Mat wasn't awake, but he wasn't really asleep anymore. Instead he was drifting between the two states. Voices could be heard at what seemed like a great distance. Sometimes his eyes threatened to open, but a greenish haze caused them to close again. The pain didn't help. It wasn't that bad, but it seemed to be everywhere. Not a single part of him felt good.
It was the middle of the night when this limbo ended. Mat came to his senses, and found that he was sleeping in a bed made of transparent green light. It was the same transparent green light as Sage's ghostly flesh. It was a comfortable bed, but he never wanted to touch it again in his life.
"You're finally awake," Perrin whispered.
His big friend was standing next to the bed, which Mat could now see was lying inside a fancy wagon. Of course the wagon was made of the same transparent green light as the bed. Luckily he was covered by a large woolen blanket. He was naked underneath it though, which was always a bad sign.
"Is the portal closed?" Mat asked in a hoarse whisper as he wrapped the blanket around his shoulders and hopped off the wagon. He could see several people sleeping on the other side of the forest clearing near a campfire. They were still in the foothills of the Mountains of Mist, but further to the north judging by the distinctive shapes of the dark mountains.
"Yes, whatever you did… it worked," Perrin replied. "The two stone slabs with the tree carved into them crumbled to dust right in front of our eyes. There was no sign of the portal once you were finished."
"Where is Sage?"
Even in the dark, Mat could tell Perrin looked uneasy, and not just because he was wearing tight clothes that didn't fit his huge shoulders. "I haven't seen the ghost since we left Emond's Field eight days ago."
"Eight days? Please tell me you're joking."
"No, you've been asleep that long."
"How did I get into that wagon? Where did the wagon come from?"
Now Perring looked really uneasy. "Mat, when the circles of light from your ring stopped, you… you dropped dead. Or so it seemed to us. Your clothes were gone, and your skin was all red and black. Large slices of it just slid off your body onto the ground. It was horrible. You looked like you had spent several hours roasting over a fire pit. Rand and I were sure you were dead."
Mat looked down at his hands, and under the pale light of the half moon the skin seemed healthy enough. "What happened next?"
"Moiraine tried to heal you, but…"
"She isn't Moiraine Sedai anymore?"
Perrin went from uneasy to furious in a second. "No, she and Lan can go and hang themselves for all I care. I wouldn't address them with titles of respect again if my life depended on it."
"What did they do?" Mat asked. "No, wait. Tell me what happened after I was burned alive by my own Power Ring."
"Like I said, Moiraine tried to heal you, but a bubble of that odd green light surrounded you, and stopped her from touching you. That's when the wagon just appeared out of nowhere. The green bubble floated up in the air, like a regular soap bubble. It floated up, and then came to a rest in the wagon. Then the wagon headed north. All by itself, with no horses anywhere in sight. Rand and I weren't going to leave you, so we started walking behind it. Moiraine wasn't happy about any of this, but she came along too. A day later Lan showed up with the horses and supplies, and things got tense pretty quick."
"Did anybody get hurt?"
"No, but Lan… I honestly think he wanted to kill us. Or at least you and me, since Rand might be the Dragon Reborn. You know the legends about Aes Sedai and their Warders, how one of them can feel what happens to the other. That's true. I'm sure of it now. Lan knew what happened to Moiraine, how badly she got hurt when we were running up the portal, and he was going to take payback out of our hides. She stopped him in his tracks though. She's tiny, but she's tough."
Mat pulled the blanket tighter around his body. He wasn't that cold, but being naked out in the woods and surrounded by other people made him a tad uncomfortable. "Then why are you so angry with her?"
"We were all exhausted, cold, and hungry. Moiraine ordered Lan to share his spare clothes with us, and a large meal from their supplies. After we ate, both Rand and I fell asleep, even though it was the middle of the day. The Wagon just stops when we want to eat or sleep, by the way. A few hours later around dusk, I heard something that woke me up. It was Moiraine and Lan standing by the green wagon. He had his knife out, I'm sure he was going to use it to steal your ring."
"The blasted bastard was going to cut off my finger?!" Mat yelled.
