page102 (1/2)

Dale’s forgiveness had uilty He did not deserve it Somehoould make all this up to her Somehow…

“Lord D’Yer!” one of the guards shouted He pointed at the toall “Look!”

A distortion rippled in fluid waves along the wall’s facade He approached cautiously, not daring to avert his gaze, apprehension gnawing at his gut

A hand punched through the wall He jumped back in shock It was not a hand of flesh and blood, but a hand of granite Apprehension turned to dread that filled his belly with ice

“Dale? Dale?”

A bulge protruded above the hand; a face pressed against the inner surface of the wall, a face of familiar features Dale’s, molded in stone

“Dale?” Alton’s voice was scarcely a whisper

The undulating ripples of the distortion calether and the surface of the wall smoothed to its normal state

And solidified

“No!” He grabbed at Dale’s hand, but it was cold, grainy, hard He pu down his face “No! You can’t have her!”

Soldiers and laborers trotted over to see what the asped Several of then of the crescent moon

Ours, ours, ours… came the voices into Alton’s mind

“Let her go!” Blood splattered the wall as Alton pounded, soaked into the pores of granite “She’s not yours! Let her go!”

All at once the wall around Dale warped and ruptured It disgorged her and she spilled to the ground, a shell of granite that encased her cru from her body, a body of flesh and blood, not a statue Alton dragged her clear of the wall and Leese pushed through the croith her apprentice and fell to her knees beside the lifeless Dale

Alton watched as they exaertips, and soaking into the ground Was she alive? He couldn’t see her breathing Leese worked on her for a few hed and gagged, fighting for air When the fit passed and her breathing eased, Dale grabbed Leese’s tunic and pulled her close to whisper to her

When Dale released the mender, Alton demanded, “What? What did she say?”

Leese looked over her shoulder at hi about knohat it’s like to be a fossil”

Alton paused outside Dale’s tent with his bandaged hand raised to knock It was a ot there wasn’t really anything solid to knock on A stiff, cold breeze ruffled his hair and bowed the tent walls inward Fallen leaves rushed around his ankles He cleared his throat to announce himself