Chapter 35 Chapter Thirty: The Icy Heavy Rain

It was a cold morning, with gray clouds covering the rising sun, and a strong wind from the Storm Sea that rattled the panes of the windows.In legend, it was not a day of heroic rescues and victorious escapes, but rather a day of murder.Not a good idea for someone who hopes to live to see the next dawn.But Matt's plan is simple and feasible.Now that he has a Seanchan's king's bloodline to use, there will be no more mistakes that he can't handle.Matt tried to convince himself of that. While Mat was dressing, Robin brought him breakfast of bread, ham, and some yellow hard cheese.Nerim is packing the last few clothes to be sent to the "Wandering Women" hotel, including some shirts that Tailin gave him. They are first-class shirts after all. Nerim said he can find a way to get rid of them lace.As usual, he sounded like he was talking about sewing a shroud.The gray-haired little man, who was always pitiful, had a knack for sewing, and he had stitched up quite a few of Mat's wounds.

"Neerim and I will take Ofer out through the small garbage gate at the back of the palace." Luo Ping repeated their plan of action with an exaggerated expression of patience, his hands tightly clasped together in front of his stomach.Servants at court seldom missed a meal, and now Lupin's black Tyrian tunic was tighter than ever on his round belly.Today, however, he has fastened all the buttons of his coat, and the bottom of his coat is no longer open. "Unless it's time for the garbage trucks to come in and out in the afternoon, there won't be anyone there except the guards. And the guards are used to seeing us deliver the grown-ups' things, so they won't notice us. At the 'Wandering Woman' Inn , we'll take out your lord's gold and all your clothes. Metwin, Felkin, and Goudran will join us with the horses. Then we and the Red Arms will take little Ofer, about three o'clock in the afternoon Go through the Dalley Gate. I have the tokens to use the horses of the selection, they are in my pocket. In addition to the requisite mounts, I can use two pack animals. There is an abandoned stable on the northern road , about one mile north of the stage of heaven, where we can wait for your lord. Is this what your lord ordered?"

Mat swallowed the last bite of cheese and dusted his hands. "Do you think I've made you repeat this plan too many times?" He said as he put on his coat. When encountering such a thing today, I will try to dress as plainly as possible. "I want to make sure you've taken it to heart. Remember, if you don't see me at sunrise tomorrow, you're going to keep going until you meet Tammany and the Red Arms." Early Morning Sin Slave The sinlord of the lair will sound the alarm, and if he cannot get out of town before then, he will try his luck at stopping the executioner's axe.Someone had told him once that he was destined to rise from the dead, and whether that was a prophecy or not, he was pretty sure it had happened.

"Of course, my lord," Luo Ping said expressionlessly, "everything is done according to your orders." "Sure, my lord," Nerim said with a sad face, "Your lord gave an order, and we will obey it." Mat suspected they were lying, but it shouldn't be a problem if they waited two or three days, and then they would understand that he wasn't going after them.The three Red Arms will also convince them if need be.Those three Red Arms would go after Matt Cawthorne, but they wouldn't be foolish enough to put their necks on the guillotine if his head fell off.For some reason, Mat wasn't sure if Luopin and Nerim could be so stupid.

When Ofer knew he was leaving Lieselle, he wasn't as sad as Matt imagined.They discussed it as Matt helped him pack his luggage for the hotel.Ofer's belongings are neatly arranged on his narrow bed in what used to be a small living room in Matt's apartment. "She's getting married, Mat," Ofer said patiently, as if explaining an obvious problem to a fool.He opened a small carved wooden box that Lieselle had given him, and seeing his red eagle feather was safely inside, he closed the lid and put the box in the leather pouch he would carry on his shoulders.He always kept the feather with the same care as he kept the purse which contained twenty gold pieces and a handful of silver. "Her husband won't let her teach me to read again. If I were her husband, I wouldn't."

Matt let out an "oh".As long as Liesel made up her mind, she would act immediately. She announced yesterday that she would marry Banner General Yamada, and the wedding will be held tomorrow.Although according to Eboda's customs, the wedding should be held in a few months.Mat didn't know if Yamada was a good general, but he obviously couldn't stand against Liesel and her towering twin peaks.Today, they went to check out a vineyard in Mount Riano, a wedding gift from the groom to Liesel. "I thought you wanted... I was just guessing... that you were going to take her with us, or something."

