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The traveling was easy - or should have been, for the road stretching along the western bank of the Masur Delaval south of Palmaris was the finest causeway in all the world And early on Jo-jonah found a ride with a caravan that traveled for two days,through both day and night Master Jojonah, though, was not having a good time of it His old bones ached badly, and some two hundred miles south of Palmaris he had taken ill, beset by terrible cra continually

Bad food, he supposed, and hoped in all seriousness that this journey and illness would not be the end of him He still hadalone on the road halfway between Ursal and Palmaris, two cities of which he had never been overly fond, was not appealing in the least So with typical stoicis slowly, leaning heavily on a sturdy stick, and chastising hinity, poverty," he said sarcastically, for truly he felt less than dignified, and it see this vow of poverty way too far As for pietyJojonah wasn&039;t sure what that wordblindly the lead of Father Abbot Markwart? Or following his heart, using those insights that Avelyn, by exaiven to him?

The latter, he decided, but in truth, that solved little, for Jojonah wasn&039;t sure exactly what course he ht take to make any real dif-ference in the world Likely he&039;d just get himself demoted in Church rank, perhaps even banished, perhaps even burned as a heretic - the Church had a long history of turning like a ravenous ani such men to death A shudder coursed Jojonah&039;s spine as he considered that thought, like sorim premonition Yes, Father Abbot Markas in a foul mood of late, and the more foul it became by far if ever someone mentioned the name of Avelyn Desbris! Thus theroad to Ursal But he plodded on, putting one foot in front of the other

He awoke on the sixth day out to find the sky thick with dark clouds, and by lad of the cloud cover, for the previous day had been brutally hot But as the first raindrops began to fall, as the chilly water touched his feverish skin, he grewto the town in which he had slept the previous night

He didn&039;t reverse direction, though, but si his attention inward, to Avelyn and Markwart, to the direction of the Church and any course he ht follow to alter that dark path As the minutes turned to an hour, then two, the on approaching fast fro hard on the reins, then yanking the Jojonah, spraying hiround in surprise and terror

Off to the side went the wagon, sinking deep into theat the wheels like so as the frantic driver fought to gain control Finally the team slowed and the wheels slipped to aonly a quick glance at his stuck rig, then rushing back across the road to where Jojo-nah sat

"My pardon," the monk stammered as the man, a handsome fellow of about twenty years, splashed over to him "I did not hear you in the rain"

"No pardon&039;s needed," theso that since I taked the road outta Palmaris"

"Palmaris," echoed Jojonah "I, too, just came from the most ex-cellent town" The monk noted that the man&039;s expression soured at the mention of the word "excellent," and so Jojonah quieted, thinking it prudent to listen and not to speak

"Well, the quicker I&039; back helplessly at his wagon "Or was," he added despondently

"We will not easily extract it froreed

The ers to help," he said "There be a town a three-mile back"

"The folk are helpful," Jojonah said hopefully "Perhaps I shall accompany you; they would be quick to help a priest of the Church, after ail, and were quite kind to ht, for that is where I slept And then, after we have extracted your wagon, perhaps you&039;ll takeroad ahead, I fear, and a body not taking well to the travel"

"Ursal&039;s e, since it concerns yer own Church"

Jojonah perked his ears up at that remark and cocked an eye-brow "Oh," he prompted

"Truly &039;tis a sad day," the man went on "So sad a day that sees the death of Abbot Dobrinion"

Jojonah&039;s eyes ide and he staggered, catching hold of the man&039;s sleeve for support "Dobrinion? How?"

"Powrie," the man answered "Little rat devil Sneaked into the church and killed hiest the infor, but he was too sickly and too confused He sat down again, plop, onto the , and didn&039;t know if he was crying for Abbot Dobrinion or for hi hand on his shoulder They left to-gether for the town, the ht there even if the folk on of thewith me the rest o&039; the way to Ursal," he said with a hopeful set ye blankets to keep ye warood food, for the road"

One of the families in the s him a warm bed The monk retired early, but couldn&039;t i in the house, with all the folk of the area co to hear the driver&039;s sad tale of the death of Abbot Dobrinion Jojonah lay quiet and listened to the, he drifted off to sleep

Youseff and Dandelion did not make the return trip

Master Jojonah aith a start The house was quiet and, since the clouds hung low outside, dark Jojonah looked all around, narrowing his eyes "Who is there?" he asked

Youseff and Dandelion did not ain, more emphatically

No, not heard, Jojonah realized, for there was not a sound, save the pat of heavy raindrops on the roof He felt the words, in histhem there

"Brother Braumin?" he asked

I fear that the Father Abbot put thehts impartedRun, my friend, my mentor Flee back to Palmaris if you are not far away, to the court of Abbot Dobrinion, and do not allow Brothers Youseff and Dandelion entrance into St Precious

The communication eak - which Jojonah understood, for Braumin wasn&039;t very practiced with the he it now under less than ideal circumstancesWhere are you? he telepathically askedSt -Mere-Abelle?

