I Will Not Surrender - Part V. Separation (5/11)
Title: I Will Not Surrender - Part V. Separation (5/11)
Author: burning_arrow
Pairing: Cara/Kahlan
Rating: R/NC-17 (varies by chapter and I'm not going to rate each one)
Warnings: Just a bit of slightly strong language.
Disclaimer: My life would be so much more interesting if I owned Cara and Kahlan, but, alas, I don't. However, thanks to Terry Goodkind and ABC for creating such wonderful playthings.
Word Count: 6,865
Summary: Takes place several years after Tears. Kahlan rules over D'Hara and the Midlands, with Cara at her side, but behind the tentative peace lies a new threat. Part V.: Kahlan finds herself in a very unusual place, Belle has to do some quick thinking, and Cara ends up in some serious trouble.
A/N: At this point if you're reading this, you know my notes. If this is your first time with this story, I suggest going back to Part I - or else you will be confused.
A/N2: Sorry for the all caps on some of the dialogue below. I wrote it in small caps in Word, but I don't know how to translate that to my journal - suggestions?
Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV
Part V. Separation
Kahlan startled awake, sitting upright with a jolt. Darkness enveloped her, and she had no idea where she was. Panic started rising in chest.
“Cara! Zedd!” she called out.
She received no answer. She forced herself to breath steadily and focus on the world around her. She sat on warm, firm ground, and she felt leaves and soft moss under her hands. She smelled rich earth and fragrant vegetation. As her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, she realized that there was more light than she had first believed. The sky overhead glittered with stars, more than she had ever seen before. The stars brought her a measure of comfort, as they twinkled and winked above her, countless and peaceful.
As the wave of anxiety receded, Kahlan remembered that Cara wouldn’t be here, and her heart ached ferociously. She felt the sting of tears welling up. Her mind began to wander to what may have happened to Cara, but she shoved those thoughts away. She simply could not comprehend or dwell upon the idea of losing Cara. Instead, she silently asked the Creator to watch over her missing lover. She was sure that Cara would laugh at her prayer, but Kahlan still took comfort in the old ways.
Cara wasn’t here, but where was Zedd? Groping in the dark, she discovered his body lying next to her, unresponsive to her touch. Her breath caught for a moment. She found what she thought was his shoulder and shook it hard.
“Zedd, can you hear me?”
A loud snore answered her. He was asleep! She shook him harder.
“Zedd, wake up! Zedd!”
The wizard grumbled drowsily and rolled away from her. Soon his snores came more regularly, though softer in volume. A sharp poke in the back did nothing to change this. Kahlan was flabbergasted. How could he sleep at a time like this? Why wasn’t he waking up? Zedd was often the first asleep in their journeying days, but he was never so difficult to wake as he was now. She scowled, pondering what to do next. Other sounds soon became apparent. A soft breeze rustled in trees she could not see, and the quiet lapping of water somewhere beyond her feet told her she was near a pond or lake. There were crickets and other animal calls that reminded her of the tiny tree frogs native to the swampy southern forests along the Kern River. But certainly Zedd would not have transported them all the way to the border between the Old and New Worlds?
A pair of birds, the like of which she had never heard before, began to sing nearby, their melodious harmonies warbling and tumbling over one another. However, she heard no sounds of men, save Zedd’s wheezing. As Kahlan continued to cast about for any clue to their location, she slowly became aware of a faint glow around her. At first it was so dim that she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her in the darkness. But as she watched the silvery light became brighter and she realized the trunks of the trees all around her emanated a soft, unearthly radiance. The light was reflected by the inky waters of a lake only a few paces from where she sat. The sight captivated her and she found herself wishing that Cara could be there to share it with.
As Kahlan looked out over the still surface of the lake, a second light appeared in the water. This glow was no reflection though - it came from the lake itself, as if something ghostly were moving through the water. The spot of light moved steadily towards the shore in front of her, growing stronger and more radiant than even the trees. Fear tugged at the edges of her mind, but she found herself unable to move. As she watched in wonder and apprehension, the light began to emerge from the lake, taking on the distinct shape of a deer, white and glimmering with its own luminescence. Though the deer had a majestic sweep of pale antlers, Kahlan somehow knew it was a doe. Water ran off the deer’s snowy fur in rivulets as it stopped before Kahlan, its legs still ankle-deep in the water. It sniffed the air. Large, black eyes stared into Kahlan’s, unblinking and unwavering.
GREETINGS, KAHLAN AMNELL.
The doe had not moved her mouth, but Kahlan heard the deer’s voice in her head. The rich voice was gentle and calm, yet the feeling of power was unmistakable to Kahlan. The air around the deer nearly crackled with invisible forces. Kahlan shivered as she recognized that she was dealing with something very old and very magical.
DO NOT BE AFRAID, MOTHER CONFESSOR. NO HARM WILL COME TO YOU. YOU ARE WELCOME HERE.
“Who are you?” asked Kahlan as she scrambled to her feet. The deer was enormous and even standing Kahlan had to tilt her head up to meet the animal’s eyes.
I AM THE GUARDIAN OF THIS PLACE, the doe answered.
“But where is this?”
THIS IS A WORLD BETWEEN WORLDS. VERY FEW OF YOUR KIND EVER SEE IT.
“My kind? You mean Confessors?”
HUMANS, replied the guardian, shaking its great head and spraying water droplets everywhere. Kahlan unconsciously wiped the mist from her face as she studied the magnificent beast. It inclined its antlers in the direction of the forest. WALK WITH ME.
The deer stepped from the water and slowly made its way towards the trees. Kahlan stayed rooted in place, resisting the temptation to reach out and stroke its fur as it passed.
“What about my friend? I can’t wake him.”
LEAVE HIM. THE WIZARD ZORANDER WILL BE SAFE UNTIL WE RETURN. HE NEEDS TO REST AND REGAIN HIS STRENGTH. WE WILL NOT BE LONG.
Again the voice was kind, but the command was plain. Kahlan sensed no danger from the deer, only power, but the impression was unnerving. She wondered what this being could do to her if she failed to comply, and decided she did not want to find out. She hurried to catch up to the deer, which was disappearing into the trees. The tree trunks shone brighter as the deer passed them, their foliage illuminated. Their leaves were a rich, dark red, instead of the green of normal trees, and their bark was completely smooth, as if sanded down by a carpenter’s hand.
Kahlan placed a hand on one of the trunks. It felt warm, as if the heat came from within the tree. The wood under her hand lit up, ribbons of blue and green light spreading out across the bark. Her fingers tingled pleasantly. She would have stayed there in fascinated silence, but the guardian moved farther into the forest. She removed her hand reluctantly, following the doe.
“Please, I know I am asking a lot of questions, but why are we here? And how do you know who we are?” Kahlan asked as she came even with the deer.
ALL THOSE WHO ENTER MY REALM ARE KNOWN TO ME. THIS PLACE IS A NEXUS, AN INTERSECTION, FOR THE MAGIC THAT FLOWS AMONG MANY WORLDS. YOU ARE HERE BECAUSE YOU WERE CALLED HERE.
“Called? I don’t understand. How were we called?” Kahlan’s confusion was growing. She knew Zedd’s magic was potent, but she couldn’t imagine that the wizard had intended for them to end up in this enchanted world.
As if reading her mind the deer shook her great antlers and said, THIS WAS NOT THE WIZARD’S DOING. THE AMULET CREATED AN OPENING THROUGH WHICH I COULD BRING YOU HERE. THE AMULET WAS DESIGNED FOR ONE PURPOSE - TO BRING THE MOTHER CONFESSOR TO SAFETY. THERE ARE MANY PLACES THAT YOU WOULD BE SAFE, INCLUDING MY WORLD. BUT SAFETY IS NOT THE REASON YOU ARE HERE. I NEEDED TO WARN YOU OF A DANGER IN YOUR WORLD THAT THREATENS MUCH MORE THAN YOU. A DARK WIZARD MEDDLES WITH MAGICAL FORCES HE CANNOT COMPREHEND OR CONTROL. HE MUST BE STOPPED BEFORE HE IRREVOCABLY ALTERS THE MAGICAL BALANCE IN YOUR WORLD. IF HE IS NOT STOPPED THE EFFECTS COULD CASCADE THROUGHOUT MANY WORLDS, THREATENING THEIR VERY EXISTENCE.
“Prentax,” muttered Kahlan darkly. “Our world has faced dark wizards before. What makes Prentax so dangerous?”
HE POSSESSES THE STONES OF SURRENDER. EACH STONE ALLOWS PRENTAX TO BEND AN INDIVIDUAL TO HIS WILL.
“The dragons!” Kahlan exclaimed. “He must have used it on them. Why else would a dragon - let alone six - allow themselves to be used by men?”
