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She sucked in a breath, touched her brooch, and without looking back or speaking to hie was not as fluid as she rees and the texture of stone scraping her flesh The voices were there, scratching at her mind, and restless When she fell out of the wall into the tower chamber, she exhaled in relief, a little disoriented

“Back so soon?” The sarcasen’s voice was unmistakable “At least a hundred years or so haven’t passed this time”

She found hi out his beard A couple long white whiskers drifted to the floor and disappeared

“Uhts, “there was a storm”

Merdigen grunted

Dale joined hi off what must be several hundred years’ accuen sneezed at the cloud she raised “Do you…do you really need to sneeze?” she asked

Merdigen paused his beard co of blessing You raised dust, therefore I sneezed You’ve returned for a reason?”

“We had more questions”

“I see Then ask them I haven’t all day”

Dale wanted to knohat on Earth could possibly coue “Alton—the Deyer—and I felt there was ht tell us”

“As I’ve said before, I have no idea of how heto do with him”

“We believe there are other things youwith very basic information Over the centuries, a lot of history about the wall has been lost The ht understand how to fix it, and we believe there is much we can learn from you”

Merdigen eyed her with a skeptical gaze “Tell me what you do know, then we shall see”

“We know that the as built over generations, toward the end of the Long War, to contain Blackveil Forest, to prevent it fro out into the world, and that Mornhavon the Black, his spirit or whatever, was also contained behind the wall We’re aware there are…presences in the wall—guardians—that keep it bound together with song” Dale frowned realizing how odd it sounded when spoken aloud She tried to remember if there was more she and Alton had discussed “Oh, and then there’s you You’re a sort of tower guardian who can speak with the presences in the wall That’s all we know”

“That’s it?”