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"They are gone?" Father Abbot Markwart asked Brother Francis later that sa in his private roo any confrontations with Master Jojonah, whoe of explosive-ness He had pushed Jojonah right to that edge purposely, and then pushed him out of the way, for Markwart feared that the old ht left in hio to Palmaris and do battle with De&039;Unnero!

"Master Abbot De&039;Unnero led theation of the prisoners ht commence in full," Markwart said, with such coldness that Brother Francis felt a shiver run along his spine "Have you the enchanted armband that was taken from the centaur?"

Brother Francis reached into a pocket and produced the el-vish item

"Good," Markwart said with a nod "He will need it to survive this day" He started for the door, Francis scurrying to keep up

"I fear that the other prisoners will need itravely ill"

"They need it, but we do not need theer man

"Perhaps someone could tend them with the soul stone, then," Francis stuttered

Markwart&039;s laugh pierced him to the heart "Did you not hear me?" he asked "We do not need them"

"Yet we&039;ll not let theo," Brother Francis reasoned

"Indeed ill," Markwart corrected, and before the ser o to face the wrath of God Leave them alone in their dark holes"

"But Father Abbot - "

Markwart&039;s stare silenced him "You worry about individuals when all the Church is at stake," the old man scolded

"If we do not need them, then why keep them imprisoned?"

"Because if the worasp," Markwart replied "Itas she thinks they are alive"

"Then why not keep them that way?"

"Because they can bear witness!" the Father Abbot growled, ht up to Brother Francis, nose-to-nose "Howunderstand the greater good served by their suffering? And what of the fate of the woes?"

Brother Francis took a deep breath and steadied hiain of the depth of the old Father Abbot&039;s obses-sion, and of his own deep involve monk found himself at a crossroads, for in his heart, despite what his obe-dience to the Father Abbot and the Churchhim, he knew that this torture of the Chilichunks and the centaur was a wicked thing Yet he, too, was inescapably a part of that wicked thing, and unless Markwart prevailed, his complicity would be re-vealed for all the world to see The woman was sickly because her heart had broken on the road when her son had died

"The wo," Markent on "It matters not whether her parents are truly alive or dead"

"Whether they are alive or have been killed," Francis corrected aloud, thoughit under his breath too low for the Father Abbot, as stalking toward the stairs oncemonk took another deep breath, but when he blew it out, the flickering flaain This was a tasteless, nasty business, he decided, but it was all for the good, and he was following the edicts of the Father Abbot of the Abellican Church, the man closest to God in all the world

Brother Francis picked up his pace, rushing past Markwart to open the doors to the stairwell

"Pettibwa? Oh, Pettibhy don&039;t ye answer?" Graevis Chilichunk called repeatedly The night before, he had been talking to his wife through the walls of their adjoining cells, and though he couldn&039;t see her, for the darkness was absolute, the sound of her voice had been co indeed

Not that Pettibwa had offered much corown like a canker in the woh he had taken the brunt of the punish his every movement - and with more than a few of them broken, he was sure - his as in worse shape by far

He called out again and again, pleading with her

Pettibwa couldn&039;t hear hihts and all her sensi-bilities were turned inward, were locked in the iht at its end, in the i his hand out to her

"I see him!" she cried " &039;Tis Grady, me boy"