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But first ah, Uncle Mather, one Brother Justice nearly de-feated ht we handle the likes of two such expert killers?

Elbryan rubbed his eyes and stared into the ht with the Church, when Avelyn&039;s old class the title of Brother Justice, had battled hiic using a sunstone, the saem that was on the poarnet to locate Avelyn, for that stone de-tected arnet

A s clear before hi, rushing to Pony and shaking her vigorously, trying to break her trance

Her spirit, sensing the disturbance at her corporeal body, soared back, and in but a few moments she blinked open her physical eyes

Elbryan stood over her; behind hi to see what the coer explained

"With my spirit freed, I can scout out far ued

"But if our enearnet, they will feel the vibra-tions of your ic," Elbryan reasoned

Pony nodded; they had already talked about that potential problearnet," Elbryan explained "The one taken from Quintall How ht of that stone?"

"If they are using ic," Pony reasoned

"How could they hope to find us in this vast land without such aid?" the ranger countered

Pony paused and studied hi moment, and Elbryan noted the look of curiosity that came over her face

"You seem very sure of yourself suddenly," she noted

Elbryan&039;s smile widened

"Quintall was a deadly enemy," Pony reminded "Alone he nearly defeated me, you, and Avelyn"

"Only because he shaped the battlefield to his liking," the ranger replied "He held the ele and his preparation These two killers will prove formi-dable in battle, but if we hold the ele, then the battle will be decided quickly, I do not doubt"

Pony did not seeance," the ranger ex-plained "He played his hand early, in the Howling Sheila, because he felt that he was supre had elevated him above all others in matters of battle"

"There was so, and that of our present foes, does not equal that which I received at the hands of the Touel&039;alfar, that which you have received by hAnd we have three powerful allies No, my fear for this situation has lessened considerably If you can use the garnet to track our adversaries, ill bring them in to a place we have prepared and to a battle for which they cannot be prepared"

It made perfect sense to Pony, and she believed she could indeed track the assassins in the ic to detect ic

"And once we have located theer went on "We will know their destina-tion, but they will have little understanding of ours"

"The time and the place will be ours to choose," Pony said She went to work iic, the h, and Pony figured that the pair had sensed her ly

"They put up a sunstone shield, I would guess," the wo her eyes to see that the elf had coic use?" the elf inquired "Can you not detect it as well?"

Pony&039;s face crinkled at the siic "Not the saic I could enact such a shield using the stone in the poarnet would be for naught"

Juraviel shook his delicate head, not believing a word of it "All the world is ic, so say the elves," he explained "Every plant, every ani no sense in arguing the point

"If sunstone defeats all ic, there will be a hole in the con-tinuum," Juraviel explained "An eic that fills all the world"

"I cannot - " Pony began

"Because you have not learned to see the world through the eyes of the Touel&039;alfar," the elf interrupted "Join with ht search together, that we ht it over for just a h hematite with Avelyn had been personal, intimate, and left her in-credibly vulnerable, but when she considered her elven friend, she felt no threat whatsoever She didn&039;t believe that Juraviel was right about this ht that his perspective was just that - a dif-ferent way of looking at the saether the pair went out through the garnet

Pony was quickly aic about every plant and every animal Soon, very soon, they found the hole Juraviel had described, tracking the arnet instead of sunstone

Guide me,Juraviel ione fro the trail out to meet their foes

When he returned to the encampment, barely three hours later, his report of theElbryan could have hoped for The elf had found thehs of the trees Of particular note were their weapons, with nothing of range, except one or two sht possess Juraviel had even overheard so Pony, that she er semstones, they could more than counter any such distance attacks, and their dis-cussion of taking a captive proved to him that these two did not coainst them "Lead theround"

The small plateau seee on a rocky hillside with but one approach, and that being steep and dangerously exposed There was one open area, a s, surrounded on three sides by more rocks and on the fourth by a sarnet indicated that ic was in use up there He put the stone away in a pouch on the rope belt of his brown robes, which he and Dandelion had donned again when they left the city, and took out the sunstone, bidding Dandelion to take his hand, that they ic shield that ainst us," Youseff explained "That is their prih to defeat that use, then their conventional weapons will prove worthless against our training"

Dandelion, so physically strong and skilled, grinned at the prospect of so

"We kill the woo after her If we must kill her, then so be it Otherill take her and the gemstones and be on our way"

"To Palmaris first?" Dandelion asked, for he wanted another chance at Connor Bildeborough

Youseff, understanding the supreme importance of this part of their h the city and back to St-Mere- Abelle," he explained He closed his other hand over Dandelion&039;s "Concentrate," he instructed

A fewand in place, the pair began easily scaling the rocky cliff,silently and confidently

Near the top they peeked over the ridge, and both s beside the wos in one basket, it seemed

With a look to each other to coordinate the moveracefully and in a defensive posture

"Welcoht - and to the lanced at Dandelion, then took a sudden stride for-ward, covering a third of the distance to the still-sittinginto the back of his calf, cutting right into the tendon

