Mat’s on his ship heading toward Caemlyn via Aringill. He had pried open Elayne’s letter by taking a hot knife to the seal and found nothing interesting written down. Just a bunch of shit about “I’m learning a lot in Tar Valon” and “I miss Caemlyn” and “I’m going on an adventure!” It’s crazy, though, because he thought the letter was exactly why people were trying to kill him. He thought there was something particularly saucy, but no dice. Get it? Mat? Dice? lol!

Aringill is bustling with activity. The streets are crowded. Thom has a feeling that they’re not going to have an easy time finding a room for the night, and that’s exactly what happens. All the inns are packed to the gills. People are hungry; Queen Morgase isn’t sending food to her Andoran people. She was, but now there’s an order that no one is allowed to cross the river anymore to deliver the goods. Thom doesn’t think this sounds right. Queen Morgase is a cunt, but not that much of a cunt.

At one inn, Mat gambles for a space in the stables and wins. While resting in the stable, a woman shows up with a cart. Her nice dress is ruined with rips and stains. She lights a lantern — a little too fast, Mat decides — and a group of men enter the stable behind her. The woman didn’t run and hide well enough! Her name is Aludra. One man is named Tammuz, and I’m pretty sure I first encountered these people in The Great Hunt while Rand and Company were infiltrating the King’s manor in Cairhien.

Tammuz got Aludra thrown out of the Guild! Tammuz says Aludra was trying to sell the Guild’s secrets! He intends to kill her, but Mat swings down from a rope and tackles the men to the floor. Saving the day! After the men scatter, Mat asks Aludra what kind of secrets she’s trying to sell. Aludra is a fireworks lady! An Illuminator! And she ruined a performance for the King in Cairhien, and she is deemed responsible for his death. A serious accusation, to say the least! Anyway, she’s making fireworks to sell to eat and sleep everyday while running away from folks like Tammuz.

She unrolls a pile of fireworks from oiled cloth, and Mat is like “wow”. Mat offers Aludra a pile of coins for her trip to Lugard, but she finds this amusing and declines. Thom asks Aludra how she lit her lantern so quickly, and she refuses to give away her secret.

She leaves, and so do Thom and Mat. I HAVE A FEELING WE HAVE NOT SEEN THE LAST OF ALUDRA! Nor the other 500 characters that have been introduced in this book.