Fic: Broken Chains 16/20?
Author: chickinwhite
Pairing: Kahlan/Cara
Rating: PG 17
Word account: ~5700
Summary: This adventure starts a good time after tears. It is about old scars and new bonds,
about friends and foes, about confidence and betraying,
Disclaimer: Nothing of LotS belongs to me (such a pity!) - no business, just fan-fun
AN: jolo_65 ! Thanks so much for all your time - (and for putting up with my doubts...)
Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 part 8 part 9 part 10 part 11 part 12 part 13 part 14 part 15
It was her first evening back to freedom but Cara didn´t enjoy it. She spent it sitting moodily on a log beside a tiny fire, caught in deep thoughts, staring into the falling darkness of the woods, where she knew the fires of Rahl´s camp were in a distance. She didn´t eat, didn´t sleep. Just stared into the night.
First she had considered the possibility that she had caught a fever in the dungeons because of the numb feeling that had befallen her mind. Or that perhaps Rahl had put some kind of a spell on her. But the longer she sat, the less she could deny the true cause of her trouble.
She felt as if with every blink blue eyes were staring at her, teary blue eyes; agonized and longing. So she tried to not blink anymore until her eyes stood aflame and her body worked against her will, shutting her eyes close for the shortest instant, saving her sight.
Cara tried to focus on what Kahlan had asked her to do. She knew she had promised, had sworn to her even. But she couldn´t just stand up and leave. The nagging trepidation that tugged at her guts was too strong, too present. So she sat unmoving, waiting for the moment it would vanish and let her be the strong Mord Sith she actually was supposed to be...
She completely ignored the young Mord Sith, who sat opposite her.
Jona had finally found her around midday, after what had seemed like an eternity to the girl, filled with a steadily increasing feeling of insecurity of what to do if she would lose Cara´s track.
When she eventually reached her, after foregoing the little army of Rahl, Cara had reacted as though she was a straying dog, merely seeking some comfort in her neighborhood. The exhausted young brunette defiantly raised her chin when the blonde barked at her.
“Your job is done!” The hostility in Cara´s voice together with her cold gaze gave the air a chilling touch. “I´m out of the dungeons. You can go back to your mistress!”
Cara´s voice had brimmed with disdain, but the young brunette only stared back with stubborn green eyes, her jaw set, and shook her head slowly but resolved while she straightened, standing as tall as she could.
“I am not going back. Lord Rahl will skin me alive if I do.”
And holding a frown, lowering her gaze, she added from pouting lips: “And she is not my mistress.”
The snort Cara let out wasn´t one of amusement. She shot her a fierce glare, but, after all, she wasn´t in the mood to discuss. Neither was she in the mood to fight her. So she shrugged and turned abruptly and allowed her to stay. Simply deciding to ignore her.
They were some strange companions as they sat silently; bound by circumstances they both hadn´t asked for, meant to fight each other, but at last sitting together like some weird kind of confederates. And in the end, while brooding through the night, somehow Cara found herself feeling halfway comfortable with the quiet presence...
Well, that was before the girl decided to become talkative...
“What is wrong with you?”
The sudden sound of the young girl´s disbelieving voice ripped the blonde out of her pondering.
Cara´s questioning scowl would have made others duck and try to melt into the ground, but Jona didn´t even seem to acknowledge it, continuing with an expression of bewilderment.
“You know that you risked everything? ... only to free a horse!
First you wouldn´t leave the side of a... Confessor! The living nightmare to every Mord Sith... and then, barely escaped his grip, you walk openly through the lines of Lord Rahl´s men, as if asking for their arrows. Just... to free a horse?!” The brunette put all her anxiety and frustration into her words, a slight accusation swinging in her tone.
The blonde shifted her gaze briefly to where Shadow and Black snoozed peacefully. Through the dark green of her eyes washed an undefined shimmer as a tiny crooked smile swept over her face.
“He´s not just a horse. He is... a friend.” She could almost hear Kahlan speaking as she answered the question. Then, adding with a short growl: “And a Mord Sith wouldn´t leave a friend behind in the claws of their enemy...”
