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"You are certain that we are alone?" Brother Brauh the afternoon shadows of the forest outside of Dundalis A ht snaked its way through the bare branches The snow had melted a few inches in the week since the storh soed "Who can know?" he admitted "Bradwarden is not about - of that I am fairly certain And nosilently, without disturbing even the er Lockless, perhaps - he is known for hearing what he should not, and seeing what he should not"

"And of course, the elves," Brother Brauth away and not even Nightbird would know it, I guess, if they did not want him to"

Elbryan conceded the point with a nod Indeed, he had seen little sign of Ni&039;estiel and the others since the fight, though he had heard a couple of elven voices lifted in song one quiet night They were still about, but what that er sure Why hadn&039;t they warned theht that had cost fourof all, why hadn&039;t they coerly looked forward to that , if it ever ca their ranks, he meant to speak loudly and not favorably

"But we are as secure as we can hope to be, it see and hard at Elbryan, drawing the ranger&039;s gaze "I have a request," he said sole what to expect He feared that Braue! - and then he would calmly have to put the man off

"My friends and I are out here alone," Brau St-Mere-Abelle, we have severed our ties to the Abellican Church"

"That iven your Father Abbot&039;s thirst for vengeance, I would say that you must hope and pray that those ties are truly severed"

Brauer&039;s sarcasm "Severed on our part, at least," he clarified "And thus we have becohtbird, we have become men without a purpose"

"You have found friends here in Dundalis and anonyer replied "I do not believe that Sha-mus and the soldiers kneho you were, had any idea at all that you were of the Church And so, perhaps you have found a quiet existence There are worse fates"

"True, but do not forget that we are men of purpose, men who have devoted all our lives, from the last days of childhood, to the study of God," Brau, we all believe, for only such deep-rooted convictions will allow one to attain the levels of piety necessary even to enter St-Mere-Abelle"

The ranger&039;s eyes widened at that prideful declaration

"I speak humbly," Braumin quickly added, "and speak only the truth Absolute dedication is required of any would-be student of the Abellican Order"

"And yet you deserted that Order"

"Because we learned the truth of Father Abbot Dalebert Markwart&039;s interpretation of the Abellican Order," Braulanced around nervously and quickly lowered his voice to a harsh whisper "Because Master Jojonah taught us that, as your friend Avelyn Desbris taught it to hiht him much about the truth of God

"We did not desert the Order," Brother Braumin asserted "We fol-lowed the true spirit of the Abellicans, a journey that forced us from St- Mere-Abelle"

"And so you have come all the way to Dundalis," Elbryan reasoned, "and yet you feel that your journey is not coion will not fulfill your spiritual needs"

Noas Brauer&039;s blunt asser-tion had taken him by surprise

"Could you not build a church here and teach the song of God as you hear it?" the ranger asked

"And how long would such a church be allowed to survive, so close to Honce-the-Bear and the Abellican Order?" Braumin asked skeptically

"Then it is fear and not purpose that will push you further"

The monk&039;s face screwed up with confusion, and then, as he figured out that the ranger was teasing hihed "It was fear that drove us from St-Mere-Abelle," he admitted after athan staying"

Elbryan nodded "You said you had a request," the ranger said "What would you have me do?"

Braumin took a deep breath, yet another hint to Elbryan that this request was no s

"I would have you lead my friends and me to the Barbacan," he said quickly Elbryan wondered which frightened Brau his intentions out loud

"The Barbacan?" the ranger echoed incredulously

"I have seen the glory of Avelyn&039;s too there now; Brother Dellman, feels he, too, e necessary if we five are truly to become of one mind and one purpose"

"And that purpose is?"

"I hope the pilgrie will show me," Braumin admitted

"The Barbacan is still a hostile land," Elbryan pointed out "The destruc-tion of the dactyl and the defeat of the monstrous aret you there, but then what? That you ht stay only a matter of days, or even hours, then take the road back to Dundalis again?"

"Perhaps," Braumin said honestly, "perhaps not I believe in ave his life for the good of the world and in death he reached for the heavens There is soodly I felt that keenly when I viewed the to way to travel in hopes of inspiration," the ranger said dryly

"Yet it is the only road before us," Brau much of you, but I do so in the name of Avelyn, and in the hope that he, and Jojonah, have not died in vain"

That set the ranger back He wasn&039;t sure that this journey to the Bar-bacan would acco the back to Dundalis battered and hureater e determi-nation Braumin had lived as aof the Abellican Church far better than Elbryan ever could Could Elbryan deny the possibility that such inspiration iven his life to the search for God and good? Besides, the ranger, too, had seen where Avelyn was buried shortly after the explosion Though he understood that Avelyn had extended his are mystical - or at least a very fortunate coincidence - that Avelyn&039;s extended arm had somehow reached above the destruction

"You understand the dangers?" the ranger asked

"I understand the futility of not going," Braumin replied, "for then we are dead, all five of us, spiritually if not physically And perhaps worse than physical death is the notion of spiritual i blanket of Father Abbot Markwart"

"And the Barbacan will change this?"

