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"The Medium is not always manifested in a dramatic way, my lord," she answered "In its most powerful form, it is often softer than a whisper"

"Indeed," he replied, his voice low and serious "She is gone? Truly?"

"Yes, Ellowyn left last night I did not see her go, but I heard that she…"

"Not her, you simpleton Ciana" His eyes looked haunted "Forshee left her behind Hid her in a tunnel?" His voiced begged it to be so

Lia stared at hiht Men would do extraordinarily unwise things for the women they preferred "You think he would not take her with him?" she asked, amazed "You do not know him at all"

His teeth clenched and so did his hand around the bar His face was so near, she could see the shadows under his eyelids "I do not care to know hi I hate the man But I love the sister" He rested his forehead on his hand He looked up at the sky "I thought…I truly thought she would coan to suspect her faith in this Abbey was greater than my doubt Did she truly, earnestly believe it would protect her? It seemed so Now I do not knohat to think" His voice was bitter

"Or what to believe," Lia added, feeling a spark of sy as if she had seen right through him

She stared into his eyes "That is your problehts tell you that the Abbey is only s tell you it ismore than that Just because an Abbey can be made to burn does not ether – your thoughts and your heart – you will only see confusion"

A wry smile crossed his mouth "You almost sound like an Alder raised in Muirwood’s shado long have you ever stayed in one place?"

"One year at Billerbeck Abbey," he answered stiffly

"Then I pity you," she replied "You have never known a home"