Looking back at the younger one, she found her eyes settled on her in thoughtful discomposure. A few heartbeats long their gazes kept locked, Cara´s shooting a challenging beam from under her lashes, Jona staring with pensively furrowed brows.
Finally Cara huffed annoyed and lifted her hands. “What?”
Jona looked to the ground, obviously hesitating, but then shrugged and murmured:
“You... left HER behind...”
The silence that followed her words quickly became a heavy weight on her shoulders. Suddenly nervous, she slightly ducked her head before letting her eyes cautiously search Cara´s again.
The blonde Mord Sith sat upright, her tense back as straight as if forged of iron, her narrowed eyes flashing furiously, small muscles jumping in her cheeks, her full lips pressed into a thin line. Her hands had clenched around her agiels; Jona saw her knuckles shining white and slowly seemed to shrink before Cara´s eyes, like a browbeaten child, waiting for the threatening fist to come down on its face, only that it wasn´t terror Cara saw in her eyes, but resigned acceptance...
Though her anger burnt hotly under her skin the blonde paused and frowned; slight confusion replacing the fury on her features. Her forehead crinkled while she watched Jona ducking deeper, her head dropping down in acquiescent expectation.
Finally Cara stood, glancing down on the younger for a few more heartbeats with a scowl and finally snarled.
“I´m taking first watch. You should get some rest.” And with that she turned and headed for the woods, faintly shaking her head.
It was only a few hours later when Cara shook Jona awake. The young Mord Sith came to her feet in a blink, immediately alarmed and ready to fall into action, as she had been trained for. Cara raised a brow.
“We´re leaving.”
Jona frowned but didn´t ask the question that lay on her tongue. Instead she nodded wordlessly and grabbed the few things she had to pack, following Cara into the woods.
Their way led them away from the camp, back into Comorra´s direction...
**********
It had been a long and exciting day for the both of them, and the old wizard felt a little ashamed that Verna had insisted she take watch. But, she was a Sister of the Light. And that meant that she was not only a very powerful but an equally stubborn woman. Besides, he had to acknowledge that his bony figure ached all over. So he had lain down and soon his snorting was the only sound for Verna to be heard.
Though the soft footsteps went by unnoticed, her Han shot an electrifying wave through her veins long before the strangers appeared and warned her; she kicked Zedd briefly and had her Dacra already in her hand when the shadows emerged from the woods, pointing at the two figures, that stepped closer, one after the other.
“Stay back!”
Her shout alarmed Zedd, who had barely time to come to his feet, once more cursinig the burden of his age. Trying to look most daunting he lifted his hands into the night sky and repeated Verna´s words, adding a thundering throaty growl.
“STAY BACK!”
“Or what, wizard? You´ll let rain fall down from the sky? I´m already frightened to the bones...”
Cara stepped into the little light of their fire, wearing a smug grin, which quickly turned into a frown as she watched Zedd´s face brighten up and seemingly preparing to jump on her and pull her to his small and bony chest.
“Cara! Thanks the Spirits! You are alive!”
Verna stood rooted to the spot, her Dacra still pointing to the second shadow.
“Lay your weapon down, Verna. Cara and Kahlan are here!” Zedd beamed with joy and winked into the night, clearly expecting Kahlan following Cara out of the woods. His features froze when another Mord Sith appeared instead of the Mother Confessor. Young eyes looking him over warily, her expressionless face not betraying her thoughts. Keeping a distance, while Cara settled on a log beside the resting embers.
“Kahlan is not with us.” Her eyes settled on the glow, a hard line drawn around her lips.
Zedd frowned confused, shaking his head.
“But...”
“No buts, wizard!” She scowled at him. “She´s not here!”
Zedd acknowledged the frustration in her voice with trepidation and sighed. He winked Verna to sit with them, briefly turning to the young Mord Sith who stood straight behind Cara, but then changed his mind. -The blonde would demand her to the fire if she thought it necessary...
“Now, where is she, Cara? What happened?” his voice trembled as he couldn´t hide his solicitude. He almost dared not asking, fearing the worst.
The blonde gritted her teeth, briefly thinking of the darkness in a cave and a thunderstorm outside, her fingers dancing unconsciously over her own thigh as if playing with strands of raven hair. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, focusing on their arrival at Comorra...
