Legend of the Mord'Sith: Deception - Chapter 7

[erinlier004]

Pairing: Cara/Kahlan
Rating: M
Word Count: 7720
Author: Mistresserin
Beta: Flynoni - I bow to thee!

Author’s Note: See chapter one for disclaimers. Well, I’m afraid it will only get worse for Cara before it gets better, but it will get better. Sorry for the delay, but I’m suffering from this thing called extreme lack of time and it won’t get better until next week - hopefully… Good news is I have a BETA! YAY! I’ll start replacing the first six chapters as soon as I can. Don’t worry, no major changes.

Warnings: Rated M - Depictions of violence and sexual content - Kinda…

Chapter Seven

“Kahlan.” Zedd called out soothingly, his hand rising in defense, ready to deflect her power if it should come to that. 
“Dear one, take a deep breath and please calm down.”
“Calm down…” she repeated in a hiss, her blue eyes rapidly swirling with the dark power of the Con Dar. 
“He hurt her.” She snarled, eyes fixed on Richard.
Zedd swallowed, his eyes darting to the still astonished Seeker. 
“I’m sure he didn’t mean to.”
Kahlan barked out a haughty laugh and carefully let go of Cara, slowly rising to her full height. The skin around her eyes became the color of blood. The dark swirling receded slightly, only to  spread outwards from her  irises in a dark, reddish  form, turning her eyes cold,  deadly and full of hatred. Her face contorted into a permanent sneer, head slightly tilted to the side - target defined.
“Richard…” Zedd called out softly, his eyes trained on the now fully enraged Mother Confessor. This was no longer Kahlan Amnell, the sweet, compassionate young woman from Aydindril. This was the Mother Confessor, the rightful ruler of the Midlands, who was now completely lost in the throes of her rage and thirst for vengeance. 
“Go into the woods. I’ll try to hold her off until she calms down.” He knew that now, only Cara had the power to bring back Kahlan and until she was awake, Kahlan would not rest until she had Richard’s blood on her hands. Bags!
Richard seemed to finally snap out of his shock at seeing Kahlan go into the Con Dar because of Cara. A low, arrogant chuckle escaped his lips.
“She can’t confess me, Zedd, remember?” his voice sounded obnoxiously gloating and Zedd dared take his eyes away from Kahlan to give him a stern look.
 “And I’m not afraid of her.”
“Have you forgotten that a Confessor in Con Dar is much stronger and faster than usual? Have you forgotten that this is no ordinary Confessor?” Zedd snapped, watching as Kahlan strolled casually to Richard. 
“You’re only immune to confession while your love for her is true and unconditional, and I sincerely doubt it remains so right now!”
Richard crossed his arms across his chest and stood straight, his legs apart. The expression on his face was one of cool arrogance, daring her to make a move. 
“I don’t need to love her unconditionally. I’m a Rahl; the bond protects me.”
Kahlan’s hand rose with menacing quickness; and Zedd released a protective, circular barrier just as quick, trying to contain the magic around her. The power of confession slammed violently into it, reverting back to whip the hair out of the Mother Confessor’s face, making her look fierce and deadly.
“I’m not sure about that, Richard! Darken had to make a potion to protect himself, remember? Now, do as I say and go into the woods! I’ll try to get Cara to wake up and stop her.”
“Darken was paranoid. The bond protects me, I’m sure of it!” Richard kept staring at the Confessor, who was now standing just a few feet away from him, her eyes narrowed, lips set in a thin line. 
“She can’t hurt me.”
“Richard!”
Before any of them could even blink, Kahlan made her move, her movements precise, deadly and too swift to register. When Richard’s mind finally acknowledged the danger, Kahlan was already upon him, her fist closed in a tight ball, connecting with his jaw with stunning force.
His head snapped back, blood splattering from his mouth; his feet slightly lifting from the ground, as he fell to the ground with a heavy thud. But he recovered quickly and scrambled to his side; trying to get back on his feet. 
The enraged Mother Confessor, however, was much faster and he was savagely thrown to the ground again with a violent kick that cracked his ribs.
“Stay down, Richard!”
Zedd’s booming voice barely registered through the cloud of pain in his brain; the throbbing from his ribs viciously taking over every one of his senses.
His hair was grabbed from the top; his head yanked back before he could even try to defend himself; his hands too slow to remove themselves from cradling his injured ribs.
