Who attacked the Dynamic Duo in ACoS?

[Olivia 26]

Spank me if this has already been discussed in another thread and my memory is just failing me.

 

In ACoS ch 24 right after Nynaeve and Elayne () leave the Kin house for the first time (the Kin threw them out because they didn't believe the girls were AS and wouldn't tell them about the Bowl of the Winds), they are attacked on their way back to the palace. A blunt-headed arrow grazes Nyn and knocks El out, and while they're recovering some weird people try to carry them away under the guise of "helping" them.

 

At first I thought they were just thieves who saw two women in silk dresses and wanted to rob them... but the three people (2 women and 1 man) are all in silks themselves, and they have a carriage waiting to take them away, so they obviously aren't just poor thieves. El thinks they were sent by the two AS in the palace who sided with Elaida, Teslyn and Joline, and Nyn thinks it might've been the Kin.

 

I think maybe it was some of the Black Ajah Moghedien had working secretly in the city, like Ispan and Falion, but why would they send some random ppl instead of coming themselves like they do later in the book when they ambush the girls and the Kin as they find the Bowl?

 

I can't recall if the attempted kidnapping (not attempted killing or they wouldn't have used a blunted arrow) is ever explained later, but maybe it is and I'm just missing something. Or it could be a completely irrelevant occurrence that was just filler. Anyone have any ideas?

[Marie 73]

Oh wait. Wait. I need to look that up. These girls are attacked too often for me to keep the events all straight.

[Kaitlin 22]

I didn't even remember that this had happened to them. I will have to reread.

Edited July 5, 2010 by Sad Lan

[AshSnow 0]

I have no recollection of this...as Moiraine said, they got attacked so many times, it's hard to keep track...