A Leader Reads

An Unexpected Hiatus   Habits are an interesting thing. Part of the overall success of ingraining habits is (almost wholly) dependent on discipline. In the routine, it's (somewhat) easy to maintain those habits. Like this one for the #100Days, I would essentially just block off an hour of time each night and get to writing. Sometimes it took 15 minutes, other times it seemed to drag on. Either way, the writing happened. Interestingly, there were no instances of "writer's block". There were defin...

The Stone Stands    Once more, the Stone of Tear is attacked.  This time, Trollocs, Myrddraal and Darkfriends sent by one of the Forsaken invade the Stone, searching for Rand, Perrin and Mat.  For the Tairen Defenders, the stories, it seems, have come to life - a nightmare of desperate battle.  A central theme to this chapter is action.  To build the Tairen Defenders' backbone, Rand leaps into the fray.  His action proves that the nightmares can be fought and, more importantly, that they can be ...

MBWA*    Egwene, along with Nynaeve and Elayne, try to unravel the trail the captured Black Ajah sisters offer up.  Mat keeps finding reasons not to leave while Perrin tries to find a way to get Faile to safety.  Rand works to develop his plan, while simultaneously trying to impose his will on the wayward High Lords.    And Rand?  He met with High Lords in his chambers and issued orders.  He startled them by appearing at secret gatherings of three or four that Thom had ferreted out, just to reit...

Always    Rand continues his infuriating dealings with the High Lords; working to impose his rule as the Dragon Reborn.  In the tumultuous time, he faces a common enemy: the "we've always done it this way" mentality.    Always - for the twenty years since the Aiel War.  They were so bound up in what they had always done that they could not see what was so simple. Or would no see it.  When the cabbages sprouted like weeds around Emond's Field, it was a near certainty that bad rain or whiteworm ha...

Throwing A Fit    Rand continues his efforts at attempting to lead the High Lords of Tear.  They feign respect for the Lord Dragon, but try to plot their way out of Rand's demands.    "They may be troubling him.  He is in a foul mood this morning."  Gaul grinned, just a quick flash of white teeth, in understanding of a temper when wounded.  "He has chased off a group of these High Lords already, and threw one of them out himself.  What was his name?"    "Torean," another, even taller man replied...

Lead, Follow, Or Get Out Of The Way    "War will come whether Rand begins it or not," [Elayne] said reluctantly.  Egwene stepped back a pace, staring at her in disbelief no sharper than that on Nynaeve's face; the incredulity faded from both women as she continued.  "The Forsaken will not stand idly and wait.  Sammael cannot be the only one to have seized a nation's reins, just the lone one we know.  They will come after Rand eventually, in their own persons perhaps, but certainly with whatever ...

Stubborn Stupid    Egwene, Nynaeve and Elayne continue to masquerade as full Aes Sedai; interrogating the two captured Black Ajah Sisters.  Moiraine seems to have delegated this task to the three women, for purposes she keeps to herself.  Despite the importance of their task - drawing forth intelligence to piece together the Black Ajah's plan - Egwene and Nynaeve still continue their squabble.    Elayne usually smoothed things over when it came to this, as it did more often than it should.  By t...

Character Development: Thom    Following the episode with the killer cards, Mat seeks out Thom to discuss plans for leaving.  Their discussion reveals a tremendous amount of loyalty that Thom shows for the Emond's Fielders.      Why had he not left Tear himself long since?  Much the wisest thing to.  Hundreds of villages lay lout there, waiting for a gleeman to entertain and amaze them.  And each with an inn or two full of wine to drown memories.  But if he did, Rand would have no one except Moi...

Confidence    Perrin reaches Rand's rooms in time to get the Aiel guarding the door to find Moiraine for Healing.  She arrives just in time to keep Rand from bleeding to death from the wound in his side taken at Falme.  Rand's rooms are crowded with bystanders: Perrin, Lan, and Rhuarc, with other Aiel just at the doors.      Rhuarc surveyed the room with sharp blue eyes, as if he suspected enemies hiding behind a drape or an overturned chair.  The clan chief of the Taardad Aiel had no visible we...

Leadership Development: Mat    With Tear only a month under the Dragon Reborn's rule, the three Emond's Fielders have settled into a somewhat quieter routine.  Until the fabric of reality parts and the the three face variations of themselves and their habits that make a concerted effort to kill them.  Perrin gets attacked by his own axe, the deck of cards comes alive in Mat's hands with knives flashing for him, and Rand faces mirror images of himself with swords bared to kill. Just prior to that...