That was a mistake. Everyone in the clearing was on their feet in a matter of seconds, and that included Egwene and the Wisdom. The Wisdom, Nynaeve al'Meara. The bane of his existence. She was young, and as pretty as Egwene in her own way, but she always had a harsh word or switch to the arse for him. He didn't think he'd ever seen her smile.
"When did she and Egwene get here?" Mat asked in a tight voice.
"A day after Lan. You should've heard the arguments. Nynaeve ripped into Moiraine something fierce, although Moiraine didn't seem to care, while Egwene couldn't stop yelling at Rand. She was sobbing her eyes out at the same time. Rand too, the sap. They know he might be the Dragon Reborn."
"Let me have a look at you," Nynaeve barked when she reached him. Her cold hands roamed all over his face, and underneath the blanket, much to his embarrassment. "Nothing seems to be wrong, but I will need to get a better look at you at dawn. Your friends said you were badly burned, but I knew they were exaggerating. Typical boys. You three are in for a good belting when we get home, and there's no avoiding it."
"I wasn't exaggerating," Rand said. "His skin was black and red, and it was falling off in pieces. I told you that by the time you and Egwene arrived, Sage had fixed the worst of it."
"Don't take that tone with me," Nynaeve snapped. "And I don't want to hear any more of your nonsense about ghosts."
"What about the blasted wagon?" Rand complained.
"Work of the Aes Sedai, no doubt," Nynaeve replied with total confidence.
{ What was the odd phrase you made me use? } Mat thought to himself. { That's it. Sage: end "the protocols" right now. }
Several things happened, seemingly all at once. The wagon of green light disappeared in the blink of an eye. Sage appeared right next to Mat. Egwene screamed. Moiraine made a gesture with her hands, probably calling on the One Power. And finally Lan drew his sword, and looked ready to use it. On whom, being the only question.
"Perrin and Rand, you've already met Sage. Everyone else, this is Sage. He's a ghost who lives inside the Power Ring on my finger. The finger the Warder tried to cut off while I was healing, after being burned alive."
Nynaeve started tugging at her braid in pure rage. She viewed people of Emond's Field as her children, even the oldest of the elders, and woe betide any outsider who threatened them. "I didn't believe Perrin, I thought he was just intimidated by Lan. But it's true, isn't it? You ordered him to attack an unconscious boy? What kind of monster are you?"
"Girl, mind your tongue!" Moiraine hissed. "You've no idea of what that ring is capable of. According to the records of the White Tower, a full circle of thirteen Aes Sedai once tried to destroy a Waygate. They were all consumed by a half-opened portal, never to be seen from again. That ring is too dangerous for a boy you admit is an irresponsible troublemaker. It must be taken to the White Tower, and if it costs him a finger, so be it."
"You told her I was an irresponsible troublemaker?" Mat asked Nynaeve.
"No, she told her new friend Lan," Egwene said with some hostility, as Rand draped a protective arm around her. The hostility surprised him. The mayor's daughter idolized the Wisdom and had been following her around the village like a puppy for years.
"Egwene al'Vere, you will never become an Aes Sedai if you do not learn to control yourself first. Now remain silent," Moraine told her, and it worked. Egwene looked down at the ground in obvious shame.
{ She wants to be an Aes Sedai? } Mat thought silently. { Never mind. Can't we do something to Moiraine and Lan? Something violent? I like my fingers attached to my hands. }
[ No, you will need them both as allies in the future. You must defuse the situation. Allow her to think that you will hand the Power Ring over to Aes Sedai for study once we reach the White Tower. ]
{ I'm not going to the bloody White Tower. Not after this. }
[ Exactly. ]
"Alright, I might be willing to let you look at the Power Ring when we get to the White Tower, but it belongs to me. Sage picked me, and that's final."
"Boy…"
Mat was already tired of her haughty attitude, and having an argument while naked only made this temper worse. "Sage, didn't I close the blasted portal before any more Trollocs could arrive?"
[ You did more than close one portal. ] Sage said aloud. Everyone besides Rand and Perrin jumped when they heard the ghost's creepy voice. The accent was impossible to place, and the tone was metallic, for lack of a better word. [ Mat took my instructions about protecting this world to heart. He collapsed the entire Waygate portal system in a single stroke, which is why he suffered such severe radiation burns from the backlash. ]
"You could have warned me about the risk of being burned alive."
