Egwene waits in her room. Novices get these shitty dorm rooms that have, like, a bed and a lamp and not even a TV, let alone cable. There are holes in the walls that generations of Novices have drilled in order to speak to one another in their rooms. Egwene talks to Elayne in the next room over about her fears and worries: getting punished, getting stilled, getting kicked out, getting killed, getting bludgeoned, etc. They’re supposed to be hailed as heroes! The Horn of Valere! Recognizing Liandrin as the stinky Black Ajah that she is! Parents just don’t understand…

Egwene’s door opens to reveal Faolian, who knows of the gloryholes and asks Egwene sneeringly if she’s having a nice little chat. Egwene, remembering Sheriam’s order to not speak to anyone who isn’t a full Aes Sedai, remains silent. Faolian grumbles and orders Egwene out of the room. Elayne has also been herded out of her own room by her Accepted guard, and they are both headed to the Amyrlin Seat. They meet up with Nynaeve as well. After dropping the three of them off, the Accepted leave and Siuan takes about six hours to look up from her paperwork and address them.

Nynaeve, ever the hothead, tries to defend her position. They did not run away, Liandrin basically kidnapped them. Siuan slams the table and tells her to cork it. Once Elayne blurts out that Liandrin is Black Ajah, Siuan sighs and admits that she knows this already…

Liandrin and twelve other women left the Tower a few months ago. They tried to break into the storeroom where they keep the angreal and the sa’angreal. Even the ter’angreal! Even ones nobody knows the use for! It’s pretty fucked up. Maybe they know what it’s used for. Perhaps something scary and weird and bizarre and kinky. Then they killed a bunch of people on their way out.

So why, WHY, are Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne being treated like naughty little children? Because they must keep up appearances. If anyone caught win that Liandrin had anything to do with it, they might be stilled forthwith. In fact, if anything, they’re being punished for falling for Liandrin’s ruse in the first place.

Anyway, on the flipside, since everyone has these crazy strong powers, Egwene and Elayne are to be elevated to Accepted and they get to go through all the fun trials that Nynaeve had to deal with in Book 2.

Things are complicated for Elayne because Queen Morgase wants Elayne back as soon as possible, but Siuan has no intentions of letting Elayne go no matter what Queen Morgase wants. She then asks Elayne to leave so that she can speak to Egwene and Nynaeve alone.