Zedd and Verna listened closely, as did the young Mord Sith behind them. Jona had her head tilted and a look of wonder washed over her features every now and then. The way the blonde changed her voice whenever she mentioned the Mother Confessor, the deep emotions that lay hidden and came swirling beneath her words, the way her fists clenched until her knuckles almost beamed in the darkness... This wasn´t a Mord Sith who was giving report... Jona didn´t notice, but Zedd raised a brow when he saw a faint smile settling on her stern face.
It took Cara just half a candle mark to inform them and neither Zedd nor Verna interrupted her talking. Though, both their faces contorted in terror when they heard of Dennee´s confessed men and how Rahl had murdered Captain Rikes. When Cara came to the point where Nicci had confessed Kahlan, Zedd seemed close to a heart attack while Verna buried her face in her palms, squelching a low, barely suppressed sob - and then their eyes widened in shock as they heard it had been a fake...
“...Well, when I smelled roasting meat I went to see who is so careless with Rahl´s little army ahead and his alliances in his back...” She shot Zedd an accusatory glance. “So, here we are.” Cara came to the end of her telling.
Verna smiled at her apologetically. “It´s my fault. I thought Rahl´s camp is far away enough to take the risk for a small meal.”
Cara scowled at her.
“And what if King Sadom sent men after him, to underline the alliance with Comorra?”
Verna shot Zedd a brief side-glance, then turned to Cara and the Mord Sith saw tiny wrinkles around her sapient eyes twitch as she grinned mischievously.
“Well, let´s say - I do not expect King Sadom to be a threat anymore...”
*********
Zedd and Verna had kept hidden in Comorra as simple merchandisers until Rahl´s troop had departed. They had watched them vanishing after the great agitation that Cara´s flight had caused. While Verna had been on the edge, eager to follow them at once, Zedd had slowed them down, gathering a few supplies before leaving the town. He thought they didn´t need to hurry, wanting to follow them in a distance.
Right when they finally headed to the stables to fetch their horses, the sudden sound of the King´s herald´s trumpets startled them, announcing the King himself to meet his people in the big square in front of his palace. That nervous tension that had lain over the town ever since they had arrived had suddenly grown into the agitated silence of the quiet before the storm. The townsfolk were confused of what was happening and quickly ran together.
Verna had tugged Zedd into the crowd, curiously waiting for the King´s appearance.
And then he had stepped out of the Palace. The sad figure of a little, fat man; flexed shoulders; teary eyes. Only straightening when he finally stood on the huge platform in the midst of the place. His gaze travelled slowly over the crowd, though he didn´t seem to acknowledge even one of them. Then he nodded absently, whispering as if to his own ears only and turned and winked to the Palace´s entry, from where a brawny man in dark leather wearing the mask of the deathsman approached, leading two younger men in chains.
Expectation and tautness wrapped the crowd into deadly silence as people came to recognize the young men´s faces. Zedd saw lips pressing into thin lines; saw women shaking their heads in disbelieve, wide eyes filling with tears. His hands clenched into fists, trying to strain the anger that built up in his stomach while he waited for the King´s speech.
And then his voice, surprisingly clear and strong, sounding somehow sanguinely even, demanded their attention.
“People of Comorra! Praise the Creator! Today is a historical day. It is the day when Comorra will come to peace again. Peace with our allies. Our true alliances.”
A low acquiescent murmur swept through the crowd.
“We have had guests during the last weeks. And you did well to grant them hospitality as it is known for our People for as long as we can think back. Only this time... it has been wrong! All of you, my children, you have been deceived!”
Another murmur. This time sounds of doubts and questions clearly swaying along with it.
“Lord Rahl has betrayed you! And I, your own King! I, who should care for all of you, more than I should care for my own good, I have betrayed you!”
Zedd and Verna shared a surprised look, Zedd lifted his shoulders in a helpless gesture at her questioning eyes. They turned again and watched King Sadom bowing in devotion before his people.
“...I am deeply ashamed of what I did.