PRECISELY. THERE ARE TEN STONES IN ALL. WHEN THEY ARE USED ALL AT ONCE, THE CIRCLE OF THE HANDS IS FORMED. THE CIRCLE ALLOWS THE WIZARD WHO CONTROLS THE STONES TO ABSORB THE HAN OF THE STONES’ BEARERS. PRENTAX WOULD NEED TO KEEP ONE STONE FOR HIMSELF, THE HEART STONE, TO HARNESS THE OTHERS. ALREADY PRENTAX HAS UTILIZED SIX STONES TO CAPTURE THE DRAGONS. I BELIEVE YOU AND THE WIZARD WERE TO BE HIS NEXT TARGETS. WITH YOU UNDER HIS CONTROL, HE NEED ONLY PLACE THE LAST STONE, AND HE WOULD BE ABLE TO DRAIN ALL OF YOU OF YOUR POWERS. VERY FEW WIZARDS IN ALL OF HISTORY HAVE BEEN STRONG ENOUGH TO CONTROL THE HAN OF SUCH VARIED AND IMPRESSIVE SOURCES. PRENTAX IS NOT ONE OF THEM. IF HE WERE TO TRY IT WOULD DESTROY HIM.
“How would that threaten our world, let alone others?” asked Kahlan as she avoided a root across her path. The guardian moved unconcernedly through the forest, each step graceful and sure. Kahlan felt clumsy and awkward beside the deer. The canopy closed overhead and Kahlan lost sight of the stars. She and the doe seemed to be wending their way aimlessly through the forest. The trees pressed close, forcing Kahlan to walk very near the ethereal deer. She could feel waves of energy radiating from the guardian, and once again she was awed by the presence of such ancient magic.
IF IT WERE ONLY THE HAN OF HUMANS HE WAS STEALING, IT WOULD MEAN LITTLE TO ANY WORLD BUT YOUR OWN. THE LOSS OF THE MOTHER CONFESSOR AND THE FIRST WIZARD WOULD BE TRAGIC, BUT NOT IRREPARABLE. IT IS THE TAKING OF THE HAN OF THE DRAGONS THAT WOULD CAUSE PERMANENT HARM.
Kahlan mulled this over. How could the Han of dragons be the source of such disaster? Again the doe answered before Kahlan could voice her thoughts.
MAGIC IS LIKE A RIVER, COURSING THROUGH ALL THE WORLDS, NOURISHING THEM. EVEN THE MOST POWERFUL HUMAN IS NO MORE THAN A TINY STREAM COMPARED TO THE GREAT FLOW OF MAGIC. BUT IN THE END THEY ARE STILL CREATURES OF THEIR PARTICULAR WORLD, AND THE MAGIC FLOWS ONLY ONE WAY - THROUGH THEM INTO THAT ONE WORLD. IN THIS WAY HUMANS MAY POSSESS MAGIC. DRAGONS, HOWEVER, ARE MAGIC. THEIR ENTIRE BEING IS MADE COMPLETELY OF MAGIC, AND BECAUSE OF THIS THEY EXIST IN MANY WORLDS AT THE SAME TIME. THEY ARE ONE OF THE CONDUITS THROUGH WHICH MAGIC CROSSES BACK AND FORTH FROM ONE WORLD TO ANOTHER. TAKING THE HAN OF A DRAGON WOULD DRAIN ITS MAGICAL ENERGY FROM ALL OF THE WORLDS AT ONCE, CAUSING FRACTURES IN THE FLOW OF MAGIC THROUGHOUT THE WORLDS. SOME WORLDS WOULD RECEIVE TOO LITTLE MAGIC AND THEY WOULD WITHER AND DIE. OTHER WORLDS WOULD BE FLOODED WITH MAGIC AND THE RESULTS WOULD BE EQUALLY CATASTROPHIC.
Kahlan halted mid-stride, her mind trying to wrap itself around the guardian’s words. She had been taught about facets of magic since she was a child undergoing her training as a Confessor, but she had never given much thought to the source of it. Dragons had been no more than the stuff of legend and nightmare, but now it turned out that not only her world, but many others, relied on them in ways she’d never imagined. And some blundering son of a shadrin was threatening it all by playing with forces he did not understand. An image of Cara, the Mord’Sith’s jade eyes glittering, flashed through Kahlan’s mind, and a feeling of protectiveness coursed through her.
NOW YOU UNDERSTAND, MOTHER CONFESSOR, WHY PRENTAX MUST BE STOPPED.
Kahlan squared her shoulders and pulled herself to her full height. She met the midnight eyes that seemed to see right through her. Before, she’d been focused on taking her city back from this rogue wizard - and finding her lover. Now both Aydindril and Cara were threatened by something far more dangerous, and she would not fail to protect them both.
“Tell me what I must do.”
YOU MUST KEEP PRENTAX FROM COMPLETING THE CIRCLE. IF HE CANNOT HAVE YOU AND THE WIZARD, HE WILL ENSLAVE OTHERS. DESTROY THE STONES BEFORE HE CAN DO SO.
“How?”
BY DESTROYING THE HEART STONE. ALL THE OTHERS CAN BE REMOVED FROM THEIR BEARERS, AND THEIR HOLD WITH IT, BUT ONLY THE DESTRUCTION OF THE HEART STONE WILL DESTROY THEM.
Pawing at the ground, the great beast snorted. Kahlan’s ears caught the sound of feet scrambling over leaves and she looked around. She was surprised to see that they were back at the edge of the lake. Zedd lay only a few paces away, still snoring softly. Two creatures emerged from the forest and made their way to stand at the feet of the deer. They waited, their small eyes peering up at Kahlan. A third animal swooped in from overhead and landed between the two on the ground.
I GIVE YOU THREE GIFTS TO HELP YOU IN YOUR QUEST. THE FIRST IS THE BADGER. HE IS A FIERCE FIGHTER FOR A FIERCE FOE. REMEMBER THE BADGER IS THE MOST DANGEROUS WHEN DEFENDING HIS HOME.
The first of the three creatures waddled forward. It was indeed a badger, with strong jaws, sharp claws and thick, striped fur. As Kahlan watched in amazement the creature shrank and transformed from flesh into metal. Its four legs curled and merged into two circlets, joined together by a perfect copy of the badger’s back rendered in silver. She scooped up the miniature, metallic badger and examined it.
“What do I do with it?”
YOU WILL KNOW HOW TO USE EACH GIFT WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT. FOR NOW, SIMPLY PUT IT ON.
Kahlan slid the circlets over her left hand and the badger shrank even further, wrapping snugly but comfortably around her wrist. The metal was warm, like the trees had been.
MY SECOND GIFT IS THE SWALLOW, MASTER OF THE AIR. HE WILL QUICKEN THE WIND WHEN NOTHING ELSE CAN.
The small bird fluttered toward her, landing on the toe of her boot. Its iridescent blue back feathers and ruby throat feathers glinted in the glow cast by the deer. It gave a call like drop of water landing in a water-filled basin. Then, the swallow also morphed from feather and bone into gleaming metal - a tiny blue and red pendant on a slender chain. Kahlan picked it up and placed the necklace around her neck.
FINALLY I GIVE YOU THE RABBIT. SHE IS THE BRINGER OF NEW LIFE, TO REPLACE THAT WHICH HAS BEEN LOST.
The last creature slowly hopped out from under the doe. The tiny rabbit stared at her, its small nose twitching. Unlike the others, it did not change. Kahlan waited, but the rabbit stayed a rabbit as it sniffed her boot. Kahlan bent over to touch the diminutive animal. Instead of bolting like a normal rabbit, the creature rubbed its silky, soft head and ears across the back of Kahlan’s hand. Kahlan gently lifted the rabbit in her hands and held it close to her chest. She could feel its heart beating strongly and steadily beneath her fingers as she stroked its fur. Finally, it too transformed from a living rabbit into a small vial filled with a clear, shimmering liquid. The shape of a rabbit was etched in the glass side of vial. Kahlan tucked the vial into a secret pouch sewn into the seam of her dress.
“Thank you for the gifts,” Kahlan said, her gaze returning to the guardian. “Is there nothing else you can tell me to help me prepare?”
UNFORTUNATELY PRENTAX IS A CREATURE OF YOUR WORLD AND I CANNOT EXERT MY FULL POWERS THERE. I WAS NOT ABLE TO DISCOVER MORE THAN I HAVE TOLD YOU. I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RETURN YOU TO AYDINDRIL. IT MAY STILL BE TOO DANGEROUS FOR YOU THERE YET. I WILL PLACE YOU AS CLOSE AS I DARE AND I WILL SEND GUIDES WITH YOU FOR THE REST OF YOUR WAY.
The doe lifted her head towards the sky and Kahlan followed its gaze. At first all she saw was stars, but then some of the stars seemed to be drawing closer. Soon she heard a soft humming and chirping and a grin spread across her face.
“Night Wisps!” she cried out in joy. There were nearly a dozen of the delicate, shining creatures circling above her excitedly, chattering to her and to each other. Kahlan had learned their magical language long ago, when the tiny beings were some of her only friends in all of the Midlands. Still, a dozen Night Wisps whirring all together were a challenge to comprehend. Kahlan laughed as their tinkling voices cascaded over one another.
“You will have to take turns, my friends. I can hardly understand you when you speak all at once.”
Two Night Wisps landed on her, one on each shoulder. A third hovered in front of her face, humming.
“I’ve missed you, too,” said Kahlan. “But what are you all doing here?”
It was the deer that replied. NIGHT WISPS, LIKE DRAGONS, ARE CREATURES OF MAGIC. THEY COME AND GO FROM THIS WORLD OFTEN AND FREELY. WHEN THEY LEARNED YOU WERE IN DANGER, I COULD NOT STOP THEM FROM COMING TO YOUR AID. IT IS A RARE THING FOR A HUMAN TO EARN SUCH RESPECT FROM THE NIGHT WISPS, AND IT IS PART OF THE REASON THAT I CHOSE YOU FOR THIS TASK.
