The Dragon Reborn/Chapter 40

==Summary==
:
Mat and Thom are on the Gray Gull approaching Aringill. Mat had carefully removed the seal on Elayne's letter without breaking it and even though there was nothing special about it, he is convinced it is the reason people are hunting him. Mat actually made a profit on the ship by gambling with the captain. They had passed the Blue Crane but Captain Mallia refused to help the ship. Mat is no longer hungry from his Healing. The people of the town are starving because of all the refugees from Cairhien, and the Andoran squadman says people are slaughtering horses for food. Mat sees a mother of three crying children on the docks looking for her husband and gives her some money.
Mat and Thom check different inns in town with Thom offering to perform for a place in the stable since every inn is full to overflowing. They cannot find a place to stay until Mat finds an innkeeper with dice cups. He pays a princely sum for a place for them to sleep in the stable, then offers to gamble for the two horses the innkeeper owns. Mat wins of course so they have a place to stay and horses for the journey to Caemlyn.
After their meal they were relaxing when a woman, Aludra, drags a cart into the stable. She quickly lights a lantern and starts eating some hard bread. Mat wants to give her some of their cheese but there is none left. Shortly afterwards Tammuz and three others from the Illuminator’s Guild arrive with the intention of murdering her for selling fireworks outside the purview of the guild. Mat jumps to the rescue, and Thom tosses Mat his quarterstaff. Tammuz and his men are knocked out after a quick fight. Mat and Thom learn that Aludra previously ran the Chapter House at Cairhien but was cast out from the guild. She says Tammuz ruined a performance for the King of Cairhien and the Guild blamed her as the head of the Chapter House.
She says she should pay them for helping her, giving Mat a big bundle of fireworks. Aludra gives Mat a lengthy explanation along with many warnings on how to use the fireworks, although Mat does not take her warnings all that seriously. The ones with the longer fuses have a bigger punch. She warns him not to open up the fireworks under any circumstance or they may explode immediately. Mat remembers Aludra's hard bread and offers her money for food, but she declines, saying she will be able to take care of herself. Thom asks her how she lit her lantern in the dark so quickly and Aludra mentions something about sticks, but says no more. Tammuz and the others are waking up so Aludra leaves quickly and Mat and Thom follow shortly after with their newly won horses.
==Characters==
*Mat
*Thom
*Huan Mallia
*Sanor
*Jeral Florry
*Aludra
*Tammuz
===Referenced===
*Morgase
*Elayne
*Siuan - as Amyrlin
*Nynaeve
*Samon
*Uno
*Galldrian Riatin
*Bran al'Vere
*Rand
*Perrin
*Doral Barran
*Abell Cauthon - as Mat's father
==Places==
*Aringill
*River Erinin
*Andor
*The Good Queen
===Referenced===
*Tar Valon
*Cairhien
*Tear
*Caemlyn
*Emond's Field
*Lugard
==Items==
*Gray Gull