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Tho impressed

"Nicely done," Noal whispered "I had no idea you were so fluent in the Old Tongue"

Mat hesitated He had not even realized they had been speaking in it

"My Old Tongue is rusty," Noal said, rubbing his chin, "but I caught a lot of that Probleh this place Hoe ht Birgitte had wandered for oal was merely a few steps away The chamber where Mat had met the Eelfinn leaders…she had said that once you were there, they had to bargain with you That must be the Chamber of Bonds the Eelfinn had h one of the red doorways; she should have been protected by whatever treaty the Eelfinn had with the ancient Aes Sedai But that doorway had been destroyed No way back

When Mat had co to ask for a leave-taking Though he gru his questions, he could see that was not what they did The Aelfinn were for questions; the Eelfinn granted requests But they twisted those requests, and took whatever price they wanted Mat had unwittingly asked for his memory filled, for a way to be free of the Aes Sedai, and a way out of the Tower

If Moiraine had not known this, and had not asked for passage out as he had done…or if she had asked for passage back to the doorway, not knowing it had been destroyed…

Mat had asked for a way out They had given it to hione black, and he had awakened hanging from the ashandarei

Mat pulled sohtly in his fist "The Aelfinn and the Eelfinn get around in here somehow," his whispered "There has to be a correct pathway"

"One way," Noal said "Four choices, followed by four choices, followed by four choices…The odds against us are incredible!"

"Odds," Mat said, holding out his hand He opened it, revealing a pair of dice "What do I care for odds?"

The two looked at his ivory dice, then looked back up at his face Mat could feel his luck surge "Twelve pips Three for each doorway If I roll a one, a two, or a three, we go straight Four, five, or six, we take the right path, and so on"

"But Mat," Noal whispered, glancing at the sleeping Eelfinn "The rolls won’t be equal You can’t roll a one, for example, and a seven is far more likely to--"

"You don’t understand, Noal," Mat said, tossing the dice to the floor They rattled against the scale-like tiles, clacking like teeth "It doesn’t matter what is likely Not when I’ht in a rut between two tiles and froze precariously, one of the corners to the air The other ca

"How about that, Noal," Thom said "Looks like he can roll a one after all"

"Now that’s so his chin

Mat fetched his ashandarei, then picked up the dice and walked straight ahead The others followed, leaving the sleeping Eelfinn behind

At the next intersection, Mat rolled again, and got a nine "Back the e ca to do," Mat said, turning and going back In the other rooone