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Tho mustaches with one knuckle and peered across the rooether, watching Rand and hinize those three, boy Breane Taborwin alone would give you an education such as every man should have at least once in his life, if he can live through it Worried about their husbands I like that, boy" Abruptly his eyes sharpened "You told ht is of the Andoran lord appearing with no warning, and an Aes Sedai at his side Barthanes and Galldrian You’ve let the White Tower put you in the cooking pot this time"

"She only came yesterday, Thom And as soon as the Horn is safe, I’ll be free of theain I mean to see to it"

"You sound as if it isn’t safe now," Thom said slowly "You didn’t sound that way before"

"Darkfriends stole it, Thoht it here Barthanes is one of them"

Thom seemed to study his wine, but his eyes darted to h to listen More than the three wo to talk a themselves, but every knot maintained its distance fro to say if it isn’t true, and ainst the domYou say he has the Horn? I suppose you’re after led with the White Tower once ht, even if the gleeman did not knohy He could not involve anyone else in his troubles "I just wanted to get away froleeman blew out his mustaches, taken aback "Well Yes That is well The last tiot a limp out of it, and you seeain You’ll have to get yourself out of it this ti to convince himself

"I will, Thom I will" Just as soon as the Horn is safe and Mat has that bloody dagger back Mat, Hurin, where are you?

As if the thought had been a su the lords and ladies They looked through him; servants did not exist unless needed When he found Rand and Thom, he made his way between the small clusters of nobles and bowed to Rand "My Lord, I was sent to tell you Your manservant had a fall and twisted his knee I don’t kno bad, my Lord"

For a moment Rand stared before he understood Conscious of all the eyes on hih for the nobles closest to overhear "Cluood is he to me if he can’t walk? I suppose I’d better come see how badly he’s hurt hi to say Hurin sounded relieved when he bowed again and said, "As my Lord wishes Ifa lord," Thom said softly "But remember this Cairhienin may play Daes Dae’mar, but it was the White Tower made the Great Galare at the nobles, he set his e servant and strolled away, plucking his harp He began reciting Goodwife Mili and the Silk Merchant

"Lead on,foolish As he followed the sniffer out of the roo hie From the Dark

"Have you found it?" Rand asked as he followed Hurin down a craht of stairs The kitchens lay on the lower levels, and the servants who had couests had all been sent there "Or is Mat really hurt?"

"Oh, Mat’s fine, Lord Rand" The sniffer frowned "At least, he sounds all right, and he grumbles like a hale man I didn’t mean to worry you, but I needed a reason for you to coh The arden behind the arden with theht before last" He hesitated "Lord Rand, they didn’t coain They must still be in there"

At the foot of the stairs the sounds of the servants enjoying the So and the thu There was no worked plaster or fine tapestries here, only bare stone and plain wood Light in the halls cah apart that the light faded between theain," Rand said "The way you have been bowing and scraping, I was beginning to think you were more Cairhienin than the Cairhienin"

Hurin’s face colored "Well, as to that " He glanced down the hall toward the noise and looked as if he wanted to spit "They all pretend to be so proper, butLord Rand, every one of them says he’s loyal to histo sell what they know, or have heard And when they have a few drinks in thes about the lords and ladies they serve that’d fair make your hair stand on end I know they’re Cairhienin, but I never heard of such goings on"

"We will be out of here soon, Hurin" Rand hoped it was true "Where is this garden?" Hurin turned down a side hall leading toward the back of the tar and the others down already?"

The sniffer shook his head "Lord Ingtar had let himself be cornered by six or seven of those who call theh to speak to hiave me such a look when I came near, I never even tried to tell her"

They rounded another corner just then, and there were Loial and Mat, the Ogier standing a little stooped for the lower ceiling

Loial’s grin allad to get away fro reed to pay ed It seeier stone the the about it, but half of the, and the other half that I was hinting at so"

"We’ll be out of here soon," Rand assured hiht?" His friend’s face looked more hollowcheeked than he remembered, even back at the inn, and his