At the guardian’s words, the Night Wisps swirled as if blown by a great gust, twittering loudly. Kahlan smiled at their eagerness.
IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO GO, KAHLAN AMNELL.
“And Zedd?”
HE WILL RETURN WITH YOU, AND AWAKE WHEN HE IS ONCE AGAIN IN YOUR WORLD.
“How will we get there?”
YOUR WORLD IS ALREADY COMING FOR YOU. TURN AROUND AND SEE.
Kahlan turned to look at the forest behind her. The trees farthest from her seemed to be blinking out. She had the sensation of something creeping toward her. As the darkness drew closer she could see that it wasn’t just that the trees had stopped glowing - it was if they weren’t there at all. In their place a black void spread, stretching toward her. It was as if nothing were there, where only a moment before a whole forest stood, but this nothing had form and substance and it was reaching for her. She shuddered and took a step closer to Zedd’s inert form. She thought of her lover again and she drew strength from the knowledge that, for better or for worse, she would be one step closer to Cara.
Suddenly the black rushed in around her. As it swallowed her, she could hear the guardian’s last words to her.
TRAVEL SWIFTLY, MOTHER CONFESSOR, AND MAY THE CREATOR GUIDE YOUR WAY.
Then Kahlan was falling again.
***
Belle surfaced to consciousness slowly, as if she was swimming through murky water, her limbs heavy with exhaustion. Her head ached, blunt pain radiating across her skull. She could tell she was half-reclined and felt what she thought were cushions underneath her. Groggily she opened her eyes, which seemed to be slow to focus.
“It’s good to see you are finally awake.”
The strange voice pierced her mind, and her memories flooded back in a rush. Her eyes flew open and she tried to jump up, but a restraining hand on her shoulder and the sudden splitting sensation in her head forced her back. She hissed from the pain.
“Please relax. My men were a bit rough with you. I’ve had your wounds cleaned, but without the aid of my magic there’s little I can do for your head. It will pass, but you should take it slow.”
Belle finally focused on the speaker, who was leaning over her. He was a middle-aged man with jet black hair that was graying at the temples. His face was clean shaven, his features average and nondescript. His expression would have seemed almost kindly had it not been for the two yellow eyes that bored into her own. Belle suppressed a shudder as she felt the scrutiny of their unnatural gaze.
“Who - who are you?” asked Belled shakily.
“My name is Prentax Vendat Othero, Wizard of the First Order.” The wizard bowed to her with an exaggerated flourish. Belle’s mind churned. She knew he was lying - there was only one wizard of the First Order alive, and he was most assuredly no longer in Aydindril. Questioning the truth of her captor’s words, however, seemed to be an unwise course of action. She was guarded with her response.
“What do you want with me?”
Prentax chuckled, but his strange eyes had returned to hers, giving her the impression of a cat eyeing a particularly interesting mouse. “I wish to extend a proposition.”
Belle eased herself up slowly, careful not to jar her head. She had no intention of having this man hover over her for a moment longer than necessary.
“You seem to have me at a distinct disadvantage, wizard. A proposition implies the ability to refuse, yet I am your prisoner. It seems you could do as you please, so what do you need from me?”
“Oh, Belle, prisoner is such a harsh word. I would rather you were my guest. I believe we have much to offer one another.” The wizard said in a mildly patronizing tone, as if he were mollifying a child.
The man is clearly mad, decided Belle. He’d burned down half of Aydindril, killed most of the Home Guard, driven out the Mother Confessor, and had his thugs forcibly subdue her, yet here he was talking to her as if they were discussing simple business arrangements. She considered her options. She was ungifted and his magic was useless on her, but he clearly knew that and had undoubtedly taken precautions. She could outright refuse to consider his proposal, but almost certainly she would end up dead, or at the very least rotting in a dungeon somewhere. Perhaps, though, if she played along, she could learn more about him, who he was, what his plans were. Maybe she could even escape, given the right opportunity.
“Again I ask, what is it you want of me?” she replied, hoping her tone sounded smug and self-confident. As long as the wizard pretended she had a say in what happened next, she would take advantage of the fantasy.
Prentax retreated from her side. Belle’s couch faced a solid maple desk, upon which lay neat stacks of parchments, several quills, and an ornate, silver ink well. The wizard took his place in the chair behind the desk, its wood matching that of the desk, its seat and back lined with blue cushions. Similarly colored blue tapestries, the silver insignia of Aydindril stitched into the cloth, hung from the walls on either side of a large window, through which the low light of sunset burned. Though Belle had never been in this part of the palace, she knew she must be in the private offices of the Mother Confessor. The sight of Prentax in the Mother Confessor’s chair galled Belle, but she kept her expression neutral. The wizard smiled at her blandly.
“You have particular…instruments…that I wish to obtain. As you have witnessed for yourself, I have certain ambitions for the future of the Midlands. And for D’Hara, if truth be told. Your inventions would help insure that my position remains uncontested.”
“And I suppose your men attacking me not once, but twice, was all part of that insurance?” Belle could not hide the resentment that crept into her voice. It was well enough - even a business partner would not take kindly to being ambushed.
“A simple misunderstanding, I promise you. My men lack the finer skills of negotiation. It was a mistake to send them in my place. I do hope you’ll forgive that error. I simply wanted to make sure that others did not acquire your skills before I did. Unfortunately, I see the Mother Confessor has taken advantage of your talents.” He placed two of Belle’s prototypes on the desk, along with her canister of powder and several projectiles. Clearly he or his men had searched Cara’s war room as well.
“The Mother Confessor confiscated my equipment and kept me from leaving Aydindril. She forbade me from working on my inventions. She was a fool,” Belle sneered.
Belle gambled on her place within the palace being unknown to Prentax. She hoped if she acted as the aggrieved victim of the Mother Confessor’s political machinations it might sway the wizard’s opinion of her. And it was true she had not been allowed to leave Aydindril. Hopefully he did not know that it was her fealty to the Mother Confessor that kept her content with the arrangement.
The gamble seemed to pay off as Prentax cocked his head, looking at her with mild surprise.
“Then it would be of no interest to you that we have captured the Mother Confessor’s Mord’Sith.”
“Don’t you mean the Mother Confessor’s whore?” Belle spat, trying to hide her shock behind a mask of disdain. She inwardly winced at her own vitriolic words. Her stomach twisted in knots of anxiety. Cara was alive, but for how long?
“Then you have no love for Kahlan Amnell or her Mord’Sith?” The expression of surprise grew on the wizard’s face, his eyebrows rising. Clearly he had not expected her reaction. At least her ploy seemed to be working.
“Oh, the Mother Confessor is kind enough on first blush, but a gilded cage is still a cage. And she has a blind spot for her pet’s activities. That snake would have been after me with her agiels once we were out of the Mother Confessor’s sight had their magic not been useless on me. As it was, she was enthusiastic in her attentions when she could get away with it.” Belle’s mind raced, trying to weave her fiction without faltering. She was not used to having to think on her feet like this. Her palms were sweating as profusely as they had been in battle.
“I see,” replied Prentax. “So the Mord’Sith is not as repentant as Kahlan Amnell has claimed?”
“Hardly,” snorted the blacksmith.
Prentax folded his hands before him and seemed to be considering his next words. Belle suddenly began to doubt whether he believed her pretense. Her heart jumped and thudded.
The wizard spoke after a tense moment. “Tell me, Belle, if you have no allegiance to Aydindril, why did my men find you outside the Wizard’s Keep?”
“If the city you were in were being attacked by dragons, where would you go?” She answered his question with one of her own, hoping it would suffice. “I couldn’t see that staying in the palace was the wisest course of action, so I escaped in the confusion. The Wizard’s Keep seemed like the safest place at the time. Unfortunately for me, it was locked when I got there.”
Belle held her breath and sent a silent prayer to the Creator that Prentax would not know of her fighting side by side with Cara; that he had not learned of her meeting with the Mother Confessor. If any of his men had seen her, one report was all it would take to shred her fabric of lies. However, the wizard gave a slight nod as if her answer made sense. Belle let herself exhale.
“You keep saying you need my inventions, but you already have them for yourself. What more can I do for you?” pressed Belle.
Prentax snorted and waved a hand over her prototypes. “These playthings? I need real weapons, weapons that would leave me unchallenged once I have conquered the Midlands and D’Hara. I may have taken Aydindril today, but there will be many who are still loyal to the Mother Confessor and the Lady Rahl. My magic is very strong, but I’ve always found it prudent to be…persuasive…on all fronts. You can help me achieve that. I need your expertise to produce these weapons.”
“And what do I get in return?” asked Belle. She started to understand why he was so adamant about gaining her assistance. Without magic to spell the secret of the powder out of her, all he had was two metal tubes and a few useless balls. Apparently he had decided that making a deal was quicker than torturing the information out of her. No doubt once he had the formula she would find herself on the wrong end of a headsman’s axe, but for now he needed her. Belle only hoped she could keep it that way long enough for the Mother Confessor to return.
“Rest assured, you will find loyalty to me will be rewarded accordingly,” answered Prentax vaguely.
