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The next few days moved slowly for Mat, perhaps because there were no battles, perhaps because he had no planning left to do. All the final decisions had been made and the plans had been sealed. All that there was left to do was wait, hope, and pray. Mat never had been a religious or patient man, and the days burned in his mind as time slowly ticked away. As expected, the High Lady Suroth was furious about her losses and had ordered the Seanchan army to pursue and obliterate the offending forces, which happened to be Mat's.
" I'm no bloody soldier!" he muttered as he thought of the dire consequences that surely would await him if the plan failed. But the plan wouldn't fail, would it? Mat would stake his life on that; he could feel the dice rolling in his head again. He knew, as confidently as he knew that he would win at a gambling table, that he would win this battle and secure Ebou Dar for Rand and his cause. Mat had to admit; the idea of strange nobles like the Blood ruling him had no more appeal than going through the doorway again into the Eelfinn. That was impossible, though, since the doorway was destroyed.
In those days, as his patience waned, he turned more of his attention to the puzzle that Aludra had provided him. Why would an Illuminator need a Bellfounder? The question was so queer Mat almost dismissed it as a cruel joke that had been played on him. But then he thought of his plan to use her fireworks as catapults, and he knew it had something to do with that. Did she want to create a metal tube to launch the fireworks out? That would be interesting, he thought, if he could get her special explosives and focus the explosion through a tube.
He could imagine the power that would transfer to the projectile it was throwing, propelling it for massive distances. That was it! His mind began working rapidly as he thought about his idea. It was definitely possible, he speculated, but would Aludra assist me? She is certainly the only Illuminator I will ever know. The idea began to grow in his mind, and he knew he had to ask someone else about his idea. He went to Rand.
Rand listened to the idea, and when Mat was through with his explanation Rand was wearing a huge grin on his face. Mat had to admit, his own face had broken out into a mischievous grin long before Rand had. Rand laughed and clapped Mat on the back, looking triumphant.
" I should offer you or Aludra, or both of you, a position in my school in Cairhien. A man there has built the most amazing work engine, which runs on water pressure. I can't claim to understand it completely, and it is unwieldy and large, but he is making amazing progress. When I first saw it I thought it was supposed to make music. Next, it was moving across a field, albeit breaking often!" He laughed again, and Mat joined in. His idea was certainly workable, he just had to get Aludra to buy into it. Rand said they should do it immediately. Mat agreed, and they prepared to Travel.
***
Valan Luca's menagerie was a massive sprawl of wagons and equipment, with the horses tied in a long line off to the side. Half of the wagons looked like they belonged in a Tinker wagon train. They were painted in a splash of bright colors, dashing yellows and reds that hurt the eye in bright sunlight. Mat glanced toward the largest wagon with contempt. The wagon belonged to Luca himself, and like Mat said, it would make a Tinker blush. The man had no shame! He must be colorblind not to see how hideous his wagon is.
The gateway opened in the woods to the west of the camp. Mat stepped out first, closely followed by Rand. They circumvented the horse lines, not wishing to disturb them and risk discovery. Mat led them to Aludra's wagon, and quietly knocked. The door swung open slowly, and the orifice revealed Aludra huddled by a lamp. She was studying a firecracker closely, examining the engine and wings.
Mat looked at Rand nervously. He didn't like it when women channeled, but it made him even more nervous when men did it. There was no difference now, as saidin had been cleansed, but old habits died hard and he couldn't avoid grimacing. Rand noticed his expression and smiled tightly. Mat berated himself for jumping at Rand's small act of opening the door.
Aludra looked up, and her eyes flashed with astonishment before Mat jumped up and quieted her by covering her mouth.
" Be quiet," he said in a whisper, and experimentally took his hand away. Rand walked inside and closed the door. He found himself a stool, and sat down comfortably. Apparently, Mat would be doing the talking.
" I think I've figured out your riddle. You need the bellfounder to make tubes, don't you? You can fire firecrackers through the tubes, or use the explosion to propel weapons." Mat looked at her and waited for a reply. She nodded slowly.
