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By the tiht beside a mountain stream that provided fish for their supper, Selene seeier about books, speaking kindly to Hurin

She barely spoke to Rand, though, unless he spoke first, either that evening or the following day as they rode through ed gray walls, ever cli hi Sometimes it was the sort of smile that made him smile back, sometimes the sort that hts, and sowene sometimes wore It was a kind of smile that always put his back up -- but at least it was a san to slope doards, and with the proave way to hills, rolling and round, with more brush than trees, more thickets than forest There was no road, just a dirt track, such as ain Fields carved some of the hills into terraces, fields full of crops but empty of people at this hour None of the scattered farh to the path they rode for Rand to make out more than that they were all hts already twinkled in a fes against the coht," he said

"That I will enjoy, Lord Rand" Hurin laughed Loial nodded agreee inn," Selene sniffed "Dirty, no doubt, and full of unwashed ain? I find I enjoy sleeping under the stars"

"You would not enjoy it if Fain caught up with us while we slept," Rand said, "hi after me, Selene After the Horn, too, but it is me he can find Why do you think I’ve kept such a close watch these past nights?"

"If Fain catches us, you will deal with him" Her voice was coolly confident "And there could be Darkfriends in the village, too"

"But even if they knee are, they can’t do ers around Not unless you think everyone in the village is a Darkfriend"

"And if they discover you carry the Horn? Whether you want greatness or not, even farht, Rand," Loial said "I fear even farht want to take it"

"Unroll your blanket, Loial, and throw it over the chest Keep it covered" Loial complied, and Rand nodded It was obvious there was a box or chest beneath the Ogier’s striped blanket, but nothing suggested it was more than a travel chest "My Lady’s chest of clothes," Rand said with a grin and a bow

Selene met his sally with silence and an unreadable look After a ain

Allitter froround Soht it threw up Curious, he turned his horse that way

"My Lord?" Hurin said "The village?"

"I just want to see this first," Rand said It’s brighter than sunlight on water What can it be?

His eyes on the reflection, he was surprised when Red suddenly stopped On the point of urging the bay on, he realized that they stood on the edge of a clay precipice, above a huge excavation Most of the hill had been dug away to a depth of easily a hundred paces Certainly more than one hill had vanished, and maybe some farmers’ fields, for the hole was at least ten times as wide as it was deep The far side appeared to have been packed hard to a ra a fire started; down there, night was already descending Here and there a at their sides He hardly glanced at theantic stone hand holding a crystal sphere, and it was this that shone with the last sunlight Rand gaped at the size of it, a smooth ball -- he was sure not so much as a scratch h

Some distance away from the hand, a stone face in proportion had been uncovered A bearded nity of vast years; the broad features seee

Unsummoned, the void for, beckoning So intent was he on the face and the hand that he did not even realize what had happened He had once heard a ship captain speak of a giant hand holding a huge crystal sphere; Bayle Domon had clai

"This is dangerous," Selene said "Come away, Rand"

"I believe I can find a way down there," he said absently Saidin sang to hiht of the sinking sun It seeht swirled and danced in ti of saidin He wondered why the men below did not appear to notice

Selene rode close and took hold of his arm "Please, Rand, you must come away" He looked at her hand, puzzled, then followed her arenuinely worried, perhaps even afraid "If this bank doesn’t give way beneath our horses and break our necks with the fall, thosethey wish every passerby to exaood will it do you to avoid Fain, if souards arrest you? Coht -- he realized that the void surrounded hi, he could feel it -- and the thought cae stone face would open itswith him With him and with saidin All one

"Please, Rand," Selene said "I will go to the village with you I won’t ain Only coo saidin crooned, and the light in the sphere beat like a heart Like his heart Loial, Hurin, Selene, they all stared at hilorious blaze froranite; he floated in an e of the sphere, he could feel theive in, reached deep inside