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"But you are not thinking clearly, girl," Belster said, er over his pursed lips and glanced all around nervously The Way was crowded and noisy this night, and apparently no one had heard

Pony leaned heavily on the bar, twiddling her thumbs impatiently

"How many of these folks do you think will join with the dark skins?" Belster asked earnestly, using the common synonym for the Behrenese

"Of course," Pony replied sarcastically, "we are in a secure enough posi-tion to ignore possible allies The odds are so overwhelly in our favor already, after all"

"You knohat I arumbled back "The Behrenese are not - have never been - loved by the folk of Palmaris In that above all else, Bishop De&039;Unnero has plotted well Not hard tothat we ht beside theain if you follow this path beside this Captain Almet"

"Al&039;u&039;met," Pony corrected "As honorable a man as I&039;ve everthat"

"Then they are ly at Belster "Is this what you truly fear, or are you also unreasonably prejudiced against the Behrenese?"

"Well " Belster uard by the blunt accusation "Well, I&039;ve not known enough of theh said," Pony said dryly

"Oh, but you are twisting hts!" the innkeeper wailed

"Only because you know that those thoughts are without merit," Pony retorted "Al&039;u&039;met will stand with us, if it comes to that, and so will the Behrenese They are allies we cannot ignore"

"You believe in this un this conversation

"He could have killed o," Belster agreed, "but to his own gain, by eh and threw up his hands in defeat He shook his head, but his smile widened, until at last he looked at Pony helplessly

Only to find that she wasn&039;t even looking at him, but rather past him, her expression worried Belster turned back toward the door and saw a pair of soldiers entering - town guard and not the King&039;s warriors who had been common, too common, in Palmaris of late Belster noticed that one of them - a woman, an officer with fiery red hair - held Pony&039;s attention

"You know her?"

"We fought together in the northland," Pony replied softly "Colleen Kilronney by nauise is well done this night," Belster replied, trying to allay so over her Both he and Pony knew his words for a lie, though, as Pony had come in only recently and, since Dainsey Aucomb was not in, it had been up to Belster to help with the fin-ishing touches

Pony silently cursed her foolishness; she knew this predicaerous trend As the situation had grown more critical in Pal resistance to De&039;Unnero, her attention to her own security had lessened She had gotten careless and understood now, quite clearly, that such inattention could ruin everything

She turned back to the bar and lowered her head as Colleen Kilronney and her coht by her, the wo a ht be better if you went out and took in a bit of the night air," Bel-ster whispered

Pony glanced around doubtfully at the crowded rooet Priular customer, a money counter employed at Chasewind Manor "He&039;s run up a bill of near to forty gol&039; bears and will be happy for the chance to bring it down since De&039;Unnero has not been as generous as Baron Bildeborough And Mallory&039;s about, or soon to be"

His attelanced around again, head low, then stood and turned abruptly toward the door - away from Colleen - and started off at a quick pace

Her departure was not unnoticed, Belster realized as the red-haired woot up from her chair and started off in Pony&039;s wake The innkeeper stood up to intercept her, s already?" he asked, then turned to the bar "Priet a drink for the woht a couple of cheers and lifted glasses from some folk nearby, but as Belster reached to put his arm around the woman, he saw that his diversion would not work She slapped him away forcefully and pushed past hiave a sheepish grin at the wo after the wo a disturbance that would bring even more unwanted attention No, he decided, Pony was on her own "Well go on back, Prim," he instructed loudly "Certainly there is another in the Way this night deserving our drink"

"And too many for Belster to handle hisself," Pri over the bar "I&039;ll be looking for sool&039; bears off me tab"

Belster waved hi hard to make as little colanced toward the door ht Colleen Kilronney to the Way that night The woman was no fool by anyone&039;sthe uards While Colleen had not been good friends with the Baron&039;s nephew, Connor, she had seen hi day

And she had seen his bride

So had struck Colleen as familiar when she had h Connor&039;s wedding had been years before At first Colleen had assuhter of the former proprietors of the Fellow-ship Way

As tiun to fall into place for Colleen, par-ticularly the fa hilt of the sword Pony had carried belted at her hip Colleen had hardly noticed it up north, but as she considered theit in her keen

It reseh, a celebrated family weapon, Defender by name

Now, in the Way, the resemblance between Belster&039;s wife and the woh Belster&039;s wife appeared older, the way she had moved belied that She htbird, the woh

Colleen stood in the street outside the Fellowship Way collecting her thoughts, putting all the clues together All the area was quiet and dark, save one burning streetlaainst the wall of the next building

"A woman," Colleen asked of them, "a woman who caed and went on with their conversation

It made no sense to Colleen; there was no way Belster&039;s wife could have gotten that far ahead of her She turned back toward the tavern door, won-dering if, perhaps, the woman had not really left the place She even started that way but stopped then, re she had once overheard Connor had been talking to a friend, another of the Baron&039;s house guards, when he had mentioned a spe-cial place that he had shared with his Jill, a quiet place within the city, yet removed from the city

