Contents
Chapter 30
Overview
Mat, newly recovered, decides to flee Tar Valon by river. He wins every dice game he plays, alarming him about his uncanny luck. On the way to the docks he evades thieves across rooftops, survives an ambush when his attacker dies in the fall, and he seeks refuge at The Woman of Tanchico.
Summary
After Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne leave him, Mat spends the day eating voraciously and stashing food, planning to slip out of Tar Valon. Anaiya visits, Heals-checks him, and cautions him not to leave the city; Mat feigns obedience while packing all his belongings, including the Amyrlin’s paper, Elayne’s letter, and his dice cups.
At dusk, he walks openly out of the Tower, counting on the Aes Sedai to assume he will be retrieved by guards if he tries to leave. He heads for the harbor to find a ship downriver, intending to deliver Elayne’s letter in Caemlyn. In Southharbor’s bustling taverns he begins gambling to pad his purse and, to his shock, wins every toss at every game.
As his winnings swell from silver to gold, Mat grows uneasy about his relentless luck and storms out when a player calls it “the Dark One’s own luck.” Outside, he confirms he is suddenly rich and tries to ascribe the luck to the Healing rather than the Shadar Logoth dagger. Planning to reach the docks before dawn, he realizes he is being stalked.
Mat ducks into a narrow side street, nearly walks into cutpurses ahead and behind, then climbs a carved frieze to the rooftops, crossing higher and higher until he reaches a narrow bridge between buildings. There, a silent knifeman attacks. Tangled and teetering over the drop, Mat chooses to throw them both off the bridge.
The fall leaves Mat winded but alive atop his assailant, who is dead with his own dagger in his heart. Shaken and wary of attracting guards, Mat seeks the safety of a common room and heads for a nearby inn, The Woman of Tanchico, intending to rest briefly before finding a ship out.
Who Appears
- Mat CauthonNewly recovered; plans escape from Tar Valon, wins every dice game, evades footpads via rooftops, survives an assassin.
- AnaiyaAes Sedai who examines Mat, assures him food and warns him not to leave the city.
- RaabSea Folk sailor who follows Mat to gamble; later backs Mat’s luck and departs richer.
- Scar-faced bulky manDice player who calls Mat’s streak the Dark One’s luck, provoking Mat’s angry exit.
- Footpads in SouthharborWould-be muggers stalking Mat in dark streets; he evades them by climbing rooftops.
- Knife-wielding attackerSilent assassin who ambushes Mat on a high bridge; dies in the fall with his own dagger.