Braurave of Avelyn, and so htbird"

The ranger didn&039;t doubt hione," Elbryan rea-soned "Winter is here - you have seen her fury, and I assure you that the snohich fell the night before Shamus Kilronney arrived was no unusual storm for this part of the world I do not knohen the trails north will be clear And even if they are clear, know that the wind arave could freeze the blood in your body quickly"

"The dangers are not ignored," Braumin assured him, "nor will they stop us"

Elbryan looked hard at the man, at his determination in the face of potential disaster, and he was impressed "I will speak with Bradwarden," he offered "The centaur knows the northern terrain better than I and has aniive us some idea of ill encounter"

"We?" Brauer responded, but it seeroup That notion struck the ranger, for he had no intention or desire to ever return to the for-lorn remnants of Aida - indeed, a little over a week before, until his strange dreaht his road was in the opposite direction! No, he could not call it a dream Pony had come to him in his sleep - he knew that without doubt - and their roads could not cross again just yet

Was he now thinking of going so far north out of spite, out of soer at Pony? He did not have the answer, but he realized that he needed to sit down and figure it out before coer asserted, walking at the ranger&039;s side through the dark forest "These are good ave no reply He had already explained to Roger all the prob-lems of such a journey - not the least was that if he left he would be abdi-cating his responsibilities to Toerwart for a er went on, "and I can attest to the courage Brother Brau the place What they did to Jojonah - "

Elbryan held up his hand; he had heard it all before - in the last few min-utes actually "Let us learn what Bradwarden thinks of such a journey," he said "I do not doubt Brother Brau that he and his friends should go to Mount Aida If I did, I would not even be talking with Bradwarden this night But there are larger issues to be considered"

"Pony," Roger reer admitted, and he ducked under a branch and around a chestnut tree, to the edge of a clearing opposite the centaur "And the season is another"

"Ye&039;re late," Bradwarden said, his tone gri a rustle in the tree above, the ranger under-stood the source of his friend&039;s discontent As he focused his gaze on the shadows above, a pair of elvesto the lowest branch The ranger&039;s eyes widened

"Why do you seehtbird?" said the female of the pair, Tiel&039;er did not know her real naes, Juraviel had told a younger Elbryan during his days in Andur&039;Blough Inninness To all the Touel&039;alfar, she was Tiel&039; for one whosethe beautiful voices of the elves

"I had thought our alliance ended," the ranger replied grimly, "with the Touel&039;alfar turned down other roads It has beenwhile only to the i a more defiant posture on the branch After an unco stares, Ni&039;estiel stood on the branch and gave a sweeping bow, ser didn&039;t smile in return "As you say," Elbryan conceded "And yet, the children of Caer&039;alfar did not see their way to warn Nightbird of the ioblin attack, and did little to fend off those h their boould have proven invaluable"

"Or they did not know that Nightbird would be a the soldiers," Tiel&039;marawee replied

"And that excuses " Elbryan started to ask, but he stopped, re himself of the true nature of these creatures Elves were not huht wish to pretend otherwise Their view of the world did not correspond to those attributes - compassion and coer could not co and aid, for the choice of allies aoblins should not be a difficult one, froriain as he considered his audience, as he realized that the expres-sions of both elves had not changed, would not change The life of a hu that would likely outlive twenty generations of men

And these two, Tiel&039;marawee and Ni&039;estiel, if Elbryan reh Inninness, were aard ton&039;Touel&039;alfar, anyone as not elven That thought struck hi the case, ere these two the ones to come forward and speak with hier didn&039;t like the i the soldiers, and he, too,to end that part of the discussion

Ni&039;estiel wouldn&039;t let him be done with it so easily "And if he had been slain by oblins, then perhaps he would have shown that he was not worthy of the naave to hih, and Tiel&039;marawee joined in the mirth; but it see

"But that is past now, and we need look to the road ahead," Tiel&039;- manner

Elbryan turned a surprised look on Bradwarden "They know?"

"Elfy ears," the centaur replied

"You consider a journey to the Barbacan," Ni&039;estiel stated flatly, "to the place of the dactyl demon&039;s destruction"

"To the toer said solemnly

The elves didn&039;t seem much impressed

"And how do the Touel&039;alfar view such a journey?" Elbryan asked

"Why would the Touel&039;alfar care?" asked Ni&039;estiel

"Your road is your own to choose, Nightbird," Tiel&039;marawee added "We will help where we may"