"Oh, but my friends will not allow you to approach," Connor said happily

"You do not understand how hopeless your situation is," added Roger Lockless, stepping out from behind some rocks directly be-hind Pony and Connor "Have you, by chance,splendid atop Sy in hand, stepped out of the copse of trees

"What are we to do?" Brother Dandelion whispered

Youseff snapped his angry glare over Connor "You have dis-credited and disgraced your uncle and all your farowled "You are an outla, as surely as are these ragged fools you call friends"

"Brave words for one in your position," Connor replied casually

"Think you that?" Youseff re his wounded leg, he gave a subtle signal to Dandelion

Suddenly, brutally, Dandelion charged past his co upon Connor as thetoo quickly for anyone to react He slapped aside Connor&039;s sword, then laid the man loith a wicked forear Connor, forcing Roger back against the stones

Youseff sprang forward froet to the woain his way out But as in the initial assault, the confi-dent monk underestimated his opponent, did not appreciate just hoerful Pony ith the geh not as ed, but even if Youseff and Dandelion were doing nothing but concentrating on the sunstone, they would not have de-feated Pony&039;s power

Youseff felt his feet slip out from under him, not to fall, but rather to rise, harmlessly, into the air His momentum continued to carry him forward, toward Pony, but when he reached for her in this unfa a half so in his back as Pony rolled over and kicked out, both feet landing squarely, propelling Youseff back the way he had cole helplessly in er was in no position to counter as Dandelion swung back the other way, again s down atop hi ht, poised for the killing slash into defenseless Connor&039;s exposed neck

Connor growled and tried to cry out, tried to wriggle free He closed his eyes for just an instant

The blow did not fall Connor opened his eyes to see Dandelion still poised above hi to drop the punch, a look of ab-solute incredulity on his face that anything could so hold back his powerful arhtbird held hiility for one so large, turning and putting his feet under hier over But Elbryan, too, wasabout with a vicious jerk that popped thewith pain, Dandelion spun about and launched a heavy punch - which never ca, then wading right back in with a powerful combina-tion of blows on Dandelion&039;s face and chest

On ca h to wrap Elbryan in a tight hug

The ranger cupped Dandelion&039;s chin with one hand, grabbed the back of theto turn hi in his chest At first he thought Dandelion had soer to bear, but when he looked past the er understood

Dandelion, Connor&039;s sword right through his back and chest, sluri to keep his hold on the sword as dead Dandelion rolled to the ground

Nightbird let the , fitting an arrow and turning his attention to Youseff He leveled and drew back

But the threat was ended, the monks obviously defeated, and Elbryan could not siree back to rest

"I will kill hi his sword fros there helpless?" Pony asked skeptically

Connor kicked at the ground "Drop him to the rocks, then," he said, but he wasn&039;t serious; he could no lad for that

"We are going to find our friends," the ranger said to Youseff, "whom your Father Abbot has unjustly imprisoned"

Youseff scoffed at the sheer folly of such a claier finished

"To St-Mere-Abelle?" the in to comprehend the power of such a fortress"

"As you could not coainst you in this place," Elbryan calmly replied

That hit Youseff hard He narrowed his eyes dangerously and glared at Elbryan "How long can you hold me here?" he asked, his voice even and deathly cale - "

His bluster was lost suddenly as a s him over in the air He flailed and tried to respond, and realized that he had lost his grip on the sunstone When he finally straightened out again, Youseff saw the winged elf land easily on the ledge beside the others

"Sunstone, as you guessed, Nightbird," Juraviel said, display-ing the pilfered stone "I suspect the garnet is in his belt pouch, if not on the dead man"

Elbryan watched Youseff closely as Juraviel spoke, and saw that the elf&039;s words, too, were unnerving the man

"He may have a soul stone, as well," Pony interjected "Some way to keep in contact with his leaders"

"Of course, we&039;ll not let hiree with your decision," he said to the ranger "He&039;ll not lead us to St-Mere-Abelle, but will be returned to St Precious, where he can answer for the er Lockless beside me, and let the Church learn the truth of its Father Abbot!"

Elbryan looked long and hard at Connor, considering for just a moment the implications of his actions, which had saved the man&039;s life If he had hesitated for just an instant, then Connor Bildebor-ough, this er would tolerate no such weakness within hihts out of hand, and knew in his heart that he would have thrown himself in the way of the deadly monk&039;s strike if that was the only way to save Connor, or any of his companions

He looked back to Youseff then, and considered the truth of Connor&039;s words He remembered the fervor of the first Brother Justice, and understood that Youseff would be no willing guide, no ested, then per-haps they would not be alone in their quest to free their friends

Would not the Church have to ad the Father Abbot?

It seeer instructed

Belli&039;ling Youseff Using his bow as a pole, the elf prodded the e At first Youseff offered no resistance, but then, as he neared the lip, as the drop beneath hirabbed at the elf and caught hold of the bow as Juraviel wisely let it go The h, and so he continued to rotate right around

To see Elbryan at the edge of the lip, fist cocked

The blow sent Brother Youseff spinning head over heels away fro into unconsciousness

Juraviel, laughing at the outrageous sight, retrieved his bow and prodded the now lie