on the way to caemlyn rand and mat stay at the dancing cartman owned by the nasty saml hake. there they are caught up to by a darkfriend called howal gode. i believe that howal gode can channel and it was he that blasted the inn. take how howal found them:

'he came in well after dark, shaking the rain off his cloak as looked around, a twist of distaste on his mouth. he scanned the room once, already turned to go, then suddenly gave a start at nothing rand could see and sat down at a table jak and strom had just emptied' four kings in shadow

had gode have reacted to just seeing the boys, rand would've noticed rather than just believing gode 'gave a start at nothing rand could particularly see'. i think that gode, being a channeller was able to sense the ability in rand and it was this that caused him to realise the identity of the boys as he obviously didn't recognise their faces.

'"of course we have things to talk about, you know that as well as i. i saw it in your eyes. i know what you are, perhaps better than you do. i can feel it coming from you in waves."' four kings in shadow

what can he feel in waves? rand's ability to channel. he's obviously not like fain who was forged into becoming a hound for the DO to sniff out the boys, because he would've gone straight to them instead of having gone around all the inns in four kings first. furthermore

'"if the tar valon hags find you, you'll wish you could have cut your own throat before they are done, but you won't be able to"' four kings in shadow

surely this is about being gentled? and who would know best than a channeller? also

'"it is written that when he wakes the new dreadlords will be there to praise him. you must be two of them else i would not have been sent to find you. think of it. life everlasting, power beyond dreams." his voice was thick with hunger for that power himself.'

the DO has sent a channeller after rand. that's why gode was sent, he can sense the ability and might have some skill to counter him, otherwise why send him. plus he seems to think that he himself could be become a dreadlord and he'd only think that if he could channel. and he has a self confidence that comes from being more than just a darkfriend

'"whatever it was about him that made her uneasy others noticed it too. for all of his soft look whenever some callus handed wagon driver to share his table one look was all it took to the man looking elsewhere."' four kings in shadow

i also think that he channelled hake and his bouncers (jak and strom) asleep:

'"master hake and his...minions will not trouble us and in the morning they will only be able to wonder where you vanished to"'

i don't believe that they when they awoke they would be wondering where they vanished to if they had been put to sleep through more violent means ie. a bump over the head.

lastly previously when rand has channelled or held the source he felt:

'his skin prickled and his bones felt as if they were freezing ready to split open" the road to taren ferry

and

'the tingling filled rand; the heat had grown to a fever. he wanted to laugh it felt so good' strangers and friends

and in the dancing cartman in four kings?

'light filled the room flooding his vision; the air roared and burned'

but no indication of channelling like in his previous brushes with the OP

so what happened? maybe gode wasn't very skilled in using the OP or perhaps ta'veren luck twisted fate to protect them, they survived. gode wasn't impressed:

'lightning silhouetted the sky of a man at the back of the inn a man shaking his fist at them, or the sky. gode of hake he did not know'

now this can't be hake, because he's asleep so it must gode venting his anger at the sky for his own misweave