Knife of Dreams (The Wheel of Time 11)

He straightened in alarm. "Where are you going?" He trusted her not to run away, but not to stay out of trouble without him there to pull her out of it.

She put on a long-suffering face. Even that was beautiful. "If you must know, I am going to the necessary, Toy."

"Oh. The innkeeper can

tell you where it is. Or one of the serving women."

"Thank you, Toy," she said sweetly. "I'd never have thought to ask." She waggled her fingers at Selucia, and the two of them walked toward the back of the common room having one of their silent talks and giggling.

Sitting down, he scowled into his winecup. Women seemed to enjoy finding ways to make you feel a fool. And he was half-married to this one.

"Where are the women?" Thom asked, dropping down into the chair beside Mat and setting a nearly full winecup on the table. He grunted when Mat explained, and went on in a low voice, leaning his elbows on the table to put his head close. "We have trouble behind and ahead. Far enough ahead that it may not bother us here, but best we leave as soon as they return."

Mat sat up straight. "What kind of trouble?"

"Some of those merchant trains that passed us the last few days brought news of a murder in Jurador about the time we left. Maybe a day or two later; it's hard to be sure. A man was found in his own bed with his throat ripped, only there wasn't enough blood." He had no need to say more.

Mat took a long pull at his wine. The bloody gholam was still following him. How had it found out he was with Luca's show? But if it was still a day or two behind at the pace the show was making, likely it would not catch up to him soon. He fingered the silver foxhead through his coat. At least he had a way to fight it if it did appear. The thing carried a scar he had given it. "And the trouble ahead?"

"There's a Seanchan army on the border of Murandy. How they assembled it without my learning about it before this. . . ." He puffed out his mustaches, offended by his failure. "Well, no matter. Everybody who passes through they make drink a cup of some herbal tea."

"Tea?" Mat said in disbelief. "Where's the trouble in tea?"

"Every so often, this tea makes a woman go unsteady in her legs, and then the sul'dam come and collar her. But that's not the worst. They're looking very hard for a slight, dark young Seanchan woman."

"Well, of course they are. Did you expect they wouldn't be? This solves my biggest problem, Thom. When we get closer, we can leave the show, take to the forest. Tuon and Selucia can travel on with Luca. Luca will like being the hero who returned their Daughter of the Nine Moons to them."

Thom shook his head gravely. "They're looking for an impostor, Mat. Somebody claiming to be the Daughter of the Nine Moons. Except the description fits her too closely. They don't talk about it openly, but there are always men who drink too much, and some always talk too much as well when they do. They mean to kill her when they find her. Something about blotting out the shame she caused."

"Light!" Mat breathed. "How could that be, Thom? Whatever general commands that army must know her face, wouldn't he? And other officers, too, I'd think. There must be nobles who know her."

"Won't do her much good if they do. Even the lowest soldier will slit her throat or bash in her head as soon as she's found. I had that from three different merchants, Mat. Even if they're all wrong, are you willing to take the chance?"

Mat was not, and over their wine they began planning. Not that they did much drinking. Thom seldom did anymore for all his visits to common rooms and taverns, and Mat wanted a clear head.

"Luca will scream over letting us have enough horses to mount everyone whatever you pay him," Thom said at one point. "And there are packhorses for supplies if we're taking to the forest."

"Then I'll start buying, Thom. By the time we have to go, we'll have as many as we need. I'll wager I can find a few good animals right here. Vanin has a good eye, too. Don't worry. I'll make sure he pays for them." Thom nodded doubtfully. He was not so certain how reformed Vanin was.

"Aludra's coming with us?" the white-haired man said in surprise a little later. "She'll want to take all of her paraphernalia. That'll mean more packhorses."

"We have time, Thom. The border of Murandy is a long way, yet. I mean to head north into Andor, or east if Vanin knows a way through the mountains. Better east." Any way Vanin knew would be a smuggler's path, a horsethief's escape route. There would be much less chance of unfortunate encounters along something like that. The Seanchan could be almost anywhere in Altara, and the way north took him nearer that army than he liked.

Tuon and Selucia appeared from the back of the common room, and he stood, taking up Tuon's cloak from her chair. Thom rose, too, lifting Selucia's cloak. "We're leaving." Mat said, trying to place the cloak around Tuon. Selucia snatched it out of his hands.

"I haven't seen even one fight yet," Tuon protested, too loudly. Any number of people turned to stare, merchants and serving women.

"I'll explain outside," he told her quietly. "Away from prying ears."

Tuon stared up at him, expressionless. He knew she was tough, but she was so tiny, like a pretty doll, that it was easy to believe she would break if handled roughly. He was going to do whatever was necessary to make sure she was not put in danger of being broken. Whatever it took. Finally she nodded and let Selucia place the blue cloak on her shoulders. Thom attempted to do the same for the yellow-haired woman, but she took it away from him and donned it herself. Mat could not recall ever seeing her let anyone help her with her cloak.

The crooked street outside was empty of human life. A slat-ribbed brown dog eyed them warily, then trotted away around the nearest bend. Mat moved nearly as quickly in the other direction, explaining as they went. If he had expected shock or dismay, he would have been disappointed.

"It could be Ravashi or Chimal," the little woman said thoughtfully, as if having an entire Seanchan army out to kill her were no more than an idle distraction. "My two nearest sisters in age. Aurana is too young, I think, only eight. Fourteen, you would say. Chimal is quiet in her ambition, but Ravashi has always believed she should have been named just because she is older. She might well have sent someone to plant rumors should I disappear for a time. It is really quite clever of her. If she is the one." Just as coolly as talking about whether it might rain.

"This plot could be dealt with easily if the High Lady were in the Tarasin Palace where she belongs," Selucia said, and coolness vanished from Tuon.

Oh, her face became as chill as that of an executioner, but she rounded on her maid, fingers flashing so furiously they should have been striking sparks. Selucia's face went pale, and she sank to her knees, head down and huddling. Her fingers gestured briefly, and Tuon let her own hands fall, stood looking down at the scarf-covered top of Selucia's head, breathing heavily. After a moment, she bent and lifted the other woman to her feet. Standing very close, she said something very short in that finger-talk. Selucia replied silently, Tuon made the same gestures again, and they exchanged tremulous smiles. Tears glistened in their eyes. Tears!