The Most Dangerous Phrase In Any Language    A series first: no prologue! Just jumping right into the action.  Min arrives at the White Tower, seeking an audience with the Amyrlin Seat.  As she is led through the halls, her ability to see the future shows a bleak picture of battle inside the halls of the White Tower.  In her discussion with the Amyrlin, Min reveals that the plans Moiraine and the Amyrlin laid have not snared Rand enough.  He's unpredictable and bringing change.    "I'll take the...

    Three down, eleven to go.  The next is a turning point, where we see Rand begin to fully accept the mantle of Dragon Reborn and start to embark on the path to unite mankind against the Dark One.  He's more or less done running away from his responsibility, and is now trying to define himself to the role.  The rest of the Emond's Fielders mimic this overall arc, accepting their responsibility and choosing how they will execute their duties. ...

Indomitable Spirit    In the final two chapters, the Emond's Fielders showcase their ability to fight through to success.  Perrin frees illusion after illusion of Faile, before finally breaking the hedgehog ter-angreal trap in a room thousands of falcons (reminds me of the flying key scene in Harry Potter - but with falcons).  He wakes up cut and bleeding back in the room of the inn.  Egwene tirelessly works through the World of Dreams to shut her captors off from the Source.  Mat and Juilin arr...

A Convergence    Now the pace of the book picks up - hurtling all the Emond's Fielders towards the Stone of Tear.  Egwene, Nynaeve and Elayne are already imprisoned there.  Mat, with a guilt-ridden Juilin Sandar, circles the Stone, searching from every possible vantage for a way in prior to detonating all his fireworks and making his own door.  Rand freeclimbs the entire dizzying height in his quest for Callandor.  Perrin searches the Stone's shadow in the World of Dreams for Faile.  The common ...

He Is The Brute Squad    Moiraine, Perrin, Lan, Faile and Loial plot their next move against the Forsaken, Be'lal, leading Tear.  Liandrin and her cohorts strike first, leaving a tiny ter-angreal trap with the innkeeper.  Intending to snare Moiraine into the World of Dreams, Faile was first to trigger it.  Moiraine and Lan depart to surprise Be'lal, leaving Perrin and Loial with the unconscious Faile.     [Perrin] was surprised when Loial growled.    "No! Perrin, it is not right!  Faile was so f...

As Simple As That        Startled, [Ailhuin] touched her cheek, not seeming to know whether to look at the coins or at [Mat].  "Get them out, you say.  Just like that.  Out of the Stone."  Abruptly she stabbed him in the ribs with a finger as hard as a tree stub.  "You remind me of my husband, Mat Cauthon.  He was a headstrong fool who would sail into the teeth of a gale and laugh, too.  I could almost think you'll manage it."Ailhuin and Mat, The Dragon Reborn, p. 527    Emotions are infectious....

'Til Shade Is Gone    Juilin Sandar, the thieftaker hired by Nynaneve, Elayne and Egwene, is successful in finding Liandrin and the others.  Unfortunately, Liandrin got to him first, and sprung a trap on the three women.  Egwene, never once forgetting her torment at the hands of the Seanchan, fought until she was unconscious.  Elayne, gave a fair account of herself as well, despite the pampered upbringing of a Daughter-Heir.  Nynaeve fought until she crumpled; not quite unconscious, but close.  ...

Leader Development: Loial    While Mat makes short work of Gaebril's agent, Comar, Moiraine, Perrin, Faile, Lan and Loial arrive in Tear.  The Forsaken are hiding in plain sight amongst the rulers, first Illian, now in Tear.      "Be quiet," Moiraine told [Faile] sharply.  "One of the Forsaken in in Tear.  The High Lord Samon is Be'lal."  Perrin shivered.    Loial squeezed his eyes shut and groaned.  "I could have remained in the stedding.  I would probably have been very happy, married, whoever...

Leader Development: Nynaeve al'Meara    Despite spending the ship ride from Jurene seasick, the three women arrive in Tear.  The odd fued between Nynaeve and Egwene is ongoing, mostly out of pride and ego at this point.  As they begin their search for Liandrin and the rest in earnest, Nynaeve recognizes the danger of being predictable and staying at an inn.    "'Not an inn," Nynaeve said as firmly as she guided the stallion; she never seemed to let the animal get out of her control.  After a mom...

Leader Development: Thom Merrilin    Thom's maintained a somewhat unobtrusive presence in the background since the leaving Mat and Rand in The Eye of the World.  He made an appearance in The Great Hunt, but went off on his own.  Now he's roped back in with Mat and starts to showcase his expertise when Mat explains to Thom and Basel that Lord Gaebril intends to have Elayne killed.    "Rumor."  Thom rubbed the side of his nose; he seemed to be studying the stones board and talking to himself.  "No...

