Rand has gathered a large force to begin attacking the Seanchan forces that have begun moving toward Illian. The Asha'man make gateways into Altara for the six thousand soldiers in Rand's army. Two men with bows try to assassinate Rand and just barely fail. Bakuun is commanding a camp of Seanchan and Taraboner soldiers. There is a sickness among the damane which the sul'dam are not able to explain which greatly concerns Bakuun. A scout on a raken drops a message for the camp. There is a large force to the east, larger than his own forces but he expects the damane can handle larger forces.