A knee connected with his jaw, the white searing pain that followed almost knocking him out. A booted foot kicked him in the chest and he fell to the ground backwards. Fuzzily opening his eyes, he realized the crazy woman was now straddling him, her hands balling into fists, her arms pulling back for momentum. He only had time to raise his arms in self-defense as the fists, hard as steel, started pummeling down on him.
The rage started building inside him until it finally took charge of the numbness and cut through the pain. He was Richard Rahl, Lord of D’Hara and the Seeker of Truth. He was not going to be beaten down to a pulp by a woman - his woman!
Letting the rage course through his veins, he let out an angry growl and pushed her off him with all his strength. Kahlan fell to her side, but quickly recovered and rolled out of his reach. Richard pushed himself up with a pained grunt, a look of utter concentration on his bloodied face. He raised hateful eyes to his tormentor, just as a slender hand wrapped around his neck in a vice grip.
Zedd rushed to Cara’s side, desperately trying to get her to wake and stop this madness! 
“C’mon, child, wake up!” he patted her unresponsive face and looked over his shoulder in time to see Kahlan extend her arm, hand spread open, and release her power.
“Kahlan, no!” Zedd screamed, horrified, his hand casting a protective barrier around himself and Cara to protect them from the circular effect of the Con Dar power.
The air around them shifted violently as the brutal power of the Con Dar released, dirt erupting from the ground in a thin wall of dust. It hit Richard full force, effectively knocking him to the dirt ground with a heavy thud.
“Richard!” Zedd screamed, his eyes wide with horror.
Richard’s eyes widened in surprise and shock as the power of confession slammed against him and wrapped around his soul, nearly taking his breath away; but instead of utter devotion, hateful spite rushed in burning like fire through his veins. Kahlan, expecting him to be confessed, had paused in satisfaction; and he took full advantage of her momentary confusion to punch her hard in the belly. Kahlan doubled over, a grunt of pain escaping her lips.
Fueled by anger, Richard jumped to his feet and kicked out, but the Confessor sneered at him and evaded his kick faster than he had ever seen anyone move. Rising to her full height, Kahlan planted her feet firmly on the ground, hitched herself on her right foot and delivered a full roundhouse kick to his head with her left leg. Richard twirled and fell to the ground, barely conscious.
Kahlan’s black and red eyes caught sight of Cara’s discarded agiel, her head tilting slightly to the side in curious contemplation; she didn’t need confession to finish him off that would do just fine. Kahlan picked up the dark red rod, her eyes narrowing at the pain shooting up her arm before she quickly dismissed it. She was the Mother Confessor; she could handle anything.
Richard’s breathing was hard and ragged, his mind numb, his body hurting like he’d just been trampled over by a horse. Forcing his pain to recede to the back of his mind, he planted both hands in the dirt and pushed himself up. The excruciating pain in his side, however, forced him down with a scream of pain.
Kahlan’s sneer widened, pleased by the sound. Her arm moved again, ready to strike once more and hear more of that delicious sound. He had hurt her and he was going to pay.
“Kahlan…”
The rough, pained filled voice invaded her senses and wrapped tightly around her mind; her hand stopped, inches from his unprotected back. Kahlan cocked her head to the side, waiting for the sound again.
“Let him go…” a wet cough followed the words and Kahlan slowly turned around to see her, awkwardly wrapped in the wizard’s bony arms. “Please.”
Her. “Cara…” The agiel dropped from her suddenly nerveless fingers as she made her way to the sound of that captivating voice. She kneeled by her side and gave her a small smile, as the black and red finally receded from her eyes to reveal tired blue eyes.
Richard grunted, painfully moving to his feet, his face set in an angry mask. Blood slowly trickled down from his nose and mouth, his eyes puffy and bruising quickly.
“Richard, get out of here.” Zedd ordered, frowning as Kahlan nearly collapsed on top of Cara. Now that the destructive energy of the Con Dar was back where it belonged, Kahlan was left exhausted and breathless.
But Richard remained where he was, his hateful eyes fixed on the two women practically lying in his grandfather’s frail arms. Kahlan’s head rested on Cara’s chest, breathing hard. Cara’s arm was securely wrapped around her back, her focus solely on the dark head resting against her chest - it was as if nothing else existed.
“Go, Richard!”
Breathing hard, Richard stumbled into the woods and Zedd finally let out a breath of relief. With Richard out of the way, he could now concentrate on his two charges and try to figure out what happened to cause Kahlan to go in to Con Dar.