Please, Master Jojonah! You must hear my call Youseff and Dandelion did not- Brau tired, Jojonah realized Then, abruptly, it was gone altogether, and Jojonah feared that perhaps Markwart or Francis had happened upon Braumin

If it really was Brau at all beyond the delirium of his fever

"They did not know," the master whispered, for he realized only then that Brau about Dobrinion Jojonah scra for the effort, and h the house He startled the lady first, nearly tripping over her as she slept on a iven up her own bed for him, he realized, and truly he did not wish to disturb her now But sos simply couldn&039;t wait

"The driver?" he asked "Is he in the house, or did he take shelter with another family?"

"Oh, no," the woman said as pleasantly as she could "Sure that he&039;s sleeping in the roo, so the sayin&039; goes"

"Get him," Master Jojonah instructed "At once"

"Yes, Father, whatever ye&039;re needing," the wo herself fro across the room She returned in a few moments, the bleary-eyed driver at her side

"Ye should be sleeping," theup so late"

"One question," Jojonah pro his hands to quiet theclose attention "When Abbot Dobrinion was murdered, where was the caravan of St-Mere-Abelle?"

The man cocked his head as if he didn&039;t understand

"You know thatSt Precious," Jojonah pressed

"A bit ed," the man said with a snort

"Indeed," Jojonah conceded "But where were they when the powrie killed Abbot Dobrinion?"

"Gone"

"Froh I heared they crossed the river, and not on the ferry," the driver replied "They were out a day and more afore the abbot fell to the powrie"

Master Jojonah rocked back on his heels, stroking his large chin The driver started to elaborate, but the h and stopped him with an upraised palm "Go back to bed," he bade both the man and the lady of the house "As will I"

Back in the solitude of his dark room, Master Jojonah did not fall off to sleep Far from it Convinced now that the contact with Brau, Jojonah had too much to think about He was not fearful, as Braumin had been, that Youseff and Dandelion had been set on his trail Markas too close to his goal, or at least the obsessed o north of Palmaris, not south, onto the battlefield in search of the stones

But apparently they had h to fix a bit of Markwart&039;s trouble in Palmaris

Master Jojonah rushed to the onein the roorass outside, sickened by the ht that his Father Abbot had ordered the execution of another abbot!

It rang as preposterous! Yet, every detail that was filtering to Jo-jonah led hi those details with his own judgments? he had to wonderYouseff and Dandelion did not make the return trip!

And Brother Braumin had no idea that Abbot Dobrinion had met such an unti, hoped that his fears and his feverish deliriu wild, hoped that the leader of his Order could never have done such a thing In any case, there seemed only one road ahead of him now, back to the north, and not south, back to St- Mere-Abelle

Finally all two hundred were on thewest and then south of the tns still in powrie hands Elbryan directed thehis forty best warriors in a tight group Of all the ragged caravan, only about half could fight even if pressed, the other half being sieneral health of the group was good, though, thanks mostly to the tireless efforts of Pony and her precious soul stone

No resistance came out at them from the tn&039;s, and as the afternoon of the fifth day began to wane, they were aler Lockless explained, co back to meet with Elbryan "Just a mile ahead The well&039;s intact, and I heard chickens"

Several of the people nearby groaned and cooed and ss

"But no one was about?" the ranger asked skeptically

"None outside," Roger replied, and he seemed a bit embarrassed that he couldn&039;t have discerned more "But I was not far ahead of you," he hastily explained "I feared that if I tarried too long, you would get in sight of the structures, and any monsters inside, if there are any, would see you"

Elbryan nodded and sroup in check here while Pony and I go in and see e er nodded and helped Pony clithen the perimeter, particularly in the north," Elbryan instructed the young er accepted the orders with a nod He slapped Syer hardly watched the departure, was alreadyto instruct the folk of the caravan to settle into a defensive posture

The ranger found the structures easily enough, and then Pony went to work, using the soul stone to spirit-walk into first the barn and then the farmhouse

"Powries in the house," she explained when she ca in the back bedroom Goblins hold the barn, but they are not alert"

Elbryan closed his eyes, seeking a deep, , alo He indi-cated a small copse of trees to the left of the barn, then slipped down fro the horse, the pair moved cautiously to the shadows of the copse, and then the ranger went on alone, continuing his advance,that would conceal hih he was at the far in hand He peered around, then looked back in Pony&039;s direction and nodded, fitting an arrow

He turned abruptly and let fly, scoring a hit on the back of the head of a powrie as the unsuspecting dwarf cooked over a stove Theits face right into the sizzling grease in the frying pan

"What&039;re ye doing!" the dwarf&039;s co to the stove

That dwarf skidded to a stop, though, noting the quivering arrow shaft, then spun about to find Nightbird and Tehty sword as the powrie reached for its weapon As its ar dwarf tried in-stead to charge ahead, barreling into the ranger

A sure thrust of Teing ranger putting the blade in all the way to its hilt After a couple of wild spasms, the powrie slid dead to the floor

