The Gathering Storm

"I saw some men showing a paper to the mayor," Mat said, refolding the drawing. "I didn't see what was on it, but I'll bet it was the same as this. What did the man you took this from say about it?"

"An outlander woman in some village north of here is giving them out and offering a reward to anyone who has seen you. The man got the paper from a friend, so he didn't have a description of her or the town's name. Either his friend kept him ignorant, wanting the reward for himself, or he was just too drunk to remember."

Mat tucked the paper into his coat pocket. The light of false dawn was beginning to glow to the east. He'd sat up all night, but he didn't feel tired. Just . . . drained. "I'm going back," he said.

"What?" Thom asked, surprised. "To Hinderstap?"

Mat nodded, rising. "As soon as it's light. I need to—"

A muffled curse interrupted him. He spun, reaching for his asban-darei. Thom had a pair of knives in his hands in the blink of an eye. Fen,

Joline's Saldaean Warder, was the one who had cursed. He stood, hand on his sword, searching the ground around him. Blaeric stood by the Aes Sedai, sword out, alert and on guard.

"What?" Mat asked tersely.

"The prisoners," Fen said.

Mat started, realizing that the lumps that had lain near the Warders were gone. He dashed over, cursing. Talmanes' snores stopped as the sounds woke him and he sat up. The bonds made from strips of Joline's dress lay on the ground, but the serving girls were gone.

"What happened?" Mat asked, looking up.

"I ..." The dark-haired Warder looked dumbfounded. "I have no idea. They were here just a moment ago!"

"Did you doze off?" Mat demanded.

;But if we wait until dawn . . ." Joline said hesitantly.

"And what?" Mat said. "Burn to ash every person who tries to climb those stairs? You're making a ruckus here, and it's drawing more and more people. You're going to have to kill them all to stop them."

Joline glanced at the other two women.

"Look," Mat said. "I have a wounded Redarm down below, and I intend to get him out of this alive. You can't do any good for these people here. I suspect your Warders had to kill that group at the top of the stairs before you all felt threatened enough to use the Power. You know how determined they are."

"All right," Joline said. "I'll come. But we're bringing the two serving girls. Blaeric and Fen can carry them."

Mat sighed—he'd have liked the Warders' blades free to help in case they ran into trouble—but said nothing more. He nodded to Talmanes and Thorn, and waited impatiently as the Warders picked up the two bound serving girls and slung them over shoulders. After that, the whole group hustled back down the servants' stairwell, Talmanes leading and Mat at the rear. He could hear screams that sounded half angry, half joyous as the villagers at the base of the stairs realized no more fire would fall. There were thumps and shouts, followed by doors opening, and Mat cringed, imagining the other servants—left tied up in the bathing chamber—falling to the crowd.

Mat and the others burst out into the backyard of the inn, only to find Delarn on the ground beside Pips. Harnan knelt beside him, and the bearded soldier looked up with anxiety. "Mat!" he said. "He fell from the saddle. I—"

Edesina cut him off, rushing over and kneeling beside Delarn. She closed her eyes, and Mat felt a chill from his medallion. It made him shiver as he imagined the One Power leaking out of her and into the man. That was almost as bad as dying, bloody ashes but it was! He gripped the medallion beneath his shirt.

Delarn stiffened, but then gasped, eyes fluttering open.

"It is done," Edesina said, standing up. "He will be weak from the Healing, but I reached him in time."

Harnan had gathered and saddled all of their horses, Light bless him. Good man. The women mounted, and spared several glances over their shoulders at the inn.

"It's as if the darkness itself intoxicates them," Thorn said while Mat helped Delarn into his saddle. "As if Light itself has forsaken them, leaving them only to the Shadow. ..."

"Nothing we can do," Mat said, pulling himself into his saddle behind Delarn. The soldier was too weak to ride on his own, after that Healing. Mat eyed the serving girls that the Warders had slung over the fronts of their horses. They struggled against their bonds, hate in their eyes. He turned and nodded to Talmanes, who had affixed the lantern to a saddle pole. The Cairhienin opened the shield, bathing the inn's stableyard in light. A path led northward, out of the yard into the dark. Away from the army, but also directly out of the village, toward the hills. That was good enough for Mat.

"Ride," he said, kicking Pips into motion. The group fell in beside him.

"I told you we should leave," Talmanes noted, looking over his shoulder, riding at Mat's left. "But you had to stay for one more toss."

Mat didn't look back. "Not my fault, Talmanes. How was I to know that staying would cause them all to start tearing each other's throats out?"

"What?" Talmanes asked, glancing at him. "Isn't this usually how people react when you tell them you're going to spend the night?" Mat rolled his eyes, but didn't feel much like laughing as he led the group out of the village.