The Bloody Garden Wall Again    Following his failure at the main entrance, Mat changes his attack and climbs the cliff-facade that Rand climbed during their first visit to Caemlyn in The Eye of the World.  As before, it yields a successful entry to the palace garden (without the embarassment of Rand's fall).  As he makes his way towards the palace, Mat overhears two men plotting to have Elayne killed on her way to Tear.  Mat encounters Tallanvor, who escorts him directly to Queen Morgase.      ...

What's In A Question?    Arriving in Caemlyn, Mat splits from Thom in his haste to rid himself of Elayne's letter.  This attempt fails spectacularly as Mat is forced away from the main gate to the palace at a gallop.    Fool, he thought, meaning the fat officer, then added another for himself.  All I had to do was say her bloody name in the beginning.  "Elayne, the Daughter-Heir of Andor, sends this letter to her mother, Queen Morgase."  Light, who could have thought they'd think that way about ...

Disobedience    At the end of Chapter 42, Moiraine leaves Lan (and the rest) very explicit instructions to stay behind while she scouts ahead.  Lan, Perrin, Faile, and Loial take time to scout out the immediate surroundings of their inn.  Discovering paw prints from a Darkhound etched clearly in the cobblestone streets, Lan elects to disobey Moiraine.    The Warder was silent for a time.  "The answer to that, blacksmith," he said grimly at last, "may be more than you or I, either one, want to kn...

Emotional Intelligence VIII: Perrin Aybara    Perrin, Moiraine, Lan, Loial and Faile arrive in Illian.  Perrin welcomes the din of the city to drown out his connection to the wolves.  As the small group drives further into the city, there is a palpable sense of wrongness permeating the Illian and its denizens.  Settling in to the inn, Easing the Badger, Moiraine grills the innkeeper for news - what she finds out clearly terrifies her.    If Moiraine had sounded afraid before, it had been nothing...

Character Development: Mat Cauthon    Mat and Thom arrive in Aringill, where Cairhienin civil war is pushing refugees in searching for food and shelter just as it's driving prices for those same amenities skywards.      The two girls sobbed into their mother's skirts while the boy fought his tears.  The woman's deep-set eyes rested on Mat for a moment, studying his face, before drifting on; they looked as if she wished she could weep too.  On impulse he dug a fistful of loose coins out of his po...

Violent Disagreement And Healthy Discourse    Nynaeve and Egwene are still having their odd little argument, even amidst the Aiel.  Elayne's efforts at a heat sink are mostly ineffective.  Nynaeve attempts to hide her frustration in moving ahead towards Jurene after leaving the Aielwomen, but ends up just creating a war of silence between all three of the women.    They caught up to Nynaeve, Egwene glowering as she thought, Nynaeve staring straight ahead toward Jurene and that ship, and Elayne f...

Culture Shock    Egwene, Elayne and Nynaeve begin walking from the stuck river boat to Jurene.  They find themselves sidetracked by a group of Aiel, searching for someone to help heal one of their wounded comrades.  The exchange between the two groups of women reveals plenty of ignorance and misconception on both sides.     "I am Egwene al'Vere," she told them.  They seemed to expect more, so she added, "Daughter of Marin al'Vere, of Emond's Field, in the Two Rivers."  That seemed to satisfy the...

Acting The Part    Elayne, Egwene and Nynaeve head towards Tear aboard the Blue Crane.  Whatever unity they had prior to their trip seems to be unraveling rapidly.  Egwene and Nynaeve are at each other's throats; in violent disagreement about each step of the way, with Elayne caught in the middle.  Nynaeve seems to be 'winning' the arguments more often than not; reverting back to her days as Wisdom.  She's not yet learned to match the title of Aes Sedai with the intrinsic capabilities she holds ...

100 Days Challenge Complete    This is by no means the end; merely a quick reflection on what the past 100 days have been.  This was a great challenge: 42,528 words written from 13 May to 20 August.  That's a small novel (or large novella).  Were there days when I absolutely did not want to write anything? Most definitely (weekends were usually the hardest).  Just as there were days where it was tremendously hard to find a link in the text to leadership.  And there were a couple days of pure pho...

Judging Books    As quickly as they arrive in Remen, Perrin's fight with the Whitecloaks causes them to leave.  Perrin, Lan, Moiraine and Loial board a ship bound for Illian; along with a new passenger, a dark haired Saldaean woman.    He blinked; there was no mistaking that emphasis.  "A Hunter?  You?  You cannot be a Hunter.  You're a girl."Perrin, The Dragon Reborn, p. 335    Perrin makes his own misstep here, discounting Zarine's abilities simply because of her gender.  This one puzzles me a...