She looked around the room, feeling dazed. The Fox who had guided her from the doorway was sprawled on the floor, looking utterly overwhelmed with ecstasy, eyes staring blindly at nothing, mouth hanging open. The others were all moaning and grunting. Some were lying on the floor and she saw a few of them copulating frantically. Charming, she thought bitterly. She turned back to her aggressor. "You're supposed to guide me out of here, now," she told him – it, she amended fiercely. How could she have ever thought them to be even remotely human?

The Finn didn't respond, didn't move. She crouched near it, snapping her fingers in front of its eyes. No reaction. "Burn you, you son of a bloody goat!" she shouted at it. "The bargain was sealed with the price agreed upon. Now get me out of here!" Abandoning all pretence at civility, she punched it straight in its foxy nose. There was a loud cracking noise. It blinked once, obviously struggling to focus on her. "Get… me… out of here!" she hissed at it once more. When it didn't comply, she pulled her fist back for another punch.

Suddenly it was moving, fumbling to stand. It stumbled, looking intoxicated. Without a word he clasped her arm and dragged her out of the room. They left the others to their maniacal mating, their grunts and growls soon receding. They walked in silence this time.

They reached the doorway after a while. She wasn't sure if it had taken quite so long as the inward journey. The bloody Fox simply stood next to the ter'angreal, waiting for her to depart. It was staring at her. Shame and humiliation filled her to brimming.

The Eelfinn had slammed into her, bringing both of them down on the floor and tearing her clothes apart greedily. At least it hadn't lasted long, although she would have been hard pressed to say exactly how long. And there had been pain, alright, more than she thought she'd bargained for. To be fair, she hadn't been sure what to expect at all, but it certainly wasn't that.

Afterward, the Fox had fallen over her like a dead weight and she'd had to push it off before it crushed her. It had been panting hard, letting out small moans of pleasure that sounded almost like yowls of pain.

Now her clothes were ripped to shreds, barely clinging to her. She had bled, and not a little. Blood marred the legs of what was left of her breeches and had pooled in her boots. She felt numb. She couldn't decide whether it was worth it, especially since she didn't know if what she'd asked for had been granted.

The Fox was staring at her hungrily. Its lips were parted and its eyes shone brightly in the dimness of the room. It was sniffing the air and appeared to be wondering if it could get away with another round. "That would be against the bargain, you flaming goat-spawned toad. No harm after the price has been paid, we agreed on that," she told it fiercely. It blinked in surprise but didn't speak. Wondering how she was going to get away with this – Light, Mat would kill her if he found out – she stepped back into the real world.

She emerged inside one of the wagons. There was a piece of canvas around the doorway. Had they left Rhuidean already? Light, how long had she been in there? Shaking her head at the futility of her questions, she eyed the remains of her clothes. She looked as though she had been lost in the woods for days, attacked by a rabid wolf and then caught unexpectedly by her monthly bleeding. In short, she was a mess. There was no way she could get out of here and make her way back to her room undetected. And that was even assuming that they were still in the Aiel city.

There was nothing for it. She couldn't simply hide in the wagon until it reached Tar Valon. Steeling herself, she lifted a piece of canvas to peek outside. It was night. Could she really have been in there all day? She saw no one, but that didn't mean no one was there. Aiel were extremely good at fading in the background.

Numbness was progressively retreating and being replaced by pain. Gritting her teeth, she stepped out of the wagon gingerly and took a good look around. They were not in Rhuidean anymore, that much was certain, although they were still clearly in the Waste. A sudden movement on her right caught her attention. The man-high shadow slowly resolved into Mat. A scowling, furious-looking Mat.

"I knew it!" he exclaimed. "I bloody well knew it!" he shouted again. "What were you thinking? I told you they were dangerous! Look at you!" he said, then blinked, as if he was only just now seeing her properly. His eyes widened at the sight of her. "Blood and ashes," he whispered. "What did they do to you?" he asked her, concern plain on his face.

"Nothing," she told him, then bit her lip in exasperation. "I'm fine," she amended quickly, before he had time to speak. "It's just a little blood. I need to clean myself up a bit, is all," she told him as nonchalantly as she could.

He glared at her, obviously not satisfied with her answer. "Do you know how long you've been in there?" he demanded, voice tight with anger. "Ten days!" he said before she could open her mouth. "Ten bloody days! Curse me for a fool, I should never have told you about the flaming thing," he went on. "You could have died, Neya." He met her eyes. He looked more serious than she'd ever seen him.

She realised she was crying. Hot tears were rolling down her cheeks. She closed her eyes, trying to hold them inside. Curse me for a fool, she thought bitterly. "Mat, I need to wash. Please," she whispered. She opened her eyes, looking at him pleadingly.

His face softened. He cleared his throat roughly, looking away. "Come on. I'll take you to your tent. Well, to mine. It seems Natael quickly found a replacement for you," he said with a grimace. She wasn't sure what he meant by that, but at the moment, that was the last thing on her mind.

They walked in silence. They passed several Aiel, thankfully none she recognised. They all gave her curious glances. Mat stopped in front of a tent, drawing back the canvas for her. He told her to wash up, that he would be back soon with some clean clothes.

It took her a long time to clear all the blood from her skin and she still felt dirty even after she was done. She longed for a good soak in steaming water, although she was starting to think nothing would ever make her feel clean again. Mat came back half an hour later with fresh clothes, borrowed from Egwene.

The girl herself was trailing him, looking concerned. She sat down next to her in the tent. "Are you alright?" It was clear from her tone that she knew she wasn't. "Mat," she said without looking at him, "give us a moment, would you?" She heard him huff in exasperation but he left them without a word. "What happened? Mat wouldn't say."

"I'm sorry, Eggs. I can't tell you," she replied, feeling her cheeks burn with shame. If she had her way, no one would ever know what had transpired in the Eelfinn's lair. "What's going on here?" she asked quickly, desperate to change the subject.

Egwene eyed her sadly. "I remember a time when we told each other everything," she murmured ruefully. "We left Rhuidean ten days ago – after searching the whole city for an hour to find you. Rand was furious. Nothing happened, really. We haven't caught up to the Shaido yet," she told Neya.

"Where's Natael? Mat said he–"

"That lecher!" Egwene cursed, outrage marring her face. Neya flinched at the vehemence in her voice. "You were gone two days – two days! – and already that hussy was sharing his tent!" she went on fiercely.

"Hussy? What hussy?" Neya asked in a puzzled voice. She had no idea who that could be. No one had appeared to express any particular interest in Natael before.

"Isendre," Egwene replied scornfully, putting enough venom in the name to fill a dozen gara.

Neya's eyebrows climbed up in unfeigned surprise. "Oh, that hussy," she said with a weak chuckle. She felt… well, not jealous, exactly; after all, the man was not her lover. Disappointed, perhaps. She couldn't imagine a worst replacement. Sorilea would have made a better one.

They spent some time deprecating Natael and his new conquest, until Mat finally announced that he would like to get some sleep, if they wouldn't mind too bloody much. Apparently, he had been keeping watch near the wagon for the last ten days. He told her she could sleep here if she wanted. She bid Egwene good night, thanking her for staying around, then she crashed on some cushions and fell blissfully asleep.