Selene visits Mat with her usual talk about glory. The Amyrlin visits Mat and tells him he is linked to the Horn. Feeling cornered by people who want to use him, Mat only wants to escape.
The door opens and in walks Selene. Mat doesn’t recognize her, but she seems to know an awful lot about him. She warns him that the Aes Sedai are not to be trusted — that they’ll use him until they kill him. But if only Mat will trust Selene, he’ll achieve glory. Mat is as stunned by Selene’s beauty as any other man, but he still has the sense to ask why he should trust her. She claims the Aes Sedai are keeping things from him. Moiraine is chasing after Rand as he runs away. The Black Ajah infest the White Tower. Mat and Rand’s fathers traveled to the White Tower, only to be sent back to the Two Rivers. Did the Aes Sedai tell him any of those things? Selene starts to do something to him with the One Power, but abruptly stops and leaves when she senses someone else approaching.
Moments later, the Amyrlin Seat enters the room. She quickly shuts down Mat’s talk about leaving Tar Valon. Mat has more sense than to start talking about Selene, but he does confirm some of her claims. His father did come to the Tower, the Amyrlin admits, but he went back to Emond’s Field since nobody knew where Mat was. The Amyrlin also lets him know that he is now linked to the Horn of Valere, so if anyone else wants to use it — Darkfriends included — they’ll have to kill him first.
In the end, Mat doesn’t like either one of his visitors. They both want something from him, and he won’t have it. The funny thing is that before, when he had the dagger, he thought everyone was out to get him, but it turned out to be curse-induced paranoia. Now? Everyone really is out to get him, no dagger necessary. There’s a way to escape — he’s certain of it. It’s like being offered a choice between a root canal and a tax audit; you’re not going to be happy with either one.