##

Between the two of them, they managed to take Cara back to her bedroll, the Mord’Sith almost passing out from the pain. Zedd pushed the soaked tunic up and surveyed the damage done to her side.
“They’re broken…” Cara said teeth gritted, painfully aware of every single throb in her side. How she craved the comfort of her agiels! A warm hand slipped into hers fingers entwining, and squeezed gently, and she completely forgot about her pain and the craving for her agiel. Her numb mind purposely disregarded the complication of figuring out why this brought her more comfort than the pain of the agiel.
“I can see that.” Kahlan softly replied.
An angry hiss made Zedd look up to see Kahlan’s horrified eyes fixed on Cara’s once again dark purple bruise. “How did this happen?”
Kahlan shook her head. “We’ll talk later, Zedd. She needs healing now; she’s in a lot of pain.” Her free hand moved to touch Cara’s forehead and brush away a few errant locks of blonde hair from the sweaty brow. Cara glared stubbornly at her and she ignored it, neither noticing the wizard's eyes trained in rapt attention on them.
Cara grabbed the hand touching her forehead and eyed it carefully: the knuckles were scrapped and bloodied, the palm slowly bruising from holding the agiel. Cara’s hand was probably bruised too, for not wearing her gloves when she threatened Richard; her Lord Rahl.
“Her first.”
“Cara…” Kahlan tried to pull her hand away, but Cara held it firmly.
“Do it, wizard.” Cara glared at him.
Zedd hid a smile and spread his magic over Kahlan’s hand.
“Now you can go to Lord Rahl.”
It was Zedd’s turn to glare. “After I heal you, I will.” 
Cara opened her mouth to protest, but Kahlan’s angry stare stopped her. “Hurry then.”
A few candlemarks later, Cara was asleep, her broken ribs once again only half-healed. Zedd shook his head in disbelief at Kahlan’s version of the night’s events, unwilling to believe his grandson would do something so despicable, even if under a spell.
“Zedd…” Kahlan sighed and rubbed her bleary blue eyes; she was so tired. 
“He’s using the bond against her; she has no defenses against that.”
Zedd nodded. “I know. He’s…” he was unable to finish his thoughts.
“And this is probably not the first time either.” Her eyes drifted to the now sound asleep blonde. 
“Is he using the bond to stop her from healing?”
Zedd blinked and considered her words; he hadn’t thought of that. 
“I don’t think so, dear one,” he answered after a while. “You said she fought him; she resisted him, even in her weakened state. He only got to her because she’s this weak, and that proves he’s not quite yet able to master the bond.” He paused. 
“I believe he’s not strong enough to cause that sort of damage. Compel her into obedience, cause her pain even, but not stop her from healing. He’d have to be exceptionally powerful to do something of the sort."
Kahlan straightened slowly, visibly livid; and Zedd grimaced. 
“The dark magic of the agiel links every Mord’Sith to their Lord. It’s like a Maternity Spell, but without the need to hurt the spell caster in order to cause harm to the spelled.” Zedd continued to explain. 
He was beginning to fear for his grandson’s relationship with this brave woman - and his safety. 
“It only works one way and it’s a very effective way to control rebellion, and punish.”
“But I never heard…” Zed didn’t allow her to finish.
“Just like using your power leaves you vulnerable, so does using the bond like this. A Rahl becomes vulnerable to any sort of attack, especially if magic is used - he’s practically defenseless. That's one of the reasons he was so slow to react to you.” And his abhorrent arrogance was the other.
Kahlan closed her eyes, not quite believing what she was hearing. 
“You said he’s not powerful enough, but you forget he’s the Seeker; the Sword of Truth is magic.”
Yes, another headache: Richard was the Seeker of Truth. The overwhelming desire to pack and go home, back to his cabin in Westland and rejoin Clara, his beloved chicken, suddenly weighed like tons of rocks on his weary old shoulders. 
“I suppose the sword’s magic could reinforce his Rahl bond and even protect him to some degree, but… I still believe it’s not enough. If he still had his Han… But Nicci took it from him.”
Nicci. Just the name sent shivers down her spine. She was glad the terrible woman was dead; she hated her more than anyone else, dead or alive.