"I'm not a kid anymore, Mat," Ofer said disapprovingly, and he rewrapped the linen covering the piebald turtle's shell and put the little package in the bag as well. "You will play snake and fox with me, right? Liesel likes to play with me, but you always don't have time." Although Mat had packed many of Ofer's clothes into a cloak to wrap a large bundle, the boy had a pair of trousers, a few shirts, and a few pairs of socks that had to be packed into his leather pouch.And, of course, the game of snakes and foxes left to him by his dead father.It's hard to let go of what's yours, and Ofer has lost more in ten years of his life than most people in a lifetime, but he still believes that snakes and foxes can be won without breaking the rules .

"I will," Matt promised him.If he could get out of the city, he'd play snake and fox with Ofer, and he'd already broken many rules in order to win. "Before joining me, you must take care of Hayate." Ofer grinned, which was already a pleasant expression for him.The boy loved the long-legged gray gelding as much as snakes and foxes. Unfortunately, Betheland is another guy who thinks winning requires playing by the rules. "Just tonight." His voice was very excited. He was pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace in Tailin's room. The coldness in the eyes of the slender prince stopped the flames in the fireplace. It looks warm.His hands were behind his back, as if he wanted to prevent them from grasping the hilt of the narrow-bladed sword at his waist.On the wavy marble mantelpiece the pillar clock struck four times to signify the second hour of the morning. "We've had days of warnings and now I'm almost ready to take some massive action!"

"I don't want any massive action," Matt told him.He didn't want the guy to take any action, but Betherland happened to have seen Tom sneak into the stable of the "Wandering Woman" earlier.Tom was going to appease Joline and keep her happy until Egonin sent her sinner this evening.Anyway, it shouldn't be a big deal for Tom to go to that inn, there are plenty of reasons for him to visit it, even if it's full of Seanchan now.But Bethelan jumped on the matter as quickly as a duck jumps on a beetle, and won't let go of it. "It's enough for a few of your friends to burn some Seanchan supply warehouses on both sides of Bay Road. Remember, it must be set after midnight, and no matter what time they set the fire prevention time, it's better to delay it a little longer. Hour." With any luck, he should be out of town before midnight. "It's going to draw their attention south, and you know, it's going to be a big blow to them to lose the stockpile."

"I said I would do it," Bethelan said angrily, "but setting fire to it is certainly not a big move." Mat sat back in the chair, put his hands on the carved bamboo armrest, and frowned. He wanted to rest his hands, but his signet ring kept sending out metal as his fingers struck the gold-plated bamboo armrest. crash. "Bethelan, when the warehouse is on fire, people will see you drinking heavily in the tavern, right?" Bethelan's face was terribly gloomy. "Bethelan?" Bethelan shook his hands: "I know, I know, I must never put my mother in danger. I will be seen drinking in the tavern, and at midnight, I will be as drunk as the proprietress' husband! I will definitely Be seen, if you bet on this one, you're sure to win! I'm not trying to be a hero, Mat, this is a war against the Seanchan, whether my mother wants to or not."