"Yach, ye&039;re waking htbird s quietly to the door He paused a fewsure that the dwarf had settled down once more, then slowly pushed open the door

There lay the powrie, on a bed, its back to hi a quick wave to Pony He retrieved Haing and began a cautious circuit of the barn Of note was the hayloft, with one door cracked open and a rope hanging to the ground

The ranger glanced all around, to see Ponyto a new po-sition, one that allowed her to view both the main door and the hayloft He was truly blessed to have such a coot into trouble, Pony would always be there

And now, both of theht into the barn, of course, using serpentine and the explosive ruby to blow the place away, but the s Instead she held her position, htbird&039;s backup

And the ranger did not underestimate the amount of discipline it took for her to accept that position Every , she performed the sword- dance beside hinificent She wanted to fight, to stand beside Elbryan, to dance now for real But Pony was truly disciplined and patient

The ranger had assured her that she would get her chance to use the new techniques - both knew that she was alhtbird tested the rope to the hayloft, then began a cautious and quiet cli in at the loft level, then waved one finger up in the air for Pony to see

Up he went, level with the door, putting one foot gingerly in the sh he had to continue to hold on to the rope He had to move fast, he realized, and wouldn&039;t likely have tier took a deep, steadying breath, found his center and his necessary calm Then he hooked his foot about the botto hi a nonchalant guard within

The goblin gave a cry,hand over its oblin&039;s weapon hand Nightbird cla hard, then turned his wrist and drove the goblin to its knees

A cry frohtbird brought the goblin back up to its feet, then twisted and threw, launching the creature out the open door to dive the ten feet to the ground It landed hard and groaned, then tried to get back up, tried to call out At the last instant it spotted Pony, the wo h the metal amulet the creature had around its neck, a piece of jewelry it had stolen froed for her life

Inside the barn, Nightbird set Haing to deadly work, blasting goblins froain the loft A er found out he was not alone, as a second archer joined hier told ood start!" he added, plunking an arrow into a goblin that had foolishly scurried into view

Recognizing that there was no way they could possibly get up that ladder, the re it wide and scra laid most of them low

Then the elf was above the down at those who continued to scraer did not join his friend, but took a different route, slip-ping down the ladder He hit the ground in a roll, avoiding a spear throw by one creature, and was firing Haing as he caain, taking out a second as it ran for the door

Then all was quiet, inside at least, but Nightbird sensed he was not alone He put his bow to the ground and drew out his sword, htbird caainst it and listened hard

Breathing

Around he went suddenly, holding his swing just long enough to oblin and not soly head frole stroke He ca Pony and Juraviel walking Symphony toward the barn, their business finished

The elf stayed with Elbryan, securing a new periroup

"I canno&039; be turning back now," the driver replied when Jojonah told hih suren I&039;d love to be helping ye But me business - "

"Is i him

"Yer best way back is with the ships," the driver went on "Most o&039; the up north and to the open sea for the summer season I&039;d&039;ve co south just now"

Master Jojonah stroked his stubbly chin He had no money, but perhaps he could find a way "The nearest port, then," he said to the driver

"South and east," theand supplying the boats and not much else She&039;s not too far outta ed," the ain, after a hearty breakfast, supplied for free by the goodly townsfolk Only when the wagon began ra down the road did Master Jojonah co physically Despite the bumpy nature of the ride, his breakfast had settled well It was as if the news of the previous night, the is were darker by far than he had ever ith back into his frail body He simply could not afford to be weak now

Bristole was as sely unbalanced to thewharves that could accoh, there were but a few buildings, in-cluding only a pair of son pulled into the center of the cluster of houses that Jojonah began to understand

Ships going up- or downriver would need no supplies at this point, since the trip fro one However, the sailors ht desire a bit of relief, and so the ships would put in here for restocking of a different nature

Of the seven buildings clustered together, tere taverns and tere brothels

Master Jojonah said a short prayer, but was not overly con-cerned He was an accepting ive the weak-ness of the flesh It was, after all, the strength of the soul that counted

He bade farewell to the generous driver, wishing he could give the goodly man more than words for his efforts, and then turned to the business at hand Three ships were in; another was approaching from the south The ainst the extensive boardwalk

"Hail, good fellows," he called as he neared the closest ship, seeing a pair ofham-mers on some problem he could not see Jojonah noted that this ship was in stern first, an oddity, and, he hoped, an oood fellows!" Jojonah yelled et their attention

The ha rinkled brown skin and no teeth looked up to regard thenorth?" Master Jojonah asked "To Palmaris, perhaps?"

"Palmaris and the Gulf," theanywhere at all anytime soon Got an anchor line that won&039;t hold; chain&039;s all busted"

Jojonah understood why the ship was in dock backward He looked around, back at the town, searching for so Any worthy port would have held the proper equiper docks of St-Mere-Abelle were supplied with such items as chains and anchors But Bristole was no town for ship repairs, wasup from Ursal," the old sea for passage, then?"