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Pony crouched at the corner of the gatehouse, watching the spectacle at the Palmaris docks The ferry had just come in, croith folk from the town of Amvoy across the Masur Delaval, and now the Pal-maris city soldiers and a pair oftheir goods, barking questions at theot worse
Pony had been in the city for more than a week After she&039;d seen siate when she&039;d arrived, she entered the city secretly at night, using uarded position along the city wall What a thrilling ride that had been, cantering Greystone into a great leap and using the levitational powers of the gemstone to let theing board for Greystone at a stable on the city&039;s north end, Pony had gone straight to the thriving Fellowship Way, finding Belster O&039;Co with a woman, Dainsey Aucomb, who had come on to help the Chilichunks years before, when Pony had been indentured in the army Several others fro, others patrons; and at first Pony was afraid that being recognized by so many could lead to serious trouble Belster had taken care of that, though, calling a quick e her identity Now she was Carralee dan Aubrey, a combination of the names of a friend and her infant niece, both of whooblin raid on Dundalis anized Belster and his friends were Such an underground brotherhood had become necessary, he explained, because of the policies of the new head of the abbey of St Pre-cious, Abbot De&039;Unnero So that he was not merely the abbot of St Precious but also bishop of Palmaris, a title that con-ferred the powers of both abbot and baron That notion terrified Pony, for in a world where edicts fro and Father Abbot could take weeks to arrive, such a position gave De&039;Unnero, in effect, the powers of a dictator
Now that she had settled into the routines of Fellowship Way, Pony had been going out each day to witness the events about the town, particularly near the gates and the docks, where the changes seemed most acute
Pal city, a port at thein the northwest of Honce-the-Bear As such, the city gates had always been only lightly guarded, but now
The reason given for the increase in security was the deaths of both Abbot Dobrinion and Baron Bildeborough But fro she had witnessed of De&039;Unnero, and everything Jojonah had told her, she knew De&039;Unnero knew the Church had been inti-h Thisthe fear of the Pal the murders as an excuse to solidify his own position
Pony thought about the i while Church and state power united in onewith theher spine
When about half the travelers were allowed to enter Palmaris but the other half put back on the boat to return to Amvoy, the soldiers and monks turned their attention elsewhere On their way off the docks, they paused long enough to taunt and heckle, even spit at, a group of Behrenese young-sters ere playing a game on a street The southern dock section of Palmaris had been an enclave for the Behrenese for many decades In all the years Pony had lived in Palmaris, the Behrenese, even the yatol priests, had been vieith compassion and brotherhood by the city&039;s folk, particu-larly by the monks of St Precious, ould often be seen down by the docks with ar any new Behrenese arrivals settle coed! But it wasn&039;t just the poor folk living by the docks, or the less-connected travelers trying to get into the city ere having trouble with the new policies
Pony made her way quickly across Palmaris, into the hilly section on the city&039;s west side where the wealthier citizens resided In the Way the night before, one of Belster&039;s contacts hadPony had just confirmed when she&039;d overheard ato see what Belster&039;s inforroup of about a dozen city sol-diers and three Abellican h Way, the main avenue in this section of Palmaris Fortunately, Pony saw theerohich were quite co to breathe, Pony berated herself for co her soul stone and spiritually spying on the region
Then as the group neared, she realized one of the emstone
"Garnet," she whispered under her breath Garnet, the Dragon Sight, the stone used to detect the eic stones!