“This is such a mess, Zedd. Richard’s not himself, Cara’s sick and not healing…” she closed her eyes in quiet desperation. 
“What are we going to do?”
The old wizard gave her a kind smile and patted her arm. “What we do best, dear one - be there for them and fix the mess.” Kahlan gave him a hesitant smile. 
“Now, I suggest you lie down and rest. We still have a few candle marks before dawn. And I need to find Richard and fix that broken jaw of his. That’s quite a mean right hook you have there.”
Kahlan swallowed and looked down at her hands. “I tried to confess him, Zedd - again.”
Zedd’s eyes softened at the whispered words. “Richard can’t be confessed, you know that.”
“Why can’t he be confessed? Because he’s madly in love with me or because the bond protects him?” Zedd’s eyes widened slightly and she smirked. 
“You forget I remember what happens during the Con Dar.”
“Khalan, I… Annabelle was able to confess him. The bond did nothing for him then, and remember Darken had to resort to magic to protect himself. He loves you, dear one; he’s just confused right now.”
“You forget he rejected the bond then; he didn’t want to be Lord Rahl. He couldn’t even make the Mord’Sith follow him.”
“He released them.”
“Exactly! He rejected everything that makes him a Rahl.”
Zedd sighed. “What are you trying to get at, Kahlan.” But he knew what she was thinking, and there was a small part of him that thought exactly the same.
“You know what I’m trying to get at.” Kahlan snapped in a fierce whisper, her eyes burning. 
“What protected him at the Pillars, his unconditional love for me or the bond?”
Zedd blinked at her. “Is it too awful if his love for you is not unconditional, if he’s not entirely devoted to you?” And even as the words left him, he knew the answer.
Kahlan straightened a little. “It changes everything and you know it. It means he’s been lying to me the whole time!” she moved a little closer to him. 
“Has he been lying to me, Zedd? Was all this just to make sure I wouldn’t leave his side until the quest was complete?”
Zedd shook his head, his eyes cast down. Had this question been asked weeks before, he would check her for spells, so preposterous it was, but now… Now he wasn’t sure anymore. 
“I don’t know, dear one, I just don’t know anymore.”
Kahlan stared at his bent gray head for the longest time and sighed; what a mess! 
“I know, I’m sorry. I…” her brows creased in thought. “I’m just really worried about this, Zedd.”
Zedd nodded. “I know.” He eyed her carefully. 
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Kahlan sighed. “No, I…”
“I mean about why you went into Con Dar - for Cara.”
“He was hurting her and there was nothing I could do about it,” she replied immediately as if it explained everything.
Zedd nodded once. “True, but Cara’s been hurt before and you’ve never…” He let out a tired sigh. 
“Kahlan, you know Confessors only go into Con Dar for their loved ones.”
“I know that,” she replied with a frown. 
“Cara’s my best friend, Zedd. He was hurting her!” the frown deepened. 
“And she… We…” she swallowed. “I really, really like her, Zedd.”
Zedd patted her hand, his eyes sad. “I know, dear one, and she really, really likes you too.” Even if she doesn’t want to admit it.
“I know.” She smiled fondly at the sleeping woman. She did know. Cara told her every day with her actions, with her small allowances; and her well hidden caring streak.
Zedd took a deep breath and looked around at the bodies scattered around. 
“Well, I’ll start cleaning this mess up and you, young lady, should go to sleep.”
Kahlan nodded; she was exhausted. “Will you go to Richard?”
Zedd lifted to his full height and nodded. “We’ll find a way to fix this, Kahlan.”
“But things will never be the same, will they?” she whispered, feeling the first sting of tears.
“No, I’m afraid not.”
Kahlan swallowed and scooted hurriedly under her blanket, desperately trying to hide the tears. 
“Good night, Zedd.”
“Good night, Kahlan.” The old wizard left in search of his grandson, his shoulders sagged with the weight of the night’s events. How had it come this? Even if they managed to find what was wrong with Richard and stop it, there was no undoing what happened in that camp. Richard would have to learn to go on without Kahlan, as he was now sure her unconditional love for him was gone, if it ever really existed.