“That’s well enough, but after our rude introduction I would like a little more than faith and platitudes to go on. I have conditions.”
“Such as?” Prentax’s eyes narrowed and his lips were pinched together in a tight line. Suddenly he seemed much less accommodating. Belle swallowed but plunged forward.
“I will make you your weapons. I can deliver fifty barrels of the powder and ten weapons four times this size in two weeks.” She paused, pointing at the prototypes. “But in return I want the best quarters in the palace, except for your own, of course. I want free access to the palace grounds and a servant of my choosing assigned to me to act as an assistant and, er, take care of my needs as they arise.”
The wizard considered her with those eerie, unreadable eyes, but his smile returned. “I think we can take care of your quarters and your…assistant. As for your access to the palace, you will retain an escort - for your own safety, of course. If you deliver what you have promised, I will consider granting you more liberties in the future.”
“I have one more condition.”
“And that would be?”
“The Mord’Sith. I want to see her. I owe her some friendly words after her warm welcome to me.”
Prentax laughed.
***
Cara tried to focus on the blacksmith’s words as the guard hit her again, snapping her head back. Pain was nothing new to her, and she let it wash through her and away. Kahlan was free. That was all that mattered. These men could do anything they wanted to her and she would not break, because the only thing she cared about was beyond their reach. She grunted as the next fist hit her in the gut, but she could not help the mirthless smile that crept over her lips. Such an amateur - he didn’t even realize that he wasn’t reaching her. She let her thoughts drift to the events earlier in the day.
The skirmish in the main hall had gone poorly. Cara and the Home Guard soldier had been prepared for the three men that had come at them from across the hall, and for a moment they had the upper hand against their attackers. However, a second squadron of invaders had flooded in from the central courtyard. She and the soldier had defended themselves fiercely, but in the end the sheer numbers of their opponents overwhelmed them. Why they had left her alive was a mystery. As they had trussed her up like livestock she had imagined that Kahlan would be furious with her for not keeping her word - almost as irate as she was with herself for being captured. The men had dragged her down to the dungeons and chained her hands behind her back, their rough treatment reopening the wound in her shoulder. For the most part they had left her alone with her thoughts. Occasionally, someone had checked on her, only to leave before she could speak.
Cara had remained standing for hours. The chains anchoring her to the wall were too short to allow her to sit, and if she stepped too far from the wall the shackles around her wrists dug into her. Her eyes had roamed the cell, looking for anything that she could use as a tool, but she was not surprised when she found nothing. It was she, after all, who had ordered a complete cleaning and renovation of the palace dungeon when she had taken on her new role as commander of the Home Guard. Though the dungeon was rarely used, Cara had wanted to make sure that its security would hold when it was needed. She almost regretted being so thorough.
Then Belle had come with a yellow-eyed man she had called Prentax, who carried with him the air of a wizard. The blacksmith had changed. She had cursed Cara from outside the bars, calling her names and hurling insults. Cara had heard all the jabs before, and much worse, but it was disconcerting to hear that kind of venom spewing from Belle. It had seemed appallingly incongruous with the blacksmith Cara had thought she’d known. Yet Cara had met the loathing as she always had - with contempt of her own. Mord’Sith were used to being hated and feared. Cara and Belle had traded vicious words. The Mord’Sith was furious - how had she and Kahlan not seen Belle for the traitor she was? The coward had slinked over to a new master as soon as the tables had turned. She had raged at the blacksmith, straining against the chains, heedless of the pain in her wrists and arms.
“Let me in there,” Belle had finally snapped.
Prentax had demurred. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“What is she going to do? She’s chained to a wall,” said Belle haughtily. “Let me in.”
“Very well.”
Belle had been let into the cell by one of Prentax’s guards. She had approached Cara with an unreadable look in her eyes. Without a word, she had back-handed Cara, and the Mord’Sith tasted the coppery flavor of her own blood on her lips. Without warning Belle had pounced on Cara, one of her burly hands wrapped around Cara’s throat. The blacksmith had squeezed Cara’s wounded shoulder with the other, gouging at the puncture with a thick thumb. Cara had winced, though she did not cry out. Belle’s lips were curled into a cruel snarl, her face inches from Cara’s. But it was Belle’s words that had shocked Cara.
In a voice so low it was barely a whisper, the blacksmith had said, “The Mother Confessor escaped. Stay strong. She will return for you.”
Before Cara could register her surprise, Belle had leaned back and spat in her face. The blacksmith had let one look of apology slide across her face and then her expression hardened again. She crushed Cara’s wounded shoulder in her grip and Cara had to grit her teeth against the pain as she involuntarily tried to twist away.
“Enough!” Prentax had commanded. “I need her alive and in one piece. You’ve had enough fun for now.”
With that Belle and the wizard had left without another word. Cara’s shoulder had throbbed from Belle’s assault, but it didn’t matter. Kahlan was alive and she was safe. Cara held onto the blacksmith’s revelation. And who could have predicted that jovial, innocent Belle would turn out to be such a supreme actor? The ache in Cara’s shoulder suggested perhaps the blacksmith was a little too good. Yet, with Belle on the outside, Cara might even have a chance to escape before Kahlan could put herself in danger attempting a rescue - which the Mother Confessor was no doubt foolishly contemplating right now.
“What in the Keeper’s name do you think you’re smiling at?” growled the guard. His words brought Cara’s attention back to the present. He had finally realized that Cara was paying his work little mind. Her gaze was fixed on a point in space somewhere beyond his shoulder. “I’ll teach you to pay attention.”
Lazily she turned her eyes to him, regarding him coldly as if he were an annoying insect that was distracting her. “What makes you think that a boy like you could teach a Mord’Sith anything about pain? One candlemark with you in these chains instead of me and you would be begging me to kill you.”
The guard’s eyes bulged with anger, the purple veins in his neck standing out against the red flush of his neck. He advanced on her. “You filthy whore. I’m going to make you hurt in ways you’ve never hurt before.”
“I doubt that,” mocked Cara. The guard raised a fist.
“That won’t be necessary,” said a voice from outside the cell door. Prentax had returned.
The guard looked stunned.
“Didn’t I tell her she was to be left untouched?” asked the wizard in a cold voice as he entered the cell.
The guard dropped to one knee, his head bowed. He face had gone from red to pale white. “Yes, my Lord. Forgive me. She bit me when I came to give her some water.”
Cara smirked.
“And a mere scratch can make you disobey my orders?” said Prentax, his tone icy. The guard balked, but the wizard waved him off impatiently. “I’ll forget this infraction, but do not fail me again. Now, go get a healer. I want her shoulder tended to before it rots.”
“Yes, my Lord!” shouted the guard as he jumped to his feet. He scurried from the cell like a dog with his tail between his legs.
Prentax approached Cara slowly, his hands clasped loosely behind his back as he studied her. Cara met his stare with a defiant gaze.
Finally he said, “So proud, you Mord’Sith. But you always need a master to serve, don’t you, or else what is your purpose? I think you’ll do well under my command.”
“I serve no one but the Lady Rahl,” stated Cara bluntly.
“The Lady Rahl is weak. She does not have the steel to rule D’Hara.”
“You would not say such a thing if you knew Kahlan Amnell. And she holds the blood bond. You do not. D’Hara will not follow you.”
Prentax gave Cara a condescending smile. “For the moment, that is true. But soon I will have her loyalty - and her power. As I will have yours.”
“You will never break me - or her,” responded Cara confidently as she leaned forward in her chains, her voice low and steady. She let the cold fury rise in her again, as she smiled back at him. “And one day soon, I’m going to watch you die.”
“What wonderful blood-lust!” exclaimed the wizard, clapping his hands together like a child receiving a favorite toy. “So dark and delicious.”
In the wizard’s hand hung a glittering gold necklace, with a pendant of blue stone. Cara eyed it suspiciously. Prentax followed her gaze. “I’ve brought you a gift. With this I have no need to break anyone. Try not to struggle. It will only make the process harder.”
“It will take more than your magic and a shiny bauble to command me, wizard!” Cara snarled, but the sight of the stone sent a shiver of doubt running through her. With her hands bound, she could do nothing to repel his magic. She knew this must be one of the Stones of Surrender that Zedd had talked about, but at the time he had little to share about what the stones actually did. He had still been researching them when Aydindril had been attacked. Defenseless against the unknown, Cara’s fury swelled in her chest.
As Prentax approached her, the stone began to glow an eerie blue. She tried to lash out with a kick, but with a swift command from the wizard’s lips she was held frozen in a wizard’s web. Conscious, yet unable to move, Cara watched in helpless frustration as Prentax placed the golden chain around her neck.
The world began to sway and blur, and Cara felt her body rocking, as if she were on a ship tossed about by the sea. Blue light expanded and clouded her vision. It became very hard to think as the sound of buzzing filled her head. She put every ounce of effort into concentrating on a picture of Kahlan in her mind. Kahlan atop a horse, the bright, late summer sun making her white dress glow. There was a shy smile on her lips and her blue eyes glittered as she looked at Cara. It was the day Kahlan had first admitted her feelings for Cara while taking one of their rides through the countryside surrounding Aydindril. Cara had been astounded at the time. Now, Cara clung to the image with all her might.
Stay strong. She will return for you.
