Chapter 7, Out of the Woods Summary

Rand is exhausted and afraid to stop for fear of not being able to start again. He loses all concepts of time and distance, simply moving forward. The first sign that he is getting close to the village is the smell of wood-smoke, which initially makes him think of fireplaces burning to keep out the cold. Then he realizes that the smoke is too heavy in the air for fireplaces, and as he enters the village, he sees half of the buildings are burned down. The village has been attacked.

The blacksmith spots Rand and confirms that Trollocs attacked the village. He calls Egwene who in turn leads Rand and Tam to Nynaeve. However, once she examines Tam's wound she informs Rand that there is nothing she can do. Rand's hopes are shattered, leaving him...