Out of the Stone

"I'll take her advice when I think it's right, but I won't dance on Tar Valon's strings again."
— Rand to himself while listening to Moiraine

For other uses of the word "stone," see Stone.

Book Index

0 I II III IV V VI VII
VIII IX X XI XII XIII XIV

Chapters

1	Seeds of Shadow
2	Whirlpools in the Pattern
3	Reflection
4	Strings
5	Questioners
6	Doorways
7	Playing With Fire
8	Hard Heads
9	Decisions
10	The Stone Stands
11	What Lies Hidden
12	Tanchico or the Tower
13	Rumors
14	Customs of Mayene
15	Into the Doorway
16	Leavetakings
17	Deceptions
18	Into the Ways
19	The Wavedancer
20	Winds Rising
21	Into the Heart
22	Out of the Stone
23	Beyond the Stone
24	Rhuidean
25	The Road to the Spear
26	The Dedicated
27	Within the Ways
28	To the Tower of Ghenjei
29	Homecoming
30	Beyond the Oak
31	Assurances
32	Questions to Be Asked
33	A New Weave in the Pattern
34	He Who Comes With the Dawn
35	Sharp Lessons
36	Misdirections
37	Imre Stand
38	Hidden Faces
39	A Cup of Wine
40	Hunter of Trollocs
41	Among the Tuatha'an
42	A Missing Leaf
43	Care for the Living
44	The Breaking Storm
45	The Tinker's Sword
46	Veils
47	The Truth of a Viewing
48	An Offer Refused
49	Cold Rocks Hold
50	Traps
51	Revelations in Tanchico
52	Need
53	The Price of a Departure
54	Into the Palace
55	Into the Deep
56	Goldeneyes
57	A Breaking in the Three-fold Land
58	The Traps of Rhuidean

<<< Out of the Stone >>>

Setting: Tear

Summary[]

Point of view: Rand al'Thor

Rand leaves Tear anonymously with the Aiel accompanying him, riding his new Tairen horse, Jeade'en. The Tairen commoners see the procession of Aiel but do not recognize him and have no reason to believe that he is the Dragon Reborn. Lan, Moiraine and Mat follow along behind while Egwene rides at his side. Egwene questions Rand whether the Aiel should have been allowed to take treasures from the Stone, the fifth. Rand points out that Egwene's friend Aviendha did it too which surprises her before she forgets her previous objection and starts acting like Rand was the one objecting, which makes Rand laugh as it reminds him of their childhood. Egwene brings up Elayne and asks why Rand did not ask her to stay, but Rand knew that Elayne wanted to go to Tanchico so he did not object. Rand does not understand why Egwene is upset at him over this.

Moiraine comes over and asks Rand to unleash his next surprise which she knows is coming. Rand checks that Mat really wants to go to the Waste with him which leads Moiraine to chide Rand for letting Perrin return to the Two Rivers and keeping his plans to leave from her. Rand says that he knows he cannot be distracted by the Two Rivers so it had to be Perrin who went back. Prompted again by Moiraine, Rand says that he believes they can take a Portal Stone to the Waste, perhaps even near their destination, Rhuidean. Mat reacts angrily to this due to their previous experience with a Portal Stone,^[1] but Rand has no time to waste traveling over land. Rand points out again that Mat doesn't have to go but Mat says otherwise.^[2]

Rand explains that he read a book on the Aiel which mentioned a peddler who had seen a Portal Stone in the Waste; he also knows from maps shown by the chief librarian in the Stone that there are no fewer than four Portal Stones near Tear. Moiraine is very skeptical even though she does not know as much about Portal Stones as Verin; Lan chimes in as he knows some things from his experience with the Aiel. But Rand is sure the writings' descriptions must be a Portal Stone because they are too distinctive and cannot be mistaken for anything else. They arrive at one of the locations that should have a Portal Stone, but Rand does not see anything.

After a suggestion by Lan, Rand asks Rhuarc to have the Aiel find the Portal Stone. While waiting, Rand and Rhuarc discuss the Aiel expedition briefly. Rhuarc explains that the Aiel have held together on this side of the Dragonwall despite being of disparate clans because they had sworn water oath in front of the Wise Ones not to shed each other's blood while in the wetlands. Had it not been for the oath, Rhuarc may have danced the spears with the Shaido. Aviendha finds the Portal Stone and Rand leads the group to it. Rand asks Aviendha why she seems to not like him and she mutters about various things before going on to berate him about his treatment of Elayne.

On the Portal Stone Rand finds two symbols he believes represent Rhuidean and Rhuarc confirms this. Rhuarc also confirms that there is a similar stone at Chaendaer which is near Rhuidean. As Rand is trying to decide between the two symbols, Mat suggests that he flip a coin to choose since he is lucky. Egwene protests the ridiculousness of this but Moiraine seems to approve. Rand found a male angreal in the Great Holding and plans to use it to augment his channeling so he can bring all of the Aiel and the pack horses to Rhuidean. Rand pulls all the power he can through the angreal and the group winks out of existence.