[ That would have been detrimental to your training. ]
"Are the Ways truly gone?" a shocked Moiraine asked. "That ring is capable of such power?"
Sage gestured, and a large sphere of green light appeared above them. It had markings that looked familiar, and Mat quickly realized there was a detailed map of the Westlands on the side of the sphere facing them. Emond's Field might not have many maps, but they did have a few. Familiar nations from the Borderlands in the north to Tear and Illian in the south were covered with dots, and the dots were all connected to each other with pulsating lines. Everyone stared at the floating sphere in amazement, and began walking around it.
[ The portal system extended well into the Blight, and would have given the Dark One a major tactical advantage during the Last Battle. The information from my last scan was limited, but fruitful. Several hundred individuals were in the portal system when it collapsed, but most were probably messengers, spies, or assassination teams. The Fist of Trollocs sent to attack Emond's Field was the first major troop movement I have been able to detect, and thanks to Mat it will be the last. ]
"You gave me a compliment."
[ Do not get use to it. ]
Moiraine stopped studying the floating map. She slowly walked over to Sage, and began studying him. Her hands moved several times, and Mat assumed she was using the One Power again. The ghost didn't seem to care, and neither did he.
"You… the Power Ring as young Matrim calls you… not even at the height of the Age of Legends could they have created something like you. Something so powerful, compact, and versatile—but with absolutely no connection to the One Power. And a mechanical device with a mind of its own? You are not of this world. Why have you come here? Why now?"
[ Unlike the Eelfinn and the Aelfinn—with whom you have had such terrible relations in the past—the Green Lantern Corps shares the same morality as the common folk: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The innocent of this world have nothing to fear from a Power Ring. ]
"And those you consider guilty?"
[ Mat, if you would. ]
"There's an oath Sage gave me: beware my power, the Green Lantern's light. I kind of like it."
The ghost was giving off his eerie green light, so Moiraine's fear was plain to see. But still she pressed on. "What exactly is the Green Lantern Corps?"
[ What are the Aes Sedai? ]
"We are the Servants of All."
[ We are Lightbringers in a dark universe. ]
"Whose light do you bring, I wonder? You are very old."
[ Older than you can imagine. ]
"What do you plan to do next?"
[ That is for my Green Lantern to decide. ]
Mat pulled the blanket around his shoulders again. "We blocked the Trollocs' route into the Two Rivers, and you brought us north. That means our next stop is the city of Baerlon. We go there and make sure everyone knows who we are, and that we are headed east towards the White Tower. That will draw the Shadowspawn further away from our families."
Rand, Perrin, Egwene, and Nynaeve all stared at him like they had never seen him before.
"Has that ghost affected your mind?" the Wisdom asked.
"Burn me, I'm not stupid," Mat snapped. "You were just too busy switching my cute arse to notice."
"You don't have a cute arse," Egwene said in a not-very-quiet whisper.
"I'll admit it's not as cute as Rand's, but the other girls in the village seemed happy enough to give it a pinch."
His friends snorted and laughed. The Warder erupted.
"I would not give this childish buffoon a wooden practice sword, let alone a weapon of such power. The Dragon has been Reborn, and the Last Battle looms over the world. We must confiscate the ring," Lan growled.
Moiraine considered his words for a moment before facing Sage again. "Please indulge me with this question: what would happen if I set the strength of the White Tower against the Green Lantern Corps?"
[ Your pillow friend would be most displeased with the outcome. But such a conflict is unnecessary. We share a common enemy in the Dark One. ]
Again she showed genuine fear. "The boy is to be left alone."
"You can't be…"
"Lan, my channeling does not affect the Power Ring, nor does your steel. And it knows too much. Far too much," she murmured, before adding in a much harsh voice: "Remember who holds your bond, which you gave to me of your own free will. The boy is to be left alone."
"I'm glad that's settled," Mat said. "Now I need some clothes."
[ You need a uniform. Visualize one in your mind. ]
A uniform suddenly appeared under the blanket, and it was close to what he liked. A soft white shirt and long black breeches. The boots were well-made, but the green color was a bit much. The long coat—also green—was much better. It had several deep pockets and a high but comfortable collar. One feature stood out though. On the upper left arm of the coat was a wide band of white fabric, and in the middle of this white band was the Green Lantern symbol for all to see.
