We have our very first Nynaeve-centric chapter, where she meets up with Moiraine and Lan, then argues with Moiraine as if winning the debate will somehow make their situation less dire. The three decide to travel together, heading south along the Arinelle.
The dot gave it away.
Nynaeve spends the night nestled in a hollow near the banks of the Arinelle. As it happens, this puts her just a stone’s throw from Moiraine and Lan, so naturally she sneaks up and listens. It sounds like the silver marks Moiraine gave to Rand, Mat and Perrin were the Aes Sedai equivalent of AirTags, so she can sense that one of them made it to the opposite bank while the others went downriver. Of course, since Rand and Mat gave theirs away, they are no longer trackable.
Moiraine is able to sense Nynaeve’s presence, so she gets busted for eavesdropping. Moiraine explains she could do this because Nynaeve can wield the One Power too. Naturally, Nynaeve childishly refuses to believe it, but Moiraine presses on and convinces her that this explains everything mysterious that has happened over the course of her life. Her abilities as a Wisdom to heal injuries and predict the weather didn’t come from “listening to the wind” like everyone had assumed — she was subconsciously reaching out to the True Source. I guess Nynaeve is “growing up” as much as any of the other folks from Emond’s Field. As tempting as it is to blame her for lashing out and pushing this vague, self-righteous crusade where she expects Moiraine to “do something” — the fact that she tears up near the end of the chapter demonstrates that she is as immature as all the other country bumpkins.
Finally, we get lots of hints dropped throughout this chapter about the relationship that will bloom between Nynaeve and Lan. To be honest, I had forgotten about it before starting The Eye of the World, but was reminded when I saw the dot on Nynaeve’s forehead in some fan art. Those two seem to be almost polar opposites — Nynaeve is this seething cauldron of angst and rage, and Lan is cool and calm like the surface of an alpine lake on a windless day. Of course there will be fireworks when these two come together! Thinking back to New Spring where we learned of Lan’s romantic misadventures in Cairhien and the business with his carneira, I wonder what Nynaeve will say when she learns just how many fortresses Lan has stormed.