##

Kahlan rolled on to her side for the hundredth time since Zedd left in search of Richard. It was almost dawn and she was yet to rest properly; she just couldn’t sleep, couldn’t stop thinking about Richard and what he had done - what she had done. If Cara hadn't called out to her…
A sharp gasp to her left caught her attention and she raised her head to look at the half awake blonde, her brows furrowed, sweat covering her upper lip.
“Cara?” Kahlan moved a little closer and touched her arm. Cara blinked and turned her head slightly to look at her and Kahlan gave her an affectionate smile. 
“Want water?” 
Cara nodded and Kahlan helped her drink. 
“Better?” 
Cara nodded and closed her eyes, only to open them again when she felt something cold on her face. “Lord Rahl…”
Kahlan hesitated. “Zedd's with him, don't worry.”
“I betrayed him…” Cara closed her eyes, ashamed.
“You protected me, Cara.” Kahlan kept cleaning her feverish skin with the wet cloth. 
“He ordered you to protect me as if I was him; that means even from himself. I’m sure he’ll be glad you did it once he’s back to normal."
Cara surprised her with a cynical chuckle, the one she used to have when they started traveling together. 
“This is Lord Rahl; this is his normal self.”
“I refuse to believe that, Cara; I refuse to believe Richard is lost to us.”
Cara closed her eyes and shook her head. “If this is really the bloodline, Kahlan…”
Kahlan stopped her words with a finger on her lips, her eyes pleading, unwilling to hear the words. 
“I need to believe we’ll get him back, Cara. He wouldn’t give up on us.”
Cara blinked at her. Every fiber of her body was yelling at her, telling her that she needed to make Kahlan understand the facts, understand that this wouldn’t have a happy ending; that hope was useless. 
“I know…”
Kahlan smiled, relieved, and snuggled down close to her, wrapping her arm carefully around her middle. “Am I hurting you?” she whispered.
“No.” In truth it was killing her, but all her weary mind could focus on was the warmth coming from her side; the sense of peace warming her cold soul; and the knowledge that Kahlan was seeking comfort in her own special way; she could not deny her if she tried.
Kahlan closed her eyes and smiled, finally relaxing. She didn’t want to think anymore, she didn’t want to worry anymore. This was all she needed at the moment.

##

The sharp pain shooting up her leg forced her awake. Tired, glassy green-blue eyes cracked open, a blurry form coming into view. Huh?
“Wake up, Mord’Sith!”
The sharp voice cut through her senses, her eyes opening fully. Lord Rahl’s form came into view, his face hard and angry, no longer bloodied and bruised. The body snuggled against hers tensed in her arms and stirred.
“Are all Mord’Sith this lazy?” Richard mocked, a cold smirk on his lips, his arms crossed over his chest.
“Dawn just broke, Lord Rahl.” Cara forced her voice to remain strong and even, her arm tightening around Kahlan, silently pleading with her not to react.
Richard stared angrily at her, his eyes glued to the woman in her arms. “Get up!”
Kahlan glared at him, her lips set in a thin line, but didn't stop Cara from slowly moving to her feet.
Cara rose to her full height, carefully straightening her back, her body screaming in protest. Her eyes were cast down in deference to her Lord, but her body language betrayed her defiance. Richard looked her up and down with disdain and started walking out of camp, clearly expecting Cara to follow, only to stop abruptly. 
“Leave your agiels!”
Cara glared at him without moving, but did as told and quickly removed her agiels from their holsters, leaving them on her bedroll.
“Cara,” Kahlan grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop, “you don't have to go. You're free to decide.”
Cara closed her eyes, the eerie feeling of having her senses invaded from the inside making itself known again; feeling the need to comply and follow her Master burn deep in her soul.
“I betrayed Lord Rahl, I deserve my punishment,” she whispered, her eyes opening slightly.
“What?! Is he planting these thoughts in your head as well?” Kahlan forced her to meet her eyes. 
“Cara, you didn't betray him!”
A new, stronger wave of the eerie feeling slammed against her soul and she yanked her arm free from Kahlan's grasp; she was too weak to fight him this time.
“Cara…”
“Don't follow me.” Cara's eyes hardened and became unreadable.
Taken by surprise by a coldness she hadn't seen in Cara for the longest time, Kahlan stood rooted to the ground, following her with her eyes until she disappeared behind the trees.
“It's useless to try to stop them, Kahlan.” 
She turned sharply at the sound of Zedd’s voice. 
“We can’t let this happen! We have to stop him!”
“He's Lord Rahl, he has the right to punish his Mord'Sith as he sees fit.”
“Even if that means killing her?” Kahlan nearly shouted, desperate now. 
“I don't care if he’s the damn Creator, I'm going to stop him right now.” 
Zedd's hand on her arm stopped her from taking another step. 
“How can you just stand there and do nothing? I thought you were her friend!”
His eyes softened. “I am, but Richard will punish her one way or another. If we don't interfere, he'll feel like he has control and will leave her alone.” He remembered all too well Richard’s hateful rant when he was healing him; the disdain every time he spoke Cara's name; the venom every time he recalled Kahlan going into Con Dar for his Mord'Sith, and against him. 
“Remember we'll be in Aydindril's border tomorrow.”
“Zedd…”
“Tomorrow, you can take control, Kahlan, because in Aydindril, Lord Rahl has no rights, not even to punish his own.” He raised both eyebrows, hoping she would catch his meaning. 
“He won't go too far with Cara; he won't risk you going into Con Dar again.”
“She’s sick, Zedd; she can’t…”
“She can.” Zedd interrupted her smoothly. Images of Cara hanging in chains bloodied and bruised; and her pain filled screams still haunted his dreams. He had never told any of them how Rahl had dragged him in to watch her final breaking, bound and gagged in a corner for a whole day; forced to watch as Darken obliterated her mind with the dark magic agiel; forced to listen to her incomprehensible cries, half-mumbled in her fever induced delirium. It was then he finally admitted to himself how much he had come to care about the surly young woman; how brave and strong she really was. 
“She can take much more than this.”
“And what do you suggest we do once we reach Aydindril?”
“Order us both to go ahead to send for an escort. Using the bond like this only works if they’re with a certain distance from each other - he can’t hurt her from afar.”
Kahlan blinked, her lips pursed. 
“I don't like it,” she said softly, some of her anger leaving her. “I don't like it one bit.”
“I don't like it either, my dear, but if we act now, we might cause her even more pain. Remember wizard's second rule.”
“The greatest harm can result from the best intentions…” she mumbled her eyes closed. 
“I can't stay here and do nothing, Zedd.” 
“Well, I can…”
Kahlan shook her head. “I'm going to freshen up. I need cool off.”
He watched her go and sent a silent plea to the Creator to keep Cara safe.