The blacksmith’s words echoed in Cara’s head, while blue light eclipsed everything else.
Part VI
Author: burning_arrow
Pairing: Cara/Kahlan
Rating: R/NC-17 (varies by chapter and I'm not going to rate each one)
Warnings: Just a bit of slightly strong language.
Disclaimer: My life would be so much more interesting if I owned Cara and Kahlan, but, alas, I don't. However, thanks to Terry Goodkind and ABC for creating such wonderful playthings.
Word Count: 6,865
Summary: Takes place several years after Tears. Kahlan rules over D'Hara and the Midlands, with Cara at her side, but behind the tentative peace lies a new threat. Part V.: Kahlan finds herself in a very unusual place, Belle has to do some quick thinking, and Cara ends up in some serious trouble.
A/N: At this point if you're reading this, you know my notes. If this is your first time with this story, I suggest going back to Part I - or else you will be confused.
A/N2: Sorry for the all caps on some of the dialogue below. I wrote it in small caps in Word, but I don't know how to translate that to my journal - suggestions?
Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV
Part V. Separation
Kahlan startled awake, sitting upright with a jolt. Darkness enveloped her, and she had no idea where she was. Panic started rising in chest.
“Cara! Zedd!” she called out.
She received no answer. She forced herself to breath steadily and focus on the world around her. She sat on warm, firm ground, and she felt leaves and soft moss under her hands. She smelled rich earth and fragrant vegetation. As her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, she realized that there was more light than she had first believed. The sky overhead glittered with stars, more than she had ever seen before. The stars brought her a measure of comfort, as they twinkled and winked above her, countless and peaceful.
As the wave of anxiety receded, Kahlan remembered that Cara wouldn’t be here, and her heart ached ferociously. She felt the sting of tears welling up. Her mind began to wander to what may have happened to Cara, but she shoved those thoughts away. She simply could not comprehend or dwell upon the idea of losing Cara. Instead, she silently asked the Creator to watch over her missing lover. She was sure that Cara would laugh at her prayer, but Kahlan still took comfort in the old ways.
Cara wasn’t here, but where was Zedd? Groping in the dark, she discovered his body lying next to her, unresponsive to her touch. Her breath caught for a moment. She found what she thought was his shoulder and shook it hard.
“Zedd, can you hear me?”
A loud snore answered her. He was asleep! She shook him harder.
“Zedd, wake up! Zedd!”
The wizard grumbled drowsily and rolled away from her. Soon his snores came more regularly, though softer in volume. A sharp poke in the back did nothing to change this. Kahlan was flabbergasted. How could he sleep at a time like this? Why wasn’t he waking up? Zedd was often the first asleep in their journeying days, but he was never so difficult to wake as he was now. She scowled, pondering what to do next. Other sounds soon became apparent. A soft breeze rustled in trees she could not see, and the quiet lapping of water somewhere beyond her feet told her she was near a pond or lake. There were crickets and other animal calls that reminded her of the tiny tree frogs native to the swampy southern forests along the Kern River. But certainly Zedd would not have transported them all the way to the border between the Old and New Worlds?
A pair of birds, the like of which she had never heard before, began to sing nearby, their melodious harmonies warbling and tumbling over one another. However, she heard no sounds of men, save Zedd’s wheezing. As Kahlan continued to cast about for any clue to their location, she slowly became aware of a faint glow around her. At first it was so dim that she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her in the darkness. But as she watched the silvery light became brighter and she realized the trunks of the trees all around her emanated a soft, unearthly radiance. The light was reflected by the inky waters of a lake only a few paces from where she sat. The sight captivated her and she found herself wishing that Cara could be there to share it with.
As Kahlan looked out over the still surface of the lake, a second light appeared in the water. This glow was no reflection though - it came from the lake itself, as if something ghostly were moving through the water. The spot of light moved steadily towards the shore in front of her, growing stronger and more radiant than even the trees. Fear tugged at the edges of her mind, but she found herself unable to move. As she watched in wonder and apprehension, the light began to emerge from the lake, taking on the distinct shape of a deer, white and glimmering with its own luminescence. Though the deer had a majestic sweep of pale antlers, Kahlan somehow knew it was a doe. Water ran off the deer’s snowy fur in rivulets as it stopped before Kahlan, its legs still ankle-deep in the water. It sniffed the air. Large, black eyes stared into Kahlan’s, unblinking and unwavering.
GREETINGS, KAHLAN AMNELL.
The doe had not moved her mouth, but Kahlan heard the deer’s voice in her head. The rich voice was gentle and calm, yet the feeling of power was unmistakable to Kahlan. The air around the deer nearly crackled with invisible forces. Kahlan shivered as she recognized that she was dealing with something very old and very magical.
DO NOT BE AFRAID, MOTHER CONFESSOR. NO HARM WILL COME TO YOU. YOU ARE WELCOME HERE.
“Who are you?” asked Kahlan as she scrambled to her feet. The deer was enormous and even standing Kahlan had to tilt her head up to meet the animal’s eyes.
I AM THE GUARDIAN OF THIS PLACE, the doe answered.
“But where is this?”
THIS IS A WORLD BETWEEN WORLDS. VERY FEW OF YOUR KIND EVER SEE IT.
“My kind? You mean Confessors?”
HUMANS, replied the guardian, shaking its great head and spraying water droplets everywhere. Kahlan unconsciously wiped the mist from her face as she studied the magnificent beast. It inclined its antlers in the direction of the forest. WALK WITH ME.
The deer stepped from the water and slowly made its way towards the trees. Kahlan stayed rooted in place, resisting the temptation to reach out and stroke its fur as it passed.
“What about my friend? I can’t wake him.”
LEAVE HIM. THE WIZARD ZORANDER WILL BE SAFE UNTIL WE RETURN. HE NEEDS TO REST AND REGAIN HIS STRENGTH. WE WILL NOT BE LONG.
Again the voice was kind, but the command was plain. Kahlan sensed no danger from the deer, only power, but the impression was unnerving. She wondered what this being could do to her if she failed to comply, and decided she did not want to find out. She hurried to catch up to the deer, which was disappearing into the trees. The tree trunks shone brighter as the deer passed them, their foliage illuminated. Their leaves were a rich, dark red, instead of the green of normal trees, and their bark was completely smooth, as if sanded down by a carpenter’s hand.
Kahlan placed a hand on one of the trunks. It felt warm, as if the heat came from within the tree. The wood under her hand lit up, ribbons of blue and green light spreading out across the bark. Her fingers tingled pleasantly. She would have stayed there in fascinated silence, but the guardian moved farther into the forest. She removed her hand reluctantly, following the doe.
“Please, I know I am asking a lot of questions, but why are we here? And how do you know who we are?” Kahlan asked as she came even with the deer.
ALL THOSE WHO ENTER MY REALM ARE KNOWN TO ME. THIS PLACE IS A NEXUS, AN INTERSECTION, FOR THE MAGIC THAT FLOWS AMONG MANY WORLDS. YOU ARE HERE BECAUSE YOU WERE CALLED HERE.
“Called? I don’t understand. How were we called?” Kahlan’s confusion was growing. She knew Zedd’s magic was potent, but she couldn’t imagine that the wizard had intended for them to end up in this enchanted world.
As if reading her mind the deer shook her great antlers and said, THIS WAS NOT THE WIZARD’S DOING. THE AMULET CREATED AN OPENING THROUGH WHICH I COULD BRING YOU HERE. THE AMULET WAS DESIGNED FOR ONE PURPOSE - TO BRING THE MOTHER CONFESSOR TO SAFETY. THERE ARE MANY PLACES THAT YOU WOULD BE SAFE, INCLUDING MY WORLD. BUT SAFETY IS NOT THE REASON YOU ARE HERE. I NEEDED TO WARN YOU OF A DANGER IN YOUR WORLD THAT THREATENS MUCH MORE THAN YOU. A DARK WIZARD MEDDLES WITH MAGICAL FORCES HE CANNOT COMPREHEND OR CONTROL. HE MUST BE STOPPED BEFORE HE IRREVOCABLY ALTERS THE MAGICAL BALANCE IN YOUR WORLD. IF HE IS NOT STOPPED THE EFFECTS COULD CASCADE THROUGHOUT MANY WORLDS, THREATENING THEIR VERY EXISTENCE.
“Prentax,” muttered Kahlan darkly. “Our world has faced dark wizards before. What makes Prentax so dangerous?”
HE POSSESSES THE STONES OF SURRENDER. EACH STONE ALLOWS PRENTAX TO BEND AN INDIVIDUAL TO HIS WILL.
“The dragons!” Kahlan exclaimed. “He must have used it on them. Why else would a dragon - let alone six - allow themselves to be used by men?”
PRECISELY. THERE ARE TEN STONES IN ALL. WHEN THEY ARE USED ALL AT ONCE, THE CIRCLE OF THE HANDS IS FORMED. THE CIRCLE ALLOWS THE WIZARD WHO CONTROLS THE STONES TO ABSORB THE HAN OF THE STONES’ BEARERS. PRENTAX WOULD NEED TO KEEP ONE STONE FOR HIMSELF, THE HEART STONE, TO HARNESS THE OTHERS. ALREADY PRENTAX HAS UTILIZED SIX STONES TO CAPTURE THE DRAGONS. I BELIEVE YOU AND THE WIZARD WERE TO BE HIS NEXT TARGETS. WITH YOU UNDER HIS CONTROL, HE NEED ONLY PLACE THE LAST STONE, AND HE WOULD BE ABLE TO DRAIN ALL OF YOU OF YOUR POWERS. VERY FEW WIZARDS IN ALL OF HISTORY HAVE BEEN STRONG ENOUGH TO CONTROL THE HAN OF SUCH VARIED AND IMPRESSIVE SOURCES. PRENTAX IS NOT ONE OF THEM. IF HE WERE TO TRY IT WOULD DESTROY HIM.
