We finally return to Moiraine over in Tar Valon, who is having a conversation with Lan. Things get so tense — so very, very tense — that she actually makes him visibly mad! Such a thing has never happened before in her memory! What are they talking about? Lan’s micropenis? Who’s going to be doing the dishes that evening? Nonsense, poopypants! They talk about when they first met, how Lan threw Moiraine in a pond for some reason. This particular point was never to be brought up again. She retaliated in kind, and she still wonders if there is any friction to this day because of this. He says no, probably through gritted teeth, but he says no all the same.

This is the part that pissed Lan off: if Moiraine were to die, she has made arrangements to pass him off to some other Aes Sedai (foreshadowing!). Like a fucking hamster or some shit. The woman in question is named Myrelle, and she’ll take good care of him. Feed him all the good food pellets, let him run around in the wheel, refresh his water bottle every day. He’ll live a life of a king!

Moiraine is not shy to question Lan’s loyalty to her, and she wonders why Lan kept taking Rand aside to tell him all that lordly information. He merely tells her that he felt bad for Rand and wanted to throw the kid a bone or two, yo. Moiraine stops prodding and Lan walks away, leaving her with her thoughts. Thoughts like that tramp Nynaeve and how she’s a bad influence on Lan. Why, it’s almost enough to make Moiraine jealous! What a weird thought. I thought Aes Sedai were married to the Wheel or something. She and Lan can’t fuck! Plus, he probably smells.

An Aes Sedai named Vandene enters the room and Moiraine grills her for information. I start to glaze over at this point, since it’s about prophecies and Dragons and Toman Head and Tarmon Gai’don and a’vron and ma’vron and Lanfear. It all amounts to Vandene getting suspicious that Moiraine might know something about the Dragon Reborn, and Moiraine half-lies about her knowledge.

The chapter ends with a Draghkar attack. I think these are like bats that fly around all Dark One-style. She almost dies, probably, before Lan and another Warder named Jaem come save her. Moiraine suspects that the Draghkar was warded to prevent them all from sensing it, which is some Black Ajah hoodoo.

Black Ajah hoodoo seems like a fun diversion. I want to learn more about it. I’m sure becoming one with the Black Ajah involves a lot of Invader Zim and trips to Hot Topic. That reference doesn’t age me at all, does it?