"This will draw attention," Mat said as tugged at his new left sleeve.
[ As it should. All uniforms of the Corps are required to prominently display the Green Lantern symbol. You will wear it with pride. ]
"I didn't say I didn't like it. I do. It's the nicest coat I ever owned. About those protocols: you said you would "gather resources" if something happened to me. Something did happen to me, so did you gather anything we could possibly sell in Baerlon?"
[ Do you think I was collecting nuts to sell at the market as we randomly wandered through the Mountains of Mist for eight days? ]
"I don't know what the word "resources" means to someone like you." Mat complained. "I sure hope you didn't spend eight days collecting nuts."
[ I meant buried treasure, as you would refer to it. Shall we distribute these resources to your friends? ] Sage asked as he walked over to Perrin. [ I am afraid I do not have any properly-fitting clothes for you to wear. ]
"You just made clothes for Mat."
[ He is not wearing clothes. His body is temporarily covered with an opaque energy field that simulates clothing. Under that he is totally naked. ]
"I am?!"
[ Yes, you are, ] Sage replied. Then a floating hole appeared, and the ghost reached into it with his arm. He pulled out a golden neck torc covered with intricate engravings, something you never saw in Emond's Field. Something you only read about in stories.
"That is that hole?" Moiraine asked. She and everyone else had gathered around it as soon as it appeared.
[ A pocket dimension I use for storage. It is where I have been keeping the buried treasure that I have been collecting. ]
"But you just appeared a few minutes ago."
"The wagon," Perrin said. "It would suddenly stop sometimes, and make strange noises before starting to move again."
[ Correct. This neck torc is for you, and here are a pair of wrist guards. ]
The blacksmith examined the wrist guards, which were covered with similar golden engravings. "The craftsmanship is unbelievable, but I can't wear any of these. They're far too beautiful."
[ I am not giving them to you for their aesthetic value. We are preparing to fight the Last Battle. They are resources to be used in an emergency. Here: these contain coins and loose gemstones, ] Sage said as he handed over two leather pouches. [ Now for your weapons. ]
First out of the hole were two knives and a belt to hold them. Then came a round shield about three feet wide. The front of the shield was covered with a golden starburst, while the back had two strong handles. Finally Sage produced a gold-colored mace about three feet long. The mace was crowned not with spikes, but with a smooth metal ball.
Lan reached out a hand towards the weapons, but moved no closer. "That shield and mace, are they…"
[ Yes, like your sword they were forged with the One Power for durability. I think they will suit Perrin for the time being. Now for you, Egwene. How do you feel about wearing blue sapphires? ]
"Wait a second," Mat said. "Are you two together?"
Rand reluctantly nodded, but as usual Egwene had to speak her mind. "We are, and I'm not letting this bull-goose fool change his mind again. I'm going to be an Aes Sedai, and he will need my help to make it through all this nonsense. And yes Master Sage, I do like sapphires."
[ Do not call me Master Sage ever again, ] the ghost said as he handed over a necklace of large blue sapphires, a pair of sapphire earrings, a pair of sapphire bracelets, a large sapphire ring, and a knife with a sapphire at the base of the hilt. Egwene also received two pouches of coins and gemstones, although they were smaller than the ones Perrin got.
"These are lovely," Egwene said as she admired the ring and bracelets.
[ As I told your friend, these objects are resources to be used if needed. Either for food and shelter, or as bribes to corrupt government officials. Also people will see you wearing them and assume that you are a member of the high nobility. That can be very useful in certain situations. Is that not true, Lady Moiraine of House Damodred? ]
"Quite," the Aes Sedai replied stiffly.
[ They will also help create the illusion that you are mother and daughter, if you need to carry out such a charade for any reason. ]
Rand got a knife and two heavy pouches, but that was all. [ Your weapon is the One Power, and you must learn to yield it without delay. ]
"Sage," Rand said awkwardly. "The way you healed Mat's burns…"
[ I have not made a detailed analysis of the taint on the male half of the One Power, but if there is any way Mat can help you, he will. ]
Moiraine pounced on those words. "You know a method for…"
[ I lack the data to answer that question. Wisdom? ]
Everyone looked over at Nynaeve, who rolled her eyes and tugged at her braid before finally walking over to Sage. "Does the ghost have any stolen treasure he wants to give to me?"
