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"There are Aiel coht for us, Mat," Nalesean said as Mat raised the ravenht burn rinned at that, too "I don’t think they knoe’re here waiting for the to the valleys and hollows Hiding frolanced at the clouds and shivered He was not the only one to be uneasy about what ht come out of the sky; the otherthree looked up, too "Anyway, it’s plain they h where Daerid’s men are" There was actually a touch of respect in his voice when he , but it was difficult to look down on someone after they had saved your neck a few times "They will be on top of us before they see us"

"Wonderful" Mat breathed "That is just bloody wonderful"

He meant it for sarcasm, yet Nalesean and Estean er But Daerid wore as much expression on his scarred face as a rock, and Talmanes lifted an eyebrow at Mat just a fraction, shook his head a hair That pair knew fighting

The first encounter with the Shaido had been an even wager at best, one Mat would never have taken if not forced That all the lightning had shaken the Aiel enough to turn it into a rout changed nothing Twice more today they had seen action, when Mat discovered hiht, and neither had come out nearly as well as the Tairens believed One had been a draw, but only because he had been able to lose the Shaido after they pulled back to regroup At least they had not coh the twisting hill valleys He suspected they had found so, or fireballs, or the Light knehat He knew very hat had allowed theht with skinsinto the rear of those fighting hi overrun The Shaido had decided to withdraw to the north, and the others -- he still did not knoho -- had swung off to the west, leaving him in possession of the field Nalesean and Estean considered it a clear victory Daerid and Tal?" Mat asked

It was Talrace favors us" The Tairens looked doubtful; they still did not seem to realize how quickly Aiel could move

Mat had no such illusions He had already studied the surrounding terrain, but he looked at it again and sighed There was a very good view from this hill, and the only halfway decent stand of trees within half a ht where he sat his saddle The rest was scrub brush, little as h, dotted with leatherleaf and paperbark and the occasional oak Those Aiel would surely send scouts up here for a look, and there was no chance at all that even the horseht before they did The pikes would be right out in the open He knehat had to be done -- it was catch or be caught again -- but he did not have to like it

He only took a glance, but before he could open his mouth, Daerid said, "My scouts tell me Couladin himself is with this lot At least, their leader has his aron is said to carry"

Mat grunted Couladin, and heading east If there was any way to step aside, the felloould run headlong into Rand That ht even be what he was after Mat realized that he was s to kill Rand The Shaido chief, or whatever theabout Rand, but Couladin was the reason he was stuck out here in thewhether any ht between Rand and Sa within two or three h the brisket first And nooutside the kitchen door None of it would be so without Couladin

A pity no one had killed the h Aiel seldoht Couladin, on the other hand, see his head in a fiery rage as quick as snap a straw A miracle he was still alive, and the Dark One’s own luck

"Nalesean," Mat said angrily, "swing your Tairens wide to the north and co their attention, so you ride hard and co" So he has the Dark One’s luck, does he? Blood and ashes, but I hope mine is back in "Talmanes, you do the same to the south Move, both of you We’ve little ti"

The two Tairens bowed hastily and dashed for their horses, clapping on their helmets Talmanes boas more formal "Grace favor your sword, Mat Or perhaps I should say your spear" Then he was gone, too

Looking up at Mat as the three vanished down the hill, Daerid slashed rain froer "So you will stay with the pikes this tier at this Couladin overco a duel"

Mat barely stopped fro A duel? Hi with the foot? He had chosen it because it was safer to be behind the pikes That was his reason The whole reason "Not to worry I can hold ht Daerid the most sensible of the whole lot

The Cairhienin ht that you could You have seen pikes pushed before, and faced a charge or two, I vow Talives praises when there are two moons, yet I heard him say aloud that he would folloherever you led Some day I would like to hear your story, Andorht, Ielse does" Blood and ashes! Were they allhim? He wondered what they would say if they found out he was only a ga bits of memory fro lots for first chance to spit hi made to look a fool, but nobles seemed to like it least of all, perhaps because they so often ed it on their own Well, one way or another, he meant to be miles ahen that discovery came Bloody Couladin I’d like to shove this spear down his throat! Heeling Pips, he started for the opposite slope, wh