Noise from some kind of commotion forced its way into Lews' dreamless sleep and began to drag him out of the emptiness. "Stay here lad. I'm needed out there" said a deep male voice that sounded vaguely familiar. It seemed as if someone took quick steps on the floor, then opened and closed a door. He lay there for a moment, listening to the muted footsteps that quickly faded away. A dull roaring snapped his eyes open and he sat up, wide awake. Shadowspawn! He sprang out of bed and rushed towards the door but stopped himself before reaching the handle. Clothes, I need clothes. Turning around, his eyes fell on a beautifully carved wooden cupboard standing next to one of the walls. He took two quick steps and yanked open one of the cupboard doors. A stack of folded clothes lay neatly piled inside. A pair of pants is all I need. He grabbed the pants—the other clothes flew out onto the floor—and began to put them on. Once the pants were finally on, he felt the familiar sense of calm within. He quickly opened the door—without closing it behind him—and strode down a steep staircase—feeling slightly uneasy on it for some reason—until he came down into a large common room full of women and children. Incredible! Like a visit to a museum... No time for that now. This has to be quick, someone might be trying to stop this boy. He ran as fast as he could to the front door. "Wait, Rand!" someone shouted. Without wasting time, he tore the door open and hurried out into the dim street outside. A cascade of sensory impressions rushed over him, the smell of blood, mud, and smoke mixing with a sense of determination but also the thrill that only a life-and-death situation can bring. He crouched down by the inn's wall and peered into the darkness as his eyes slowly adjusted to the dark. A death scream echoed between the houses. Three maybe four houses down the street. A little further down the street, he could now make out three bodies on the ground, one large and two smaller ones. Slowly in a crouched position, he crept towards the bodies. Flickering shadows from the burning houses made him imagine approaching Trollocs several times. When he finally reached the mangled bodies—one of which was a vile Trolloc with a goat head—he found an old, rusty sword on the ground. Finally, no more sneaking. He grabbed it and stood up. Quickly he tried some sword forms. Muscle memory isn't quite there, and the sword is underwhelming, but it's what I have. He began to jog in the direction from where most of the roars could be heard and soon saw the backs of three Trollocs that had cornered some fiercely fighting villagers. A smile spread across his lips, then he charged forward. A couple of sword forms later, three Trollocs lay on the ground, two of them headless. "Thank you, Rand... Wait!" He had already turned and rushed toward the next roar. A dozen fights later—he had already lost count of how many Trollocs he had killed—he ran into a larger open area. A spectacle of lightning and fire indicated that the Aes Sedai were performing. A tall sturdy man with a sword—whom Lews assessed as a professional—was fighting a Myrddraal. The Myrddraal was careful to keep the warrior between itself and the Aes Sedai at all times. Lews stepped quickly and lightly behind the Myrddraal, which just started to turn around when Lews' lightning-fast strike separated its head from its body. The Myrddraal sank to the ground, still swinging its sword as usual. With a flick of his wrist, he severed the Myrddraal's sword hand. The warrior looked mightily surprised, so Lews decided to reward him with a big smile. Around them, the remaining Trollocs collapsed to the ground, linked to the Myrddraal as they must have been. As he relaxed somewhat his head started spinning, and he could suddenly see the muddy ground approaching fast. Then darkness.