[ NOTE ] It wasn't my intention to offend anyone with this piece. In case it does happen, I'd like to ask my most sincere apologies ( I also apologize for any errors in my grammar ) I love Robert Jordan's works, and this is no attempt to ridiculize them, I just wanted to have some fun over the wait for the new book. I'm waiting eagerly for The Path of Daggers, and the rest of the books in The Wheel ofTime, and hope they live up to the rest of the series. Long live Robert Jordan!
Okay, this is what I figure will happen in Robert Jordan's The Path of Daggers:
The Path of Daggers will surprise WoT fans all over the world, being the most innovative book in the series so far. It took Jordan a longer time to write because he actually had finished a rough copy of the book he disliked, and decided to start from scratch, and really set out to amaze readers, throwing up a completely unexpected twist in the series by the end of the book. His deadline, though, was running short. He managed to get another year, but suddenly, suffered writer's block. He then had an idea: he'd ask a bunch of fellow authors to come up with ideas for him. He'd only then re-write the book, throw a sniff and a snort, a low cut transparent dress here and there, and come up with a masterpiece.
What happens is in chronological order. Bits of the dialogue are also included.
Prologue
The book starts with Demandred going down to the pit and facing the DO:
Demandred: I have really confused them this time, haven't I?
DO: YES, YOU HAVE. EXCELLENT WORK, MY BOY! BUT I THINK YOU'RE TAKING TOO MUCH TIME. BETTER DO WHATEVER YOU PLANNED REALLY FAST, OR I'LL HAVE TO FIND ANOTHER NAE'BLIS.
Demandred: I prmise I'll do something this very book, Great Lord. The wait is over.
DO: 'CAUSE, YOU KNOW, I'M STARTING TO GET A LITTLE IMPATIENT HERE...
Demandred: Rest asure, Great Lord, rest asure.
Demandred travels, then, to someplace far, and so the Prologue ends. This is the shortest prologue Jordan's ever written, and is only half a page long.
The rest of the book has Jordan juggling aroound, and interweaving four different plotlines, here summarized.
Plotline One ( Elmore Leonard helped Jordan with this one )
Theis plot deals with Perrin, Faile, Loial, Berelain, and co., and their adventures in Ghealdan, trying to overthrow Masema, the Prophet. It starts with Berelain insinuating herself to Perrin, while the party is at camp, on their way to talk to Queen Alliandre. The dialogue is not here transcribed, since everyone pretty much knows how it sounds like, havin ocurred previously at least a thousand times. Do know though, that Faile enters the tent while Berelain is trying to win Perrin over, gets so mad at her, and ends up killing her with her knives. Berelain being killed is part of Jordan's plan of narrowin down the cast. Berelain never was really much of an useful character anyway, so why write about her. Perrin looks surprised at Faile, who breaks down.
Faile: I didn't mean to do that! Light, what happened to me!
Perrin: Easy, easy, I still love you enough not to tell everyone you killed Berelain. Let's just hide her body and forget this ever happened.
Faile: Light, Perrin...I'm so sorry...
Perrin: But please never tell me again that I think with the hair on my chest. That's really irritating.
Faile and Perrin hide the body, succesfully, and then go back to camp, as if nothing ever happened. Berelain, they say next morning, went out for a walk and said not to wait for her. Everyone believes their story.
When they get to Queen Alliandra's castle, they have a nasty surprise. It's been taken over by Masema. The party is unexpectedly captured and thrown into the dungeons. Lots of stuff happen down there, but I'm not going to tell you people. RAFO. A hundred pages later, they manage to escape, led by a once missing Elyas Machera, who shows up and sets them free. On their escape, Perrin and Faile's party goes down man by man, killed by Masema's ruthless army, and all is described in very bloody detail. The scenes are tense, and our heroes apparently are not going to escape alive. After a couple hundred pages more, Faile, Perrin, Elyas, Loail, Aram, Gaul, Bain and Chiad, the only living members of the party left alive, are cornered in a city in Ghealdan by Masema and his army. It seems they are going to die. In that moment, Faile whispers to everyone, very Raiders of the Lost Ark-like:
Faile: In the next five minutes, close your eyes, and swear to the Creator you're not opening them.
Perrin: Why? What are you gonna do?
Faile: I'm going to dance the sa'sara!
Faile then dances the sa'sara, and Masema and his soldiers just can't handle it. They all have heart attacks, and die. Aram takes a peek and dies too. The Masema threat is overcome, our heroes are successful.
Plotline Two ( Dean Koontz helped jordan with this one )
This plot deals with the Ebou Dar party, and their journey to Caemlyn with the bowl of the winds. It starts with Ny, Lan, Avi, Elayne, and Mat fighting the Seanchan invasion.
The Seanchan definetely do not want to lose this time, and came with full power. They strike Ebou Dar with all their might, and lots of people end up dead. Our heroes accidentally drop the Bowl of the Winds, and it breaks. A storm the begins, all over Ebou Dar, and drenches the town. Our heroes are cornered by the Seanchan, and a flood begins. People begin to drown.A piece of wood strikes Mat in his eye, and he loses half the light of the world. In that exact instant, Bayle Domon enters Ebou Dar ( which is now kind of a Venice ) with The Spray, and rescues everyone.A chase begins, the storm getting worse. The Seanchan ships corner The Spray. Nyanaeve sniffs.In that moment, Elayne enters a fugue state, and scream, from the top of her lungs:
Elayne: STOP IMMEADIATELY!!! I TOO HAVE HAWKWING'S BLOOD IN MY VEINS. I AM THE DAUGHTER OF THE NINE MOONS!
