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Corman put a foot on the piece of wood to wrench Mat’s knife free and brought it back to hiain maybe, Matri "never" when they did not want to say it right out

Mat nodded as he slipped the blade back into one of the sheaths inside his sleeve; it was the same as the time he had rolled six sixes twentythree ti lucky was not all it was ered in the slightest as they joined the departing crowd

Scrubbing a hand through his hair, Mat sat down heavily on the coping The memories that had once cluttered his head like raisins in a cake now blended with his own In one part of his mind he knew he had been born in the Two Rivers twenty years before, but he could re attack that turned the Trollocs at Maighande, and dancing in the court of Tars, a thousand Mostly battles He re more times than he wanted to think of No seams between lives anymore; he could not tell hisbehind him, he set his widebrimmed hat on his head and fished the odd spear across his knees Instead of an ordinary spearhead, it had what looked like a twofoot sword blade, marked with a pair of ravens Lan said that that blade had beenthe War of the Shadow, the War of the Power; the Warder claiht he would not trust that unless he had to It ht have lasted three thousand years, but he had little trust of the Power Cursive script ran along the black haft, punctuated at either end with another raven, inlaid in soue, but he could read it now, of course

Thus is our treaty written; thus is agreeht is the arrow of tiiven The price is paid

One way down the wide street, half a e in ht, but their pavilions still stood, rayish broool used for Aiel tents Hundreds of traders had coest fair the Aiel had ever seen, andthe first to actually start living in the city

Mat did not really want to look the other way, toward the great plaza He couldtomorrow What appeared to be a twisted redstone doorframe had been heaved into one that afternoon; Moiraine had taken particular care to see it lashed firmly in place just as she wanted

He did not knohat she knew of it -- and he was not about to ask; better if she forgot he was alive, though small chance of that -- but whatever she knew, he was sure he knewfor answers What he had gotten instead was a head full of other men’s memories That, and dead He tucked the scarf closer around his neck And two other things A silver foxhead medallion that he wore under his shirt, and the weapon across his knees Shtly down the script Memory never fades They had a sense of humor fit for Aiel, those folk on the other side of that doorway

"Can you do that every time?"

He jerked his head around to stare at the Maiden who had just sat down beside him Tall even for an Aiel, old and eyes the color of a clearsky She was older than he, ain, she was Far Dareis Mai

"I am Melindhra," she went on, "of the Jumai sept Can you do that every tiave her sept, but no clan Aiel never did that Unless She had to be one of the Shaido Maidens who had come to join Rand He did not really understand all this about societies, but as for Shaido, he re to stick spears in him too well Couladin did not like anyone associated with Rand, and what Couladin hated, the Shaido hated On the other hand, Melindhra had come here to Rhuidean A Maiden But she wore a sht

"Most of the time," he said truthfully Even when he did not feel it, his luck was good; when he did, it was perfect She chuckled, her s Wo without looking at the evidence On the other hand, if they liked you, they either did not care or else decided even the erous, whatever their clan -- any woman could; he had learned that on his own -- but Melindhra’s eyes were definitely not just looking at hiold spirals, each centered on a deep blue sapphire, the largest as big as the joint of his thumb He could remember a time -- his own memory -- when the smallest of those stones would have made him sweat

"They’ll look pretty with your eyes," he said, laying the heavy strand in her hands He had never seen a Maiden wear baubles of any sort, but in his experience, every woely, they liked flowers nearly as well He did not understand it, but then, he illing to admit that he understood women less than he did his luck, or what had happened on the other side of that twisted doorway

"Very fine work," she said, holding it up "I accept your offer" The necklace disappeared into her belt pouch, and she leaned over to push his hat back on his head "Your eyes are pretty Like dark polished catseye" She twisted around to pull her feet up onto the coping and sat with her ar him intently "My spear sisters have told me about you"

Mat pulled his hat back into place and watched her warily from under the brim What had they told her? And what "offer"? It was only a necklace The invitation was gone fro a mouse That was the trouble with Maidens of the Spear Sometimes it was hard to tell whether they wanted to dance with you, kiss you, or kill you

The street was enized Rand slanting across down the way, pipe clenched between his teeth He was the onlywith a fistful of Far Dareis Mai They’re always around hi to do whatever he says Soht have envied him that much at least Not Mat Not most of the time If it had been a pack of