a man wondering whether his back was against a wall. Rand wondered,
too. Eleven, and thirteen
could take him as easily as scoop up a child. If he gave them the chance. Lews
Therin began laughing softly, a hoarse weeping sort of laugh; he had drifted
again.
 |
| Lews Therin |
Min stopped pacing across his sitting room
carpet, and bounced on her toes. “It isn’t only that, Rand,” she said
frantically. “It’s the aura. Blood, death, the One Power, those two women and
you, all in the same place at the same time.” Her eyes were shining again, but
this time tears leaked silently down her cheeks. “Kiruna and Bera do not like
you, not at all! Remember what I saw around you? Women who can channel, hurting
you. It is the auras, and the thirteen,
and everything, Rand. It is too much!”
 |
| Kiruna and Bera |
Merana had decided to challenge him on the
very day the number of Aes Sedai reached thirteen.
 |
| Merana |
The thought of thirteen Aes Sedai coming for him must have
really frightened her, and small wonder.
“Min, if it comes down to facing them, I
promise to send you away out of danger somehow.” How could any man face thirteen? The thought made
Lews Therin surge again, screaming.
He knew exactly what he wanted to say,
though. To Taim, a warning about thirteen Aes Sedai and a reiteration of his orders to stay away
from them.
A friend of mine once told me that in most
dice games, the number thirteen
is considered nearly as unlucky as rolling the Dark One’s Eyes. I
also think thirteen is
an unlucky number.
What man of al’Thor’s sort would not flee
as fast as he could hearing of thirteen
Aes Sedai together?
Fifteen Aes Sedai. Thirteen to link and weave a shield no man
could break, and two to bind him. Thirteen to... Lews Therin fled screaming.
Thirteen Aes Sedai, and Red Ajah in charge. Had he
been able to open his mouth, he would have howled.
“Perrin, both Elora and Ledar say that
when Aes Sedai find a man of great power, they always gather thirteen to take him.
Perhaps it did, but no comfort in it. Thirteen Aes Sedai might be
able to beat off any attack Perrin could mount by themselves, without their
Warders and guards. Thirteen
Aes Sedai could threaten to gentle Rand if Perrin attacked. Surely they would
not — they did know Rand was the Dragon Reborn; they knew he had to be there at
the Last Battle — but could Perrin risk it, Tower law or no Tower law?
she was stronger than any woman in the
camp, but she did not intend to give a circle of thirteen a chance at her.
A
Crown of Swords:
Any could be an enemy and dangerous; thirteen together were deadly
dangerous, and there were better than ninety Wise Ones in the camp or nearby.
Crossroads
of Twilight:
A Thirteenth Depository, known only to Aes Sedai, contains secret
documents, records and histories which may be accessed only by the Amyrlin
Seat, the Keeper of the Chronicles, and the Sitters in the Hall of the Tower.
And, of course, by the handful of librarians who maintain the Depository.
The Knitting Circle (a title chosen, like
the Kin, because it is innocuous) thus consists of the thirteen oldest Kinswomen resident in Ebou Dar,
with the oldest given the title of Eldest. By the rules, all will have to step
down when it is time for them to move on, but so long as they are resident in
Ebou Dar, they have supreme authority over the Kin, to a degree that any
Amyrlin Seat would envy.
 |
| Ebou Dar |
A Memory of Light:
They were
accompanied by carriages; an unusual sight in the Town. The carriages moved
slowly, but still rocked and thumped on the uneven street. Isam didn’t need to
see into the carriages’ curtained windows to know that thirteen women rode inside, matching the number
of Myrddraal.
Thirteen Myrddraal and thirteen channelers, together in a horrifying
rite, could turn any channeler to the Shadow. Against his will. “What he does
is pure, undiluted evil,” Pevara said. “This is no longer a division between
the men who follow one leader and those who follow another. This is the Dark
One’s work, Androl. The Black Tower has fallen under the Shadow. You must
accept that.
Could that be thirteen men? Light. If there
were thirteen Myrddraal
as well, the situation was dire. What would they do if they
escaped? They couldn’t fight so many.
Behind them, Androl could barely see thirteen shadows trailing
over to grab Emarin and drag him away to be Turned next. Fades, with cloaks
that did not move.
“Thirteen Myrddraal and thirteen Dreadlords.” Lanfear
sneered. “Such crudeness. Such a waste.
Thirteen of them. And thirteen Myrddraal, gathering beneath that
clouded sky. For the first time since the start of the vision, Rand felt fear.
Not this. Anything but this.
What if they Turned him? This wasn’t real,
but it was a version of reality. A mirror world, created by the Dark One. What
would it do to Rand if they Turned him here? Had he been trapped that easily?
Rand screamed as the thirteen began to channel.
“This is your worst?” Rand yelled.
They pressed their wills against his own. He
felt them, like nails being pounded into his skull, parting his flesh. He
pushed back with everything he had, but the others started a thrumming
pressure. Each thump, like the chop of an axe, came closer and closer to boring
into him.
AND SO I WIN.
The failure hit Rand hard—the knowledge that
what happened here was his fault. Nynaeve, Egwene, Turned to the Shadow because
of him. Those he loved, becoming playthings for the Shadow.
Rand should have protected them.
I WIN. AGAIN.
“You think I am the same youth that Ishamael
tried so hard to frighten?” Rand shouted, fighting down his terror and shame.
THE FIGHT IS OVER.
“IT HAS NOT YET BEGUN!” Rand
screamed.
The reality around him shattered again into
ribbons of light. Nynaeve’s face shredded, coming apart like lace with a loose
thread. The ground disintegrated, and the fortress ceased to exist.
Rand dropped from bands of Air that had never
been completely there. The reality the Dark One had created, fragile, un-wove
into its component parts. Threads of light spiraled out, quivering like the
strings of a harp.
They waited to be woven.
Rand drew breath, deeply, through his teeth and
looked up at the darkness beyond the threads. “I will not sit passively and
suffer it this time, Shaitan. I will not be captive to your nightmares. I have
become something greater than I once was.”
Rand seized those threads spinning about him,
taking them—hundreds upon hundreds of them. There was no Fire, Air, Earth,
Water or Spirit here, these were somehow more base, somehow more varied. Each
one was individual, unique. Instead of Five Powers, there were thousands.
Rand took them, gathered them and in his hand
held the fabric of creation itself Then he channeled it, spinning it into a different
possibility.
“Now,” Rand said, breathing deeply, trying to
banish the horror of what he had seen. “Now I will show you what
is going to happen.
Comments encouraged. Love to hear the
idea’s of others. Most believe that since I present my idea’s as “fact
like” I’m not open to change my viewpoints which is far from the truth. I
simply look at the information presented and go from there. If you can
shine a light on another way of thinking that opens the door to debate.
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