strong enough to defeat a united Behren alone on even ground, and had, in fact, only survived against the forces of Chezru Chieftain Yakim Douan because Pagonel had turned the Chezru court against their leader and thrown the country of Behren into chaos. If Abbot Olin and Mado Wadon were uniting Behren once more with an eye toward To-gai, Brynn would find the defense of the city impossible, and the defense of her entire country improbable - and all of that with only minimal involvement from the northern kingdom. If Honce-the-Bear threw in her weight with Behren in full, To-gai would surely be crushed. Brynn knew that, so did Pagonel, and so did every other warrior in the room, even proud Tanalk Grenk.
"I fear that Abbot Olin is biding his time," Brynn said. "The army has not decamped and begun their march home in any meaningful way."
"He expects that King Aydrian will come and strengthen him," Lozan Duk reasoned when the woman translated her thoughts into elvish.
Brynn nodded and explained the elf's words to the others.
"Or Abbot Olin believes that he must strengthen his hold over Behren more completely before throwing his army at Dharyan-Dharielle," Pagonel said.
"No doubt many of Yatol De Hamman's warriors were not pleased at the thought of doing battle with the Dragon of To-gai yet again. But if he holds Behren secure, then the force he can muster against us will be much more impressive and truly overwhelming. Sheer numerical advantage will bring strength to the Behrenese morale, and we will be hard-pressed."
"Then are we to attack?" Brynn asked. "Or to continue to strengthen our defenses in the hopes that we will wound our enemies so greatly that they will reconsider their designs on the city?"
"I will go to Jacintha as your emissary," Pagonel decided. "Let me fathom better the intentions of Abbot Olin and your friend King Aydrian."
"You will be gone a month at least," Brynn argued. "Do we have such time?"
To the side, Lozan Duk put a quizzical look over her, and the woman translated the mystic's intentions.
"I will call to Belli'mar Juraviel," Lozan Duk offered. "We will get your friend to Jacintha and back again in short order."
Later on, the Doc'alfar sat cross-legged on the flat roof of a small tower, the blue sapphire of his people in his lap. He put his thoughts into the gem-stone and envisioned the emerald held by Juraviel.
And then he felt the contact, and he called to his golden-haired cousin.
For a long while, Lozan Duk held that meditative state, guiding Juraviel with his thoughts.
Less than an hour later, Lozan Duk blinked open his eyes, to see Belli'mar Juraviel standing on the tower top before him, magical emerald in hand.
With the pressing business at hand, the reunion between Brynn and Juraviel was kept short; the two had barely an hour together while Pagonel prepared for the journey to the east. Juraviel offered his promises that they would speak at length about the events in the northern kingdom when he returned, then he led the mystic up to the top of the city's eastern wall and bade Pagonel to take his hand.
Juraviel called to the emerald, and Pagonel watched the ground distort suddenly, folding as if it were a rolling wave. He followed Juraviel's lead in stepping forward off the wall, then the ground unwound suddenly and Pagonel found himself standing far to the east of Dharyan-Dharielle, east even of the line of Behrenese warriors.
"An amazing feat," Pagonel congratulated.
"The emerald's powers are few, but the stone is powerful in that which it does," the elf answered. "The distance distorts for the wielder and those in the immediate area alone, and only those for whom the wielder wishes the distance distorted. Only you and I could have walked from that wall, for only you and I could even see the distortion." Juraviel closed his eyes and called again and the land rolled up. He and Pagonel took their next mile-long step.
They found themselves in the foothills outside of Jacintha with still several hours to go before the dawn. Pagonel bade the elf to wait for him there, and started off toward the city.
"If I have not returned to you by sundown, then return to Brynn," the mystic instructed.
"That would be a tiding of war," Juraviel replied. "For something so important, I will give you two days to return."
Pagonel agreed and walked away, arriving at Jacintha's gate even as the first light of dawn began to peek in over the eastern