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A fine bloody todo Nearly killed, I’, I can ’t find a coet drunk Blood and bloody ashes! He stopped fingering a slice across the chest of his coat -- an inch difference, and that spear would have gone through his heart; Light, but the ood! -- and put that part of it out of hison all around him

For once the Tairens and Cairhienin did not see Aiel tents in every direction There were even Aiel right in the ca with Cairhienin a; the kettles had not been set on the fires, although he could s soe on wine, brandy, or Aiel oosquai, laughing and celebrating Not far from where he sat, a dozen Defenders of the Stone, stripped to sweaty shirtsleeves, were dancing to the claps of ten times as many watchers In a line, with arms around each others’ shoulders, they stepped so quickly that it was a wonder none of them tripped or kicked the man next to them For another circle of onlookers, near a tenfoot pole stuck in the ground -- Mat hastily averted his eyes -- asof their own Mat assu the pipes for theher, then landed on that foot and iain, faster and faster, soht of their leaps, or turning soht Tairens and Cairhienin sat nursing broken bones fro likeback and forth In other places otherIt was hard to say, in the din Without stirring, he could count ten flutes, not to mention twice as ed coat was blowing so that looked part flute and part horn with some odd bits tossed in And there were countless drued with spoons

In short, the canized it, n to other h A celebration of still being alive One more time they had walked under the Dark One’s nose and survived to tell the tale One e finished Alloriously alive, today He did not feel like celebrating What good was being alive if it e?

He shook his head as Daerid, Estean and a heavyset redhaired Aiel each other up Barely audible through the cla to teach the taller man between them the words to "Dance with Jak o’ the Shadows"

"We’ll sing all night, and drink all day,

and on the girls we’ll spend our pay,

and when it’s gone, then we’ll away,

to dance with Jak o’ the Shadows

The sun dark felloed no interest in learning, of course -- he would not unless they convinced him it was a proper battle hymn -- but he listened, and he was not the only one By the ti crowd, they had acquired a tail of twenty s, all bellowing the tune at the top of their lungs

"There’re soirls with ankles fine,

but ht, yes, always mine,

is to dance with Jak o’ the Shadows"

Mat wished he had never taught any of the had just kept histo death; that ointashes themselves had, and Daerid would neverof needle and thread Only, the song had spread frorass Tairens and Cairhienin, horse and foot, had all been singing it when they returned at dawn

Returned Right back to the hill valley where they had started, below the ruin of the log tower, and no chance for hiet away He had offered to ride ahead, and Talmanes and Nalesean nearly came to blows over as to provide his escort Not everyone had become the best of friends All he needed noas for Moiraine to co questions about where he had been and why, flattering at him about ta’veren and duty, about the Pattern and Tarmon Gai’don, until his head spun Doubtless she ith Rand now, but she would get around to hile of shattered logs a broken trees That Cairhienin felloho had lasses for Rand was up there with his apprentices, poking about The Aiel had been full of what happened there It was definitely past tione The foxhead , but he had heard enough fro was different He had no interest in finding out whether the thing would shield hi at darts of pain, he used the blackhafted spear to lever himself to his feet Around him the celebration went on If he drifted down to the picket lines now He was not looking forward to saddling Pips

"The hero should not sit without drinking"

Startled, he jerked around, grunting at the stab of his wounds, to stare at Melindhra She had a large clay pitcher in one hand, not spears, and her face was not veiled, but her eyes see hi"

"Whather free arm around his shoulders Even with the sudden jolt, he tried to stand straighter; be still was not used to having to look up at a woman "I knew you would seek your own honor The Car’a’carn casts a great shadow, but nohis ed a faint, "Of course" She was not going to try to kill him "That’s it exactly" In his relief, he took the pitcher froulp turned into a splutter It was the rawest doubledistilled brandy he had ever tasted

She retrieved the pitcher long enough to take a draw, then sighed gratefully and pushed it back at him "He was a man of much honor, Mat Cauthon Better that you had captured hiained ht him out"

Despite hi, and shivered A leather cord tied in short flamered hair held Couladin’s head atop the tenfoot pole near where the Aiel seem