Pony sat on the back roof of the Fellowship Way, staring up at the stars and wondering if Elbryan was looking at the saht sky Sheforward to seeing hi Her belly would be thicker then - it already was starting to show, and so she would have to share her secret with hiht pleased her immensely, for she so wanted to share this with Elbryan As she sat and watched the night sky, her fingers gently swirled about the sides of her belly, a truly co, and she wanted Elbryan&039;s hands there, too, wanted hi their child, perhaps to feel its first movements

But Pony knew in her heart that it would not be The events in Paled her plans, for she could not think of leaving the city at this critical tiether all the factions, even the Behrenese, ould oppose De&039;Unnero and the Church Sis of content-es of her dead - herup in demonic inspiration, assaulted her, pulled her hands up to cover her face She would pay back the de about as leaders of the Abellican Church, every one! She would take her vengeance all the way to the Father Abbot hiainst Graevis and Pettibwa, against Grady and Connor Shewould

A great sadness washed over her then, an overwhel despair, and she could not hold back the sobs

Thus, she did not hear the approach as soutter to the roof behind her

The sadness passed quickly - Dainsey had warned her of these abrupt changes of nancy - stolen by a renewed deterainst the warht sky oncethat its beauty alone would bring her back to a place of peace

"A bit of a cli her, thought and body She knew the voice all too well - and Pony was growingup on her!

"Not soon a thick Palmaris street accent, a fair iht

"Not for the cohtbird, no," said Colleen, "one who&039;s somehow hurt her eye since I saw her last in the north"

Pony&039;s heart sank She slipped a hand into a pocket, where she held sev-eral ge the three feet away, hand resting on her sword hilt Pony eyed her cautiously She thought to stand up If she could get on even footing with the soldier, she had little doubt that she could take her down, despite the fact that the larger woman had a weapon

But as Pony ht-ened about her sword

Pony slipped back to an unthreatening posture "No nightbirds about, by me own seein&039;," she replied, "but if ye&039;ve seen a few, ht be that I&039;ve a bit of cruhtbirds," Colleen replied firmly "They&039;d be farther north, I&039;m thinkin&039;, runnin&039;, and not flyin&039;, about the forest"

A long, uncomfortable moment slipped past

"Ah, but I left me Belster all alone in the Way," Pony said "He&039;ll be a screaet back"

"Belster has help," Colleen replied, "as you arranged"

Pony painted a puzzled expression on her face, but she was beginning to understand from the woman&039;s ready posture that thethat with a thought she could drive it through the woers to the graphite instead, settling on the notion of a stunning, hopefully nonfatal, lightning blast

"Enough useless banter," Colleen declared "I knoho ye are, Pony friend o&039; Nightbird, Jill wife o&039; Connor I&039;h to know ye"

Pony started to protest but stopped short, pulling her hand fro it extended in Colleen&039;s direction "Have you, then?" she asked, dropping the put-on accent "And do you know enough of ht? "

That set Colleen back on her heels, but only for a moment She was a warrior, battle hardened, and with a well-earned reputation for fearlessness "Truly ye&039;re the rogue that De&039;Unnero painted ye to be," she spat back

But Pony caught an inflection in Colleen&039;s voice, less than complimen-tary, as she pronounced the naoaded, "the rightful, lawful ruler of Palmaris"

Colleen did not reply, but her sour expression spoke voluht, then?" Pony asked bluntly "And aic and destroy you, or would you prefer it, would you think it more fair, if I went and retrieved my sword?"

"Connor&039;s sword, ye mean"

Her perceptiveness surprised Pony, but it did not put her off her guard " &039;Twas Connor&039;s," she admitted, "until emissaries of the Church murdered him and his uncle"

Colleen&039;s eyes widened

"And the abbot," Pony pressed, spitting every word "Do you believe that a powrie did it? A wretched little dalked into Palreat man?"

"Ye&039;re knowin&039; this to be true?"

"As Connor told it to me, when he caeted by the Abellican Church"

Colleen stood very still, and it see

Pony lowered her hand, dropping the geic that was taught to et ive you a lesson you shall not soon forget!"

Colleen&039;s pride alone forced her to square her shoulders at the open, brazen challenge She did not hold the pose for long, though, too curious about this woh I wish you&039;d stand down," Pony conceded, "for I a sides"

"Then what&039;re we to be doin&039; about it?" Colleen asked

Pony considered the words for a long while What indeed? The outline of a plan was taking shape in her round network, the persecuted Behrenese, and now Colleen and whatever other soldiers - and Pony guessed that there ht find ould stand, at least quietly, against the wicked Bishop But she wasn&039;t ready to share that plan, wasn&039;t ready to trust in this soldier with infor her comrades just yet

"You come back to the Way in three days&039; tiain"

"Where&039;s yer Nightbird friend?" Colleen asked abruptly