“This is where you got your answers, isn’t it?” Thom asked.

Mat nodded.

“You think I could get some of those myself?” Thom asked. “Three questions. Any answers you like….”

“You don’t want them,” Mat said, tugging down the brim of his hat. “Trust me, you don’t. They aren’t answers. They’re threats. Promises. We—”

Thom stopped beside him. In Thom’s arms, Moiraine was beginning to stir. She let out a soft groan, eyes still closed. But that was not what made Mat freeze.

He could see another circular yellow room up ahead. Sitting in the middle of that room was a redstone doorway. Or what was left of it.

Mat cursed, running forward. The floor was strewn with chunks of red rock rubble. Mat groaned, dropping his spear and taking a few of the chunks, holding them up. The doorway had been shattered by something, a blow of awesome force.

Near the entrance to the room, Thom sank down, holding the stirring Moiraine. He looked exhausted. Neither of them had a pack anymore; Mat had given his to Noal, and Thom had left his behind. And this room was a dead end, with no other doorways.

“Burn this place!” Mat shouted, ripping off his hat, staring up into the expansive, endless darkness above. “Burn you all, snakes and foxes! Dark One take the lot of you. You have my eye, you have Noal. That’s enough of a price for you! That’s too much of a price! Isn’t the life of Jain bloody Farstrider enough to appease you, you monsters!”

His words rang and vanished, with no reply. The old gleeman squeezed his eyes shut, holding Moiraine. He looked beaten, ground down to nothing. His hands were red and blistered from pulling her free, his coat sleeves burned.

Mat looked about, desperate. He tried spinning about with eye closed, pointing. When he opened his eye, he was pointing at the center of the room. The broken doorway.

It was then that he felt hope start to die inside of him.

“It was a good try, lad,” Thom said. “We did well. Better than we should have expected.”

“I won’t give up,” Mat said, trying to defy the crushing sense inside of him. “We’ll…we’ll retrace our steps, find a way back to the place between the Aelfinn and Eelfinn. The bargain said they had to leave that portal open. We’ll take it and get out of here, Thom. I’ll be burned if I’m going to die in here. You still owe me a couple of mugs.”

Thom opened his eyes and smiled, but did not stand up. He shook his head, those drooping mustaches wagging, and looked down at Moiraine.

Her eyes fluttered open. “Thom,” she whispered, smiling. “I thought I heard your voice.”

Light, but her voice took Mat back. To other times. Ages ago.

She glanced at him. “And Mat. Dear Matrim. I knew you would come for me. Both of you. I wish you hadn’t, but I knew you would….”