Pony watched as they stopped at a gate, one of the soldiers slapping his uards appeared ale becah she was several doors away, could ue with uards," the soldier who had slapped the bell declared "Open wide the gate, by order of the bishop of Palmaris, or we shall trample it down, and trample, too, any who stand before us"
"And do not think that your ic," another soldier interjected "We have brothers of St Precious with us who are more than able to defeat any such attacks"
A bit uards opened the gate They asked that only one or two roup shoved past theed ht Pony&039;s attention, for he was holding a large headdress - a crown of sorts - set with emstones
She realized that soical properties, for she had heard thatalcheical iteical energy, and that, she believed, hat had led the group to his door Glad indeed was Pony that she had not coroup went past - and Pony breathed easier - heading west down the wide street in the direction of Chasewind Manor, forh family but now, by all accounts, the residence of Abbot - Bishop De&039;Unnero
"So strange," Pony whispered to herself as she made her way back to the more crowded central areas of the city She told herself that there ic use in this dangerous time so soon after the end of the war and so soon after the deaths of the two forh the city had another quarry
The Bishop was looking for her
"Cousin, if you are wise - though I know that you are not - you will dis-er before we arrive at Chasewind Manor," Shamus Kilronney said to Colleen The two hadn&039;t even passed through the northern gate of Pal about the es that had taken place in the city Shaht off to St Precious to speak with the new abbot, but they had been turned away and pointedly told to return to their assigned quarters and await a su wait, and it was all that Sha Colleen in check As each rumor filtered out to theave him all the powers of abbot and baron; the man had taken up residence at Chasewind Manor; Colleen&039;s sol-diers were being used as escorts for missions of the Church - both Shamus and Colleen became more and more uneasy For Colleen in particular, still upset by the death of her beloved Baron, this new turn of events was almost more than she could take
Finally, more than a week after their return to Palmaris, the pair was summoned to Chasewind Manor, to report to Bishop Marcalo De&039;Unnero They were met in the courtyard by a host of monks There they waited for more than an hour Other proe, which Sha&039;s own The captain didn&039;t know the names of the two men who stepped out, but he did know that they were fro Danube, iroup outside without a word, not even a nod to the Kings do ye mean to keep us waitin&039;?" Colleen asked loudly before the nored her, and so did the monks In fact, the only response she received ca as long as it suits the noblemen," Shamus scolded "You do not understand our place in this or the potential punish-ments if we do not hold to that place"
"Bah" Colleen snorted "Ye&039;d have ht I wipe the spit from yer chin, sir?"
"You do not understand the nobility"
"Been servin&039; the Baron for ten years," Colleen argued
"But Rochefort Bildeborough was a man of Palmaris, not of the court of Danube Brock Ursal," Shamus warned "These nobles will have your respect, or they will have your tongue - or worse!"
Colleen spat on the ground, very near the foot of the closest monk She looked around at her fellow soldiers, h fari that they, too, were not pleased All of theh for years; all of them had come to respect and even love the man as their leader
A monk came out the front doors of the manor house, a scroll in hand "Shasuard"
"Beware your treasonous temper," Shamus whispered as he and Colleen strode toward the man
"And if I cannot control it, cousin, I&039;m sure ye&039;ll cut me down," she replied with a snarl "I&039;et the irily at her
"Ye just watchhim to be-tray her
The point proved moot, and Shamus breathed a bit easier, because inside the house, they were accosted by a group of arrim-faced Abellican monks who demanded their weapons Shauards were allowed any weapons at the King&039;s court Colleen slapped away one monk&039;s hand as he reached for her weapon, then she drew out her sword threateningly Thestance and several soldiers put their hands to sword hilts
But Colleen only s it at ht on your side," Shamus warned quietly as they were escorted to the audience room
"And ye&039;re thinkin&039; that I&039;m not already knowin&039; as e, but it did not see nobles andBishop Many heads did turn to glance without interest at the two soldiers, Shas outfit
"I do say, it is not difficult to discern which of these two co Ursal nobles with a sniff
The Bishop waved at thestares with Shamus and then with Colleen
Theand intense This first , unblinking, as many moments slipped past
Finally, Bishop De&039;Unnero dropped his eyes to regard the Kingsman "You are Shamus Kilronney?" he asked "Captain Kilronney?"
The ood," said De&039;Unnero "You have been told of my appointed position?"
Shalancing back at Colleen, "understand theof my title?"
