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The cave was coh ventilation for several sh for a person was through water Those fires were needed, to take the chill out of bones and the wetness from clothes soaked in the cold waters of the Masur Delaval

Elbryan huddled under a blanket with Pony all through the night, holding her, re with all his heart to er toward her for her decision to leave him, and certainly did not blame her for the loss of their child

Every time he e through her othereary lih they had no way of knohat tiht, they re low since they had notthey would have to re at Pony She see woman he had first kissed on the north slope of Dundalis, on the day the goblins had come, the day that both of them had been orphaned He re separation, when she had gone with Avelyn back to Dundalis

She seemed no less beautiful to him now, and that aedy they had witnessed, all the losses that Pony, in particular, had suffered He reached to stroke that sard hi to embrace her, but she sat up suddenly and Elbryan felt her arer," he bade her softly

Pony looked at hiht is ended for this day," the ranger tried to explain "We will steal away - "

"No," Pony interrupted, shaking her head

"We cannot possibly win"

"Perhaps I do not need to win," Pony replied with such coldness as to give the ranger pause He shook his head and ain she pushed him away

"I had a child within me," she explained "Your child, our child And he took it Markwart murdered our child, as he murdered my parents"

Brother Braumin crawled over to the couple then, and Elbryan and Pony realized that the others had been listening

"Co out his hand "I will bestow upon you the blessing of Coht find contentment"

Pony shrank from that offered hand and stared at the monk incredu-lously "Markwart," she said, "the Father Abbot of your Church murdered my baby, my innocent child, within my womb"

"He is not my Father Abbot," Brother Braumin tried to explain, but Pony, so full of veno

"You do not understand the depth of his evil," she went on "I have felt such a presence once before, in the bowels of a mountain far to the north, the same mountain where Markwart took you all as his prisoners"

She looked at Elbryan, who see and as wicked as ever was Bestesbulzibar"

"He is a man," Brother Braumin reasoned

"Much more than a man!" Pony snapped back "Much more, I say And as Avelyn went into the darkness of Aida to battle the deh he believed that he could not win, so shall I battle Markwart once ainst my child and to rid the world of his vile presence"

"But another day," the ranger insisted, "a day when he is not prepared to battle against us When he is not surrounded by De&039;Unnero and the host of ade"

Pony eyed hiroup all sat quiet as the- passed Elbryan stayed near Pony, but he did not question her further He had never seen her this angry, not even after the rescue of Bradwarden at the end of the last summer, when she had tried to turn back and storm into St-Mere-Abelle All he could do to help her noas to support and to trust her, and to try, desperately, to keep her as far away as possible from the unbeatable enemies they had made

That task seemed more difficult when a Behrenesethe city apart," he gasped, crawling out of the cold water to the stone floor "TheSaudi Jacintha fled from port, but a host of warships overtook her and destroyed her sails, then dragged her back in Captain Al&039;u&039;met andor Church?" Elbryan asked, and the dark-skinned nificance of the question

"The warships were of King Danube&039;s fleet," the ed many from the streets And it was a host of monks " Thethat the others did not miss

"Your little friend told us," the rily

"The tavern where you lived," the Behrenese round Even now they sift through its ashes"

Pony closed her eyes, a low sound - both growl and groan - escaping her lips

"What of Belster?" Elbryan asked with concern

"He is in hiding," the man replied, "beside the others from the place But they fear, we all fear, that they will soon be caught"

"Bring hi hard to help

"We cannot," the dark-skinned erous even for me to come to you, for the soldiers and monks are everywhere We must advise you to flee, however you may They have taken many folk, and it is ruiven to one of the interrogating jailors Beware of visitors," he added grimly "And not just visitors in the flesh, for thetheirchezchus " He paused, searching for the right translation of the yatol term "Their spirits?" he asked

Pony nodded "They are spirit-walking," she explained

"Through walls," the Behrenese et out," Brother Castinagis reasoned

"But the city is no doubt buttoned down," Brother Dellman replied

"All the wall is patrolled by monks and soldiers, hundreds of soldiers," the Behrenese er reht, ill leave the cave, but stay in the water, floating, swi, downstream, and hope to climb to a bank far to the south of Paluarded," the Behrenese &039;s warships are all about"

"They&039;ll not see a head bobbing in the nighttime water," Elbryan replied "And what of you? Are you to leave us again? Do you have anywhere to run?"