##

“You’re my weapon, my tool! You protect me, not her! Is that clear?!”
Cara was on her knees, doubled over in pain, her breathing ragged and hard.
“Is that clear?!” Richard grabbed her by the hair and forced her head up, a trail of blood trickling from a cut on her left eyebrow.
“Yes…”
He let go of her and took a step back, closing his eyes for a moment, as if considering something. 
“I think it’s time you start giving devotions again; it will remind you of your duties and obligations.” Cara stared at him in disbelief. 
“Now!”
Cara swallowed, the Mord’Sith in her torn between indignation - needing to physically hurt him - and the need to obey his every command, to satisfy his every whim. The need won.
Still on her knees, Cara bent forward until her forehead touched the ground, her hands flat on each side of her head. 
“Master Rahl guide us, 
Master Rahl teach us, 
Master Rahl protects us. 
In your light we thrive, 
in your mercy we are sheltered, 
in your wisdom we are humbled. 
We live only to serve, our lives are yours.” 
She repeated the words twice more and each time he felt the powerful surge of the bond coursing in is veins; wrapping around his soul like a warm blanket. Having the devotion of thousands would be spectacular! 
“Get up.”
With an arm wrapped around her middle, Cara fumbled to get up, unable to stand straight.
“You betrayed me. If your sisters hadn’t cut of that braid of yours, I would.” He shook his head, fake disappointment shining in his brown eyes. 
“But then again, how could I expect anything else from you, Cara? You already betrayed my brother for your own purposes, why wouldn't you betray me too?”
Cara stood quietly in front of him, still hurting from her sister’s betrayal, but not ashamed of what she did to Darken; he deserved it. 
“However, I am a forgiving man and I will overlook this unfortunate event.”
Cara's head snapped up at that, her brows creasing in confusion.
“There are other ways to make it up to me.” He stepped closer to her again, his hand gently cleaning some of the blood off her cheek.
Understanding dawned on her. 
“But K… The Mother Confessor…”
“…doesn't give me what I need!” He snapped and moved closer, until his breath mingled with hers and his lips touched hers. 
“And I need a lot.”
Cara was paralyzed, her mind going blank for a long moment, never even noticing when Richard pushed her none too gently against a tree and started touching her roughly, his hot lips pressed against the base of her neck. His calloused hand slipped inside her loose tunic, touching smooth, hot skin and he couldn’t resist biting down on the tender flesh between her neck and shoulder until it broke and bled. 
“I know you've wanted this for the longest time and now I'm giving it to you, though you don't deserve it.” 
Privately, he wondered how he was able to resist her for so long. She was so hot… His large hands grabbed her breasts and squeezed until her nipples were hard and poking against the cotton shirt. “I might even let you have Kahlan after our wedding,” he whispered in her ear, “if you behave. I know you want to.”
Kahlan…
“I'm going to really enjoy making her scream every night…” His thigh forced its way between her legs, holding her in place, his grin growing when he felt her hand slipping down between them to wrap around his crotch. He moved slightly to the side to allow her more room. 
“Mm, that's…” his voice failed abruptly as the soft touch became a firm, painful grip. 
“Cara…” he tried to focus on the bond and make her stop, but the pain coming from between his legs was too strong to allow him to concentrate. He tried to pull her hand away, but Cara's other hand gripped his neck, her heel kicking against the back of his knee to force him down to the ground. 
Already down, he punched her with all his strength on her half healed ribs and she almost, almost let go of him, her vision darkening for a long moment, the pain so intense. But she was Mord’Sith, a master of pain and she would not go down this time. Eyes still blurry from the sudden sting of tears, she wasted no time and placed herself on top of him to stop him from getting up, stubbornly ignoring all of her pains.
“Hurt her and I'll rip you open and feed you to the vultures while you still breathe, understand?” her smooth voice rumbled in his ear, each word precisely pronounced.
Richard's face was red from the firm grip between his legs and neck, his eyes closed in pain; his breathing shallow.
“I can’t hear you!" She squeezed harder, his eyes almost bulging out.
“Y-yes!” He squeaked, his face now a very unusual shade of red, the veins in his neck painfully prominent.
“Good.” She didn't loosen her grip. 
“I'm free to choose who I serve and I choose not to serve you. You will use the bond against me, but you'll never break me, you pitiful excuse for a Rahl.”
She pulled her head back slowly up, only to crack it against his, knocking him out and almost knocking herself as well. Breathing heavily, she rolled off his body, her belt getting tangled in his. Grumbling under her breath, she untangled herself forcibly, ripping one of his small pouches off. The leather pouch fell on her lap, its contents spilling over her tunic.
She peered at the shiny powder curiously, carefully stretching her fingers to touch it. It was probably just some stupid woods guide thing, but…
Her eyes cracked open with the feel of something cold and wet on her face, her mind numb from the pain wracking her body, inflicted by the man hovering over her. She tried to react as he spread something shiny over her, while mumbling incomprehensible words, but her body refused to cooperate and before she could even get angry at herself, excruciating pain exploded in her brain and then there was only blissful darkness.
She didn’t remember that ever happening other than in her nightmares, but never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, she grabbed the pouch and attached it to her own belt; Zedd would know what that was. Wishing fervently she had her agiels with her, she stumbled to her feet and left without a glance back.