"I&039;hs," Colleen re an elbow in the ribs frohed
"Indeed there are not," he said with a chuckle "Nor were any others dee and Father Abbot now, as baron and abbot - bishop, by title"
"We have been informed, Bishop De&039;Unnero," Shamus said quickly, before Colleen could offer anyDanube has deeent of his soldiers," the Bishop explained
"I understand," Shamus replied, then folloith the standard, accepted line of obedience "And, of course, my men and I are at your com-plete disposal"
"Of course," the Bishop echoed "And what of you, Colleen Kilronney? I have heard hly of you Of course, I have also heard ood spirits when she returned froes in her city"
Colleen&039;s eyes widened, surprised that the new bishop had so bluntly put that out on the table She started to answer, but De&039;Unnero stopped her
"I understand your anger," he said "I have been told that none were h Of course that sentiment will carry over for some time after his death I applaud such loyalty" He leaned forward in his chair, so that only she, and perhaps Shamus, could hear "But I will not tolerate any disloyalty to your beloved Baron&039;s successor"
Colleen&039;s eyes narrowed dangerously as De&039;Unnero eased back Again the two locked stares - and this time, it was Colleen who finally backed down
"I will require a full accounting of your travels up north," De&039;Unnero went on, never taking his i stare from the warrior woman "Unfor-tunately, at this time, I have other matters to attend"
"We will return when you su it was time to take their leave
"No, you will stay and you ait," De&039;Unnero corrected He motioned to one of the monks "Find them a place, a side room some-where," the Bishop instructed absently
"Ye sure &039;twas on that eye?" Dainsey Aucoain to adjust Pony&039;s eyepatch
"The right eye," Pony replied with a sigh, growing impatient Pony worked hard to hide that frustration Dainsey wasn&039;t the brightest- burning torch in the roo, and it alone allowed Pony free run of Fellowship Way Besides, Dainsey had been a loyal worker for Graevis and Pettibwa, a daughter of sorts, filling the void that had been left in their lives when Pony had been sent into the arainst her husband, Connor Bildeborough And, reat help to Belster, had willingly given him control of the tavern - left in her care when the Chilichunks had been abducted by the Church - and had stayed on without complaint to help Belster operate the business
So Pony, for all her frustration and fear, took extra care not to let any hint of her anger out
"The right one, ye say? " Dainsey asked, honestly perplexed
"Thought it was the left eye," came Belster&039;s voice, as the portly inn-keeper entered the roolare his way, and saw the jovialwider than usual - and that became a belly chuckle when Dainsey stub-bornly reached for the eye patch
"Right eye," Pony said fir Dainsey&039;s hand away She was more frustrated with Belster than with the wo her She turned her gaze fro him smile all the wider, and looked directly at Dainsey, pointedly grabbing the woht eye, then," Dainsey at last agreed "Yer own skinny neck, it is Ye let h Can&039;t be havin&039; any o&039; that golden hair o&039; yers shinin&039; through!"
The ray powder sent Pony&039;s hand up to scratch at her teh her thick ht With Dainsey&039;s help, she went into the Way each night as Belster&039;s wife, Caralee dan Aubrey O&039;Comely, padded and frumpy, and fully twenty years older than Jilseponie Ault
"Any infor ier Lockless walked into the daave a frus-trated shake of his head, then paused, waiting until Dainsey left "And what of these soldiers?" Belster asked quietly "You are certain that they were looking for the ge thearnet, the stone also known as Dragon Sight because it bestows on its user the power to detect emstones have to be in use for such detection?" Belster asked nervously
Pony nodded and the portly innkeeper breathed a sigh of relief "And I&039;ve not used any since my return," she added "Brother Avelyn once told e thereed "But he is looking for the ge them may lead him to the friends of Avelyn Desbris"
"That I do not doubt," said Belster, "though it htbird I a from St Precious - or from Chasewind Manor, since that is where the new bishop has taken up residence"