for him and not for Merwan Ma, and not for the cause of Brynn Dharielle and To-gai.
"Your Chezru Chieftain is a fraud," he yelled down. ?He possesses an Abellican soul stone, and uses it!"
His answer came in the form of an arrow, driving deep into his calf and nearly dislodging him.
With a grunt, the mystic climbed higher, nearing the ceiling, and only then did he realize that the wall upon which he was perched was not solid, floor to ceiling, but had an alcove at the top. And in the rear of that ledge area, the mystic found a grate, overlooking a wide circular chamber, full of rows of seats, and full of arguing Yatols!
His respite there wouldn't last long, he knew, for the alcove wasn't deep, and all the archers had to do was step back across the hall to spot him.
Dismissing the unsettling thought out of hand, Pagonel gripped the bars of the grate and focused his life energy into his hands. His palms grew hot - hotter than they had when he had used his healing techniques on Brynn and Merwan Ma.
He dove deeper into the energy, forcing it to his fingers, heating them even more. He didn't contain the energy there, though - to do so would have melted his hands! - but rather, let it flow out of his digits and into the metal of the bars, heating them and softening them.
Ignoring the uncomfortable heat, Pagonel began to pull with all his strength.
An arrow soared into the alcove, deflecting off the ceiling to bounce hard against the mystic. But it didn't disrupt Pagonel's concentration. With the metal practically glowing under his mystical touch, the man pulled the two bars of the grate apart, bit by bit, until they were wide enough for him to slip through.
He squirmed onto the ledge in the huge audience hall, then moved to the lip, marking the gathering below him, figuring out at once that it was Yakim Douan himself who was addressing the Yatols from a dais across the way, in front of a long and sweeping, ascending stairway. The chairs were all before him, set in a semicircular pattern: a thousand chairs, though only those at the very front were occupied.
Pagonel studied the room for a moment, but knew he didn't have much time, for below, the Chezhou-Lei was yelling for the guards to enter the au-dience hall and protect the Chezru Chieftain.
Pagonel rolled to the lip and leaped off, dropping the thirty feet to the floor and landing easily in a shock-absorbing roll. All heads turned his way, and a group of guards, standing behind the dais that held Yakim Douan, rushed to the front of their beloved Chezru Chieftain, forming a line before him.
"Jhesta Tu!" one of the nearby Yatols yelled, and all of the others began to shrink away from Pagonel, whispering excitedly.
"What is the meaning of this intrusion?" Yakim Douan yelled. ?Who are you to violate this sacred place?"
"I am Pagonel of the Walk of Clouds, Chezru Chieftain Douan," the mystic answered with a bow. ?I am he who knows the truth of Yakim Douan! I am he who knows the truth of Transcendence!"
No one in the place missed the wide-eyed look of surprise and horror that came over Yakim Douan at that moment, but before anyone could be-gin to question it, the great doors of the audience chamber burst open and a group of soldiers charged into the chamber, bearing down immediately on Pagonel.
"I have seen you at use with your soul stone, Yakim Douan!" the mystic cried.
"He is a fool and a liar!" yelled the Chezru Chieftain. ?Kill him at once!"
Pagonel dodged a thrown spear, then another, then fell into a roll to move to the side of a trio of warriors charging in at him. He came up and kicked back the other way, tripping one up, but had to fall back farther and couldn't finish the move as the other two bore in. The mystic ran behind the chairs and leaped atop the back of one, then ran along, chair back to chair back, so balanced that none even began to tip.
He ducked instinctively; an arrow cut the air above him. He ducked again, and then again, altering his run as the guards began to herd him, al-ways seeming to be between him and the Chezru Chieftain. He knew that it couldn't last for long, and knew that he couldn't get anywhere near the man, so he stopped suddenly, still