You may ask what betrayal I´ve done. I am standing right here to answer these questions of yours:
All that you were told about the Mother Confessor being a traitor, about her insane alliances with viperish Mord Sith;
That they steal girls all over the Midlands to build up a new army of Mord Sith who should stay at her side when she will come to occupy your land;
The lies that she only lusts after your land, that she intends to enslave you and reduce you to servants to her envy-corroded mind;
It... has All! Been! Just that:
A LIE!”
The crowd surged closer to the podium like a swarm of humming bees, agitated shouts of disbelieve echoing from their midst.
The King stood unwaveringly, his eyes now beaming with the passion of someone who finally reached his goal after a long struggle. He raised his hands and waited for the silence to settle again, then turned and waved towards the young men standing in chains behind him, their faces hard.
“Look at my nephews! I have sentenced them to death for the betrayal of denying my wishes, for standing up for their beliefs. I have selfishly wanted to murder them, for no other reason than that they are so much wiser then I am.
They have looked beyond Lord Rahl´s mask; they have seen that we were all following the evil! While I was blinded by my thirst of revenge! I even covered up for Rahl. He was the one who has kidnapped so many of our girls, innocent children of Comorra and the Midlands. He scared them to death; he murdered their family, only to throw out a nightmarish lie about the Mother Confessor...”
Tears had started spilling from his eyes and the crowd watched in shock how their King turned into a sobbing picture of misery. He needed a moment to brace himself. But finally he continued with a deep breath.
“I can see now, that I am no longer worthy to be your King. And the Creator knows, I might have never been worthy the honor before....
I have sent a small troop of men to free the girls I allowed Lord Rahl to keep them hidden in an old castle nearby. They will need your help. I beg you to take care that they are nursed and nourished, before they return to their homes.
This... will be my last deed as your King... before my nephews will take my place and lead you into a new age of peace with the Midlands and sincere and honest faithfulness to the Mother Confessor; the one in white who was always ready to fight for us and will never cease to do so:
I, King Sadom of Comorra, plead guilty for high treason, on the people of Comorra, on all of the Midlands and on the Mother Confessor. For that I am sentenced to death. The judgment will be enforced here and now.”
He turned and winked to the deaths man.
“Do your job, my friend.”
And thus he kneeled and put his head on the blog while his last tears dried. A faint smile settled on his lips as he waited for his execution. No one heard his whisper.
“I hope I´ve pleased you, Mistress.” His eyes dropped close...
*********
“... Well, when we left Comorra the town was still somehow paralyzed. I think they will need a few days to come back to any semblance of normality. The close colluders have been arrested. King Sadom’s nephews are busy rebuilding some normality.” Zedd grinned proudly, as if it had been his own triumph that Comorra was safe again.
“We had a short meeting with them and could convince them that they´ll send a troop as soon as possible to support us against Rahl. But it will need a few days to ensure that the renegades will all be under arrest.”
And Verna smiled relieved, adding with a soft voice:
“Right now they are preparing the return of the girls. I´ve heard there are almost eighty scared children to be tended to...”
Cara inhaled deeply, her gaze settling on a point in the darkness, where the camp of Rahl would lay in sleepy silence in a distance. A crooked smile appeared on her face and Zedd saw the proud shimmer in her eyes.
“Looks like Kahlan managed to confess him... And that means that she´s teaming up with Nicci.” She turned to throw a brief thoughtful look at Jona, who still stood silently behind them. Her eyes shimmering as well with a tiny spark of pride, like faint mirrors to Cara´s.
“Dennee!” The wizard suddenly huffed and hit the log he sat on. Agitated he stood and started pacing. “- I can´t believe that she went this far! I knew she had been jealous ever since we had reached Aydindril. And everybody could see her waggling her hips in front of Richard!” He shook his own hips to underline his words. Verna raised a brow. “ Everyone except Kahlan of course...”
“You know Kahlan had been occupied by her own demons...” Cara snapped sharply, scowling at him. Zedd ignored her.
“She has always made allowances for her little sister... Damned, that girl has returned from the underworld! She should have known that this place changes souls...! We all should have known!”
