Egwene POV#

Egwene, Elayne and Nynaeve wait in Mother Guenna's house. In a while, she returns with Juilin Sandar. He seems to appreciate looking at Nynaeve. He says he has seen men on the rooftops at night.[1] They ask him to find thirteen women and warn him how dangerous they are. They give him detailed descriptions of Liandrin, Rianna and the others. Juilin leaves and Ailhuin tells them he is the best thief-catcher in Tear. Nynaeve feels a storm coming. After dinner, Nynaeve and Ailhuin talk shop some more while Elayne reads The Essays of Willim of Maneches. Egwene tries reading The Travels of Jain Farstrider and the humorous tales of Aleria Elffin but she is too nervous to concentrate. They go to their rooms and Egwene uses the twisted ring to enter Tel'aran'rhiod.

Egwene goes to the Heart of the Stone as usual. She is starting to learn her way around Tel'aran'rhiod. This time, there are thirteen women sitting in a circle around Callandor. They look very faint.[2] Liandrin turns and smiles at Egwene. She flees.

Egwene wakes with a start and tells Elayne and Nynaeve what happened. She thinks the Black Ajah knows they are in Tear. The storm breaks.

More Egwene POV

Mat POV#

Mat and Thom travel to Tear on the Swift. Mat pays Captain Derne two purses of gold to get them there as fast as possible. They arrive in a blinding rainstorm. Mat says he is going out as soon as they find an inn. He must find Egwene, Nynaeve and Elayne before Comar does. They pass a house with bunches of herbs in the windows.[3] They get rooms at the first inn they see, The White Crescent, but the innkeeper, Cavan Lopar has seen neither Comar nor the girls. Thom starts to develop a cough. Nevertheless, he goes out with Mat to search. Near dawn, they agree to try just one more inn then go back to their rooms. They enter The Golden Cup and Mat sees Comar. He is dicing. The innkeeper tells them he wins all the time and Thom tells him the dice are loaded and demonstrates the sleight of hand used to switch them. Comar has the dice loaded so they roll almost the best hand every time. Mat is outraged and tells the innkeeper to call the law. The innkeeper says they would do nothing when it is a Lord's word against a commoner. Mat walks over to Comar and wagers a gold mark. Comar rolls his excellent hand and Mat grabs those dice before Comar can switch them. Mat rolls them and feels his luck turning the dice.[4] He rolls a perfect hand. He tells Comar to leave and report back to Gaebril whatever he wants. Comar draws his sword. He lunges at Mat, but Mat flips him. He lands on a table breaking his back. As he dies, he tells Mat there are others hunting the girls. The innkeeper hustles them out saying he will tell the Defenders that it was a tall, red-headed man he dreamed about.[5] As Mat and Thom leave, Mat explains that he has figured out his luck. It works on totally random things like dice and on happening to walk into the right inn at the right time. After a brief sleep, they return to the search. Over the next three days Thom's cough grows worse. Mat begins having bad dreams:

• A man with short white hair weaving a net about Egwene, Elayne and Nynaeve.[6]
• The same fellow weaving a net about Moiraine.
• The same fellow holding a blazing crystal sword.
• Rand holding that blazing crystal sword.