Chapter 24 - Scouting and Discoveries

Summary

Mat Cauthon leaves his quarters and navigates the White Tower, successfully blending in with servants until he questions guardsmen about the bridge, inadvertently revealing his identity. After a cold reception from a novice he knows, he discovers a practice yard where he witnesses Galad and Gawyn al'Vere training. Mat challenges the brothers to a sparring match with a quarterstaff, winning by leveraging his innate Manetheren skills and luck despite fading physical strength, which leaves him realizing he is digging himself deeper into danger and desperate to escape the Tower.

Characters

• Mat / Mat Cauthon — Mat wakes, eats, and exits his room to scout escape routes. He tricks guardsmen about leaving the city and alienates a former acquaintance, Else Grinwell, before finding a practice yard. There, he challenges Galad and Gawyn to a quarterstaff fight, wins decisively using Old Tongue reflexes and immense luck, and then flees the scene while suffering from extreme hunger and exhaustion.
• Else / Else Grinwell — A novice with large dark eyes and braided hair, Else confronts Mat on a garden path, rejecting his attempts at friendly conversation and hastening away to avoid him.
• Galad — A tall, handsome Warder training in the yard, Galad initially refuses Mat's wager but accepts the fight after being goaded by his instructor. He is swiftly defeated by Mat's quarterstaff skills and forced to lie groaning on the ground while Aes Sedai surround him.
• Gawyn — Galad's training partner, Gawyn has red-gold hair and joins the fight against Mat. He is struck in the head by the quarterstaff, falls, and is later healed by Aes Sedai before receiving two silver marks from Hammar Gaidin.
• Hammar / Hammar Gaidin (Warder) — A blocky, thick-browed Warder who instructs Galad and Gawyn. He enforces Mat's wager, watches the sparring match, and pays Mat his winnings after Galad is defeated.