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"Maiyer Dek and the powrie, Kos-kosio," Pony said, feeling very pleased at the outcoerwart, and Belster O&039;Coee encaer Lockless and the other scouts, trying to get a full ht&039;s raid on the ood, all of them fully suspected Several other monsters in addition to the two leaders had been slain, but they, even the three giants, were not overly iiant leader and the powrie leader - and especially given the fact that Maiyer Dek had been the one to kill Kos-kosio, and in full view of iants and powries had rarely allied, indeed had hated each other as much as each hated the humans Bestesbulzibar had halted that feud, and with the fall of the demon, the alliance had only continued out of necessity, since both armies were deep into the hu for an excuse that it ht turn into a feud

"If we had convinced Maiyer Dek to join with us, we could not have gotten him to aid us any more than he did," Elbryan remarked with a chuckle "My hopes soared when I saw him throw the powrie leader into the fire"

"And with Maiyer Dek and three of his giant kin dead," Pony added, "we can expect that the powries, angry at the giants, now have the clear upper hand"

"Except that goblins are iants than to the wicked dwarves," Toiants often eat theh," Elbryan admitted "Perhaps the sides are fairly equal, then, for Caer Tinella arreat charhting in the town has only just begun"

"Here&039;s hoping they kill each other to the last," Belster O&039;Coer Lockless - into the air, then taking a tre

"So they are weaker, and our force has grown by a score ready to fight," Toet past the towns and to the southland," Elbryan corrected "We, all of us, have seen enough battle"

"To Pal with a loud belch

Too, even two days ago, I would have been satisfied with that," he explained "But Caer Tinella is our home, and if our enemies are truly weakened, it may be time for us to reclaim the town That was the plan, was it not? To wait until we took a measure of our enelances, then looked back to the resolutewith his desires

"This is a discussion for later," the ranger said cally the monsters reot in," he said "How ht the raid have been if all of our warriors were there to fight beside you?"

"Devastating to both sides, I fear," Pony replied "We stung the monsters and freed the prisoners only because of the elereater force approaching, he would have ordered every one of the captured men slain, and the defense of Caer Tinella would have beento hear the negative pos-turing By his thinking, if Elbryan and Pony, their little unseen friend Juraviel and Roger Lockless, could exact such a toll, then he and his warriors could finish the task

Elbryan and Pony looked to each other again, and silently agreed to let it go at that They understood To-nized that he had to believe that his home was not lost to hih to listen to their argu to the south seetension, led the discussion in another direction then, pondering the fate of the monstrous ar at the them down, as well," he said "Ho, but I&039;ll be back in the Howling Sheila in Dundalis in the next spring, I&039; once again

"It is possible," the ranger said earnestly, his optirates, the King ish the Tiain!" Belster roared, for in his drink-induced state, he had forgotten all pledges to live out his life quietly in the safety of Palht others over to the caes

The conversation took a lighthearted turn then, beca of anecdotes from happier times, before the monstrous in-vasion, and what had started as a serious wait for important infor-mation became a sort of victory celebration Elbryan and Pony said little, preferring to sit back and listen to the chatter of the others, often looking to each other and nodding They had already arranged awith Juraviel at the break of dawn in the meadow by the pines, and after they heard what the elf had to say, after they cath in the tns, they could ht deepened, the fires burned low, and most of the folk retired to their bedrolls Finally, only an hour before the dawn, the scouts returned, led by an exuberant Roger Lockless "All the gi-ants are gone," the young man proclaimed "Every one! Driven off by the powries - and they hardly even put up a fight!"

