Chapter 40

Approaching Aringill by river, Mat notes packed docks and refugees crossing from war-torn Cairhien. Captain Mallia eyes Mat’s supposed royal errand, while Mat counts his gambling winnings and frets over Elayne’s letter’s danger. Onshore, the streets are overflowing; a hoarse Guardsman warns food is short and crossings will stop tomorrow.

Inn after inn refuses beds. Mat finally bribes the innkeeper of The Good Queen for stable space, then wagers and wins the man’s two horses with a lucky throw. He and Thom make pallets in the loft as rain hammers the roof.

A woman, Aludra, slips into the stable with a handcart. Four men led by Tammuz confront her, blaming her for Guild disgrace and threatening her life over fireworks-making secrets. Impulsively, Mat swings down on a rope, scatters them, and, with his quarterstaff tossed by Thom, knocks the attackers senseless.

Aludra, once Mistress of the Illuminators’ Cairhien Chapter House, explains her expulsion and the Guild’s pursuit. In gratitude, she gifts Mat a roll of fireworks, carefully instructing him on types, fuses, and dangers. She hints at a secret fire-lighting “stick” invention, then departs into the rain toward safer roads.

With their assailants stirring and trouble likely, Thom urges departure. Mat secures the fireworks, curses his “heroics,” and he and Thom mount their newly won horses to ride out into the storm.