Crossroads of Twilight: Chapter 29
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Author: Kyria d'Oreyn
Chapter Icon: A sword and anchor, crossed
Point of View: Mat
Setting: Jurador
Characters: Domon, Egeanin, Mat, Tuon, Selucia, Luca, Harnan, Vanin
Outline
Renna stabs Egeanin, who knows sul'dam can learn to channel and runs away trying to reach a Seanchan garrison. Mat and some Redarms follow her. Mat gives the order for her to be killed, then swears he will not kill another woman.
Summary
Domon calls it madness that Mat wants to go into Jurador with Tuon, because he promised to buy her clothes. Egeanin soothes him by saying Tuon gave her word not to betray them and she will never break that. Outside, Tuon and Selucia are waiting in front of their wagon. Gorderan asks Mat whether he should accompany them and Mat hesitates a moment, before sending him away.
When they leave the show, Mat is almost overrun by a large crowd. He dodges the people and Tuon asks him whether he was practising a dance. When he looks around again, the street is void of people. Inside Jurador, Tuon and Selucia walk from every shop displaying silks to the next. Mat feels the dice tumbling in his head. He spots Aludra in the crowd, talking to a salt merchant. He also sees Edesina when her cowl is swept back by a gust of wind. She hurriedly pulls it up again and Mat hopes no one recognized her face. Two shapes are following her and Mat wonders whether the sul'dam had left only one of them behind to watch two Aes Sedai. He looks around in case the others might be somewhere around, only to realize he lost sight of Tuon and Selucia. Spinning in the middle of the street and taking a random step forward, he finds them again. Throwing his purse on the counter, he tells Tuon to buy her silks here.
With a fat bundle slung over his shoulder, Mat accompanies the women back to the show, where Juilin is already waiting for him. He says Egeanin was hurt and he should come quickly. He finds her cradled in Domon's arms bleeding and when he asks for what happened the Illianer replies Renna stabbed her in the back and ran. Teslyn shows up and Heals Egeanin. Mat cannot understand why Renna of all people would go over the edge and the Seanchan woman tells him she was the only one who knows of the sul'dam's secret (sul'dam can learn to channel) and might give it away.
The four Redarms in the show ride up and Harnan tells Mat that Vanin is trying to catch up with Renna. Mat then orders Luca to have everyone pack their things and move as fast as they can lest they have the Seanchan on their heels by tomorrow. With that, he and the Redarms ride after Renna. A few miles from the show, they meet Vanin who tells them the renegade sul'dam is pressing hard. When they finally catch up to her, she is not far away from a Seanchan garrison. Mat reluctantly orders Harnan and Gorderan to shoot the woman before she can reach the ridge and be seen by the soldiers. He promises himself never to kill another woman.
Back in Jurador, they notice the show is still there. Mat enters Luca's wagon to tell him there is no need to run after all and is surprised to find Tuon and Selucia there. Tuon asks him whether Renna is captured or dead and forbids him "to mourn a traitor". Luca shows Mat the warrant Tuon signed, which has his show under her personal protection. Tuon tells Mat she made "specific mention of who is not under her protection". He notices the little rosebud cluster he had given her was pinned to her shoulder and he starts laughing, because he realized he does not know Tuon at all.