##

Kahlan unlaced the strings holding her green dress closed her movements quick and angry. If he so much as laid a hand on her…! 
Her mind inevitably drifted to the events that forced her into the Con Dar. Of course she was aware of her growing closeness with Cara, of their growing intimacy, but she never once expected to go into Con Dar for her. When had she become this important to her?
Absentmindedly, she stripped off her dress and strolled into the running water in the small stream, until her head was completely under the cool water, only the sound of her turbulent thoughts disturbing the peaceful moment. She tried to concentrate on Richard, her dear friend Richard Cypher; tried to remember his bright smile and gentle eyes, and all the things that made her love and respect him; but her thoughts kept reverting to the alluring Mord’Sith. Cara was so different from everyone she’d ever met: fierce and brave, and strong, and smart. 
Kahlan resurfaced and smoothed her dark hair back. Exhaling softly, she grabbed her bar of herbal soap and started scrubbing herself, her thoughts once again drifting to the grumpy blonde and her fascinating green-blue eyes that seemed to change color out of their own will and that beautiful smile… She was her best friend, right? Right. They fit the category of loved ones, didn’t they? She didn't know much about best friends, but she was sure that the bond they formed was special and strong, like family, and their bond was definitely special - different. Cara was her friend, her rock, her protector… Cara would die for her and she would die for Cara. Best friends did that for each other, didn’t they? They protected each other until the bitter end. Cara defended her from Richard and she defended Cara from him as well; nothing else to think about. 
She really hoped Richard was behaving. She didn’t want to hurt him, but she would break his neck like a twig if he so much as laid a hand on her again!
She let herself sink into the water again with a groan. Maybe she could convince Zedd to perform the Spell of Undoing again and put everything back to normal.

