Mat POV#

After talking with Teslyn, Mat finds Thom and they make a plan for getting Joline, Teslyn and Edesina past the guards. The next day, Tylin and Suroth leave for a tour of Altara. They will travel by to'raken and be gone just over a week. They can cover two hundred miles a day. The trip was Tuon's idea.[1] Mat accompanies them to the docks on Pips. There are plenty of other da'covale and so'jhin as well as six sul'dam and two damane. One of the damane is Pura who is now completely docile.

There are ships from Illian, Tear and Mayene in the harbor. Evidently Rand has not stopped trade. After Suroth and Tylin leave, Mat watches the docks a while. They are very heavily patrolled, so he will have to use Valan Luca to get away. Back at the Tarasin Palace Mat runs into Noal. He knows Mat is up to something. According to Harnan, the old man tells stories about incredible places such as Shibouya beyond the Aiel Waste. Noal tells him another man was found drained of blood near the Moldine Gate. Mat sees Tuon watching him.

Mat goes back to his rooms and sends Lopin to bring his old clothes and Nerim to fetch Juilin. When Juilin arrives, Mat tells him he needs a damane dress, three sul'dam dresses and an a'dam. Juilin reluctantly agrees.

Days go by. Mat rides Pips to build his stamina. When the damane are walked, Mat sees three Aes Sedai besides Teslyn. One is short and pale, reminding him of Moiraine.[2] The second is tall with silvery-golden hair.[3] The third is slender with black hair.[4] Mat runs into Tuon too often for chance. Sometimes Selucia or Anath is with her. There are gholam murders every night.

Mat meets with Thom and Juilin to plan. Beslan walks in on one of their meetings. He wants to help by starting an uprising. The others try to talk him out of it. They get him to promise to wait a month after they are gone. Riselle strikes up a relationship with Banner-General Lord Yamada and passes some information to Thom. They can get the damane out of the kennel at night, but even sul'dam need a pass signed by a noble, an officer or a der'sul'dam to leave the city. Juilin reports that Thera has agreed to come with him when they leave.

On the seventh day, Thom meets with Mat again. Noal reported that the gholam killed again and the Seekers have been ordered to find the "madman." Mat sees one of the high-ranking servants, Narvin, standing nearby. Mat is sure that he is the one who nearly took Pips from the stable. That night the gholam kills again and Lopin and Nerim report that the news is all over town. At midday Juilin brings Mat some good news, a cloth sack containing the dresses and the a'dam.

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