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"Everyone by now, Lord Rand," Hurin said quietly He seeate would not keep theirto Cairhien The hostler, the innkeepereverybody tells what they knohere they think it will do therimace, Rand took two steps and hurled the invitations into the fire They caught i Daes Dae’h for everyone to hear Not even Cuale looked at hi to do with your Great Gaht his arent whisper "Please don’t do that again"

"Again? You really think I’ll receive ht, but youround his ears, he kicked the nest You’ve likely just convinced everyone in the room you are in some deep part of the Game Itat all Every lord and lady in Cairhien plays it" The sniffer glanced at the invitations, curling blackly in the fire, and winced "And you have surely reat Houses, or they’d not have moved so quickly, but still noble You must answer any more invitations you receive, s into whose invitations you do decline And into whose you accept Of course, if you decline them all, or accept them all -- "

"I’ll have no part of it," Rand said quietly "We are leaving Cairhien as soon as we can" He thrust his fists into his coat pockets, and felt Selene’s note cru it out, he smoothed it on his coat front "As soon as we can," he ain "Have your drink, Hurin"

He stalked out angrily, not sure whether he was angry with himself, or with Cairhien and its Great Ga, or Moiraine She had started it all, stealing his coats and giving him a lord’s clothes instead Even now that he called hied to interfere in his life, and without even being there

He went back through the saate by which he had entered the city, since that was the way he knew A uardhouse took note of hiht a the Cairhienin -- and hurried inside, but Rand did not notice The laughter and oldembroidered red coat ht into the Foregate Many of the h the crowded streets were dressed just as darkly as those in the city, but just as ht enough to be a Tinker’s clothes--and even more of the women had embroidered dresses and colored scarves or shawls Most of the finery was tattered and illfitting, as if inally, but if some of those ore it eyed his fine coat, none seemed to take it aiant puppets While the drufaced Trolloc with tusks fought a man in a crown After a few desultory blows, the Trolloc collapsed to laughter and cheers frorunted They don’t die so easily as that

He glanced into one of the large, less buildings, stopping to look through the door To his surprise, it seee room, open to the sky in the e dais at one end He had never seen or heard of anything like it People ja people perform on the dais He peeked into others as he passed thelers, and lee a story froh Chant

That made him think of Thom Merrilin, and he hurried on Memories of Thom were always sad Thom had been a friend A friend who had died for hi structures, a wos vanish from one basket and appear in another, then disappear fro her oohed and aahed loudly

"Two coppers, ood Lord," a ratty little man in the doorway said "Two coppers to see the Aes Sedai"

"I don’t think so" Rand glanced back at the woman A white dove had appeared in her hands Aes Sedai? "No" He gave the ratty h the throng, wondering what to see next, when a deep voice, acco of a harp, drifted out froler over it

" cold blows the wind down Shara Pass; cold lies the grave unmarked Yet every year at Sunday, upon those piled stones appears a single rose, one crystal teardrop like dew upon the petals, laid by the fair hand of Dunsinin, for she keeps fast to the bargain leeye"

The voice drew Rand like a rope He pushed through the doorway as applause rose within

"Two coppers, ood Lord," said a ratfaced man who could have been twin to the other "Two coppers to see --"

Rand dug out some coins and thrust the at theof his listeners, cradling his harp in one ar his patchcovered cloak as if to trap all the sound theyhtened and saw Rand, the eyes that widened were sharp and blue

"Thom" Rand’s whisper was lost in the noise of the crowd

Holding Rand’s eye, Thohtly toward a s and basking in the applause

Rand h it It was only a s up to the dais In the other direction fro with colored balls, and six tu theh his right leg did not bend as well as it had He eyed the juggler and the tumblers, blew out his mustaches disdainfully, and turned to Rand "All they want to hear is The Great Hunt of the Horn You would think, with the news from Haddon Mirk and Saldaea, one of them would ask for The Karaethon Cycle Well,else" He looked Rand up and down "You look as if you’re doing well, boy" He fingered Rand’s collar and pursed his lips