Mat cajoles Rand and Perrin into slipping away and exploring Shadar Logoth. They meet the evil spirit Mordeth, nearly falling victim to his tricks before escaping back to camp. With Trollocs combing the city, it’s time to move again.
Lan quickly locates a building where the group can take shelter. Moiraine settles down in the corner of a room and consults with Nynaeve about taking an herbal sleep aid. With Lan watching the Wisdom distrustfully, Thom and the boys take the horses into an inner room.
Matthew Broderick as Phillip Gaston in Ladyhawke
This seems like a good time to talk about Mat, because this chapter really cemented my vision of his character. When I first read this book back in 1993, the role of Matrim Cauthon somehow got filled in my mind by Matthew Broderick. This can be attributed partly to Mr. Broderick’s iconic prankster role in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), but mostly to his turn in Ladyhawke (1985) as Phillipe Gaston. Phillipe is a thief, known as “The Mouse,” who begins the film by escaping from medieval castle dungeons. All the while he mutters things that are both comedic and humble, such as when he squeezed through an impossibly tight hole in some rocks:
PHILLIPE: This is not unlike escaping my mother’s womb. God, what a memory.
Or, later in the film, when weird shit starts happening with his traveling companions:
PHILLIPE: Maybe I’m dreaming. My eyes are open, which means maybe I’m awake dreaming that I’m asleep. Or, or more likely, I’m asleep dreaming that I’m awake wondering if I’m dreaming.
Or the classic:
PHILLIPE: Sir, the truth is, I talk to God all the time, and, no offense, but He never mentioned you.
So many to choose from. The point being that Phillipe, at first glance, is a flippant character who is only capable of causing trouble for himself and others. But he gets swept up in a series of events, and demonstrates that he’s really a rogue with a heart. Sound familiar? I’m looking at you, Matrim Cauthon.
With Lan’s attention focused on Moiraine in the other room, and Thom having gone off to smoke his pipe, Mat is operating in full mischief mode. Actually, it’s Ferris mode, right? Because within moments, he has concocted a plan to sneak out, play hooky from Moiraine and Lan, and explore the city. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Anyone? Anyone? Anyone? Naturally Rand and Perrin are swept along for the ride. Granted, they aren’t cruising around in a Ferrari, and it ain’t the Windy City of Chicago, but the parallel is undeniable once you spot it.
The boys explore a bit. Eventually, when Mat is unable to find any parades to hijack, he suggests they climb one of the nearby spires since it’s as close to the Sears Tower as he’s going to get. Rand and Perrin try to play the voice of reason, noting that it’s nearly sunset, but Mat insists that there is treasure to be found in a ruined city like this. That’s when a funny little man named Mordeth shows up. He says the towers are dangerous, but if it’s treasure they want, Mordeth has already discovered it! He just needs a little help carrying it to his horses — and promises there will be plenty left for the boys to keep.
As if to prove they are tragically gullible and naive, they follow this mystery man down into a dark cellar. Jesus. It’s like watching kids follow a clown into a sewer. If these three were alive in modern-day Earth, they all would have taken candy from a man in a white van and ended up with their pictures on the sides of milk cartons before they were 12 years old. To cut a long story short, Mordeth turns out to be a creepy, evil spirit-thing, and they book it out of the cellar and back to base.
This time, the women in the party are completely justified in telling the boys that they have shit for brains. Mat proves the point when he argues that, since Moiraine said shadowspawn fear entering Shadar Logoth, the logical conclusion is that this ancient, abandoned city must be perfectly safe for them. Fuck no! Mordeth, Moiraine says, was the quintessential Evil Vizier of the city back in the days of Manetheren, and engineered its downfall.
A short while later, Lan returns from scouting and rouses everyone. The Fades are forcing the Trollocs to search Shadar Logoth, so it’s time to move.