Chapter 30 - The First Toss

Summary

Mat Cauthon executes his escape from the White Tower by stacking his rooms with food and donning his cloak and quarterstaff, then strolling out past the amused Aes Sedai Anaiya and unheeding guards. In Tar Valon’s South Harbor, he indulges in a streak of miraculous luck at dice, winning vast sums of silver and gold across multiple taverns while being pursued by a Sea Folk sailor named Raab who eventually bets on Mat’s continued success. After reacting violently to a comment about the Dark One, Mat flees the taverns to escape potential footpads, navigating the rooftops and a narrow stone bridge where he is ambushed by a dagger-wielding attacker. Forced to fight for survival, Mat flips himself and the man off the bridge, resulting in the attacker’s death by his own dagger, leaving Mat shaken but alive to continue his journey to the docks.

Characters

• Mat — Mat packs his quarters with food, dons his cloak and quarterstaff, and slips out of the White Tower past an amused Anaiya. He gambles wildly in Tar Valon’s inns, winning every toss with miraculous luck, before fleeing through the streets and rooftops to escape pursuers, eventually killing a man who attacks him on a narrow bridge by flipping them both over the railing.
• Anaiya (Aes Sedai) — Anaiya visits Mat in his room to check on his healing, noting his increased appetite, and gives him permission to tour the city while warning him not to leave it. She later exchanges an amused, knowing look with him as he departs the Tower.
• Raab — Raab, a Sea Folk sailor with tight dark curls, follows Mat through the taverns after losing to him at dice. He eventually agrees to put his wagers on Mat’s continued luck, staggering away exhausted but with a full purse.
• aes_sedai (Aes Sedai) — A plain-faced Aes Sedai with smooth cheeks enters Mat's room to check on his recovery, sending cold chills with her touch and observing his quarterstaff before leaving.
• unknown — A bulky man with a broken nose and dark hair tied back with a black ribbon grumbles about Mat's luck, prompting Mat to slam him against a wall in anger before Mat leaves the tavern.
• unknown_2 — A large, fat man stumbles out of a tavern and approaches Mat in the street, speaking drunkenly and disjointedly before moving on, causing Mat to mutter that he is a fool.
• unknown_3 — A man with a dagger appears on a narrow stone bridge to attack Mat. He catches his wrist and falls off the bridge with Mat, killing himself when his dagger drives into his own heart upon impact.