Rafala

Rafala was a young warrior of the Khundryl Burned Tears under the command of Warleader Gall. She was a capable, versatile, born leader, with intelligent, observant dark eyes. Rafala had a keen sense of the ridiculous, as well as a deep respect for the 'old ways' and for the elders of the Khundryl.

In Dust of Dreams

Towards the end of the hostilities between the Khundryl and the Bolkando, Rafala, returning at a gallop from a scouting trip, reported to Warleader Gall that there was a flanking Bolkando army to the north. Also present, as she made her report, was Vedith, another talented, young warrior, who had just been given by Gall the command of a 'Wing' (i.e., a force of one thousand warriors--fifty 'raids'). After having given a comprehensive account of her observations and impressions to the two men, Rafala was instructed by Gall to get a fresh mount and then to prepare to guide Vedith and his Wing to the northern Bolkando army, to give battle.

After a successful peace parley between Gall and Queen Abrastal of the Bolkando, and his subsequent return to the Khundryl encampment, Gall was interrupted by the return of Rafala with the good news that the Wing had crushed the northern Bolkando army, but with the very bad news that Vedith had died at the outset, forcing Rafala to take over the command of the Wing for the attack. After listening to Rafala’s account of the death of Vedith, and of her report about the ambush of the Bolkando force, Gall thanked Rafala and told her that the command of the Wing was now hers. Rafala informed Gall that Vedith had prepared his warriors in an exemplary fashion, and that she intended to name the Wing after Vedith to honor him.

Gall’s heavily pregnant wife, Hanavat, who had taken to wandering around the Khundryl camp at night because of her physical discomfort, was invited by Rafala and her fellow Wing commander, Shelemasa, to join them at their fire and to have a cup of tea with them. The three women bonded quickly, and Hanavat soon had Rafala and Shelemasa in peals of laughter, which made the surrounding Khundryl, at their own fires, smile to see 'old' pregnant Hanavat regaling the two young women.

The Khundryl, and the Perish Grey Helms--as well as their Bolkando escort led by Queen Abrastal--suffering under a undefined sense of increasing urgency, were traveling northward, with all due speed, in order to intercept the Bonehunters in their eastward passage through the Wastelands. Advance riders of the 'Vedith Swift', Rafala’s command, spotted a lone mounted Malazan, Corporal Kisswhere, who they discovered, had come looking for the Khundryl and the Perish to deliver a message from the Adjunct, Tavore Paran. Rafala accompanied Kisswhere to the vanguard of the three main forces, where the leaders rode together, so that the Malazan, whom Rafala came to dislike heartily, could deliver her message--a message, which despite its vagueness, was still quite alarming, convincing Gall that the Khundryl, at least, should hasten even more to rejoin the Bonehunters. Kisswhere joined the Khundryl in order to guide them as quickly as possible to the location of the Malazan Army, while Gall kept Rafala close to hand in case of need.

Spoiler warning: The following section contains significant plot details about the end of "Dust of Dreams".

The Khundryl drawing close to what was clearly the site of an ongoing major battle, Rafala was sent ahead by Gall to find a vantage point from which he would be able to see exactly what was happening. Rafala, once she had found such a lookout site, was then to wait there until Gall and the main body of the Khundryl, traveling as fast as possible, could catch up. When Gall and the Khundryl came up to where Rafala had reined in, he saw that the Bonehunters were being slaughtered by a massive army of ferocious giant lizards--the K'Chain Nah'ruk, deadly enemies of the K'Chain Che'Malle. Gall, after a quick survey of the situation, immediately led his 6000 horse-warriors (undoubtedly including Rafala) in a fierce charge aimed straight at the center of the Nah’ruk front line.

Comment

The exact fate of Rafala is unknown from this point on.

Significant plot details end here.

Quote

"Warleader...Vedith's command of the ambush was absolute. Every raid set about its task though we all knew he had fallen--we did this for him, to honour him as we must. The enemy was broken. Fourteen hundred dead Bolkando, the rest weaponless and in flight across the countryside. We have nineteen dead and fifty-one wounded."

―Rafala reporting to Warleader Gall

Notes and references

List of abbreviations • Paginations • How to reference an article