Darkfriends kidnap Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne immediately after they part ways with the Maidens of the Spear. The Aiel come to the rescue, and the next morning finds our heroes on another boat headed south down the Erinin.
It’s a good thing that Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne are naturally strong channelers, because otherwise they would all be long dead or worse. First they got sold into slavery, then a Gray Man tried to assassinate them. And now? Barely five minutes after parting company with the Aiel, they get whacked over the head and kidnapped by a band of Darkfriends. Nice job, ladies. You’re handling this trip to Tear with all the subtlety of a bull in a china shop.
Lucky for them, their captors are in no way as sophisticated as the Seanchan. What is their brilliant plan for keeping the women from channeling? Knock them unconscious and slip them a roofie based on something one of the goons heard from his grandma. I wish I were making this shit up. They’re so sure of grandma’s herbal remedy that they just throw the women in a closet and lock the door. The Dark One’s henchmen all seem to conduct their nefarious business with the forethought and sophistication of a five-year-old.
The roofie wears off much faster than the Darkfriends expected, so the women are awake and plotting their escape by the time a group of Fades shows up to take custody. But before they can act, Aiel warriors burst into the room and kill all of the Darkfriends, then Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne emerge from the closet and kill the Fades. With the battle done, they meet Rhuarc, clan chief of the Taardad Aiel. With an Aiel escort, they finally make it to the the town of Jurene.
Looking at a map, they haven’t even made it halfway to Tear. If there were a Waygate anywhere nearby, I would say they stand a better chance of reaching Tear by taking their chances with Machin Shin.