[ It is not stolen if the owners are long dead, and the only thing I want to give you is a haircut. That braid of yours—and the way you continually play with it like a toy—is going to get you and your friends killed. If you want to be useful, start by learning to hide your emotions from your enemies. ]
Despite his harsh words, Sage gave her several pieces of jewelry, all covered with beautiful yellow diamonds, along with two full pouches. No knife though. Maybe he was afraid she might use it on one of them.
Moiraine and Lan got nothing.
O-O-O
Mat thought Baerlon, with its vast size and high wooden walls, was a grand city. Smoke was heavy in the air, and the smell of raw sewage was foul even at a distance, but he didn't care. It was a city, and in a city you could get into all sorts of trouble. The best kind of trouble, since he was traveling with just Rand and Perrin on horseback. Egwene and Nynaeve were off with the others, going to buy new dresses and to retrieve that mysterious fortune teller the Aes Sedai had mentioned. They would rendezvous later that night outside the city.
"There are lots of wagons headed towards the North Road Gate," Mat said.
[ Yes, ] Sage replied mentally. He had disappeared back into the Power Ring, which was for the best. A ghost won't do well in such a big city.
{ A wagon that didn't need horses to move would have been useful the other night. Running from Emond's Field up to the portal in the mountains was a pretty foolish idea on my part. }
[ It was. ]
{ You could have told me that beforehand. }
[ There are younger Power Rings who would have just done that. They coddle their Green Lanterns and spoon feed them any information they might need. Those recruits have a nasty habit of dying quickly. I prefer letting my Green Lanterns make their own mistakes. The more painful, the better. It improves their survival rate over the long term. ]
{ Being burned alive was awfully painful, but I don't feel any wiser. }
[ It was radiation exposure. And you are. ]
{ Well, now that I've learned my lesson, will you show me how to make a wagon? We're going to be traveling on the road for who knows how long, and it would be a useful skill to have in the future. }
[ It is called a construct, and once we leave Baerlon I will give you some hints on how to get started. ]
The North Road Gate was guarded by actual soldiers wearing chainmail, and up on the two towers were more soldiers with crossbows. The streets were paved with flagstones, rather than the dirt paths they had in Emond's Field. But what surprised Mat the most were the crowds. There were so many people everywhere you looked, and they were all strangers. It was nothing like home, and he loved it.
Sage guided them to a men's tailor shop, which was good since they would have gotten lost in the narrow city streets without his directions. Most tailors only made clothes after a customer placed an order. However Baerlon catered to miners who worked up in the Mountains of Mist, so some larger shops had clothes in stock and ready for immediate sale to men eager for a night of fun in the city.
Mat had on his new uniform—which meant he was really naked—while Rand and Perrin were wearing clothes borrowed from Lan. All three were eager to change into something new. He entered the shop first, and placed five gold coins on the polished counter. "My name is Mat Cauthon and these are my friends Rand al'Thor and Perrin Aybara. We are in desperate need of your services, my good man."
The old tailor picked up one of the coins and examined it. "It's real gold, but I've never seen this design before. Where did you get it?"
"We found a horde of treasure buried up in the mountains," Rand said.
"Really?" The doubt was clear in the tailor's voice.
"Really," Perrin said as he pointed to the golden torc on his neck, which had the effect of showing off one of his golden wrist guards. Mat just placed his right hand on the counter.
"Those items are exquisite," the tailor commented as he studied the Power Ring and his new uniform. "And your clothes… I've never seen fabric like that before, or a coat cut in that particular style."
"I'm afraid it's too unusual," Mat said. "We want something that would let us blend in better with the locals. We'll each need a full set of everything you sell in the shop, right down to the smallclothes. And a spare set for wash days. And a third set in flashy colors, just for good luck."
The old tailor grinned and gave them a bow. "I am formally at your service."
