The chapters are getting shorter, which means that Robert Jordan wanted to hurry this shit along in the home stretch. I don’t know why, considering there are literally 15,000 pages of story left in the series. Hoo boy.

The Green Man had called Rand “the Child of the Dragon” in the previous chapter, and it really unsettled the crap out of him.

Ol’ Greenie leads the group to an area carved out of the mountains where the Eye is, uh… stored. The Eye was created during the Breaking of the World. 100 Aes Sedai died in its construction. Greenman was tasked with keeping an EYE on it! Ha!

So he kept an eye on it, and now he doesn’t have to because the exact people he was keeping an eye on it for are now right here!

*Mat farts and accidentally poops a little in his pants*

The group walks into the area and eventually stumble upon a cavern with a large pool in the middle. The pool looks bottomless. This is the Eye. Take a photo, because there are a lot of other tourist traps to see! The Eye itself is described by Moiraine to be the “essence of the male half of the True Source”, so it’s filled with penises and balls. It has the power to keep the Dark One trapped forever AND the power to release him from his prison forever! Isn’t that scary, kids?

*throws a rock in the pool*

Only a man can channel the power of the Eye, but there hasn’t been a male Aes Sedai for a few millenia. A conundrum.

I don’t know exactly what Moiraine wanted to do here, because it sure seems like she just wanted to show them all the Eye. Like a “here, look at this” kind of situation, because they start heading out as quickly as they came. This is when two real bitches named Aginor and Balthamel come out of the shadows and start picking on them, calling them names, and threatening them! Supposedly, the taint of the Dark One on Mat is what drew these two hooligans to the Eye. That sucks. Then they start fighting.

Eventually, Green Man comes in to help save the day. He grabs and holds onto Balthamel, who explodes in a torrent of Green Man-type fauna. Green Man dies too, I think! He turns into a tree or something! I think that might mean he died!

There’s still Aginor left to take care of. Moiraine yells at the rest of the group to run while she holds him off. The last thing Rand hears in the chapter is Moiraine screaming.

There’s so much going on and there are only about 30 pages left! This is the excitement I’ve been waiting for!

*throws a rock in the pool*