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"I do not kno ," Marciana said "There is so e by the fire But consider this There is another port eastward Doviur is the major port on our eastern shore The straits there are the nearest point to Dahomey I could send a mounted escort If you rode hard, you could be there in the "

"Does Doviur have any Abbeys?"

"There is one Abbey in that hundred It is called Augustin Abbey"

A feeling of peace cah her "Then that is ht"

"Let me send an escort with you," Marciana pleaded

"They are needed here, Ciana Those ill flee ht comes This is our last chance to warn theripping it firs in Muirwood They will heal you faster than you think And you alk, Kieran Ven" She squeezed his hand "I know it"

"You are not what you see she could tell hinition "Do I remind you of someone?" she asked simply

He studied her face, her eyes He looked as if he would speak, but his jaw clenched shut Then he opened hishim with her eyes You did et it She was about to withdraw her hand, but he clenched it tightly,her wince

"I was trained in the city You were trained in the woods Let me teach you what I know Maybe so "Dahoreat wealth It sits in the center of doms Just as Muirwood is the oldest in your realm, Dochte is the oldest Abbey in Dahomey It is the richest Abbey in Dahomey It is situated on an island, off the northwestern shore When the tide leaves, it opens a land bridge to the island It is dangerous to ti the journey, you will drown in quicksand The orb will help you When the tide co boats that will row you to the Abbey Where there is great wealth, you will find corruption The Abbey is built on top of the island It is surrounded by the village of Dochte There are huge walls separating the village from the Abbey proper on the doiant castle, five or six stories high, that surrounds the sanctuary The Abbey itself rises like a spike in the center of the island It must have required two hundred years to build it, stone by stone It is ie houses are lower down and are not as ih the ate in the wall I was able to enter because I was a maston, but I recall the disdain hich I was treated because of h I was an ambassador from Pry-Ree, I was treated with contempt because I did not look like one This is important, Lia You ns, but you will stand out because of the way you dress The women of Dahomey are very particular in their appearance"

Lia understood and looked down at the soot stains on her shirt "Are you afraid I will barge into Dochte the way I did at Lambeth?"

"It had crossed own I aowns They were all burned in the fire"

"I cannot wear it," Lia said, shaking her head "I appreciate the warning, but the orb will show me another way I think…perhaps…it is the reason I have had it all these years"

Another pulse of warain "I will see you again in Muirwood Thank you I am…proud of you, Kieran Ven"

There was a voice, a whisper in her mind so faint she barely heard it I wish I could serve you in Dahoain, she answered in her ht at hiht

A small smile crept on his mouth and he nodded at her

It was the first spark of hope Lia had since learning of the binding sigil If she could not tell Colvin the truth with her words, perhaps she could tell hiustin Abbey

It was the first ti her courage, she focused her thoughts on Augustin Abbey, repeating it over and over in herfeeling of dread deep inside her heart There was so so far with one footstep It was even h, she could step over to Idumea itself where the power of the Mediuhts, she took several deep breaths and then walked forward through the shi curtain The wrench of time and distance made her dizzy and nauseous For a radually, so she leaned against the side of the pillar and struggled to calm her heart