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"Jilly," Connor repeated, as softly and gently as he could

The look on the woht somewhere between sheer incredulity and horror, the expression of a child faced with i up at his love, had seen that expression on her face only once before, up on the north slope overlooking Dundalis, when their first kiss had been interrupted by the sounds of their town dying He put a hand fir her in place, for she was surely swaying unsteadily on Symphony&039;s broad back

Theemotions and found the sah the trials of so many years "Jilseponie," she corrected "My nalanced down at Elbryan, gath-ering strength fro love "Jilseponie Wyndon, actu-ally," she corrected

"And once, Jilly Bildeborough," Connor said quietly

"Never," the woman spat, more sharply than she had intended "You erased that title, proclai before the law and before God that it had never been Is it now convenient for the noble Connor to reclaier patted her fir Connor profoundly, but he accepted the and foolish," he replied "Our wedding night your actions hurt rilanced down at Elbryan How painful this must be to hih a recounting of the night she ed to anothernothing but sympathy for the woreen orbs reflect his anger, jealous anger, toward Connor, for he knew that to do so would be unfair to Pony "You two have much to discuss," he said "And I have a caravan to watch over" He patted Pony&039;s thigh oneher that he was secure in their love, and then, with a playful wink, the perfect gesture to lessen the tension, he walked away

Pony watched hilanced about, and, seeing that others were too near and ht overhear, she kicked Symphony into a walk Connor and his ainst you," Connor tried to explain when they were alone "I did not ht," Pony said with finality She knew better, knew that Connor had indeed tried to hurt her, but only be-cause her refusal to make love with him had wounded his pride

"You can so easily dismiss it?" he asked

"If the alternative is to dwell on that which needs no explanation and can only bring pain, then yes," she answered "What is past is not as important as what is to coiveness," Connor begged

Pony eyed hiray eyes and re-ht, when they had been friends, confidants

"Do you re her expression "When I caues raining down about ood ood ones,"It was never love, Connor," she said honestly

The h she had slapped him with a wet towel

"I did not knohat love was until I came back and found Elbryan," Pony went on

"We were close," the man protested

"We were friends," Pony replied "And I will value the memory of that friendship before we tried to make it more than that I promise you"

"Then we can still be friends," Connor reasoned

"No" The answer caht from Pony&039;s heart before she could even spend a moment to consider it "You were friends with a different person, with a little lost girl who did not know fro I am not that person anymore Not Jilly, not even Jilseponie, in truth, but Pony, the companion, the lover, the wife, of Elbryan Wyndon My heart is his, and his alone"

"And is there no rooently

Pony s more comfortable "You do not even know ued "Even when you were, as you proclaiirl, the fire was there Even when you were most vulnerable, th that most people will never know"

Truly Pony appreciated the sentiment Her relationship with Connor had never been properly resolved, had been left on a note too sour to do justice to the enjoyable ether Noith his simple words, she felt a sense of closure, a true sense of calm

"Why did you come out here?" she asked

"I have been out north of the city forits way back into his voice "Hunting goblins and powries - and even a few giants, I dare say!"

"Why did you come out here now?" the perceptive woman pressed She had seen it on his face: Connor had not been nearly as surprised to see her as she to see hiiven the last each knew of the other&039;s whereabouts, the surprise to hireater "You knew, did you not?"

"I suspected," Connor adainst the eave Pony pause

"Call back your husband," Connor said "If you are, as you say, ready to let go of the past and pay attention to the future I did indeed come out here for a reason, Jill Pony And h I would have traveled the length and breadth of Honce-the- Bear for that alone"

Pony bit back her response, questioning why, then, Connor had not done just that in all the years she had been indentured to the ar, no need to tear the scabs from old wounds

They met shortly thereafter, Connor, Pony, and Elbryan, and with Juraviel cohs of a nearby tree

"You re nervously for what seein

The woman nodded "The abbot of St Precious," she said

"No o, in his own roo their reactions, and was at first surprised that none of them seemed overly concerned Of course, Connor realized, they did not really know Dobrinion and his good heart; their experience with the Church was less than ena

"They said a powrie did it," Connor went on

"Dark tiet into what should be thein a city braced for war," Elbryan remarked

"I think that he was killed by the Church he served," Connor said outright, watching the ranger closely Now Elbryan did lean forward a bit, growing ued "The monks froreat contingent, including the Father Abbot himself Many had just returned from the far north, from the Barbacan, so it is said"

