Mat talks himself into sounding the Horn of Valere, summoning heroes of legend to fight against the Seanchan. Rand defeats Ba’alzamon again.
Rand, Mat, and Perrin are sandwiched between the approaching Seanchan and Whitecloak armies. The Horn of Valere takes their gaze like they’re characters in an Anton Chekhov play. Mat gets that mischievous look that we love him for, and he notes that technically nothing is stopping them from using the Horn before the Last Battle. With that, Mat blows the Horn and becomes the Trumpeter for the Apocalypse.
Fog rolls in and the Heroes of the Horn, led by Artur Hawkwing, form up ranks. Artur keeps referring to Rand as Lews Therin, and then as the Dragon. In this moment, Rand’s companions know beyond any doubt that he is the Dragon Reborn. Hawkwing insists that Perrin bear the Dragon banner and Mat blow the Horn before he leads the march against the Seanchan army.
Rand feels disembodied from the battle, as though the battle is happening everywhere but where he stands. He duels Ba’alzamon, ultimately applying Lan’s lesson about sheathing the sword: by allowing Ba’alzamon to stab him in the side, he gets close enough to drive his One-Power-suffused sword through his opponent’s heart. Is Ba’alzamon finally dead? My guess is no. This guy has more lives than an army of cats.