“How would that threaten our world, let alone others?” asked Kahlan as she avoided a root across her path. The guardian moved unconcernedly through the forest, each step graceful and sure. Kahlan felt clumsy and awkward beside the deer. The canopy closed overhead and Kahlan lost sight of the stars. She and the doe seemed to be wending their way aimlessly through the forest. The trees pressed close, forcing Kahlan to walk very near the ethereal deer. She could feel waves of energy radiating from the guardian, and once again she was awed by the presence of such ancient magic.
IF IT WERE ONLY THE HAN OF HUMANS HE WAS STEALING, IT WOULD MEAN LITTLE TO ANY WORLD BUT YOUR OWN. THE LOSS OF THE MOTHER CONFESSOR AND THE FIRST WIZARD WOULD BE TRAGIC, BUT NOT IRREPARABLE. IT IS THE TAKING OF THE HAN OF THE DRAGONS THAT WOULD CAUSE PERMANENT HARM.
Kahlan mulled this over. How could the Han of dragons be the source of such disaster? Again the doe answered before Kahlan could voice her thoughts.
MAGIC IS LIKE A RIVER, COURSING THROUGH ALL THE WORLDS, NOURISHING THEM. EVEN THE MOST POWERFUL HUMAN IS NO MORE THAN A TINY STREAM COMPARED TO THE GREAT FLOW OF MAGIC. BUT IN THE END THEY ARE STILL CREATURES OF THEIR PARTICULAR WORLD, AND THE MAGIC FLOWS ONLY ONE WAY - THROUGH THEM INTO THAT ONE WORLD. IN THIS WAY HUMANS MAY POSSESS MAGIC. DRAGONS, HOWEVER, ARE MAGIC. THEIR ENTIRE BEING IS MADE COMPLETELY OF MAGIC, AND BECAUSE OF THIS THEY EXIST IN MANY WORLDS AT THE SAME TIME. THEY ARE ONE OF THE CONDUITS THROUGH WHICH MAGIC CROSSES BACK AND FORTH FROM ONE WORLD TO ANOTHER. TAKING THE HAN OF A DRAGON WOULD DRAIN ITS MAGICAL ENERGY FROM ALL OF THE WORLDS AT ONCE, CAUSING FRACTURES IN THE FLOW OF MAGIC THROUGHOUT THE WORLDS. SOME WORLDS WOULD RECEIVE TOO LITTLE MAGIC AND THEY WOULD WITHER AND DIE. OTHER WORLDS WOULD BE FLOODED WITH MAGIC AND THE RESULTS WOULD BE EQUALLY CATASTROPHIC.
Kahlan halted mid-stride, her mind trying to wrap itself around the guardian’s words. She had been taught about facets of magic since she was a child undergoing her training as a Confessor, but she had never given much thought to the source of it. Dragons had been no more than the stuff of legend and nightmare, but now it turned out that not only her world, but many others, relied on them in ways she’d never imagined. And some blundering son of a shadrin was threatening it all by playing with forces he did not understand. An image of Cara, the Mord’Sith’s jade eyes glittering, flashed through Kahlan’s mind, and a feeling of protectiveness coursed through her.
NOW YOU UNDERSTAND, MOTHER CONFESSOR, WHY PRENTAX MUST BE STOPPED.
Kahlan squared her shoulders and pulled herself to her full height. She met the midnight eyes that seemed to see right through her. Before, she’d been focused on taking her city back from this rogue wizard - and finding her lover. Now both Aydindril and Cara were threatened by something far more dangerous, and she would not fail to protect them both.
“Tell me what I must do.”
YOU MUST KEEP PRENTAX FROM COMPLETING THE CIRCLE. IF HE CANNOT HAVE YOU AND THE WIZARD, HE WILL ENSLAVE OTHERS. DESTROY THE STONES BEFORE HE CAN DO SO.
“How?”
BY DESTROYING THE HEART STONE. ALL THE OTHERS CAN BE REMOVED FROM THEIR BEARERS, AND THEIR HOLD WITH IT, BUT ONLY THE DESTRUCTION OF THE HEART STONE WILL DESTROY THEM.
Pawing at the ground, the great beast snorted. Kahlan’s ears caught the sound of feet scrambling over leaves and she looked around. She was surprised to see that they were back at the edge of the lake. Zedd lay only a few paces away, still snoring softly. Two creatures emerged from the forest and made their way to stand at the feet of the deer. They waited, their small eyes peering up at Kahlan. A third animal swooped in from overhead and landed between the two on the ground.
I GIVE YOU THREE GIFTS TO HELP YOU IN YOUR QUEST. THE FIRST IS THE BADGER. HE IS A FIERCE FIGHTER FOR A FIERCE FOE. REMEMBER THE BADGER IS THE MOST DANGEROUS WHEN DEFENDING HIS HOME.
The first of the three creatures waddled forward. It was indeed a badger, with strong jaws, sharp claws and thick, striped fur. As Kahlan watched in amazement the creature shrank and transformed from flesh into metal. Its four legs curled and merged into two circlets, joined together by a perfect copy of the badger’s back rendered in silver. She scooped up the miniature, metallic badger and examined it.
“What do I do with it?”
YOU WILL KNOW HOW TO USE EACH GIFT WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT. FOR NOW, SIMPLY PUT IT ON.
Kahlan slid the circlets over her left hand and the badger shrank even further, wrapping snugly but comfortably around her wrist. The metal was warm, like the trees had been.
MY SECOND GIFT IS THE SWALLOW, MASTER OF THE AIR. HE WILL QUICKEN THE WIND WHEN NOTHING ELSE CAN.
The small bird fluttered toward her, landing on the toe of her boot. Its iridescent blue back feathers and ruby throat feathers glinted in the glow cast by the deer. It gave a call like drop of water landing in a water-filled basin. Then, the swallow also morphed from feather and bone into gleaming metal - a tiny blue and red pendant on a slender chain. Kahlan picked it up and placed the necklace around her neck.
FINALLY I GIVE YOU THE RABBIT. SHE IS THE BRINGER OF NEW LIFE, TO REPLACE THAT WHICH HAS BEEN LOST.
The last creature slowly hopped out from under the doe. The tiny rabbit stared at her, its small nose twitching. Unlike the others, it did not change. Kahlan waited, but the rabbit stayed a rabbit as it sniffed her boot. Kahlan bent over to touch the diminutive animal. Instead of bolting like a normal rabbit, the creature rubbed its silky, soft head and ears across the back of Kahlan’s hand. Kahlan gently lifted the rabbit in her hands and held it close to her chest. She could feel its heart beating strongly and steadily beneath her fingers as she stroked its fur. Finally, it too transformed from a living rabbit into a small vial filled with a clear, shimmering liquid. The shape of a rabbit was etched in the glass side of vial. Kahlan tucked the vial into a secret pouch sewn into the seam of her dress.
“Thank you for the gifts,” Kahlan said, her gaze returning to the guardian. “Is there nothing else you can tell me to help me prepare?”
UNFORTUNATELY PRENTAX IS A CREATURE OF YOUR WORLD AND I CANNOT EXERT MY FULL POWERS THERE. I WAS NOT ABLE TO DISCOVER MORE THAN I HAVE TOLD YOU. I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RETURN YOU TO AYDINDRIL. IT MAY STILL BE TOO DANGEROUS FOR YOU THERE YET. I WILL PLACE YOU AS CLOSE AS I DARE AND I WILL SEND GUIDES WITH YOU FOR THE REST OF YOUR WAY.
The doe lifted her head towards the sky and Kahlan followed its gaze. At first all she saw was stars, but then some of the stars seemed to be drawing closer. Soon she heard a soft humming and chirping and a grin spread across her face.
“Night Wisps!” she cried out in joy. There were nearly a dozen of the delicate, shining creatures circling above her excitedly, chattering to her and to each other. Kahlan had learned their magical language long ago, when the tiny beings were some of her only friends in all of the Midlands. Still, a dozen Night Wisps whirring all together were a challenge to comprehend. Kahlan laughed as their tinkling voices cascaded over one another.
“You will have to take turns, my friends. I can hardly understand you when you speak all at once.”
Two Night Wisps landed on her, one on each shoulder. A third hovered in front of her face, humming.
“I’ve missed you, too,” said Kahlan. “But what are you all doing here?”
It was the deer that replied. NIGHT WISPS, LIKE DRAGONS, ARE CREATURES OF MAGIC. THEY COME AND GO FROM THIS WORLD OFTEN AND FREELY. WHEN THEY LEARNED YOU WERE IN DANGER, I COULD NOT STOP THEM FROM COMING TO YOUR AID. IT IS A RARE THING FOR A HUMAN TO EARN SUCH RESPECT FROM THE NIGHT WISPS, AND IT IS PART OF THE REASON THAT I CHOSE YOU FOR THIS TASK.
