Ch. 10: The Hunt Begins

This chapter contained one of the most memorable moments for me--it must have, it's been about 15 years since I read this book and I still remember it. The crucifiction of the Myrddraal. Jordan's description is supreme here; he even describes the scuff marks on the door left there by the Fade's dying kicks. If anyone needs a reminder as to why you don't mess with Padan Fain, this is it. Imagine the physicality of the whole scene. Fain disarms and seizes the Myrddraal with one hand, and with the other he grotesquely dismembers a Trolloc as it tries to help out the distressed Myrddraal. The other Trollocs quickly back off. Fain picks the Myddraal off the ground--single-handedly-- and shoves it against the door, the Fade kicking and gnashing its teeth the whole time. With his free hand, Fain impales the first two stakes into the Myddraal's shoulders just to pin him there. Then, Fain proceeds to pin up the arms. Finally, a couple of stakes through the eyes--well, where the eyes are supposed to be--to finish him off right. Good lord, I think I just gave myself goosebumps.

Also of note, Rand reaches out to saidin in this chapter. He has no idea how to do it, but he has a mental short circuit inside of a small village where he imagines the same Trolloc attack on a family over and over again. In the sequence, flies swarm all over him and enter his orifices. Once he awakens, six flies are dead. Rand recognizes the light within the void as bittersweet. It's actually described as a "sour light" due to the taint. Great imagery.

First, the whole dead Fade scene is sooo grotesque that it's intriguing. This goes back to what I said in some other post about how Fain has turned into something unimaginably strong. I almost feel like he's a small materializing form of The Dark One, only not because he's also some part Mordeth. Ridiculous!

Anyway, the part I forgot about was the flies. I did not understand that at all!

***SPOILER***

Figured I'd do that in case someone hasn't read this far yet, but anyway, is the flies situation, the repetition, his "short-circuit," is that similar to later in the book where Rand's touch on the One Power kind of backfires on him and he lives through all the lives the Portal Stones could show him? I feel like its something similar? But at least I understood that one, he was at a Portal Stone, so that happening kind of made sense, the flies I just really have no idea how it occurred, or why?

If someone can ease my confusion it'd be greatly appreciated.

Flies are a symbol of the Dark One. And, if I remember correctly, Rand is somewhat touching saidin in the "short circuit" scene. He can't control saidin yet, so lots of weird things happen. He's also the Dragon, so he has interesting ties to the Wheel and it's creation of the Pattern. Who knows what temporal distortions he causes or can actively view.