The Great Hunt
The Great Hunt opens with a secret Darkfriend gathering where Ba'alzamon displays images of three young men and commands his followers to find them. At Fal Dara, the Amyrlin Seat Siuan Sanche arrives and privately confirms to Rand that he is the Dragon Reborn. Before any plan can take shape, Trollocs invade the fortress: Padan Fain escapes his cell, stealing both the Horn of Valere and Mat's ruby-hilted dagger from Shadar Logoth.
Rand rides south with Ingtar's armed column to recover the Horn, accompanied by Mat, Perrin, Loial, and the sniffer Hurin. When Rand accidentally channels in his sleep, he transports himself, Loial, and Hurin to a mirror world through a Portal Stone. There they encounter Selene, a mysterious woman who urges Rand to claim the Horn for himself. They steal the Horn and dagger from Fain's camp and escape to the real world, heading for Cairhien.
Meanwhile, Egwene and Nynaeve travel to the White Tower in Tar Valon, where Nynaeve passes the test for Accepted and Egwene befriends Elayne Trakand and Min. Across the Aryth Ocean, the Seanchan — descendants of Artur Hawkwing's armies — invade Toman Head, enslaving channelers with the a'dam collar and leash. Captain Bayle Domon is captured and brought to Falme, where High Lord Turak commands the occupation.
In Cairhien, Rand reunites with Thom Merrilin, alive despite his wounds. The Horn is stolen again by Darkfriends who carry it through a Waygate to Fain, who delivers it to Turak in Falme. Liandrin of the Red Ajah, secretly Black Ajah, lures Egwene, Nynaeve, Elayne, and Min through the Ways to Toman Head, where she betrays them to the Seanchan. Egwene is collared as a damane; Nynaeve and Elayne escape and begin planning a rescue.
Rand's group uses a Portal Stone to reach Toman Head but loses four months in transit, each member forced to live through countless alternate lives. Five ride into Falme: Rand kills Turak in a duel and recovers the Horn and dagger. Ingtar confesses he was the traitor who opened Fal Dara's gates to the Trollocs and sacrifices himself to cover the escape. Nynaeve frees Egwene from the a'dam, and Egwene discovers that the sul'dam themselves can channel — a secret the Seanchan have hidden from themselves.
Mat sounds the Horn of Valere, summoning the Heroes of the Horn — led by Artur Hawkwing — who ride under the Dragon Banner against the Seanchan. Rand confronts Ba'alzamon in a duel that plays out across the sky above Falme for all to see. Remembering the lesson of Sheathing the Sword, Rand allows Ba'alzamon's staff to pierce his side while driving his blade into Ba'alzamon's heart. He wakes days later to find Moiraine waiting with grim news: three of the seven seals on the Dark One's prison are now broken, Lanfear has revealed herself, and sketches of Rand's face under the Dragon Banner are spreading across the land. The Shienaran soldiers kneel and swear to him. The Dragon is Reborn, and the world knows it.