O-O-O
Their next stop was the local magistrate in charge of tax revenues. Officially the miners owned the Queen of Andor ten percent of everything they dug up under the surface of Andorian land. Unofficially few actually paid that ten percent. Most smuggled their ore past the officials in Baerlon. The Queen didn't care so long as that ore went to Andorian blacksmiths who produced weapons for her soldiers, jewelry for her nobles, and metal tools for her farmers. However smugglers who tried to cross the border to other nations were quickly caught and quickly hanged.
Jurah Norry was a thin man, and he looked bored when they walked into his office carrying three heavy saddlebags over their shoulders. "You told my secretary this was important."
"My name is Rand al'Thor, and these are my friends Perrin Aybara and Mat Cauthon. We've come to pay our taxes to the Crown of Andor. We would also like a receipt with all the proper signatures and seals." They then dropped the saddlebags on the desk with three loud thuds.
Norry opened one of the saddlebags and examined several of the coins inside. "These are not from any mint in the Westlands."
"We found buried treasure up in the mountains," Perrin explained.
"Do you expect me to believe that?"
"No," Rand said coldly. "We expect you and your secretaries to count every single coin and provide us with an official receipt from the Crown."
The counting and paperwork took up the rest of the morning, and by the end Jurah Norry had gone from a bored tax collector to an ecstatic little boy. "Some of these coins might date to the time of the Ten Nations or perhaps even the Age of Legends itself! The collectors in Caemlyn will go mad with anticipation when the auction is announced."
"We're headed to Caemlyn," Mat said as he pulled out a heavy necklace dripping with massive rubies from one of his deep pockets. "We plan on presenting this to the Queen herself. Do you think she'll like it?"
Norry laughed, something you could tell he didn't do often. "My cousin Halwin works as a high-ranking clerk in the Palace, so I will send him a letter. I think he can arrange a Royal Audience for you lads. I would love to hear about the reaction of Queen Morgase when she sees that monstrosity. Now here is your receipt with all the proper signatures and seals. The envelope is made of waterproof leather, and it should keep the parchment safe if you're careful with it."
O-O-O
"I'm starving," Perrin said when they cleared the line of soldiers guarding the entrance to the royal office building.
"Me too," Rand added. "Mat?"
"Wait a second, I'm not hungry."
{ Sage! I haven't been hungry since I woke up, and I only drank that water because it was offered to me. Am I dead or something? }
[ Try to imagine that you are in the middle of an epic battle. What would happen if you asked your enemies for a pause in hostilities, so you could go out for a nice lunch. ]
{ They would split my head wide open? }
[ Exactly. Fortunately for you and all the other Green Lanterns, the creators of the Power Rings foresaw this problem. While you wear your Ring, you do not have to drink or eat. Nor do you have to urinate or defecate. These bodily functions are automatically taken care of for you. ]
{ But I like drinking and eating. }
[ But not defecating, I reckon. Have no fear. You can still drink apple brandy and eat lamb stew with chunks of crusty bread if you so desire. Either option works. ]
"Mat, are you alright?" Rand asked.
"I'm fine. I was just having a chat with Sage. I saw an inn a few streets over. Let's go have some lunch."
The inn was twice the size of the Winespring Inn back home. It was also filled with two dozen Whitecloaks. The Whitecloacks were a religious army from down south that hunted Shadowspawn and Darkfriends. And Aes Sedai, who they claimed were all secret worshippers of the Dark One. Their Fortress of Light was located in Amadicia, but they sent their soldiers out to patrol many other nations, including Andor.
[ They call themselves the Children of the Light. ]
{ I don't care what they call themselves. According to everyone I ever talk to, they're fanatics who will declare you a Darkfriend if you look at them cross-eyed, and their penalty for being a Darkfriend is torture and death. If they find out we're traveling with an Aes Sedai… }
[ If you turn around now and walk out of the inn, it will only draw their attention. Their commanding officer is sitting at the far right table. Go over and introduce yourselves. ]
{ Are you crazy? }
[ Think of it as a prank. It is the best way to avoid uncomfortable questions, or even violence if they do not like the answers you provide. ]
Mat took a deep breath. Playing a prank on the Whitecloaks. How could he pass that up? "Follow me."
"What are you doing?" Rand hissed. Perrin only went pale in the face.
