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Besides, he was beginning to feel right again, riding Pips down that road, spring breeze crisp in the air He’d taken to wearing one of his older coats, red with brown trim, unbuttoned to show his old tan shirt beneath
This hat it was about Traveling to new villages, throwing dice in the inns, pinching a few bar Seanchan She’d be all right, wouldn’t she?
No His hands al since he’d sat down in a corner somewhere and throith the ordinary sort They’d be a little dirtier of face and coarser of language, but as good of heart as any man Better than most lords
Talmanes rode just ahead He’d probably wish for a nicer tavern than Mat, a place to join a gaht not have e was of decent size, probably worthy of being called a town, but was unlikely to have more than three or four inns Their choices would be li to himself as he took off his hat and scratched at the back of his head Hinderstap would only have three or four inns, and that made it a "sht Baerlon a large city, and it probably wasn’t er than this Hinderstap!
A horse pulled up beside hilee in the breeze, as he stared down at the words As if he hadn’t read them a thousand times already
"Why don’t you put that away?" Mat said Tholeee, but Thom needed it, needed some distraction
"I o for Moiraine But it’ll be weeks before we can break away, and reading over those words won’t do anything but make you anxious"
Thoers "You’re right, Mat But I’d been carrying this letter for months Now that I’ve shared it, I feelWell, I just want to be on with it"
"I know," Mat said, looking up toward the horizon Moiraine The Tower of Ghenjei Mat al That’s where his path pointed, and Cae the way If Moiraine was still aliveLight, ould that mean? Hoould Rand react?
The rescue was another reason Mat felt he needed a good night dicing
Why had he agreed to go with Thorn into the tower? Those burning snakes and foxes--he had no desire to see theo alone There was an inevitability to it As if a part of Mat had known all along that he had to go back and face those creatures again They’d gotten the better of his around his brain with those memories in his head He had a debt to settle with them, that was for certain
Mat had little love for Moiraine, but he wouldn’t leave her to them, no matter that she was Aes Sedai Bloody ashes He’d probably be tempted to ride in and save one of the Forsaken themselves if they were trapped there
Andh that same portal Burn him, ould he do if he found her there? Would he really rescue her as well?
You’re a fool, Matriet to Moiraine, Thorn," Mat said "You have my word, burn me We’ll find her But we have to see the Band someplace safe, and we need information Bayle Domon says he knohere the tower is, but I won’t be coe city and sniff for rumors and stories about this tower So Besides, we’ll need supplies, and I doubt we’ll find e need in these h s on the way"
Thorn nodded, though Mat could see he chafed at leaving Moiraine trapped, being tortured or who knohat Thorn’s brilliant blue eyes got a far-off look to them Why did he care so much? What was Moiraine to him but another Aes Sedai, one of those who had cost the life of Thorn’s nephew?
"Burn it," Mat said "We’re not supposed to be thinking about things like this, Thorn! We’re going to have a good night of dice and laughter There’ll probably be sorowing lighter He had his harp case strapped to the back of his horse; it would be good to see hiain, apprentice?" Tho to play that blasted flute," Mat gruht fine, though, didn’t he?"
Colors swirled in Mat’s head, resolving to an i alone in a rooed in a richly embroidered shirt, a coat of black and red tossed aside and cru wall beside hi to squeeze away the pain of a headache His other was
That arm ended in a stump The first time Mat had seen that--a feeeks back--it had shocked him How had Rand lost the hand? The h his lips did seeht Burn you, what are you doing to yourself?
Well, at least Mat wasn’t near him Count your fortunes in that, Mat told himself Life hadn’t been so easy lately, but he could have been stuck near Rand Sure, Rand was a friend But Mat didn’t mean to be there when Rand went insane and killed everyone he knew There was friendship, and then there was stupidity They’d fight together at the Last Battle, of course, no helping that Mat just hoped to be on the other side of that battlefield fro madmen
"Ah, Rand," Thorn said "That boy could have leeman, I warrant Maybe even a proper bard, if he’d started when he was younger"
Mat shook his head, dispelling the vision Burn you, Rand Leave me alone,
"Those were better days, weren’t they, Mat?" Thorn s down the river Arinelle"
"Myrddraal chasing us for reasons unknown," Mat added grimly Those days hadn’t been so easy either "Darkfriends trying to stab us in the back every tihola you’re grateful to have a noose around your neck instead of a sword in your gut"
"At least you can escape the noose, Mat" Thorn knuckled his long, white mustache "Once the sword is stuck into you, there’s not much you can do about it"