He had their attention now

"Roger Lockless saw such a caravan flying swiftly to the south past Caer Tinella and Landsdown," Pony re for you," Connor said bluntly, pointing to Pony "For those gemstones, which they claim were stolen from St-Mere-Abelle"

Pony&039;s eyes ide She stuttered a few undiscernible words as she turned to her lover for support

"We feared as much," Elbryan ad the folk to the safety of Palmaris," he, ex-plained to Connor "Pony and I cannot rereat We would see thereater than you believe," Connor put in "The Father Abbot andback to their own abbey, but he left a pair - at least a pair - behind, men trained to kill, do not doubt I believe it was those tho killed Abbot Dobrinion They came after me, as well, for ed to elude them, and now they will hunt for you"

"Brothers Justice," the ranger reasoned, shuddering at the thought of dealing with another like Quintall - apparently a pair of them this time

"But ould they murder Abbot Dobrinion?" Pony asked "And ould they come after you in such a manner?"

"Because we opposed the Father Abbot&039;s methods," Connor replied "Because" He paused and cast a truly sympathetic look Pony&039;s way She would not like this news, not at all, but she had to be told "Because we did not approve of his treatment of the Chilichunks - treatment he had planned for me, as well, before my uncle the Baron intervened"

"Treat to her feet "What treat-ment? What does that mean?"

"He took them, Pony," Connor explained "In chains, back to St-Mere- Abelle, along with the one called Bradwarden, the centaur"

Now the stunned Elbryan was on his feet, as well,be-fore Connor, too overwhelmed to even voice the question

"Bradwarden is dead," came Juraviel&039;s voice fro

"He was killed in Aida," the elf went on "Upon the defeat of the demon dactyl"

"He was not killed," Connor insisted "Or if he was, then the monks found a way to resurrect hiuered and pitiful creature, but one veryout of the trees to join the group He moved to Elbryan&039;s side and dropped a hand on theshoulder "The caravan, at the back of the caravan I told you as er&039;s description, re-er had told of the e by the tns He turned to Pony then, as eye-ing hihtly behind her blue orbs

"We er nodded, their path suddenly clear

"The

"In tio with you"

"This is not your affair," the ranger said suddenly, wanting to re-tract the words, words proet this man far from Pony as soon as possible, even as he spoke theued "As are the Chilichunks, all three You know this," he said, looking to Pony for support, and the woman nodded "But first, we, you, htly They got to Dobrinion and h like a powrie assassination to deflect all attention They are cunning and they are deadly"

"And they will be dead, soon enough," the ranger said with such determination that none would dare offer a doubt

"We will ain," Elbryan assured Belster O&039;Co theback tears, Elbryan knew, for he suspected, and Elbryan could not disagree, that this was the last time they would see each other "When the war is settled and you open your tavern again in the Ti your water and scaring away your other patrons"

Belster smiled war the journey back to Dundalis even if thereat indeed Belster had fled Palmaris be-cause of debt, and only because of debt, but that tiiven all that had happened, and he was quite sure he could open an establish back to haunt hier, though Not now, and so he only held fast his as-suring ser said to thebeside Belster "The road should be clear, but if you find trouble before you find Palerwart nodded gravely, and staround "We owe you ht-bird," he said "As e Pony, and your little unseen friend, as well"

"Do not forget Roger," the ranger was quick to reply "To him the folk of Caer Tinella and Landsdoe perhaps the er!" Belster said suddenly, jovially, in a voice that reh, a proper note to end the discussion They shook hands and parted as friends, To for the

Pony, Connor, and Juraviel joined Elbryan soon after, watching the train depart, but not so far down the road Toure er and his friends

"Roger Lockless," Pony said, not surprised Behind hi to the south

"You were to serve as Toer moved to join hi er&039;s look was stern and unco to Connor "Why are you, with Palmaris only three days&039; reat value to the city&039;s garrison in these dark times?"