At the guardian’s words, the Night Wisps swirled as if blown by a great gust, twittering loudly. Kahlan smiled at their eagerness.
IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO GO, KAHLAN AMNELL.
“And Zedd?”
HE WILL RETURN WITH YOU, AND AWAKE WHEN HE IS ONCE AGAIN IN YOUR WORLD.
“How will we get there?”
YOUR WORLD IS ALREADY COMING FOR YOU. TURN AROUND AND SEE.
Kahlan turned to look at the forest behind her. The trees farthest from her seemed to be blinking out. She had the sensation of something creeping toward her. As the darkness drew closer she could see that it wasn’t just that the trees had stopped glowing - it was if they weren’t there at all. In their place a black void spread, stretching toward her. It was as if nothing were there, where only a moment before a whole forest stood, but this nothing had form and substance and it was reaching for her. She shuddered and took a step closer to Zedd’s inert form. She thought of her lover again and she drew strength from the knowledge that, for better or for worse, she would be one step closer to Cara.
Suddenly the black rushed in around her. As it swallowed her, she could hear the guardian’s last words to her.
TRAVEL SWIFTLY, MOTHER CONFESSOR, AND MAY THE CREATOR GUIDE YOUR WAY.
Then Kahlan was falling again.
***
Belle surfaced to consciousness slowly, as if she was swimming through murky water, her limbs heavy with exhaustion. Her head ached, blunt pain radiating across her skull. She could tell she was half-reclined and felt what she thought were cushions underneath her. Groggily she opened her eyes, which seemed to be slow to focus.
“It’s good to see you are finally awake.”
The strange voice pierced her mind, and her memories flooded back in a rush. Her eyes flew open and she tried to jump up, but a restraining hand on her shoulder and the sudden splitting sensation in her head forced her back. She hissed from the pain.
“Please relax. My men were a bit rough with you. I’ve had your wounds cleaned, but without the aid of my magic there’s little I can do for your head. It will pass, but you should take it slow.”
Belle finally focused on the speaker, who was leaning over her. He was a middle-aged man with jet black hair that was graying at the temples. His face was clean shaven, his features average and nondescript. His expression would have seemed almost kindly had it not been for the two yellow eyes that bored into her own. Belle suppressed a shudder as she felt the scrutiny of their unnatural gaze.
“Who - who are you?” asked Belled shakily.
“My name is Prentax Vendat Othero, Wizard of the First Order.” The wizard bowed to her with an exaggerated flourish. Belle’s mind churned. She knew he was lying - there was only one wizard of the First Order alive, and he was most assuredly no longer in Aydindril. Questioning the truth of her captor’s words, however, seemed to be an unwise course of action. She was guarded with her response.
“What do you want with me?”
Prentax chuckled, but his strange eyes had returned to hers, giving her the impression of a cat eyeing a particularly interesting mouse. “I wish to extend a proposition.”
Belle eased herself up slowly, careful not to jar her head. She had no intention of having this man hover over her for a moment longer than necessary.
“You seem to have me at a distinct disadvantage, wizard. A proposition implies the ability to refuse, yet I am your prisoner. It seems you could do as you please, so what do you need from me?”
“Oh, Belle, prisoner is such a harsh word. I would rather you were my guest. I believe we have much to offer one another.” The wizard said in a mildly patronizing tone, as if he were mollifying a child.
The man is clearly mad, decided Belle. He’d burned down half of Aydindril, killed most of the Home Guard, driven out the Mother Confessor, and had his thugs forcibly subdue her, yet here he was talking to her as if they were discussing simple business arrangements. She considered her options. She was ungifted and his magic was useless on her, but he clearly knew that and had undoubtedly taken precautions. She could outright refuse to consider his proposal, but almost certainly she would end up dead, or at the very least rotting in a dungeon somewhere. Perhaps, though, if she played along, she could learn more about him, who he was, what his plans were. Maybe she could even escape, given the right opportunity.
“Again I ask, what is it you want of me?” she replied, hoping her tone sounded smug and self-confident. As long as the wizard pretended she had a say in what happened next, she would take advantage of the fantasy.
Prentax retreated from her side. Belle’s couch faced a solid maple desk, upon which lay neat stacks of parchments, several quills, and an ornate, silver ink well. The wizard took his place in the chair behind the desk, its wood matching that of the desk, its seat and back lined with blue cushions. Similarly colored blue tapestries, the silver insignia of Aydindril stitched into the cloth, hung from the walls on either side of a large window, through which the low light of sunset burned. Though Belle had never been in this part of the palace, she knew she must be in the private offices of the Mother Confessor. The sight of Prentax in the Mother Confessor’s chair galled Belle, but she kept her expression neutral. The wizard smiled at her blandly.
“You have particular…instruments…that I wish to obtain. As you have witnessed for yourself, I have certain ambitions for the future of the Midlands. And for D’Hara, if truth be told. Your inventions would help insure that my position remains uncontested.”
“And I suppose your men attacking me not once, but twice, was all part of that insurance?” Belle could not hide the resentment that crept into her voice. It was well enough - even a business partner would not take kindly to being ambushed.
“A simple misunderstanding, I promise you. My men lack the finer skills of negotiation. It was a mistake to send them in my place. I do hope you’ll forgive that error. I simply wanted to make sure that others did not acquire your skills before I did. Unfortunately, I see the Mother Confessor has taken advantage of your talents.” He placed two of Belle’s prototypes on the desk, along with her canister of powder and several projectiles. Clearly he or his men had searched Cara’s war room as well.
“The Mother Confessor confiscated my equipment and kept me from leaving Aydindril. She forbade me from working on my inventions. She was a fool,” Belle sneered.
Belle gambled on her place within the palace being unknown to Prentax. She hoped if she acted as the aggrieved victim of the Mother Confessor’s political machinations it might sway the wizard’s opinion of her. And it was true she had not been allowed to leave Aydindril. Hopefully he did not know that it was her fealty to the Mother Confessor that kept her content with the arrangement.
The gamble seemed to pay off as Prentax cocked his head, looking at her with mild surprise.
“Then it would be of no interest to you that we have captured the Mother Confessor’s Mord’Sith.”
“Don’t you mean the Mother Confessor’s whore?” Belle spat, trying to hide her shock behind a mask of disdain. She inwardly winced at her own vitriolic words. Her stomach twisted in knots of anxiety. Cara was alive, but for how long?
“Then you have no love for Kahlan Amnell or her Mord’Sith?” The expression of surprise grew on the wizard’s face, his eyebrows rising. Clearly he had not expected her reaction. At least her ploy seemed to be working.
“Oh, the Mother Confessor is kind enough on first blush, but a gilded cage is still a cage. And she has a blind spot for her pet’s activities. That snake would have been after me with her agiels once we were out of the Mother Confessor’s sight had their magic not been useless on me. As it was, she was enthusiastic in her attentions when she could get away with it.” Belle’s mind raced, trying to weave her fiction without faltering. She was not used to having to think on her feet like this. Her palms were sweating as profusely as they had been in battle.
“I see,” replied Prentax. “So the Mord’Sith is not as repentant as Kahlan Amnell has claimed?”
“Hardly,” snorted the blacksmith.
Prentax folded his hands before him and seemed to be considering his next words. Belle suddenly began to doubt whether he believed her pretense. Her heart jumped and thudded.
The wizard spoke after a tense moment. “Tell me, Belle, if you have no allegiance to Aydindril, why did my men find you outside the Wizard’s Keep?”
“If the city you were in were being attacked by dragons, where would you go?” She answered his question with one of her own, hoping it would suffice. “I couldn’t see that staying in the palace was the wisest course of action, so I escaped in the confusion. The Wizard’s Keep seemed like the safest place at the time. Unfortunately for me, it was locked when I got there.”
Belle held her breath and sent a silent prayer to the Creator that Prentax would not know of her fighting side by side with Cara; that he had not learned of her meeting with the Mother Confessor. If any of his men had seen her, one report was all it would take to shred her fabric of lies. However, the wizard gave a slight nod as if her answer made sense. Belle let herself exhale.
“You keep saying you need my inventions, but you already have them for yourself. What more can I do for you?” pressed Belle.
Prentax snorted and waved a hand over her prototypes. “These playthings? I need real weapons, weapons that would leave me unchallenged once I have conquered the Midlands and D’Hara. I may have taken Aydindril today, but there will be many who are still loyal to the Mother Confessor and the Lady Rahl. My magic is very strong, but I’ve always found it prudent to be…persuasive…on all fronts. You can help me achieve that. I need your expertise to produce these weapons.”
“And what do I get in return?” asked Belle. She started to understand why he was so adamant about gaining her assistance. Without magic to spell the secret of the powder out of her, all he had was two metal tubes and a few useless balls. Apparently he had decided that making a deal was quicker than torturing the information out of her. No doubt once he had the formula she would find herself on the wrong end of a headsman’s axe, but for now he needed her. Belle only hoped she could keep it that way long enough for the Mother Confessor to return.
“Rest assured, you will find loyalty to me will be rewarded accordingly,” answered Prentax vaguely.
“That’s well enough, but after our rude introduction I would like a little more than faith and platitudes to go on. I have conditions.”
