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Elbryan blew a long sigh and looked helplessly to Pony He knew that Juraviel, too, atching hiht where the leaders of the band had gathered
"Once Caer Tinella and Landsdown are secured," To to placate the adaer, "ill follow your lead to the south, those of us who are not fit to rerab the man by the shoulders and shake him hard, wanted to yell into his face that even if the tere taken, there would likely be few re to stand in defense He wanted to remind Tomas and all the others that if they went after the towns and failed, and the powries then pursued thehters, all the elderly, and all the children But the ranger kept silent; he had ument over and over, had spoken it in every manner he could think of, and every time, it had fallen on deaf ears How bitter this impotence was for Elbryan, to think that all of his efforts to ensure that the fate that befell his own hoht prove to be in vain because of foolish pride They wanted to save their homes, they claimed, but if there could be no security in a place, how could it be called home?
His frustration noas not lost on one of the ue with hier looked at his old friend and ht," Toathering
"No," Pony said sternly, and unexpectedly All eyes, even Elbryan&039;s, turned to regard her
"I&039;ll not go," the wory whispers
"I&039;ve never shied fro her aro and do battle for the tould only bolster your belief that you are following the correct course And you are not I know this, and Nightbird knows it I anored for the last days, but neither will I fall in line for the slaughter I wish you well in your folly, but I will re somehow to usher them to safety when the powries roll out of Caer Tinella into the forest, hunting, and with no one to stand against their hordes"
It see just a bit, but her strong words prory but others doubting the course of attack The ranger had thought to go along for the attack, and thought Pony would surely stand outside the town proper, launching devastating ical attacks Her resolve not to participate - and he knew this to be no bluff - had caught him by surprise As he considered it over the next few seconds, though, he caer said, drawing ry and astonished "I cannot condone this course, Master Gingerwart I will remain with Jilseponie and the infirm, and if the powries coet the infirerwart verily trembled as he looked to Belster O&039;Co," Belster said to Elbryan "I, too, have seen too much of this war, my friend, and would prefer a course around the powries to Palmaris But the decision is o after their homes, and we, as allies, have a responsibility to aid in that fight"
"Even if it is folly?" Pony asked
"Who is to say?" Belster replied "Many thought your own at-tack on the towns to be folly, yet it turned out for the better, by far"
Elbryan and Pony locked stares, the ranger drawing strength from the resolute woed, and so Elbryan, too, decided to stay the course
"I cannot participate in this," he said calht no threat to those who could not fight"
Belster looked to Toainst that siled, walked into the ca while, and all in attendance, the ranger included, thought he would seize the mohtbird is right," the young man said suddenly He stepped past a stunned Elbryan and Pony to address the whole gathering "I have just returned froer - " Toer went on "They out-number us, perhaps two or three to one, and they are entrenched in strong defensible positions Also, they have great spear-throwing contraptions hidden ahtbird and Pony join with us, ill be slaughtered"
The gri for a while, then inspired h these were neither agi-tated nor angry, but rather subdued Gradually, the looks froerwart
"Our scouts said nothing of this," the er
"Were your scouts, before er replied
Tomas looked to Belster and to the other leaders of the band for some help, but all of theo to battle, then I, too, will re back to stand at the ranger&039;s side
That was enough, for Tomas and for all the proud and stub-born folk
"Get us to Pally to Elbryan
"We break caer, nodding his approval as the gathering dispersed Roger didn&039;t return the look with a s er&039;s stare, without a word to either Elbryan or Pony, the young man walked away
Soon Elbryan and Pony were alone at the fire, and Juraviel came down from the trees behind to join the that the elf had spent soer Lockless
"The sah when you were blinded by pride," Juraviel replied with a sly look
Elbryan blushed deeply and looked away fro all too clearly that eht and not a planned sparringat a contest that left him with a coldElbryan, blinded by anger and pride, had not accepted the defeat well, had spouted foolish words and idle threats
Belli&039; he could then call a friend in all of Andur&039;Blough Inninness, had pro hih several tith "But one that stayed with you all these years"
Elbryan couldn&039;t deny the truth of that
"This young Roger has promise," the elf went on "It was no small h he knew that you were right"
"He is in scouting our path this night," he explained
"A wide berth of the powries," Pony said
The elf nodded again
"One last question," Elbryan begged as ever-elusive Juraviel started back to the trees The elf turned to regard him "Have the powries really reinforced?"
