page16 (1/2)

THE WALL SPEAKS

Fro through stone and then and bind We shield the lands froes We stand sentry day and night, through storm and winter, and freeze and thaw

Fro in harmony for we are one

We are broken

From Ullem Bay to—

Losing rhythm

We shield the lands—

Broken Lost Despair

Hear us! Help us! Heal us!

Do not trust him

We do not trust We forbid hie

ALTON AND THE WALL

The stone facing of the wall changed aspect with the passing light of the sun Onethe sunlight back into the world In another instant, its rough texture eed in relief, diraphy; every pit, every crag, every fissure It looked primal, as if risen from the Earth, formed by the forces that built mountains and divided canyons, or perhaps shaped by the hands of the gods themselves Yet the simpler truth was that it had been built by mortal men, desperate mortal men, who had deeply feared what lay on the other side As the sun drifted farther to the west, the wall clad itself in shadow,

Alton D’Yer vowed to uncover the secrets locked in the wall so that which had withstood the assault of ti for over a thousand years would not crumble and unleash the evil it had been built to hold at bay Yet the ould not give up its secrets so easily

“That should do it,” Leese said, tying off the last of the bandage she had wrapped around his hand Then in a tone that was siht and pointed, she added, “I trust you won’t start banging your head against the wall next”