Leya brings news that the Whitecloaks have amassed legions on the Almoth Plain, yet are ostensibly acting peacefully.
The title of this chapter couldn’t be any clearer, and yet it is not until the fifth page of the chapter that we hear what the news from the Plain is. No, first we have to review in detail how everyone in the camp was affected by Rand’s earthquake. Half the stew Min was cooking spilled, a bunch of people got bruises, and Leya ended up with a bloodied scalp. Wait, Jordan! We forgot to check in with Loial and make sure he’s doing okay, too!
Finally, we learn about the news. 5,000 Whitecloaks have amassed on the Almoth Plain, and they’re trying to make peace. That’s like having the Ku Klux Klan show up to build houses after a devastating tornado. They are trying to diffuse the Tarabon/Domani conflict and are not moving against groups that support the Dragon. At the same time, young men who match Rand’s description are mysteriously dying. Well played, Mr. Carradin! Turns out, you can, in fact, serve two masters, as long as everything they do is cloaked in plausible deniability.