The er&039;s offer that he remain with them "My duty is to my people," he explained "I cah not yet halfway to the west May Chezru go with you"

Even the Abellican monks, men who denied the yatol interpretation of Chezru as God, accepted the spirit of that blessing with gratitude

"Tell Belster of our plan," Elbryan instructed the man, "and inform our friends, the set word to them"

The man nodded, and dove back into the water

If thehad been so fast Now they had to accept, every one of the many other citizens of Palmaris dearly

Elbryan kept watch over Pony, ould not sit still She reached for the pouch of gelare Pony put over him backed his hand away

Pony pulled open the pouch and dumped the stones on the blanket in front of her They were all there, she recognized soon enough - even the ly face As Roger had said, they had kept all the evidence together

She scooped the soul stone into her hand, clenching her fist tight as the ranger&039;s hand caot her by the wrist instead, holding her fir around to face her directly

"Where do you intend to fly?" he asked

"Where is the dog Markwart?" she replied coldly

"You would go to hier asked "If he follows you back, then the rest of us will pay for your risk"

Pony unclenched her fist and let the stone fall to the blanket, defeated "I could go out carefully and scout," she offered as Elbryan began scooping the stones back into the pouch, the ranger shaking his head before she finished

So they sat quietly The an to pray, and asked if Elbryan and Pony wanted to join The ranger turned a hopeful look over Pony, thinking that prayer ht be just what she needed, but she shook her head and turned away

Elbryan waited a while, let the rhythain in front of his wife, drawing her gaze with an unthreatening, disarrin "Have I told you of Avelyn&039;s miracle?" he asked cal their corridor of cells

"Not just what happened," the ranger explained, "but how it happened How the spirit of our dear friend ca corin "Where was he when Markwart came?" she asked sarcastically

Elbryan let it roll off his strong shoulders, re himself of the depth of her pain He started to recount the story of the goblin fight again, offering insights at every critical point, and hinting that those insights had been inspired by Avelyn He knew that any reminder of the times before their first journey to Mount Aida, when their lives seemed so much si her to a better e, and Pony even er Lockless appeared

"You should not be here!" the ranger scolded,to pull his friend from the water "I told you to distance yourself - "

"At the price of friendship, I had to coer retorted "For Juraviel told me that you are found, that Markwart knows of the caves, and even as we speak, a force begins its march to the Masur Delaval!"

Everyone in the cave started scra their clothes and tying theer cried frantically "And be quick!"

"The path leads to the north, but that is not our course," Elbryan instructed the the bank to the south Hug the rocks, use them to hide, and be quiet!"

Into the water went Brauis, and Dell Elbryan&039;s wrist and squeezing tightly

"I love you," Elbryan said to Pony as she e

She looked back at hied a war the guide ropes set by the Behrenese, the seven had no trouble navigating the cave entrance and getting out into the open waters of the Masur Delaval The first out, Brauer had instructed, with the other twoclosely

When Pony surfaced, however, she did not stop at the water&039;s edge, but continued up,up the side of the cliff face, using her free hand to guide her

As soon as Elbryan broke the surface, he understood The wooing after Markwart!

"Pony!" he called, but she did not look back

Elbryan scra to dress Roger and the o!" Elbryan bade them "Flee to safety and bear witness"

But none of theo after Pony out of love, and the others were siot to the cliff top, in al the fence where she had battled the Behrenese scouts She paused long enough to dress, to sort through her ge road before her She knew that Markould be at Chasewind Manor - the one to St Precious in all the time Pony had been in Palh house But it was evident, even from this remote corner of the city, that her path would not be clear She could hear the commotion in the town, the thunder of hooves, the screa air

Pony looked west across the town, to the sun hanging low in the sky Dusk was settling over the city, but it was still too light for her to pass unseen Yet she could not wait for night

But how? she wondered, looking again to her geo after Markwart spiritually, with the helanced back down the cliff, to see Elbryan and the others alreadyoff the riverbank, and knew that she could not leave her corporeal foraze focused on the lode-stone, the ainst Markwart, the da piece of evidence that would surely seal her dooo to trial

She ree properties She considered her diaht, but could also use, she had learned in a battle at Caer Tinella, to create an absence of light

The woraphite, an her deter fro straight and proud in open defiance

The path was not straight for Elbryan and the others, for the streets, right down to the wharves, bustled with mounted soldiers, and more than two dozen Ursal warships, fully creere tied to the piers

They went froer rushed out to the side,to Elbryan that he would scout the flank, and on they ran They found allies, Pri theer ran on, and the , too, in the saeneral direction Belster, and Prim, Heathcomb Mallory and Dainsey Aucomb, and many others, allies of Elbryan and Pony, or allies of Markwart, and even those neutral in the ere,crowd

As soon as she came into the city, just west of the docks, Pony found All-heart soldiers all about her She kept her deteriven the chaos of the day, the burning of build-ings and the rousting of innocents from their ho this way and that

But she was seen and recognized, and the call went up

Pony found her concentration, found her rage, and launched it furiously into the lodestone