He stalled his steps and eyed her with scrutiny. “Kahlan is right. We need to gather alliances if we want to stop Rahl ... you have to go to Aydindril, Cara! Immediately. Verna and I, we will stay close to the troop. I can cast a spell that will send an alarm if anything happens... ”
Cara had jumped to her feet, stepping close to Zedd, her gaze searing furiously into his eyes, her voice a pressed snarl.
“I. Will not. Leave her. Behind!” She turned and glared at the both of them, making her point. Zedd stared back and moments passed in challenging silence. Until a low small voice was heard from behind, where Jona stood, forgotten by them:
“But...you have sworn to her.”
Again the young Mord Sith ducked under Cara´s furious glare, but she shrugged all the same, a faint apologize for reminding her to what the blonde so doggedly tried to ignore...
**********
Kahlan trembled.
Her skin burnt. Passion washing over her, a sigh stumbling over her lips while she held her eyes closed, savoring that unique, pure sensation of that beautiful face dropping down to her cleavage. Waves of pleasure and bliss swirling together with longing in perfect harmony through her entire body. A deep moan escaped her throat, her body shifted in an attempt to get even closer...
The world outside had long lost any meaning. Her reality had gone, reduced to that overwhelming sensation of being touched, of enjoying warm soft skin brushing against her own; of basking in love and desire. She could feel her, breathing against her breasts; felt her teeth sliding sharply along the soft mounds until they found the hardened peak and cautiously scratched over it, before her swollen lips sucked it in and started their arousing wet play of licking and sucking. An explosion of slippery heat that made her whimper and squirm; trying to arch even deeper into these devouring lips. She heard her own low soft growl and suddenly gasped as she felt a knowing hand being pressed between her thighs, resting firmly and almost motionless on her sex.
Her eyes shot open to beam at her lover. Kahlan bit her lower lip, a pleasant shiver ran down her back at the sight of Cara: face heated, lips still wrapped around her nipple as she slowly bit down on it, playfully, a light smirk grazing her features, while the blonde´s eyes never left hers, brimming with an incredible lust and a fever that seemed wrapping Kahlan into goose-bumps. She ached for more, clutched her hands desperately on Cara´s back, pulling her closer and narrowed her eyes, inhaling the sight of the Mord Sith´s overwhelming arousal which she found clearly written all over her face as she bucked her hips fiercely against her touch, against her red leathered waist, trying to get more friction, rubbing the gloved hand through her slickened folds.
Spirits, how she had missed her!
Kahlan briefly closed her eyes, releasing a moan of pure fervor while her hips rolled against her Mord Sith, who managed a brief chuckle between heavy breaths. Brushing one finger slowly, teasingly over the brunette´s dripping entrance, pulling it back again, then dragging it teasingly along her sex, all while watching in awe Kahlan´s face revealing her pleasure, allowing her passion to take control.
“You like it, Confessor?” the rough, feverish whisper rolled along with the rhythm of her motions, kissing her ears with its husky voice.
All Kahlan could do was just look at her with parted lips, her hips never ceasing of rolling in lazy harmony with Cara´s touch, panting, drowning in her brilliant jade-green eyes as though they were the long missed fountain in the desert of her life.
Finding the breath for an answer was a labored thing.
“You know... that... I do, Cara.”
Cara´s jade eyes took the shade of storm-lashed sea hit by a rare sunbeam, as they were glued to her lips, her own mouth mirroring Kahlan´s twitching and when the brunette buried her teeth in her lower lip with a whimper, Cara couldn´t hold back. Two fingers entering Kahlan passionately she crushed her lips onto hers, her tongue eagerly conquering the sweet depth of her mouth, pushing fiercely, matching the rhythm of her now feverishly working hand, sharing breath and sweat and precious wetness with her Confessor and Kahlan arched against her, feeling her insides melting around Cara, her muscles clenching while satelessly greeting her every thrust with the fierce bucking of her hips... -“Cara...”
But then...
It was a shock when she felt the sudden loss of Cara´s weight. Her eyes snapped open. For an instant Kahlan struggled heavily to stop her panting at the confusing sight.
In a blink lust turned into fear.