Mat: You gotta be kidding me! I would not marry you even if I got half the light of the world back.
All the Seanchan kneel, and swear to obey Elayne. Elayne exits fugue state and asks what happened. Mat bangs his head ageinst the side of the ship. Nynaeve then takes over:
Nyanaeve: If all you Seanchan don't stop with this invasion nonsense, I'm gonna have to bo everyone's ears!!!
The Seanchan naturally obey, and the party then proceeds to Caemlyn, with the Seanchan following. In their way, they encounter another Seanchan party, and this one has Morgase and company as prisoners. Elayne and her mom meet, tears flow. They continue on their way to Caemlyn, Mat never utters a word. He's totally messed up. The rest of their trip in uneventful, but takes about three hundred pages. Ny, Elayne, and Egwene talk a lot in tel'aran'rhiod. Egwene is one her way to the white tower, to overthrow Elaida, and this is plotline number three.
Plotline Three ( Anne Rice helps Jordan )
The first part ( 200 pages ), of Egwene and the Salidar Aes Sedai journey to the White Tower is also uneventful, and very travelogue-like, and is marred with heavy, long, gothic dialogue, and discussions on the existence of the Creator. There's also a lot of seductive dreams involving Egwene and Gawyn, but that's not really important, RAFO. When they finally get there, a bloody battle with heavy use of the One Power begins, and will likely be considered by fans the most tense part of any of the WoT books. It lasts about 150 pages, and ends up with a one power duel between Elaida and Egwene, on the top of the White Tower. Egwene wins, of course, and is now the only Amyrlin in Randland. Elaida falls from the top of the tower.The Ebou Dar party arrives in time to see the Elaida falling, and the followin 60 pages depict their celebration. Gawyn shows up after the Ebou Dar party, and notices his mom is still alive. He promises Egwene he'll say to Rand he's sorry, in case he finds Rand before he gets mad.
Plot Four ( Stephen King helps )
This plot centers around Rand, Min, and the rest of the characters. It starts with Rand meeting Mazrim Taim, for an update on the Asha'man. LTT starts yelling in Rand's head:
LTT: KILL KILL KILL KILL...MUST STOP DEMANDRED KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL
Rand: Alright. If I kill him, do you promise you'll shut the hell up?
LTT: YES
Rand: Okay, anything to make you stop.
Rand kills Taim, in a very bloody fashion, graphically described. LTT never utters a word again. Rand is quite satisfied with the results, and puts Dashiva in command of the Asha'man. Rand then feels in his head Alanna is suffering, and travels to meet her. He finds Alanna dead on the floor. It's a very bloody scene ( this is also part of Jordan's plan of narrowing the cast ). He then senses grey men all around him, and a battle ensues. Rand loses one of his hands to a Grey Man, but ends up winning. It hurts. He travels back to Cairhien, to be healed. He, surprisingly enough, couldn care less about his hand. LTT has finally disappeared form his mind. After he's healed, he and Min have a long talk about madness, in front of a fire. He tells her he's killed Taim. She calls him a woolhead lummox. Suddenly, there are sounds of battle in the castle.
Gholams have invaded the castle. Asha'man start to show up from everywhere and the carnage begins. Trollocs join the fight too, and blood drenches the castle. The Trollocs and Gholams are offed one by one. After the battle, Cadsuane summons Rand and tells him she knows where the last seals are. They are at the foot of Shayol Ghul itself. At the same time, he gets news of the going ons on the White Tower. He then decides:
Rand: this is it. This is the time to strike the final blow against the DO.
Min: Are you mad Rand? Do you think you are strong enough?
Rand: I don't care Min. We have to do something. Time is running out.
Min: What are your plans?
Rand: I'll summon everyone I know to Caemlyn, and from there we travel to strike Shayol Ghul, and recover the seals if possible. If we can't, we then fight in Tarmon'gaidon.
Min: That's insane.
Rand: Sure is, but don't they say that I go mad? That must be it. I must be mad if I want to defeat the DO.
Rand gathers everyone aroun, and this takes a lot of pages. the climate in Randland is going cold. Everyone, when they hear of Rands plan, is terrified. But Rand persuades then to go ahead and do it. After Rand tells them of their plan. Logain shows up. He's wielding Callandor, and joins Rand's team. They all travel to Shayol Ghul. Once they arrive at Shayol Ghul, they meet all of the living Forsaken, Oran'gar and Osan'gar, Moridin, Luc/Isam, and Shaidar Haran.
Cadsuane: Rand, you fool! You believed everything I've told you, you lummox! I'm not Cadsuane, she's dead! My...name...is...DEMANDRED!
Cadsuane morphs into Demandred, to everyone's surprise. Nynaeve sniffs. Suddenly, a biteme bites Rand's remaining hand, and a tiny drop of blood falls on Shayol Ghul.In the meantime, Jordan leaves us hanging and cuts to the Tower of Ghenjei. While Rand was gathering everyone, Thom had entered the Tower of Ghenjei. How did he do that? RAFO ( I wouldn't dream of spoiling the whole book for you ). He rescues Moiraine after a gruesome fight with the foxes, and ends up, with Moiraine, in the Two Rivers. From the Two Rivers, they see a glow in the distance, in the direction of Shayol Ghul.
Thom: What in the flaming name of Light is that?
Moiraine: It's flaming Tarmon'gaidon, you goat-kissing lummox.
And so ends The Path of Daggers. Really action-packed, huh? Jordan's plan is to make Tarmon'gaidon last for the reamaining books of the series.