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"Be off the street!" the soldier shouted at a surprised Belster O&039;Coe The soldier approached, weapon drawn, but the innkeeper faded back to his door and through it, hands up defensively, not bothering to retrieve the bucket

"And don&039;t ye coain!" Belster heard the h, the innkeeper moved back to the co a drink Just that e in business with patrons coossip about the arrival of the Father Abbot and the i, Belster had formally hired Mallory and Prim O&039;Bryen

How ironic that seemed noith the Way deserted save for three fel-loho had rented roory patrons able to come to the place even if they were so inclined

"Where&039;d she go?" Belster asked, and Dainsey motioned at the door to the private quarters

He found Pony in her roo out the loneEvery so often there ca people off the streets After the attack on the Father Abbot, St Precious had all but shut the city down

"Oh, what have you done, girl?" Belster asked,to tower over Pony "And it was you - don&039;t you lie to emstone hit the Father Abbot and that all the monks were amazed that someone had struck so hard and froainst such attacks, so it&039;s said - so they, and I, know the assassin was a person of great poith the stones Only one person I know could have done that"

"Avelyn Desbris could have torn his head fro her gaze from the scene beyond the

That callous attitude sent Belster into a sudden rage He grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her forcefully to face him "And Avelyn is dead," he replied "We both know that, and we know, too, who it is that has his gemstones And one of those stones was lodestone, was it not? And it was a lodestone that hit the Father Abbot So where is your lodestone, girl?"

Pony&039;s big blue eyes narrowed, boring into hiaze so forceful and determined that Belster backed away half a step

"It was Pony who attacked the Father Abbot," Belster said quietly

"I would nothe Father Abbot than I would for playing a role in the defeat of Bestesbulzibar," she said firh she didn&039;t understand the irony of such a statement

"Oh, but what have you done?" Belster la nervously "You believe that you have done a favor to our friends? To your own? Look outside, girl! Do you see anyone walking in the street, anyone corip after a short enough while," Pony insisted "They are afraid now, and so the soldiers and the ; but that, too, will pass"

"And what about your Behrense friends?" Belster asked "Will the retri-bution fro upon the black-skins soon pass? Will those who survive the coet those ill be executed?"

"The Behrense?"

"Do you doubt that them for the attack?" Belster asked incredulously

Pony scoffed at the absurd idea "The Behrense have never been known as stone users," she reasoned "Their religion does not even acknowledge the geift of God, but nized incarnation of the demon dactyl Yatol priests view the stones as a erous because they offer power to people whoht that a Behrense executed a gemstone attack on the Father Abbot is purely - "

"Convenient," Belster interrupted "So you had your fun Are you feeling the better for it?"

Pony shook her head in frustration How could he not understand? Feeling better? Hardly! She had done only what needed to be done, had done as demanded of her out of loyalty to the Chilichunks and to Connor, and out of her hopes for a better future for the kingdom

"You have put us all in a pretty fix, now haven&039;t you?" Belster went on sarcastically "ItDe&039;Unnero as next Father Abbot, and then all the kingdom will feel the pain he has already inflicted on Palmaris"

Pony continued to shake her head "Markas the force behind the rise of the Abellican Church," she said "It was he who gained control of Palmaris for his Order and without him - "

"It was he who killed your parents," Belster said bluntly "And that is all you understand and all you considered And it ave him, but don&039;t you think for a moment that you did any favors to the rest of us Not a one, I say! We&039;ll all be living in the hell Pony made for us now"

Pony looked back out the , and nearly ju the door behind hi, she told herself repeatedly Times would be difficult for a while, perhaps, but it would pass; by her estimation, the city would more likely revert to state control now, and the people would more likely be able to find a calm and peaceful existence

She had to believe that, for her actions had brought her little other coeance, perhaps, but that had done little - nothing at all! - to fill the hole in her heart left by the deaths of Graevis, Pettibwa, and Grady And Connor At the et on with, and get over, the ter-rible process of grieving

"It was the woman," Tallareyish Issinshine inforht of the attack on the Father Abbot "She struck from a rooftop, soerated her poith the geh it was painfully obvious from her tone that she was neither impressed nor pleased with Jilseponie Wyndon at that reatly at the hands of Father Abbot Markwart," Juraviel tried to explain, but he, too, heard his words as hollow Because of her position, because she carried the child of Nightbird and knowledge ofbi&039;nelle dasada, Pony should have acted more wisely than that; she had the responsibility to look at the overall picture of the good of the world, not act out some personal vendetta

"She acted rashly," Dasslerond said with her typical bluntness, "and without regard for greater events about her"

"Events that she could not know of, since we have not contacted her," Juraviel pointed out

"Events that include the child in her womb," Dasslerond was quick to retort "That fact alone should have stayed her hand"

Juraviel wanted to reply that Pony obviously decided she could reater loss than the single stone But he held his tongue, for his excuses were a defense - precisely because Pony&039;s actions needed defending In truth Belli&039;mar Juraviel, too, was far from pleased with the woman and saw her latest action as un when she had left Nightbird, particu-larly without telling him of the child For Juraviel, too, was Touel&039;alfar, and, despite his frequent contact with huh their eyes