Matt tried not to let out a sigh.He almost succeeded. The three Red Arms led the horses out of the stables, which of course couldn't be hidden.Twice that morning he had noticed a maid handing some coins to other people, and twice the woman had glared at him viciously.Cheer and Hanan had been carefully guarding the barracks next to the stables. Now that the whole palace knew that Mat Cawthorne would be leaving soon, everyone was wondering when he would leave or be able to leave. bet on success.Matt could only try to make sure no one knew when he was going to leave. The wind picked up as the morning wore on, but Mat still huddled on Nut's back, clutching his cloak, circled the stable yard, riding more slowly than usual .Nut's hoofs drummed monotonously on the flagstone floor.Occasionally he glanced at the dark clouds in the sky and shook his head.No, Matt Cawthorne didn't like to go far in weather like this, Matt Cawthorne liked to stay somewhere warm and dry until the skies cleared up again.That's what he likes. The sin masters who trained the sin slaves in the stable yard also knew he was going, maybe it wasn't the betting maid who told them, but what a woman knows is always quickly revealed within a mile. All women know.Wildfires do not pass over dry logs as quickly as women spread rumors.A tall, yellow-haired slave master glanced at Mat, then shook his head again.A stocky sin slave master with a face as dark as a seaman laughed out loud.Yes, he's just Tailin's toy. The sin slave master has nothing to do with him, but Tesslin is different.Matt hadn't seen Tesslin training for several days, but she finally showed up today.The sin masters let the cold wind blow their cloaks; the sin slaves wrapped themselves tightly in their clothes, except for Tesslyn.She paid no attention to the gray cloak that floated behind her; she staggered a little at every pothole and bump.Her eyes were wide open, worry written all over the Aes Sedai's face.Sometimes, she'd cast a quick glance at the buxom, dark-haired sin master who was leading her, and lick her lips uncertainly. Mat felt a spasm in his gut.What does Teslyn want to do?If she decides to give in now... "Is everything all right?" Cheer asked Mat as he dismounted and handed the reins to him.Cold, heavy raindrops are falling from the sky.The sin masters busily herded their sin slaves into the room, laughing and running to escape the raindrops.Some of the slaves were laughing, too, and Mat's blood was curdled by their laughter.Cheer obviously didn't intend to make others wonder why they were standing in the rain talking.The fat man bent down, raised Nut's left front hoof, and looked at the horseshoe on it. "You look a little more nervous than usual." "Everything is fine," Matt told him.His legs and butt hurt like teeth were biting him, but he didn't care about the pain and the rain on him.Light, if Teslin comes back now... "Remember, if you hear shouts in the palace tonight, or any other unusual noises, you and Hanan should not wait any longer. Ride out of town at once, and go to Get Ofer, he'll be in..." "I know where that little rascal is." Che Er put down Nuo Ren's leg, straightened up, and spat out a mouthful of phlegm through his teeth.Raindrops continued to slide down his cheeks. "Hanan isn't stupid enough not to know how to boot himself. I know how to do it, you just have to do your part and make sure your luck works. Come on, boy," he said to Nut His tone was much warmer, "I found you some good cereal, and I have a steaming fish stew to eat." Mat knew he should have some lunch, too, but he felt like a rock had been stuffed in his stomach, and there wasn't any room for any more food.He limped back to Tylyn's quarters, threw his wet cloak onto a chair, and stood still, staring at the black spear and unwound longbow in the corner.He planned not to come back here to take the Ashantiri until he was gone, when the blood of the king and the servants would be asleep, and only the guards would be awake, but he could not risk the spear being seen by anyone.Even those Seanchan who called him a toy would wonder what he was doing if he walked the corridors of Terrassin Palace late at night with a weapon in hand.He also planned to take the longbow with him. It was almost impossible to find high-quality black cedar wood beyond Two Rivers, and those foreign bowmakers always cut the wood very short.An unstringed longbow should always be two fists higher than the user who uses it, but maybe he really doesn't need it anymore.He needs to use both hands to use Ashandairi, and in the time it takes for him to drop his longbow to reach his spear, the enemy may just finish him off. "Everything will go according to plan," he said aloud.Damn, that sounded like wool-headed Bethelan! "I'm not going to kill people in this damn palace!" is just as stupid.Luck is very useful when playing dice, but if you rely on luck in other places, you can only kill yourself.Mat lay on the bed, crossed his booted feet, and continued to study his bow and spear.The door to the living room was open, and he could hear the slight ticking of the cylindrical clock.Time is ticking by, light, he needs his luck tonight. The light coming in from the window was slowly weakening, but he couldn't wait more and more.More than once, he wanted to stand up to see if the sun had stopped in the sky, but the gray sky was finally covered with purple night, and then it was completely dark.The clock struck twice, and after that there was only the sound of the wind and rain hitting the windows, and even the workers who had continued to work in the rain put down their tools and went home now.There was no one to light the lamps in this room for him, to revive the fire, and it was the same last night, he was alone here.The flame in the bedroom fireplace grew dimmer and finally died out.Now, everyone is on the move.Ofer was supposed to be asleep in the old stable, the roof of which was still nearly intact.The chime of the bell showed that an hour had passed in the night.It seemed that another week had passed, and four bells rang in the living room, signifying the passing of the second hour of the night. Mat got up from the bed, groped his way into the dark living room, and pushed open a high window.The cold wind carried raindrops through the exquisite white carved iron window bars, and soon wet his coat.The moon was covered by dark clouds, and the whole city was wrapped