" Yes, that is the general idea. You don't just propel weapons, though. You fire something like stones. Made of metal. They go extremely fast, and a small ball can dent a large metal plate." Mat nodded, and realized what he needed to ask.
" Can you show us?" She nodded no, and told them it was too loud.
" Have you ever heard a firework explosion? It is much louder than that. I haven't worked out all the problems in the system, and I can only make it work with very large tubes. Smaller ones are quickly damaged by the effects of the explosive." Mat nodded, and then took her by the hands and pulled her up.
" We're leaving, " he announced, " and you're coming with us. Pick up all the stuff you need. We can actually carry your bloody wagon if we needed too, but I'd prefer not to."
" I'm afraid you would need to." Mat groaned, and looked at Rand.
" Can you lift this wagon?" he asked. Rand smiled and nodded yes. They exited the wagon, and Rand opened a gateway at least twice as large as the last one he had made. The wagon began rolling toward it, and was through before Rand gestured for the two of them to follow him. Mat stepped through the gateway into the middle of his camp. He was smiling widely as Aludra said she had several working models. He was already planning how to use the new weapons to defend the city. They would Travel to Ebou Dar tomorrow.
***
Rank after rank, line after line, command after command, the men of Mat's army began to Travel. They needed a place that would be obvious and instantly noticed. There was almost no army presence to worry about, so they could walk through the city without harassment. The most obvious place to go was the square in front of the palace. With the place and time set, all that was left to do was open the gateways. Hole after hole bloomed in the pattern, and thousands of men stepped through and into Ebou Dar. The Seanchan army would notice soon that there were no new tracks, and that the army had disappeared. It was doubtful they would return at once though, because if they reported they had lost an army they might lose all their heads to Suroth's rage.
After the courtyard filled, and the last soldier was through, Rand and Mat stepped through. Aludra followed them, and her wagon trailed behind her. It was the only wagon with them, and looked decidedly out of place among the armed men. However, it held the greatest military advance since steel had been made. Mat noticed that most of the men walked wide of the wagon. They knew what it was, and they didn't want to get any closer than they had to. Mat could understand their feelings.
Rand and Mat strode straight up to the doors of the palace, and Rand used the power to unbar the doors. They strode the halls with nearly a thousand of the Band following them. Everywhere they turned, they found servants shrieking and running away, wearing unbelievably sheer robes which hid nothing. Several of the soldiers wore wide grins as they walked around.
Soon, they were in sight of the throne room. This palace, like any other, was ornate and crafted by Ogier stonemasons. Works of art and expensive gold ornaments hung on the walls, and rugs that could feed a town for months graced the floor. Mat couldn't help noticing the value of many of the objects in the palace, and he had more change of owning them now than he did the last time he had been in the palace. His memories of that time were not all bad, but the incidents with the pink ribbons and being taken back from the docks like a prize from a hunt still stung in his mind. The doors to the throne room opened, and he stepped through.
The scene in the throne room was chaos. Chaos seemed to be the running theme everywhere. Even Suroth and Tylin looked panicked and frightened, and most of the servants were sobbing and moaning. Mat looked around appraisingly, and sighed. He glanced at Tylin and Suroth both, and then spoke with a jesting tone. He found that people relaxed when they heard him joke, and Tylin especially would enjoy hearing him joke again. He hoped. She looked even more beautiful than before, and he couldn't help staring at her ample bosom.
"Your servants weren't so disorganized and afraid before the Seanchan came, Tylin." His voice was light and Tylin smiled tightly at his words. However, her smile vanished as he continued speaking.
"Suroth, I believe I should accept your surrender at this time. Your army is a week away from the city, and probably will stay there for a few more days looking for me. I suggest that you give up. I am a very generous person." His smile was crooked.
"As am I," Rand said, speaking for the first time since they had entered the city, " I believe you will find my terms most generous." Suroth's face radiated anger, but she controlled her voice as she spoke the words of surrender. Mat admired her strength, and was surprised when Tylin smiled warmly at him. He laughed, and found that he felt wonderfully light headed. He could finally relax.
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