Mat POV#

A cold wind is coming up. Tomorrow is the Feast of Embers. Maddin's Day celebrating the founder of Altara is two days later and the Feast of the Half Moon is the following night.[1] The coaches reach the river. During the ride, Reanne, Tamarla and Janira told Elayne and Nynaeve what red flowers on the basket mean and she is angry at Mat. Mat gets even angrier and tells her it was really Tylin. Elayne is almost hysterical with laughter and embarrassment. Mat offers her the foxhead medallion. She is overwhelmed, but makes him keep it. She says that Nynaeve feels a storm coming and she does not mean this wind.[2] Harnan and Tad Kandel, Mat's men, are there. Vanin is unhappy as he gets seasick. Mat is starting to feel responsible and worries about it.

They board two boats, Lan and the women on one and Mat and the rest of the men on the other. In the Rahad, they pass a grimy inn, The Golden Crown of Heaven. They arrive at the six-story building. Elayne was right about the number of floors.[3] Mat sends Harnan and half the Redarms to guard the back. Elayne runs up stairs with Vanin and the Kin except for Sumeko and Ieine who stay with Nynaeve. Beslan, Nalesean, Corevin and four other men stay with Mat.

Falion and Ispan enter with two dozen men and shield Nynaeve. Lan knocks them down and a fight starts. Nynaeve is no longer shielded. There is a scream from upstairs. Mat runs up. Everyone is knocked down. The gholam breaks Janira's neck while men pry open the door at the end of the hall. The gholam throws Mat. Nalesean appears but the gholam rips out his throat. Mat jumps on the gholam and stabs him but there is no effect. The gholam tells Mat, "He wants you dead as much as he wants her." The foxhead medallion falls on the gholam's face and burns him. He pulls out the dagger and throws it at Mat who catches it. There is no blood on it. The men are carrying stuff from the room at the end of the hall.[4] The gholam goes for Elayne but Mat waves the foxhead medallion at him. The gholam retreats into a side room and disappears.

Elayne thanks Mat for saving her and apologizes again. Elayne cannot Heal Reanne. Nynaeve comes upstairs and starts to work on Tamarla. Lan and Sumeko arrive. Sumeko heals Reanne using Nynaeve type healing. Ieine is shielding Ispan. At the front of the house, Beslan, Fergin, Gorderan and Metwyn are still alive. At the back of building, only Harnan survived the gholam's exit. Mendair is killed. Reanne and Tamarla are okay. Two Kin and six Redarms are dead.[5] Sibella and Famelle are okay but Melore is dead. Elayne finds the Bowl of the Winds and lots of other stuff and they start carrying it out.

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