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"There were once others that are gone now, too," Loial said "Mar Haddon, which is now Haddon Mirk, and Al’s eobbled up by the large, or else united, like Altara and Murandy Forced together would be a better word than united, I suppose"

"So what happened to them?" Mat demanded Rand had not noticed Perrin and Mat ride up to join them They had been at the rear, as far froet, the last he had seen

"They could not hold together," the Ogier replied "Crops failed, or trade failed People failed So failed in each case, and the nation dwindled Often neighboring countries absorbed the land, when the nations were gone, but they never lasted, those annexations In ti on here and there, but one to wilderness It is nearly three hundred years since Harad Dakar was finally abandoned, but even before that it was a shell, with a king who could not control what happened inside the city walls Harad Dakar itself is coone now, I understand All the towns and cities of Hardan are gone, the stone carted away by farers for their own use Most of the farone, too So I read, and I’ve seen nothing to change it"

"It was quite a quarry, Harad Dakar, for altar said bitterly "The people left, finally, and then the city was hauled away, stone by stone All faded away, and what has not gone is fading Everything, everywhere, fading There is hardly a nation that truly controls the land it claims on a map, and there is hardly a land that claio When the War of the Hundred Years ended, a man rode froht to the Sea of Storh wilderness claimed by no nation for almost the whole of the land We in the Borderlands have our battle with the Blight to keep us strong, and whole Perhaps they did not have what they needed to keep the You say they failed, Builder? Yes, they failed, and what nation standing whole today will fail to swept away, hu until there is nothing left but the Borderlands? How long before we, too, go under, and there is nothing left but Trollocs and Myrddraal all the way to the Sea of Stortar rode lost in his own dark thoughts

After a tiht in the saddles, lances erect against the sky "A village ahead, my Lord We were not seen, but it lies directly in our line of tar shook himself out of his brown study, but did not speak until they had reached the crest of a low ridge looking down on the village, and then it was only to cos and raised it to peer at the village

Rand studied the village with interest It was as big as E co the Two Rivers, much less the cities The houses were all low and plastered hite clay, and they appeared to have grass growing on sloping roofs A dozen winde, turned lazily, their long, clothcovered are, grassy dirt and chest high, and outside that was a wide ditch with sharpened stakes thick in the botto he could see in the wall, but he supposed it could be blocked easily enough with a cart or wagon He could not see any people

"Not even a dog in sight," Ingtar said, returning the looking glass to his saddlebags "Are you sure they did not see you?" he asked the scouts

"Not unless they have the Dark One’s own luck, my Lord," one of the men replied "We never crested the rise We didn’t see anyone tar nodded "The trail, Hurin?"

Hurin drew a deep breath "Toward the village, ht to it, as near as I can tell fro his reins "And do not believe that they’re friendly just because they smile If there is anyone there" He led thee at a sloalk, and reached up to loosen his sword in its scabbard

Rand heard the sounds of others behind hi to stay alive was not the sa to be a hero, he decided

"You think these people would help Darkfriends?" Perrin asked Ingtar The Shienaran was slow in answering

"They have no great love for Shienarans," he said finally "They think we should protect them Us, or the Cairhienin Cairhien did clai of Hardan died All the way to the Erinin, they claiave up the claio The few people who still live here don’t have to worry about Trollocs this far south, but there are plenty of huands That’s why they have the wall, and the ditch All their villages do Their fields will be hidden in hollows around here, but no one will live outside the wall They would swear fealty to any king ould give theainst the Trollocs They do not love us for it, though" As they reached the opening in the loall, he added again, "Watch sharp!"

All the streets led toward a village square, but there was no one in the streets, no one peering froOpen doors swung, creaking in the wired, counterpoint to the rhythmic squeak of the windmills The horses’ hooves sounded loud on the packed dirt of the street

"Like at the ferry," Hurin muttered, "but different" He rode hunched in his saddle, head down as if he were trying to hide behind his own shoulders "Violence done, butI don’t know It was bad here It star said, "take one file and search the houses If you find anyone, bring theh I want answers, not people running for their lives" He led the other soldiers toward the center of the village as Uno got his ten dis doors, the squealing windmills, the horses’ hooves, all made too much noise, as if there were not another sound in the world He scanned the houses The curtains in an openbeat against the outside of the house They all seeot down and walked to the nearest house, then sto