"There are other matters which you do not understand," Elbryan said calain at Con-nor, who resisted the urge to walk over and punch the young er," he said, speaking in the tone of a friend "We cannot, for there is a matter that must be settled before any of us show our faces in the city But trust reater for you by far than any danger you ht find in Paler shook his head resolutely "No," he answered "If you are to stay up here, fighting on, then so a left for you to prove," Pony put in "Your naer balked "In Palain Just Roger Billingsbury An orphan, a waif, a cast- aside"

"My uncle the Baron would value one of your talents," Connor offered

"Then when you are able to return to your uncle to tell hi man quickly replied with a sh, and he cast a very serious stare at Elbryan "Do not er Billingsbury again Not yet Out here, fighting monsters, I was able to find a side of myself that I never knew existed I like that side of me, and fear to lose it in the mundane life of a secure city"

"Not so secure," Connor quipped under his breath

"You&039;ll not lose your new er said in all serious-ness "You will never go back to being that person you were before the invasion of your hoine, and I tell you honestly that, here or in Paler Lockless, hero of the north" He looked over to Pony and considered the weight of such a responsibility, thought of the vow of celibacy that he and his lover had been forced by circurand a thing as you believe, Roger"

The young ed a nod, but his overall expression, begging for acceptance, did not change, leaving the issue squarely on the shoulders of the ranger

Elbryan looked to Pony, who nodded

"There are two an "And for Connor; they tried to kill him in Palmaris, which sent hier asked "And knew you were up here?"

"He knows ic, though he knew not who that er, both Pony and me You heard us express as much that time we spoke with Juraviel soon after the caravan passed the northern towns The Church wants the rave of our friend Avelyn, we&039;ll not return them Thus have they sent as-sassins in search of us, and they are not far away, I fear" Despite the grier "But easier will our task be if Roger Lockless desires to join in our cause"

Roger&039;s grin nearly took in his big ears

"Understand that you, too, will then be considered an outlaw in the eyes of the Church," Pony reh my uncle will remedy that situation when this is fin-ished," Connor was quick to add

"Do you plan to run froer asked deter over ri Connor&039;s spine "Let theh the shadowed forest She saw Bel-li&039;rove and brushed right past hih Pony&039;s spirit was invisible and silent, Juraviel&039;s keen senses felt so as if on the wind She found Connor, pacing his golden horse in a defensive perimeter about the sed, far behind the man And even farther back, behind her corporeal fore elm, and the dark hole at its base Elbryan was in that hole, at Oracle, and Pony did not dare enter and disturb that deepest of concentrations

Instead her thoughts lingered on Connor, trying to gain some perspective on all that had happened between them She found his protectiveness of her as he paced his horse so, and indeed the noble out here to find her and warn her He had known all along that it was she with the ge, too, that those stones were the Church&039;s ions, in his flight froht have remained in the comforts of Palmaris, for the Church would not even consider him an enemy But he had not; he had come north, to warn her And had stood behind his friends, the Chilichunks

Pony had never hated Connor, not even on the , she believed with all her heart, but his actions were based on very real frustrations that she had inspired And in the final analysis of that night, Connor had not been able to follow through with forcing himself upon her, had cared for her tooago, within the first days of her service in the King&039;s ar on this man who had been her husband?

It wasn&039;t love, was never that, she understood, for she kne she felt when she looked upon Elbryan and that was so very different, very much more special indeed But she did care for Connor He had been a friend when she had needed one; because of his gentleness in those un the road to recovery of her s had been better on her wedding night, she would have stayed married to him, would have borne him children, would have -

Pony&039;s line of thought ended abruptly as she realized she no longer regretted the events of that wedding night For the first time, she came to understand the benefits of what she had deeht had set her on a course to become who she noas, had put her in the ar and discipline for her natural fighting talents That experi-ence had subsequently brought her to Avelyn&039;s side, where she learned of deeper truths, where she gained her spirituality, and that turn of events in Palht her back to Elbryan Only now, s she had held for another man in another time, did Pony realize just how special was their love

They had battled formonsters, had lost dear friends, and now her adoptive faer, and still Pony would not trade who she was, this very moment, this very place, for any feasible alternative The lessons in life were often bitter, but they were necessary building blocks

So Pony aruard about her - and about Elbryan At that mo-ment she put her past to rest

But she knew she could not linger and savor the scene, and so her spirit went out again, into the forest She found Roger, and then Juraviel above hi for soht of the Church, Uncle Mather,Elbryan ad-ainst a stone in the cra into the depths of the barely visible mirrorHow er leaned back and sighed The Church would not give up, that much was obvious to him, and eventually, some day in some remote place, he and Pony would lose Or they would lose in St-Mere-Abelle, where Elbryan knew they o for the sake of Bradwarden and the Chilichunks, who had been Pony&039;s fahost of his uncleWe have to fight on, for the sake of Avelyn&039;s memory, for the truth that he found within the twisted ways of his Order And soon ill take that fight right to the spider&039;s web