Towers of Midnight/Chapter 31

==Summary==
:
Matrim Cauthon dices in an inn. He challenges a group of men who are trying to cheat Mat. Mat declares he has won and declares to the room if that is correct. The three men he is dicing with seem to recognize him and hurriedly leave. Mat leaves as well and ties his Silver foxhead medallion to his Ashandarei. Mat then begins to walk through the streets of Caemlyn picking streets randomly. As Mat wanders aimlessly, he is attacked by four different groups of thugs and assassins. Talmanes Delovinde and a group of Band of the Red Hand, who are hiding in the shadows, lend Mat aid each time. Mat finally encounters the Gholam. The men of the Band set lanterns around Mat. The gholam then attacks Mat. Mat manages to repel the gholam with his ashandarei and medallion, wounding it a few times. The gholam then breaks away and aims for Mat's men. Mat orders them to retreat which they do. The gholam starts knocking over all the lanterns and Talmanes snatches up the last one before the alleyway in engulfed in darkness and runs away. The gholam begins to chase him. Talmanes drops the lantern at the foot of a building, which causes it to go up in flames. Mat throws his ashandarei at the gholam which lands at its feet, tripping it up. Talmanes manages to escape. The gholam realizes that Mat is defenseless and stalks over to finally finish him. Just as the gholam is about to reach Mat, he pulls out two of Elayne Trakands copied medallions and smashes them together on the gholams palm, causing it to burn him. They are connected to chains and Mat starts swinging them at the gholam. The gholam has had enough and dashes into the burning building. Talmanes throws Mat back his ashandarei. Mat notices that the bottom of it has been burnt by the fire. Mat then chases the gholam. The gholam spots Mat following and the two begin to fight anew. Mat attacks with his full strength calling out in the Old Tongue. He manages to knock the gholam back step by step until it is finally knocked off the edge of a platform. The gholam manages to grab the the edge, its feet dangling over a void of nothing. Mat stomps down on the back of the gholam pushing it completely into the void where it begins to fall. Mat hopes it falls forever. Sumeko Karistovan steps forward, having created the gateway that the gholam fell through. Sumeko had created the weaves inside the palace, so as not to alert the gholam there was a channeler nearby. Julanya Fote helps put the fire engulfing the building out. Mat asks her if the darkness within the Skimming void goes forever. Julanya is as sure as can be but believes the gholam could still sense the gateway before it fell in. The Kin also had their revenge on the gholam. Charlz Guybon enters the building. Talmanes tells him that the Band has just completed a Crown contract for dispatching a murderer in Caemlyn. The plan was for Talmanes to lead the gholam to this particular building. Guybon made sure that all residents in the nearby buildings were evacuated before the gholam arrived. Finally Elayne had the idea of creating the Skimming portal which they would try and push the gholam into. All together it made a much better plan than Mat's, which was to try and push his medallion down its throat.
==Characters==
*Mat Cauthon
*Gholam
*Rittle gambler
*Saddler gambler
*Kati servant
*Snelle gambler
*Hatch innkeeper
*Talmanes Delovinde
*Harvell Band member
*Sumeko Karistovan
*Julanya Fote
*Charlz Guybon
===Referenced===
*Thom Merrilin
*Rand al'Thor as Dragon Reborn
*Tylin Quintara Mitsobar
*Tuon Paendrag
*Olver
*Elayne Trakand
*Birgitte
*Setalle Anan
==Places==
*Caemlyn
===Referenced===
*Shienar
*Cairhien
*Ebou Dar
==Items==
*Ashandarei
*Foxhead medallion