"They did not want to be here in the first place," Pony reasoned "They prefer their holes in the steep ave a shout of victory

"And what of the goblins?" Elbryan asked calin He didn&039;t want Roger&039;s ex-citeees down a course to absolute destruction Even without giants, the re-ht and so a beat "Others went scattering into the forest"

"And still others remained with the powries," Elbryan reasoned

" Yes, but - "

"And few, very feries were killed?" the ranger pressed

"The goblins who reer said confidently "They only stay because they&039;re afraid of the bloody caps"

"Arreat victories inspired purely by fear," Pony said dryly

Roger glared at her "They are ready to be taken," he said evenly

"We are a long way froer was quick to reply, pointedly cutting off Toerith an up-raised hand as he spoke Elbryan rose to stand before Roger "Our responsibilities are too great to ment"

"As youht necessary," Elbryan replied quietly, cal on hier, and any conflict between thereat discoer Lockless, and he had truly donenow, if he was letting his desire to lead the folk to victory overrule good sense, then all of his previous exploits would be for naught, for all of the refugees would likely soon be dead

"As did I in rescuing the thirty captured soldiers!" Roger said forcefully, and loudly

"All by yourself?" Pony had to put in

Elbryan put up his hand, quieting Pony, quieting all about himent of whether to attack the towns or circumvent theht of day" The ranger, thinking and hoping that the discussion was finished then, turned and started away

"We take back Caer Tinella," Roger Lockless declared, and there wereman went on "And e have the towns in our posses-sion once ht reinforce our position"

"The Kingsued "Or at least, that is not so upon which we should stake our entire existence Not yet Not while Paler asked sternly

"I served in the King&039;s arsmen and in the Coastpoint Guards I understand their priorities, and I can assure you that ainst the value of Palateway of the Masur Delaval, Caer Tinella and Landsdown are not a those priorities If Pal-&039;s seat in Ursal"

That took a bit of Roger&039;s bluster away He fidgeted for a fewup a retort, but before he could deliver it, Toerwart cut in "We are all weary," thethe attention of all nearby "It is said that good news can be as tiring as bad, and either as tiring as a week of hard work"

"Oh, true enough," Belster O&039;Cohts hopeful," Toer and Jilseponie are correct This is not the ti," Roger argued

"As they will remain, for another day at least," Tomas answered bluntly "We&039;ll not attack the towns in the light of day anyway, so let us get our rest now, and hopefully ill see things azes with Torateful that the man had taken such levelheaded control Then hefor the pines and the meadow, and a clearer picture of what reer Lockless waited in the ca er and the woht up to Elbryan and Pony in a meadow lined with pine trees, and blushed deeply, reconsidering his course, when the er breathed easier when they broke off the clench

If he had exaer would have realized that the kiss bothered him more than it should have, that not only did he not wish to spy on such a privatethis beau-tiful woer wasn&039;t capable of that level of introspec-tion where these tco the embrace finished, he crept closer into position, and was not surprised in the least when a melodious voice came down to the pair from the branches of a nearby pine

"Fortune favored us this night," Juraviel explained "For the gi-ants are gone, all of theoblins, too The only better scenario would have been an open brawl between the giants and the powries"

"But that did not happen," Elbryan replied "Thus, we must as-sume that the powrie force is still considerable"

"Indeed it is," Juraviel confirh their leader has been roasted!"

"The folk wish to attack Caer Tinella, to reclaier Lockless?" Elbryan added, recog-nizing that the young round, put his face right in the grass

"I do groeary of this one&039;s spying," Juraviel re down from the tree

"Well, come out, then," said Pony "Since you wished to hear ould say, you should at least join in the conversation"

Roger told himself repeatedly that there was no way these three could see him, no way that Elbryan and Pony could knoithout doubt, that he had followed therass, then," Elbryan said with a chuckle "I aood reason," the elf replied "If the as still a stale such a blow But I doubt that Caer Tinella serves as anything oblins that remain Certainly, it is not a supply base for any coordinated- the thought of reclai the town at this point is purely foolhardy - and everything to lose Let us not underesti in Caer Tinella"

"Ithink it wiser to skirt the town and flee to the southland," El-bryan added

"It is likely that the road south will prove open all the way to Pal- it will re the townsfolk to abandon their homes will not be easy," Pony explained

"But we shall," Elbryan assured her He looked in the direction of Roger Lockless as he spoke, thinking that the procla

"Perhaps you cared not for your own ho across to face the ranger "But we are loyal to Caer Tinella!"

