Perrin and the gang follow Rand’s destructive wake, finding a caged Aielman and a bunch of idiots who think this is a good idea.
Perrin, Loial, Moiraine, and Lan continue to track Rand. His trail passes through several towns where strange things have happened, both good and bad. Wells have gone dry in one place and come back to life in another. An entire town burned to the ground. In another, the townspeople literally struck gold while digging themselves a new shithole. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the poetry of the Pattern when the Dragon Reborn comes rolling through.
At the town of Remen, a man trapped in a cage hangs from a gibbet, evoking memories of Madmartigan from Willow. The group heads straight to the inn rather than striking up a conversation. Which is a pity, because it would have been funny to hear him taunt Perrin and call him a meathead.
The men in the common room say that Hunters for the Horn of Valere came through town just as a band of Aiel did. A skirmish ensued, and the Aielman wound up in the cage. I just have one question: what were they thinking?!? No, actually I have another: how do they think this is going to end? This dude’s friends are still out there, and you hang him up in the middle of town like a lawn ornament? Why don’t you just go kidnap some bear cubs and wait for their mother to come looking for them?