Heated passion gave place to the cold grip of panic that clenched around her heart:
The blonde stood, trembling, staring at her with unfamiliar trepidation contorting her face. Her wide eyes pinned Kahlan to the tree she suddenly found herself leaning against. She wanted to raise her hands, wanted to reach out for Cara, to stroke her cheeks, but her hands didn´t obey her and she jerked at the ropes that held her back, feeling panic rising in her chest, freezing her guts. Her mouth opened to shout out but her voice kept bound in her throat, nothing came out. All of a sudden she felt wetness on her face and faintly realized that tears were streaming from her eyes, despair overwhelming her.
As if from afar she saw other Mord Sith taking Cara in their midst and then had to watch helplessly the horror of Cara, who shook her head; slowly at first, defiantly; then fiercely, uncontrollably; tugging desperately at invisible hands around her throat, while her eyes first widened, staring at Kahlan with heartbreaking intensity, as if wordlessly pleading for her help; then, at last, lost their life, while dead black flooded them.
Through her bewildered sobs Kahlan heard the other Mord Sith laugh an eerie laughter. The shriek, hollow sounds making the air shudder around her, and when they turned to stare at her triumphantly... she saw all of their eyes had gone black...
Her terrified scream echoed harrowingly, sounding even to her own ears like an otherworldly howl.
“No!! Noooo!!!”
When Kahlan felt strong hands suddenly gripping her shoulders she fought them tooth and nail. Suddenly her hand came free and she shot it up without a thought and wrapped it around a throat, furiously willing her power to crash into her foe.
A soft slap landed on her cheek; she faintly heard a familiar voice whispering exigently with stifled force straight into her ears. A gloved hand pressed on her mouth, fiercely squelching her screams.
“Kahlan! Wake up Kahlan! It´s me! Cara! Look at me. I´m here. It´s okay, I´M HERE...”
Kahlan struggled to open her eyes and tried to focus while sobs still shook her tense body. Her chest heaved with her panting, chilling sweat covered her breasts, and tears turned her view into a blurred vision of a dark grey shadow that held her down.
Only slowly her muscles relaxed slightly, her brows furrowed, disbelieve crawling over her features as she eventually identified the shadow as the dirt covered face of Cara, staring at her with a deeply concerned frown. The intense glow of her green gaze seemingly her strong bridge to reality.
“Cara?”
In the next moment she sat upright, her arms wrapped tightly around her Mord Sith who gently stroke her hair and murmured soothing noises, giving her the time she needed to calm down. But finally Cara pushed her back and looked at the brunette with furrowed brows.
“You´re ok?”
Kahlan took another deep breath and nodded slowly. “It´s just... I had a bad dream...”
Then, realizing where she was and that Cara shouldn´t be here at all, she frowned deeply, staring at the blonde with confusion.
“But what are you doing here Cara? And how did you even get in?” She automatically whispered, though her whisper was an agitated sound. The blonde smirked and pointed to a dark corner of the tent, where the tight material had been unremarkably loosened from the ground.
“I know D´Haran camp building usually isn´t very perfectly done; they do not fear intruders...”
“But... the guards... Cara you are insane risking to...” The blonde´s lips on hers stopped her speech and quickly Kahlan gave in, knowing reproaches made no sense. Besides... having Cara right here right now, feeling her lips on her own was the best thing she could imagine...
Their kiss grew passionate, tongues and hands underlining what they wanted to say but hadn´t the words for. Until Kahlan pulled back breathlessly. Biting her lower lip her eyes hasted over the beloved features of Cara, trying to not miss the slightest twitch of her eyes or lips; at last brilliant blue locked with jade green and her hands lowered reluctantly. She tilted her head questioningly.
“So...?”
Cara pouted briefly, but then went serious.
“I know I´m supposed to be on the way to Aydindril. And I will go there! But only with you! I´ve come to take you out of here!” Seeing the NO already forming on Kahlan´s lips she gripped her arms and rushed on.
“We´ve found Zedd and Verna. They have told me that Comorra is freed and the King executed. If Rahl hears about that he will instantly comprehend what that means! You are not safe, Kahlan...
We can flee from here and go to Aydindril together. Richard and the homeguards will help us to set things right there...”
Her eyes were begging for her to agree. Kahlan sighed, her hand reached up to cup Cara´s cheek.