in black heavy rain. There was not even lightning that could bring brief light, and all street lights were extinguished by rain and cold wind.When they left Terrassin, night would cover them, and any patrol that spotted them would give them special attention.The wind blew through his wet clothes, making him shiver, and hurriedly closed the window. Mat sat in a carved bamboo chair, leaning his elbows on his knees, and looked at the clock on the cold fireplace.In the darkness, he couldn't see the clock, but he could still hear its steady ticking.He sat motionless, but he shuddered at the sound of the clock signaling the passing of another hour.Now he can only wait.In a few moments, Egonin would bring the Sin-Slaver before Julien.If she could really find the three sin masters as she said, if Joline would stop twitching like she did when she first put on the shackles, then she, Tom and the others would leave the "Wandering Women" Join him near the Dale Gate.If he couldn't make it to Dalleymen, Tom relied on his turnip stamp to get out of town early.He was very confident in his forged exit order.If Matt's plan fell through, at least they still had a chance.If, too many ifs, it wouldn't make any sense to think about them, and now there's no turning back. When... the bell strikes, it's like a crystal hitting a spoon.When... now, Zeling is looking for his beloved Sera.If he was lucky, Bethelan should start drinking in a tavern somewhere.Mat took a deep breath, stood up in the dark, and touched the daggers in his sleeves, under his coat, and in the boots one by one, and there was another dagger hanging in his collar.Well, he leaves the apartment.It is too late to have any other option than to act. There is only very dim light in the empty corridor, and only one of every three to four standing lamps is on.The small firelight that left its reflection in the mirror, and the gray shadow in the middle of the firelight made it not completely dark here.His boots echoed loudly on the floor, and he started running up the marble steps.In such a dark night, no one seemed to bother him, but if someone saw him, he'd better show a bright and aboveboard look.Matt stuck his thumbs in his belt and slowed down, which was no worse than stealing a pie from the kitchen ledge.Thinking of this, his empty memories seemed to tell him that once or twice when he was a child he had been beaten half to death for stealing pies. Mat stepped onto the colonnade that edged the stable yard, turning up his collar to keep out the rain that blew in through the white fluted columns.Damn rain!Just walking in the colonnade made Mat feel like he was drowning.The oil lamps on the wall have been extinguished, only two lamps are still on in front of the open doorway, these are the only two points of light in the heavy rain.Mat couldn't see the guards outside the palace gate, but he believed the Seanchan soldiers still stood motionless, as if it was a sunny afternoon.Those Eboudans probably did the same, they didn't like to feel inferior.After a while he retreated behind the vestibule door to keep himself from getting drenched.Nothing moved in the stable yard.where are they?Where the hell? People on horseback appeared at the gate leading to the outside of the palace, and two walking attendants with lamps walked in the front. Mat couldn't count their numbers through the rain, but he could only be sure that there were quite a few people there.Will the Seanchan messengers have lamp bearers?In weather like this, maybe there will be.Mat's face contorted for a moment, and he took another step back, all the way to the vestibule.The dim light behind him made the doorway in front of him dark, but he managed to peer out.After a few minutes, four cloaked figures emerged from the darkness and walked quickly towards the door.If they were messengers, they would walk quickly through the lobby without even looking at him. "Your subordinate Che Er is too rude." Egonin said.She raised the hood of her cloak as soon as she passed the fluted columns, and her face was a shadow in the darkness, but her cold voice told Mat clearly who was entering the vestibule.Matt had to back away.Her brows were drawn together, and her blue eyes were like drill bits carved from ice.Bear followed closely behind her with a serious expression, shaking the rain off his cloak.Behind them are two slave masters, one with yellow hair and fair skin; the other with long brown hair.They all bowed their heads, looking directly at the floor in front of their toes, which prevented Mat from seeing their faces clearly. "You didn't tell me that she still has two men with her." Egonin continued, taking off her gloves again.Mat wondered how the Seanchan could change from his sluggish Seanchan accent and speak so fast that she didn't give Mat room to interject. "You didn't tell me Saitale was leaving too. Fortunately, I know how to adapt. The plan always needs to be constantly revised, and the anchor will sometimes dry out. Speaking of dryness, have you been running outside just now? I'm sure you haven't been noticed yet?" "What do you mean? Change the plan?" Mat asked.He ran through his hair vigorously.Light, his hair is full of water! "I've arranged everything!" Why are the two slave masters still standing motionless like two statues?And the meaning represented by these two statues must be "reluctance". "Who are those people out there?" "People from the inn." Egonin said impatiently. "First of all, I need a decent entourage so that the patrols on the street won't suspect me. Those two... Wardens? They They're both well built and make decent lamp bearers, and besides, I don't want to be separated from them in this bad weather. We'd better be together from the beginning." She turned her head and followed his gaze to see two Sin slave master, "They are Xita and Li Na, I suspect they don't want you to remember these names after tonight." The fair-skinned woman shuddered when she heard the name "Xita", and her companion had the same reaction when she heard "Li Na", and they didn't raise their heads.What did Egonin catch on them?It didn't matter, the important thing now was that they were here, ready to do what he wanted them to do. "Don't waste any more time," Mat said. "Let's continue with our new plan." He let Egnin carry out her plan without saying anything more.After all, as he lay in bed in Tylin's bedroom, he had decided to risk a change of plans.