"And so you shall return to Caer Tinella," Elbryan said caler, and as soon as the region about Pal to send the arht up to the er Elbryan "Burned-out skeletons of our hoer scoffed at the notion

"Our own hoo," Pony said "Then it was rebuilt, by Belster and his coain"

"And so it shall be built again," Elbryan said resolutely "Houses can be put back up; people are forever lost"

"My own fa ently by the elbow

"And er&039;s visage softened for just a ain filling his eyes "Tellfamily and friends And I am not afraid now The dwarves are in Caer Tinella, et rid of them, every one! You delayed this, but after the success of our attack, you cannot stop it The folk will followhim-self in the chest "You think yourself the leader, but it was Roger Lockless, not you, who rescued the prisoners in the last raid, just as it has been Roger Lockless all along, feeding the folk, stealing right froulne Me!" he yelled, poking his chest again "And you will not steer them away from Caer Tinella They will follow er said evenly "Is this about Caer Tinella, Roger, or is it about who leads?"

Roger waved a hand at hihtbird," he said, spitting the elvish title with contempt, and he turned and walked back across the field

Pony started to follow, her face tight with anger, but Elbryan held up his arer explained "He thought he had his place carved out a"

"He was never forroup," said Juraviel "That lies er was, rather, working outside the limits of the band Your ar-rival should not have affected that role"

"In his own roup," Pony reasoned

"Heis indeed," Elbryan corrected

"Agreed," said Juraviel "But he does not understand that there is rooer Lockless!" Elbryan called loudly

Roger, at the far edge of the meadow, stopped in his tracks and turned about

"This ood of all the folk" Even as he spoke the words with deter-h, his expression revealed his trepidation "Give Juraviel your sword," he instructed Pony with a weary sigh

The woman considered the request, and the look on her lover&039;s face "Now is not the tier said "Give Juraviel your sword" He paused and looked froet an even deeper one from here," he added to Pony "You should not be a witness to this For his sake"

Pony slid her small sword fro Elbryan in the eye "If you hurt him " she warned, and she turned and walked into the cover of the pines

Elbryan ise enough to worry when Pony left a threat unfinished

"Be careful," Juraviel cautioned "There rinity"

"I hope it does not come to that," Elbryan said sincerely "For I do indeed fear the consequences But this split cannot continue be-tween us We cannot ask folk in so desperate a situation to er will listen to you?"

"I will er listen to htbird," the elf said

"A line that you and Tuntun showedthe point "Make him start it," the elf advised "If it is to happen"

Elbryan nodded and then straightened as Roger, bold as ever, strode defiantly to stand right before hier Lockless, who clairoup," Elbryan called "In the last raid on Caer Tinella, we showed that we can ell together"

"We showed that my priorities, and not your own, are for the betterthe frustration be-hind it "We both served valuable functions in the town," he said quietly and calmly "You freed the prisoners, and for that, all of us, rateful And I defeated Maiyer Dek, a blow from which our enemies will not soon recover"

"But I could have accomplishedo? Where htbird even inquire if I ht be interested in the mission?"

"I did not even know that they held prisoners," the ranger replied honestly "Else er spat "Since you arrived I have heard nothing but your plans!"

"And are we not better off?"

Again Roger spat, this tihtbird," he sneered "I wish that you and your strange little friend would just disappear into the forest"

"But not Jilseponie," Juraviel noted

Roger&039;s face turned red "Her, too!" he said unconvincingly

Elbryan realized that it would be better to get off of this delicate subject "But we are not leaving," he said "Not until the folk are safe in Palmaris, or until the army has marched north to reclaier Lockless And if I am put in a position of leadership, one that I have earned through h my experience, then know that I will not abandon that position for the sake of your foolish pride"