“I wish I could, Cara. But you forget the RadaHan. And that we will need Nicci´s help...”
“But... you confessed the King while wearing the RadaHan!”
“I didn´t. Nicci had freed me for the confession. But she had to put it back, so that Rahl wouldn´t get suspicious. She is the only one who can take that thing off without the key...”
Cara stood abruptly and paced. Her features grew dark even under the dirt that covered her face, visibly flaring up.
“Then I´ll get the key!”
“NO!” Kahlan almost yelled. “Rahl has it and he will kill you if you get close enough to touch him!”
“And where is that Nicci now? How is it even that she walks around without her pet nearby?”
Kahlan swallowed and set her jaw. Worry was painted across her face as she answered lowly.
“Rahl has called her to his tent in the evening. I... I´m afraid that right now she´s paying the price for your escape...”
Cara stopped pacing, a deep frown settled on her face.
“You´re not telling me that you feel sorry for her?”
“She knew that would happen. And still she helped us.”
“It was part of your pact!” Cara whispered enraged. “She did this only because she wants something from you! Namely that you risk your life to kill Rahl!”
“So, she fulfilled her part while I have not yet.”
The Confessor watched the blonde´s shoulders sag. Her hesitating green glance tugged at her heart, but she had no choice. She reached her arms out to pull the blonde close to her. When Cara gave in and sank to her body, her lips kissed her cheek tenderly, before she pleaded softly into her ears.
“I can´t come with you! Trust me. I have nothing to fear on the way. Rahl wants to present me as his wife, his personal triumph to the council. And Nicci saw to it that he will not touch me until then...” She looked deep into Cara´s eyes, willing her to trust her.
“We can´t win this fight if we are not playing their games. Only then I will have a chance to hear the truth of Dennee, to find out what is going on in her mind. Please, Cara, go to Aydindril. See that our allies know that we are still fighting for the Midlands, no matter what rumors they may have heard... Be my eyes and my ears in the Palace! And if necessary be my hand. Do whatever you think has to be done! The only thing... “Kahlan´s gaze went searing...
”Stay away from Dennee! Not for her sake but for yours! She will not hesitate to confess you. You must! Stay! away from her! No matter what happens!”
Cara eyed her wordlessly for some long stretching heartbeats, and then brought her hand up to pull the glove from it with her teeth and reached out to touch Kahlan´s face. Slowly drawing the lines of her jaw, her lips, the bridge of her nose; her gaze followed the track until she curled her fingers in her raven hair, savoring the feeling of them gliding through their soft and heavy luxuriance.
When she locked eyes with Kahlan again her face was stern as was her low voice.
“Zedd said you wouldn´t come with me. But I had to try...
I´ll do as you ask, Kahlan. I and Nicci´s little friend Jona, we are going to Aydindril. Zedd and Verna will stay behind and accompany you at a distance.” She reached into one of the secret pockets in her leather.
“Zedd gave this to me. He has put a spell on it.” In her open palm lay two little flat polished stones in the shade of onyx. “They are connected to each other. If you rub it, it will start glowing, and so will its counterpart. If you are in danger it will burn in my pocket and I´ll come for you, no matter what stands in my way.” Her eyes beamed at Kahlan for a few heartbeats before she shrugged a little mischievously.
“You shouldn´t use it for a jest, so. The wizard has the third one...”
Kahlan laughed. A little, but nonetheless wonderful bright laugh and the soft padded part of Cara´s heart cheered at the sweetness of its sound.
They spent the rest of the time talking about secret ways in the Confessor´s Palace, people Cara should search for, signs that would identify her as a trusted friend to the Mother Confessor.
Cara left just before sunrise, not before kissing Kahlan passionately once more, holding her tight, almost desperately, and then turning abruptly and rushing out; vanishing in the twilight like any shadow among shadows.
Kahlan sat still, her eyes shut tightly, holding back the tears she refused to let fall. Vehemently telling herself that this wasn´t a good-bye, but a promise. A promise that they would meet again. That she would come back to her soon.
When she opened her hand to stare at the warm stone in her palm she couldn´t help at least one lonely tear falling, smiling as she saw the onyx already beaming in a light orange shimmer...
t.b.c.
on to part 17...