"Excuse me, my Lord. I hear that you're the commanding officer of these fine Children of the Light."
The man was only a few years older than them, but the large golden knot of rank on his cloak meant Sage was right as usual. "Yes, I am in command. My name is Lord Dain Bornhald. Who are you, and what do you want?"
"My name is Mat Cauthon and these are my friends Perrin Aybara and Rand al'Thor. We often heard stories about the Children of the Light while growing up in the Mountains of Mist. Lately we've come into a bit of wealth, and we would like to make a donation. We feel that anyone who dedicates their lives to chopping up Shadowspawn and Darkfriends deserves our support."
Mat placed a pouch of gemstones in front of the Whitecloak commander, who carefully opened it with his fork. "Are these real?"
"Yes, my Lord," Rand said as he took out the tax receipt for display.
"These are of very high quality," Bornhald remarked after he read the tax receipt and emptied the gemstones onto a clean plate for study. "They should easily keep my men and horses fed for several months. You are most generous. Perhaps too generous. In my experience a donation of this size often comes with strings attached."
"To be honest, there is something we would like in return," Mat admitted.
"What?" Bornhald growled.
"Like I said, we grew up in the Mountains of Mist, but now we like to see the whole wide world. The Whitebridge, the Royal Palace in Caemlyn, the Topless Towers of Cairhien, the Stone of Tear, the Perfumed Canals of Illian, the great sailing ships of the Sea Folk… we want to see it all. That includes the Fortress of Light. That's where you learn to chop up Shadowspawn, isn't it? Do you think we could get a tour, my Lord?"
Bornhald stared at them for a moment, and then burst out laughing. Soon the other Whitecloaks who had been listening to the conversation joined in. "I shall write a letter to the Lord Captain Commander. Given your donation, I believe he will grant you a brief tour of the Fortress of Light… if you make it down to Amadicia in one piece."
"Which I seriously doubt," one of the Whitecloaks said, to much laughter.
"Thanks, my Lord," Mat said with a very clumsy bow. "With your permission, we will depart. The trip to Whitebridge is a long one, and we need to buy more supplies before we leave tomorrow."
"Go with the Light, my sons."
"They're going to bloody well need it," another of the Whitecloaks added, again to much laughter.
"They thought we were nothing more than crackbrained idiots," Rand complained once they were out on the street. "And I'm still hungry."
"I rather be thought of as a crackbrained idiot, then have a Whitecloak sword sticking through my belly," Mat explained.
"That's easy for you to say," Perrin muttered. "You really are a crackbrained idiot, with your blasted pranks. And I'm still hungry too."
"Honestly, what were you thinking back there?" Rand asked.
"That it's always better to talk than to fight, if you can help it."
"If you believe that, then why did Sage give you that Power Ring?"
[ For precisely that reason, ] was the answer that rang in their ears.
O-O-O
After a huge lunch, the rest of the day took on a pleasant rhythm.
Mat would pull more coins out of Sage's pocket dimension, they would enter a store, loudly drop their names and a random city they planned on visiting, buy as much merchandise as they wanted, and then dump it all into the pocket dimension before starting over again. Shopping with free coins was great fun, Mat soon discovered.
Sage wanted a hundred sheets of blank parchment. He didn't ask for any pens or ink, but they brought them anyway at an obscene price. There was a shop for boots, where they bought nine pairs. They treated themselves to new pipes, and ten pounds of the finest Two River tabac. At a dry goods market they stocked up on hardtack, jerky, flour, sugar, rice, salt, and a nice selection of spices. Baerlon specialized in mining—so shoves, pickaxes, hammers, hatchets, knives, and bundles of thick rope were easy to find.
Miners also needed tents. When the owner of that particular shop learned that they wanted to buy four of his most elaborate and expensive tents, he declared in a serious voice: "May you live to be a thousand years old."
By the time they left Baerlon that evening through the Caemlyn Road Gate, Mat was sure that there were at least a hundred stories circulating throughout the city about the three young fools from the mountains, their buried treasure, and their ridiculous plan to tour the world.
Hopefully it would be enough to keep the Shadowspawn and the Darkfriends hot on their trail, and far away from Emond's Field.