"Would it make a difference in your choice?" the elf asked
"None"
Juraviel sreat concerning this er Lockless has been nowhere near Caer Tinella this night"
The ranger had suspected as er&039;s choice all the n of pursuit; as Father Abbot Markwart had figured, Baron Bildeborough, Abbot Dobrinion, and indeed all of Pallad to be rid of the ht across the Masur Delaval, the lights of Pal with Brother Francis and learning of the hts of Connor Bildeborough, the Father Abbot spent a lot of ti anxiety Just a score of feet away, inside the ring of wagons, the firelight blazed and theto their home The Father Abbot blocked it all out, had no tih knew of the search for the wo, with the round north of Palht the nahts, and a quick look at histhe road to the Timberlands, a town Francis and the caravan had passed on their wild run to Paloal was close, so close, the end of the troubles of Avelyn Desbris, the restoration of Father Abbot Dalebert Markwart&039;s good name in the annals of the Abellican Church Youseff and Dande-lion would complete the task and retrieve the stones, and then all that would be left for Markould be the complete denuncia-tion of the heretic Avelyn He would destroy the legend as the ex-plosion at Aida had destroyed the body
Then all would be well, would be as it had been before
"Or will it?" the Father Abbot asked hihed deeply and considered the potential trail of problems his expedi-tion had set for him Jojonah was no ally and would likely oppose hi so far as to speak positively and publicly concerning dead Avelyn! And Abbot Dobrinion was no longer even neutral on the ed at the abduction of the Chilichunks, and at his own treat-ent from St-Mere-Abelle Particularly the latter, the Father Abbotthat the abbot was more concerned with his wounded pride than his tortured subjects
And what of Baron Bildeborough, as already prepared to do battle with the Church for the sake of his nephew?
As he rolled the problehts, they each appeared to Markwart as a huddled black creature, and each see powerfully, until they were black walls surrounding hiround and issued a stifled cry Would all the world and all the Church turn against hi of the truth? What conspiracies had that wicked Jojonah and that fool Dobrinion launched? To say nothing of the rot started by the evil Avelyn Desbris!
Markwart&039;ssoht down the darkness Hehim back into St-Mere-Abelle, where he could watch over the man&039;s every move Yes, that was necessary
And hethe issue of Avelyn&039;s cache, returning the gehtful place in St-Mere-Abelle Yes, that would be prudent
And Connor and Dobrinion would prove to be trouble They had to be persuaded, or
The Father Abbot stood very still in the s The strength was back in his heart now, the will to fight on, to do whatever necessary to gain the desired end Gradually he was able to open his eyes, and then to unclench his taut fists
"Father Abbot?"
The call came from behind, a familiar voice and not an ene at hiain
"Go and tell Brothers Youseff and Dandelion to come to me," the old man instructed "And then you join in the discussion within the wagon ring I must know the mood of my brothers"
"Yes, Father Abbot," Francis replied "But should you be out here alone, with rowled
Brother Francis disappeared behind another wagon, into theA , the other lithe, appeared,silently to bow before theirto use," Markwart said to them "Brother Justice is your title now, for each of you, the only name that you will know, the only name by which you will refer to each other You cannot coency of this matter; the fate of all the Church rests on your actions these next few days
"Brother Francis has coemstones are in the hands of the woman, Jilseponie Ault, who is referred to as Jill or Pony by her friends," the old ion about Caer Tinella, north of Palhtaway," Youseff replied
"You go in the uise, and appearing as no o by ferry across the river, then into Palmaris The journey north ait one day"
"Yes, Father Abbot," the pair said in unison, cuing on the old man&039;s hesitation
"Or five days," Markent on, "if that is what it takes You see, we have a probleain Markwart hesitated, considering the course Perhaps he should split the pair, that if one of theet to the stones Perhaps he should bypass Pal-emstones, and then, when that issue was settled, he could send the pair back out
No, he realized By that tiainst hi trouble froht find her before the h," he said suddenly "He has becoeain," he lied
"The problem is to be eliminated," Brother Youseff reasoned
"Leave no trail"
After a long silence the twoaway
Markwart hardly noticed the movement, as he considered his last wordsLeave no trail
Would that be possible with a suspicious Abbot Dobrinion in Palmaris? Dobrinion was no fool, nor was he ith the few stones he possessed, one of which was a soul stone The ht even find Connor&039;s spirit before it flew far from the world, and from it learn the truth
But Dobrinion was alone, isolated There wasn&039;t another monk at St Precious of any consequence, not another who could use hematite for so difficult a task
"Brothers Justice," Markwart said
The twoback to stand before their superior
"The trouble is deeper than Connor Bildeborough, for he is in league with another whouse," Markwart explained "If this emstones, he will claim leadership of the Church, and will assume his place in St-Mere-Abelle"
It was all preposterous, of course, but the two men, theirintent on every word
"It pains reatly," the Father Abbot lied "Yet, I have no choice in theDobrinion Calislas, abbot of St Precious"