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"Nightbird," more than one creature whispered, and they knew then, every one, that they were truly dooh watched the unfolding spectacle withinterest For that first voice, the woman&039;s, haunted the man, a voice he had listened to for so ive you a chance to surrender," the ranger said to the goblins "But I am afraid that I have no place to put you, nor do I trust the likes of soblin leader strode forward boldly, clenching tight its weapon
"Are you the leader of this ragged band?" the ranger asked
No answer
"Ier at the goblin&039;s helmeted head "Die!" he co, and then staring in-credulously as their leader&039;s head snapped violently to the side, as this powerful goblin who had bullied its way to a position of promi-nence sier asked o every which way,to run out the way they had co the ent of archers was now in place in the forest behind the monsters As they turned to the trees, they werearrows, and then, when they scra thundered out of the pines, blinding thehtbird, on caanized band
And on cah, as well, Defender in hand The noble into the battle, the nahtbird see his soldiers wherever the goblins appeared to have gained any advantage
From the oak stand, Belli&039;mar Juraviel, so sure of hand and eye, peppered theseveral ere engaged in close coic in check, con-serving her strength, thinking, fearing, that she would have to use the healing soul stone soon enough
By the ti, Connor was truly i, the arrows, the perfect ti&039;s soldiers were as well-trained, this war o!
He hoped to find Jilly when he ca, but she was not about and he couldn&039;t rightly go looking for her His sas needed now, and so he kicked Greystone into a short burst, slashing one goblin as he passed and then traround
The horse sturound No h, for he was not badly hurt and he was up and ready with his sword in an instant
Luck was not with the nobleoblins had chosen this particular place as their exit point, and now only Connor stood between them and the forest He raised his sword and bravely assunetites, activating their attracting ot in its path, blade against blade When the goblin tried to retract its weapon, it found the blade somehow stuck to the noble of Defender, a release of thefree
But Connor was far frooblins pressed in, and many carried not metal weapons, but thick wooden clubs
A soblin in the eye Before he could even glance back to discern the source, the warrior astride the stallion was there beside hiht
The goblins turned about, shouting "Nightbird!" and "Doo fro swords of two score
It was over in a matter of minutes, and the wounded - and there weren&039;t many, and only one or two appeared seriously injured - were quickly ushered back to the forest in the north, into the pines
Connor went to his horse, carefully inspecting the beast&039;s legs and breathing a deep sigh indeed when he discerned that beautiful Greystone had not been seriously injured
"Who are you?" thenear His tone was not threatening, was not even suspicious
Connor looked up to see thathiive us, but we have not found er added calmly
"I am a friend frooblins"
"Alone?"
"There are advantages to riding alone," Connor answered
"Then hail and good greetings," Elbryan said, sliding down fro to stand directly before the man He took Connor&039;s hand in a fir for long Our road leads to Palht to our advantage"
"So it would seeoblin dead
"You are welcome to join us," Elbryan said "In fact, ould consider it an honor and a great favor"
"I did not prove hter in that battle," Connor rehtbird," he added, offering the ranger a smile
Elbryan only s in beside hioblin who had led the band, and bent low, pulling aside the creature&039;s bent and torn helht, asked
"Three days," Connor replied "Four, if you have any ill slow you down"
"Four, then," Roger replied
Connor looked froeoblin&039;s sic," the nobleman reasoned
"Not I," replied Elbryan "I can use the stones to soree, but pale indeed beside the true wielder"
"A woman?" Connor asked breathlessly
Elbryan turned and rose, facing Connor directly, and Connor realized that his question had touched soer as he was, Connor ise enough to let the ic-user at least, were outlaws in the eyes of the Church, and they ht betoo ," Connor went on, deflecting his true intent "I aic before, but never have I witnessed such a nificent display"
Elbryan didn&039;t reply, but his visage softened soees were efficiently ending the suffering of those goblins who had not yet succu whatever supplies they could find aer "Ier in tow, into the forest then, roas not so dense Several fires were burning, guiding the people as they went about their work, and be-side one such blaze Connor saw her
Jilly, working over the wounded His Jilly, as beautiful - more beautiful! - than she had been back in Palmaris, before the war, be-fore all the pain Her blond hair was shoulder-length now, and so thick that he felt as if he could lose hiht of the fires her eyes shone blue, sparkling and rich
All color left Connor&039;s handso as if in a daze toward her
The ranger caught up to hi him by the arm "Are you wounded?" Elbryan asked
"I know her," was Connor&039;s breathless reply "I know her"
"Pony?"
"Jilly"
Still the ranger held hi him directly Elbryan knew that Pony had married a nobleman in Palmaris, with disastrous consequences "Your nahtened "Connor Bildeborough of Chasewind Manor," he answered boldly
Elbryan didn&039;t kno to react One part of him wanted to punch the man in the face, to lay him low because he had hurt Pony? No, that wasn&039;t the reason, the ranger had to admit, to him-self if not openly He wanted to punch Connor out of sheer jeal-ousy, out of the fact that, for a time at least, this man had found Pony&039;s heart She may not have been in love with Connor as she now loved him, may not even have consummated their relation-ship, but she had cared deeply about Connor Bildeborough, had even er closed his eyes for a briefhis center and his calm He had to consider how Pony would feel if he clob-bered the ht of Connor Bildeborough "Better to wait until she is finished with the wounded," he explained calmly
"I must see her and speak with her," Connor stuttered
"To the detrioblins beside her," the ranger said firh, and the ith the stones requires absolute concentration"
Connor glanced again to the woed hiht-ened the ain to face Elbryan, and understood he would not get near Jilly now, that thishim away forcibly, if need be
"She will be finished within the hour," Elbryan said to hier&039;s face as he spoke, and realized only then that there was so more than friendship between this man and the woht of his new observation, taking a er should they come to blows
He didn&039;t like the prospect
So he followed the ranger as thefor the htbird, and neither of thes Finally Connor broke away froer andas much dis-tance, and as ht of her, the realization that she was once again so near, was finally settling in on the nobleone past the pleasant recollections to that one horrible night, their wedding night, when he had al bride And then he had paid for an annul him, an accusation that had taken her fro&039;s arain? he wondered, and worried, for Connor could not believe that she would return his wistful smile
They were on the road for nearly half an hour before Connor fi-nally e to ride up beside the wo beside her
Elbryan saw hiaze "I am here in support of you," he said "For whatever you need of me, even if that means that I must leave you alone"
Pony eyed hi, then heard the hoofbeats She knew that a stranger had joined in the battle, a noble- city, and she had never iht be
Connor
Pony nearly toppled fros eak, her stos of re to bury her It was a part of her life that she did not want to recall, a rown from the pain, but she did not wish to relive it, especially not noith the future so uncertain and so full of challenges
Still, she could not avoid those ies She had been held down, like an animal, her clothes torn from her and her limbs held steady And then, when he, this h, she had been sued froh for hiure so splendid on his well-groo horse, with jewels in his sword belt and clothes cut of the finest cloth - had ordered both the handmaidens to return to hiht into her heart
And here he was, astride his horse right beside her, a s its way onto his undeniably handsome face "Jilly," he blurted, so full of excitement