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"Fro the parchment over to the Bishop De&039;Unnero took it with a look of surprise etched upon his face "The man can write?" he asked incredulously "A mere soldier?"

The other man bristled, but that only made the Bishop snort all the louder De&039;Unnero had s that the soldiers, city&039;s and King&039;s, were inferior when ainst the Abellican brothers Whenever his patrols went out onto the streets, whether their emstones or si monks, whatever their rank and experience, always held jurisdiction over the highest ranking soldiers Obviously, the soldiers weren&039;t enamored of this fact, but De&039;Unnero, so entrenched in poith both King and Father Abbot standing behind him, hardly cared In fact, he made it a point to enjoy the situation He did noith his er

"And did you read it?" he asked the man

"Of course not, me lord"

"Could you have read it?" De&039;Unnero asked slyly

"I was told to deliver it to yerself with all speed," the soldier replied, and he shuffled his feet uncomfortably, a motion De&039;Unnero noticed and enjoyed "And so I rode hard to Caer Tinella, so hard that ive me another, and just as hard, I rode to yer court Three hunnerd h I left the side o&039; Captain Kil-ronney barely a week ago"

"And you are to be commended," the Bishop assured the soldier, then held up the rolled parchment before the man&039;s eyes and said more force-fully, "but did you read it?"

"No, me lord"

"Could you have read it?"

The soldier did not i wickedly, pulled the ribbon from the parchment and unrolled it so that the penned side was exposed to the soldier&039;s eyes

The round

"What does it say? " the Bishop denashed his teeth, but did not answer

"Tell me!"

"I canno&039;, me lord!"

De&039;Unnero backed off at once, walked over to his desk, and slid co the parchment around carefully "Your cap-tain writes well," he started to say, noting the s, but he stopped short, his eyes widening as the an to realize that the outlaw Nightbird was apparently slipping through his fingers again

With a growl, the Bishop tossed the parcher, who, he noted, had backed a couple of steps closer to the door

"Leave me!" the Bishop barked Thequickly and, without consciously considering the act, step-ping before he could even reach for the door, and banging into it, hard, before finally er around it and out of the rooer&039;s paw fro out full for the northland He put the stone back, though, re himself of his duties - duties the Father Abbot would view as reed with that estimate - and produced instead his soul stone

Markwart should hear of this, he decided He would s his way

Markwart tried to concentrate on his prayers, but every other line ca voice within his o"

I pray thee, Lord, that the sacred stones forever hold thy power

Let hih thine eternal plan

Let hiht dispatch

Let hilory

Let hi prayers i Markwart&039;s latest talk with Bishop De&039;Unnero, the talk in which De&039;Un-nero had begged to be sent after the htbird, in which the Bishop&039;s spirit had screahtbird but also the five conspirator heretics o!

The Father Abbot leaned back fro up all attempts at prayer "Why the Barbacan?" he asked aloud Whatever could Nightbird and the five rogue monks want in that forlorn and blasted place? Markwart had seen the Barbacan, had gone there spiritually, inhabiting the body of Brother Francis when the expedition had reached its destination, and he saw nothing practical to gain from a journey to a place that had been utterly destroyed in the collision between Avelyn and the demon dactyl

"Do they plan to build a shrine?" the Father Abbot asked, and he chuckled at the thought, for how long could such a structure, could any human-built structure, survive in the wilds of the monster-infested northland? But perhaps that was their plan, he es, as had been done in the past for other saintly heroes The ht another smile to the Father Abbot&039;s withered old lips He pictured hundreds of eager,heretic, only to be slaughtered on their way bymonsters

What perfect justice

But the voice in his head did not agree, and showed hi for Avelyn - or at least, against the pres-ent incarnation of the Abellican Church - proved so great that the road was taes common and successful

And then came another teaser:Perhaps they do not have all the stones

Markas nodding his head before the refrain began againLet hio

Indeed, it was tiive the Bishop his greatest reward and let hihtbird

And tientler side of the Abellican Church before the King&039;s visit, before his own visit

A few moments later, the Father Abbot knocked on the door of Brother Francis Dellacourt&039;s room

The man, who had obviously been asleep, opened the door a crack, then threhen he recognized the caller Markwart swept into the roo for Francis to close the door

Francis complied, and then rushed back to stand before Markwart

"Bishop De&039;Unnero has found a road he must travel," the Father Abbot explained, "a real one, and not a spiritual path," he added, seeing the con-fusion on Francis&039; sleepy face

"But the city - " Francis began, but Markwart cut him short

"Go quickly to Palht help you, take a solid supply of gemstones - whatever you deem necessary"

"Necessary?" Francis echoed, but his question was, in truth, eneral confusion, and that Markould allow hiemstones at all

"You are to serve as headmaster of St Precious and as interim bishop of Palmaris while Bishop De&039;Unnero is away," Markwart explained

Francis swayed and seemed as if he was about to faint

"I will soon journey to your side, toDanube as he, too, comes to the critical city," Markent on "You are not to change any of Bishop De&039;Unnero&039;s policies, but do loosen the grip By compari-son to Marcalo De&039;Unnero, the folk of the city should speak favorably of Brother Francis Dellacourt" Markwart paused to listen to the voice in his head, then repeated, "They should speak favorably ofMaster Francis Dellacourt"

Again the sway, and this tie of his bed or fall over onto the floor "But the procedures to elevate thy," he reasoned

"We have discussed this before," Markwart said sternly "Why are you so surprised?"

"To master and then to interim bishop?" Francis asked incredulously "It is so fast, and at a ti could be done," Markwart ex-plained "The other abbots will not question me, not when they understand you are sirasp of Palest the words