Chapter 32 - Four Kings in Shadow

Summary

Rand and Mat arrive in the mercantile town of Four Kings and struggle to find suitable lodging due to the squalor and hostility of the local inns, eventually settling in the dilapidated Dancing Cartman where they perform for a rowdy crowd. While playing, they notice a suspicious, wealthy merchant named Howal Gode who watches them with intense interest, leading Rand to suspect he is a Darkfriend hunting them. After their performance, Gode corners them in their assigned storeroom, demanding they submit to the Dark One, and his men batter the door shut. A lightning strike simultaneously strikes the window bars and destroys the door, killing Gode's followers and allowing Rand and Mat to escape into the storm while Gode watches from the shadows.

Characters

• Rand — Rand and Mat travel through Four Kings, struggling to find an acceptable inn before settling in The Dancing Cartman. He performs flute music for the crowd, notices the suspicious merchant Howal Gode watching him, and later blocks the storeroom door with wedges. After Gode demands they submit to the Dark One and his men batter the door, Rand is thrown back by a lightning strike that destroys the room's window and door, allowing him and Mat to escape into the rain.
• Mat — Mat accompanies Rand through Four Kings, performing juggling acts to entertain the crowds at The Dancing Cartman. He shares Rand's suspicions about Howal Gode and helps block the storeroom door. When Gode confronts them, Mat draws his dagger and, after the lightning strike destroys the barriers, he follows Rand into the storm, shaken but alive.
• Hake (the innkeeper) — The skinny, grime-covered innkeeper of The Dancing Cartman, Hake deals roughly with his staff and provides Rand and Mat with a dilapidated storeroom. He stands guard with his thugs, Jak and Strom, and later locks the front door. He is seen shaking his fist at Rand and Mat as they escape into the storm from the back of the inn.
• Jak (one of the bouncers) — A large man working as a bouncer for Hake at The Dancing Cartman, Jak enforces order in the common room with his partner Strom. He helps guide Rand and Mat to their pallets and stands in the hall near the storeroom door while Howal Gode confronts the youths. Later, Jak lies among the group of men dead in the rain outside the inn after a bolt of lightning destroys the storeroom wall and window.
• Strom (one of the bouncers) — A large man working as a bouncer for Hake at The Dancing Cartman, Strom assists Jak in maintaining order and remains present during the events surrounding the boys' confinement. He is among the men lying dead in the rain after the lightning strike.
• Howal Gode — A sleek, wealthy man in a velvet cloak and silk-lined garments who arrives at The Dancing Cartman after dark. He watches Rand and Mat with satisfaction, corners them in their storeroom demanding they submit to the Dark One, and sends his men to batter down the door. He is killed by lightning along with his followers.