Page 9 (1/2)

"So it is true!" the portlyElbryan and Pony as they walked into the enca archers

"Belster, ood it is to see you faring well"

"Well indeed!" Belster declared "Though we&039;ve been a bit short of rations of late" He patted his ample belly as he spoke "You will see to that, I am sure"

Both Pony and Elbryan chuckled at that remark - ever did Bel-ster O&039;Comely have his priorities in order!

"And where is my other friend?" Belster asked "The one whose appetite rivals my own?"

A cloud passed over Elbryan&039;s face He turned to Pony, as even reat stone ic such as only the Mad Friar used to hurl Do not tell edy!"

"Avelyn has passed froht He died in Aida, when he destroyed the demon dactyl"

"But the reports fro to use logic against the ranger&039;s words

"The reports of the fighting were correct, but spoke of Pony," Elbryan explained, putting his arm across the woman&039;s shoulders "It was she who put the stones to their powerful use" He turned to his love and lifted his other hand to stroke her thick golden ht her well"

"So it would seeer pulled himself away fro back at Belster "And Pony is ready to carry on the here Avelyn finished," he declared "In the bowels of smoky Aida, Avelyn destroyed the de the binding force from our ene-mies Now it lies before us to finish the task, to rid our lands of these wicked creatures"

To all those around, the ranger seerow a bit taller as he spoke, and Belster O&039;Coly This was the charhtbird Belster knew that the ranger would inspire theuide the hard at every weakness a their enemy&039;s ranks Despite the news about Avelyn, de-spite his er Lockless, it seeht

The tallies of the victory proved ioblins and powries, and several gi-ants Six ravely, and three others wereand presumed dead Those who had carried in the worst of the wounded did not expect the ht - indeed, they had only carried hiht say his farewells to his family and be properly buried

Pony went to hi tirelessly hour after hour, willingly sacrificing every ounce of her own energy

"She will save him," Belster announced to Elbryan a short tier as he tended to Sy the hooves "She will," the for to convince hiood man," Tomas added "He does not de-serve such a fate"

All the while he was speaking, Elbryan noted, Toly It seemed to Elbryan that Tomas considered Pony&039;s ith the wounded man to be some kind of a test

"Pony will do all that is possible," the ranger answered si as was Avelyn, but she used y in the battle, I fear, and has not ive to Shao to her to see if I can be of any assistance"

"You tend to the horse first?" There was no erwart&039;s tone

"I do as Pony instructed er replied cal process alone, for in that solitude she ht find deeper levels of concentration, and thus athenod

A nervous Belster cleared his throat and nudged his stubborn coize to Elbryan

The ranger&039;s laugh cut him short and he blustered with surprise He looked to Tohave we lived like this?" Elbryan asked Belster "How ?"

"Too er "And in that time, I have co, Master Gingerwart," he said bluntly, turning from Symphony to stand directly be-fore the man "Before Pony and I arrived, you were one of the unquestioned leaders of this band"

"Do you iood?" Tomas asked "Do you believe that I would place my own desire for power above - "

"I speak the truth," Elbryan interrupted "That is all"

Tomas nearly choked on that proclamation

"You are fearful now, and so you should be," the ranger went on, turning back to his horse "Anytie, even a change that appears to be for the good, he h"

Belster hid his ser&039;s sihtforward itation had passed its peak noith the

"But understand," Elbryan went on, "that I, and Pony, are not your enemies, nor even your rivals We will help out where we oals, as are your own, are to rid the land of the dactyl&039;s evil minions, even as we helped rid the world of the de somewhat placated, if a bit confused

"Will the er replied "Her ith the he short of miraculous"

"Let us hope," To to Syht out Pony and the wounded man He found the co Pony was asleep, too, lying right across the ht to the soul stone Elbryan thought to take the he of his own on Shaht be the best cure of all

The rangerto make her more com-fortable, and then he left the to make his bed there, and to his relief found Belli&039;roup back to Caer Tinella," the elf explained, his voice grioblins, and several iants?" the ranger echoed incredulously, for it was not coather in numbers above a handful The sheer potential for devastation of such a force stole Elbryan&039;s breath "Do you think they mean to march on Palmaris?" he asked

Juraviel shook his head "More likely they are using the towns as staging areas for smaller excursions," he reasoned "But we should keep careful watch on Caer Tinella The leader there is a powrie of apparently great renown; even the giants bow before hi in the shadows in the town, I did not hear a single word of dissent against hi in of the disaster in the forest"

"We haven&039;t stung the them," Juraviel replied, "and that ry We should watch the south and watch it well The next force co, I alanced to the south, as though expecting a horde of h the trees

"There is anothera par-ticular prisoner the powries have taken"

"It isthat the powries have many prisoners in many towns," Elbryan replied

"This one may be different," Juraviel explained "This one knows of your friends in the forest; indeed, he is highly regarded a the people of Dundalis and the other towns of the Ti, sheltered by the thick boughs of a pine, Belster O&039;Coer curiously Beside him, Tomas was more ani prevented the , to hiht know the reason The ranger was looking up into a tree, to an apparently eh they could not co out the words

"Your friend&039;s a bit of a loon?" Tomas whispered in Belster&039;s ear

Belster shook his head resolutely "All the world should be so crazy," he replied

Too loudly

Elbryan turned and cocked his head, and Belster, knowing the game was up, led Tomas from behind the pine "Ah, Elbryan," the portlyall about for you"

"Not so hard to find," the ranger replied evenly, suspiciously "I went to Pony - your friend is resting well and appears as though he will survive - and then back here to Sy toward the tree

The ranger stood calht react to Juraviel, though Belster had seen the elf and several other Touel&039;alfar during the tiht with Elbryan in the north

"Come now," Belster went on, "I know Elbryan well, and would not expect hi to hiht, and gave a slight chuckle

"You&039;ve brought a friend, unless I uess," said Bel-ster "A friend whose special talents bode well for me and my companions"

Elbryan motioned for the two men to join hi up the cue, hopped fros to flutter down to a soft landing beside his ranger friend

Toerwart nearly jumped out of his boots "What in all the dark holes in all the strange world is that?" he bellowed

"That is an elf," Belster calmly explained

"Touel&039;alfar," Elbryan added

"Belli&039; low to Toging his lips

"Come now," Belster said to hiht with us at Dundalis I told you of the catapult caravan, where Brother Avelyn nearly blew hi our enemies from the trees"

"I I I did not expect" Tomas stuttered

Elbryan looked to Juraviel, who seeh, Toed to steady hian to explain

"I would have asked him to do so if he had not," Belster interrupted anxiously "We fear for one of our own, Roger Lockless by na, shortly before the monsters came out after us"

"Either their an as a search for him, or they have him, it would seem," Tomas added

"The latter," Elbryan inforer Lockless"

"Alive?" bothtrue concern

"Very much so," the elf replied "Wounded, but not too badly I could not get close; the powries have hier has been a thorn to them since they arrived," Toer&039;s adventures, the thievery, the oblins take the bla of Mrs Kelso