Mat Cauthon complains to Talmanes Delovinde about how women are hard to understand. They are traveling northeast of the Damona Mountain range in Murandy with seven thousand mounted soldiers of the Band of the Red Hand. They are also two hundred leagues from Caemlyn. Mat intends to go to Caemlyn first to meet up with Estean Andiama and Daerid Ondin for news and provisions before accompanying Thom Merrilin to the Tower of Ghenjei. Mat overhears Olver recounting to Noal Charin another theory as to how to enter the Tower of Ghenjei.