“Such as?” Prentax’s eyes narrowed and his lips were pinched together in a tight line. Suddenly he seemed much less accommodating. Belle swallowed but plunged forward.
“I will make you your weapons. I can deliver fifty barrels of the powder and ten weapons four times this size in two weeks.” She paused, pointing at the prototypes. “But in return I want the best quarters in the palace, except for your own, of course. I want free access to the palace grounds and a servant of my choosing assigned to me to act as an assistant and, er, take care of my needs as they arise.”
The wizard considered her with those eerie, unreadable eyes, but his smile returned. “I think we can take care of your quarters and your…assistant. As for your access to the palace, you will retain an escort - for your own safety, of course. If you deliver what you have promised, I will consider granting you more liberties in the future.”
“I have one more condition.”
“And that would be?”
“The Mord’Sith. I want to see her. I owe her some friendly words after her warm welcome to me.”
Prentax laughed.
***
Cara tried to focus on the blacksmith’s words as the guard hit her again, snapping her head back. Pain was nothing new to her, and she let it wash through her and away. Kahlan was free. That was all that mattered. These men could do anything they wanted to her and she would not break, because the only thing she cared about was beyond their reach. She grunted as the next fist hit her in the gut, but she could not help the mirthless smile that crept over her lips. Such an amateur - he didn’t even realize that he wasn’t reaching her. She let her thoughts drift to the events earlier in the day.
The skirmish in the main hall had gone poorly. Cara and the Home Guard soldier had been prepared for the three men that had come at them from across the hall, and for a moment they had the upper hand against their attackers. However, a second squadron of invaders had flooded in from the central courtyard. She and the soldier had defended themselves fiercely, but in the end the sheer numbers of their opponents overwhelmed them. Why they had left her alive was a mystery. As they had trussed her up like livestock she had imagined that Kahlan would be furious with her for not keeping her word - almost as irate as she was with herself for being captured. The men had dragged her down to the dungeons and chained her hands behind her back, their rough treatment reopening the wound in her shoulder. For the most part they had left her alone with her thoughts. Occasionally, someone had checked on her, only to leave before she could speak.
Cara had remained standing for hours. The chains anchoring her to the wall were too short to allow her to sit, and if she stepped too far from the wall the shackles around her wrists dug into her. Her eyes had roamed the cell, looking for anything that she could use as a tool, but she was not surprised when she found nothing. It was she, after all, who had ordered a complete cleaning and renovation of the palace dungeon when she had taken on her new role as commander of the Home Guard. Though the dungeon was rarely used, Cara had wanted to make sure that its security would hold when it was needed. She almost regretted being so thorough.
Then Belle had come with a yellow-eyed man she had called Prentax, who carried with him the air of a wizard. The blacksmith had changed. She had cursed Cara from outside the bars, calling her names and hurling insults. Cara had heard all the jabs before, and much worse, but it was disconcerting to hear that kind of venom spewing from Belle. It had seemed appallingly incongruous with the blacksmith Cara had thought she’d known. Yet Cara had met the loathing as she always had - with contempt of her own. Mord’Sith were used to being hated and feared. Cara and Belle had traded vicious words. The Mord’Sith was furious - how had she and Kahlan not seen Belle for the traitor she was? The coward had slinked over to a new master as soon as the tables had turned. She had raged at the blacksmith, straining against the chains, heedless of the pain in her wrists and arms.
“Let me in there,” Belle had finally snapped.
Prentax had demurred. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“What is she going to do? She’s chained to a wall,” said Belle haughtily. “Let me in.”
“Very well.”
Belle had been let into the cell by one of Prentax’s guards. She had approached Cara with an unreadable look in her eyes. Without a word, she had back-handed Cara, and the Mord’Sith tasted the coppery flavor of her own blood on her lips. Without warning Belle had pounced on Cara, one of her burly hands wrapped around Cara’s throat. The blacksmith had squeezed Cara’s wounded shoulder with the other, gouging at the puncture with a thick thumb. Cara had winced, though she did not cry out. Belle’s lips were curled into a cruel snarl, her face inches from Cara’s. But it was Belle’s words that had shocked Cara.
In a voice so low it was barely a whisper, the blacksmith had said, “The Mother Confessor escaped. Stay strong. She will return for you.”
Before Cara could register her surprise, Belle had leaned back and spat in her face. The blacksmith had let one look of apology slide across her face and then her expression hardened again. She crushed Cara’s wounded shoulder in her grip and Cara had to grit her teeth against the pain as she involuntarily tried to twist away.
“Enough!” Prentax had commanded. “I need her alive and in one piece. You’ve had enough fun for now.”
With that Belle and the wizard had left without another word. Cara’s shoulder had throbbed from Belle’s assault, but it didn’t matter. Kahlan was alive and she was safe. Cara held onto the blacksmith’s revelation. And who could have predicted that jovial, innocent Belle would turn out to be such a supreme actor? The ache in Cara’s shoulder suggested perhaps the blacksmith was a little too good. Yet, with Belle on the outside, Cara might even have a chance to escape before Kahlan could put herself in danger attempting a rescue - which the Mother Confessor was no doubt foolishly contemplating right now.
“What in the Keeper’s name do you think you’re smiling at?” growled the guard. His words brought Cara’s attention back to the present. He had finally realized that Cara was paying his work little mind. Her gaze was fixed on a point in space somewhere beyond his shoulder. “I’ll teach you to pay attention.”
Lazily she turned her eyes to him, regarding him coldly as if he were an annoying insect that was distracting her. “What makes you think that a boy like you could teach a Mord’Sith anything about pain? One candlemark with you in these chains instead of me and you would be begging me to kill you.”
The guard’s eyes bulged with anger, the purple veins in his neck standing out against the red flush of his neck. He advanced on her. “You filthy whore. I’m going to make you hurt in ways you’ve never hurt before.”
“I doubt that,” mocked Cara. The guard raised a fist.
“That won’t be necessary,” said a voice from outside the cell door. Prentax had returned.
The guard looked stunned.
“Didn’t I tell her she was to be left untouched?” asked the wizard in a cold voice as he entered the cell.
The guard dropped to one knee, his head bowed. He face had gone from red to pale white. “Yes, my Lord. Forgive me. She bit me when I came to give her some water.”
Cara smirked.
“And a mere scratch can make you disobey my orders?” said Prentax, his tone icy. The guard balked, but the wizard waved him off impatiently. “I’ll forget this infraction, but do not fail me again. Now, go get a healer. I want her shoulder tended to before it rots.”
“Yes, my Lord!” shouted the guard as he jumped to his feet. He scurried from the cell like a dog with his tail between his legs.
Prentax approached Cara slowly, his hands clasped loosely behind his back as he studied her. Cara met his stare with a defiant gaze.
Finally he said, “So proud, you Mord’Sith. But you always need a master to serve, don’t you, or else what is your purpose? I think you’ll do well under my command.”
“I serve no one but the Lady Rahl,” stated Cara bluntly.
“The Lady Rahl is weak. She does not have the steel to rule D’Hara.”
“You would not say such a thing if you knew Kahlan Amnell. And she holds the blood bond. You do not. D’Hara will not follow you.”
Prentax gave Cara a condescending smile. “For the moment, that is true. But soon I will have her loyalty - and her power. As I will have yours.”
“You will never break me - or her,” responded Cara confidently as she leaned forward in her chains, her voice low and steady. She let the cold fury rise in her again, as she smiled back at him. “And one day soon, I’m going to watch you die.”
“What wonderful blood-lust!” exclaimed the wizard, clapping his hands together like a child receiving a favorite toy. “So dark and delicious.”
In the wizard’s hand hung a glittering gold necklace, with a pendant of blue stone. Cara eyed it suspiciously. Prentax followed her gaze. “I’ve brought you a gift. With this I have no need to break anyone. Try not to struggle. It will only make the process harder.”
“It will take more than your magic and a shiny bauble to command me, wizard!” Cara snarled, but the sight of the stone sent a shiver of doubt running through her. With her hands bound, she could do nothing to repel his magic. She knew this must be one of the Stones of Surrender that Zedd had talked about, but at the time he had little to share about what the stones actually did. He had still been researching them when Aydindril had been attacked. Defenseless against the unknown, Cara’s fury swelled in her chest.
As Prentax approached her, the stone began to glow an eerie blue. She tried to lash out with a kick, but with a swift command from the wizard’s lips she was held frozen in a wizard’s web. Conscious, yet unable to move, Cara watched in helpless frustration as Prentax placed the golden chain around her neck.
The world began to sway and blur, and Cara felt her body rocking, as if she were on a ship tossed about by the sea. Blue light expanded and clouded her vision. It became very hard to think as the sound of buzzing filled her head. She put every ounce of effort into concentrating on a picture of Kahlan in her mind. Kahlan atop a horse, the bright, late summer sun making her white dress glow. There was a shy smile on her lips and her blue eyes glittered as she looked at Cara. It was the day Kahlan had first admitted her feelings for Cara while taking one of their rides through the countryside surrounding Aydindril. Cara had been astounded at the time. Now, Cara clung to the image with all her might.
Stay strong. She will return for you.
The blacksmith’s words echoed in Cara’s head, while blue light eclipsed everything else.
Part VI