She reversed the ic, as she had done with the diao, thus instead of focusing the attraction powers of the stone upon a single item, as she had done with Markwart&039;s tooth, she sent out a general repellent power Though she understood theinto the stone, she had no idea of how strong the force ed to block her path Twenty feet away, their horses started to skitter and buck, then began sliding backward! The riders, eyes ith confusion, jerked weirdly, grabbing tightly to the reins before they went flying away Vendors&039; carts uprighted, metal-handled doors flew open - flew in, even if they were hinged to open out - and within the houses she heard the sur-prised cries of wo about wildly

It became insane, out of control More soldiers approached, so away More horses skidded backward, so away on their sides

Pony held to her focus, thought of her dead parents, of her dead child She started to run, bowing her head, watching only the clearing path before her and trying hard to block out the sounds of confusion and destruction behind

"Chaos,into the room where Danube and Constance quietly talked

Duke Kalas rushed in on the er&039;s heels

"It is the woman, Jilseponie," the frantic soldier explained "She h the streets with a poe do not understand, throwing us away before we can get near her!"

"Through the streets?" the King echoed "Heading where?"

"Across the city to the west," the !"

Kalas started to cry out, but Danube cut hi his head

"To Chasewind Manor, more likely," Constance reasoned

"She is after Markwart," the King agreed "Preparethat he should remain protected But Danube, like so nized that soun here, and he would not be denied

Fro St Precious&039; roof, Brother Talu horror He spotted Jilseponiea distant street; he saw a pair of soldiers, and then aaway from her as if they had stepped into a hurricane

The level ofto Master Engress, in beginning the course that had led to freedoerous co in deep nized that Jilseponie was not running away now, and knew instinctively where she was going

Out fro to the side of their Father Abbot

In a darkened room deep within St Precious, Belli&039;mar Juraviel kept his head down and waited for the tumult to subside He had come in secretly, down an unused chio and warn their friends, thinking to rescue Te in the hands of Markwart&039;s Abellican Church

He had hoped to ain, on the quiet fields north of the city But in listening to the words of the scra monks that rushed out-side the door of the small room, the elf knew that he would find no such enjoyment

And noorst of all, Juraviel had to sit quietly and wait until he could make his escape from the fortified abbey

At an intersection not far froroup found another band oftheir way De&039;Unnero and soone out to the fields north of Palns of the escaped prisoners, and they, like everyone else in the city, it see disaster

"It is the woman," Talumus explained as the abbot ran to him

De&039;Unnero considered the co soldiers and peasants, and turned west, toward the wealthier section of Palmaris, toward Chasewind Manor, and ran off at full speed

And all the city swirled behind hireat manor that used to house their beloved Baron and now held the dignitaries of the Abellican Church

Too many soldiers and too many monks They had not even reached the ed at theer&039;s orders Brother Castinagis was caught aled to drop twopulled down

Brother Viscenti, surrounded, weapons leveled his way, threw up his hands in surrender, and then Brau his fellow monks to bear witness to this, to learn the truth of Markwart

Ainto a sudden crouch and spinning, leg flying high

The ranger ducked and hit the foolish monk with a punch in the chest that see down to the ground

Another er&039;s head Nightbird caught him in midair and used hisinto a vendor&039;s cart of fish

On ran the ranger, pained to see his friends pulled down behind hi, and then he, too, was stopped, surren-dering at the point of an Allheart soldier&039;s spear

Nightbird heard the cla a patrol of soldiers, swerved aside down an alley

But then he heard Roger&039;s cry for hi to him from a rooftop

The horses were riderless, a sta in the wildness of the er, then ran to catch a horse

"Oh, but I&039;d be a better ride than that old nag!" cahtbird focused on the sound just as Bradwarden threw the blanket fro hier leaped atop his back

"Chasewind Manor!" the ranger yelled

"Ye think I&039;m not knowin&039;?" the centaur yelled back "Even the daates of Chasewind Manor were closed and chained - the great ates of Chasewind Manor

Pony winced, for a ht behind theates wide, snapping the chain, the poor round, groaning, as Pony strode by

Three others came out to face her The first held a metal-tipped spear, which proht to the ground, and then flying away as if it had been launched by thethestance, then flailed wildly as he followed the spear

But the third carried no rim-faced Pony calmly held out her other hand and laid hireat house, Bishop Francis and Abbot Je&039;howith scra coreat audience hall

They tried to tell him to flee

Markwart, anted this confrontation as hed at them "Hinder her not," he instructed "And know that when this day is through, our poill be even greater in Honce-the-Bear Begone!"

The two lanced nervously at each other and ran off

The King&039;s carriage, surrounded by Allheart horseate just as Pony entered the house