##

“Cara!” Zedd jumped to his feet faster than Cara thought possible and rushed to help her.
“I’m fine…” she snapped, but didn’t push him away.
“Where’s Richard?” Zedd took her by the arm and forced her down on her own bedroll. She didn’t look too bad, other than the cut on her left brow and what looked like a cut close to her neck.
“Passed out in a clearing,” she replied, her tone flat.
“Passed…”
“You should go check on him, wizard; I’m not sure he’s still able to procreate.”
Zedd winced, forcing himself not to cross his legs in sympathy. “Did he…”
Cara’s hard stare was answer enough. “Where’s Kahlan?”
“She went to freshen up. She couldn’t stand to stay here and do nothing while you were being mauled by your Lord Rahl; she would probably have gone into Con Dar out of frustration.” 
Cara pursed her lips, purposely disregarding the wizard’s comment. Her first reaction was to run to the stream and make sure the woman was all right, but then again, she had no idea how she was going to be greeted after the way she left. Kahlan was probably angry with her and rightfully so. She just couldn’t really understand why the mere thought of hurting Kahlan tortured her more than any blow from the agiel!
“She’ll be here soon, child,” Zedd said as he spread his hands and tried to heal her again, this time without any success. He frowned. 
“I believe whatever’s causing you not to heal as grown stronger, Cara. The healing power is not working at all.” He placed a hand on her forehead. 
“And your fever is up again.”
“Is this Richard’s doing?” she asked, her voice emotionless.
“I don’t think so, but it’s not something I can completely disregard now,” he answered truthfully.
Cara lowered her eyes and removed the pouch from her belt. 
“This fell from his belt. I…” she licked her lips. “I had some sort of flash back… He was using this powder on me and mumbling, and…”
Zedd opened the pouch and his shoulders sagged, his eyes closed in quiet despair. He was now sure that this Richard, whoever he was, was up to something. 
“This is Essence of Oblivion; it enables the user to erase a person’s most recent memories.”
Cara blinked at him, feeling the blood drain from her already pale face. That meant Richard could’ve done anything he wanted to her and she would never remember it. It meant he could do anything to Kahlan and get away with it! Anger flared in her chest at the mere thought. That son of a Shadrin had better not come anywhere close to hurting Kahlan! 
“The day we were attacked at the village…” she forced out, her eyes becoming slightly unfocused, trying to remember what exactly happened that day once they were alone, but her memories remained blurry, only mocking laughter resounding in her head. 
“That’s the one time I cannot remember…” she focused back on him as it finally hit her. 
“We weren’t attacked! He faked it! That’s why no one could find track marks! He…”
Zedd paled. “Cara, Kahlan can’t know about this; she’ll kill him.”
“It’s no more than he deserves!” she spat, anger clouding her better judgment, her hands instinctively searching for her agiels, needing the reassurance.
“You don’t mean that. Richard’s not himself right now!” Zedd grabbed her wrist inches from the agiel and held her hand away from it before she could cause herself anymore damage.
“Isn’t he?” Cara stared angrily at him, yanking her arm free. 
“I think Richard is finally showing his true colors to the world, wizard! This is not a spell; this is his bloodline calling out to him!”
“We don’t that yet, Cara.” His voice, however, betrayed his doubt. 
“This could be some reaction to all the magic we were exposed to at the Pillars. Even your present condition could be as a result of that.”
Cara glared at him, still angry. 
“Funny how it only affected the both of us.”
Zedd sighed. “Cara, please. We're almost in Aydindril. I'm sure I can find something in the Wizard's Keep to sort this mess.”
“You better…” her words were interrupted by a sharp pain shooting from her sore ribs. A loud gasp escaped her lips and she doubled over.
 “Guess Lord Rahl is awake…” she gritted out, her eyes closed tightly.
“Cara!” 
Kahlan, who had just gotten back in time to witness her reaction to the pain, was by her side in no time at all, long, bare arms wrapping around her waist.
For some reason, all Cara could think about was how good the Mother Confessor smelled; how much she wanted to stay in those arms surrounded by that wonderful scent and forget about her pains, and her troubles.
“What did he do to you?” Kahlan held her close, one hand brushing the blonde hair away from her face, her voice soft and worried.
“No worse than what I did to him…” Cara hissed, taking deep, even breaths to control the pain; and inhale as much of that wonderful, soothing scent as possible.
Kahlan gave her a hesitant smile, assessing her body for visible injuries. Satisfied that she only seemed to have a cut above her left eye, she started to push her down to clean the cut, when her sharp eyes caught on the blood staining her neck and shoulder. 
“Is that…” 
Carefully pushing the collar away from the neck, Kahlan looked at the bloodied wound closely, frowning. 
“Cara, is that a bite mark?” Cara winced visibly. 
“Did he…?” she was unable to finish, her eyes darkening dangerously. 
“He dared mark you?!”
“Kahlan?” Cara's eyes grew wide with shock as black tendrils of dark magic swirled in Kahlan’s eyes. 
“Kahlan!” Cara quickly cupped her head with both hands, forcing down the nausea churning in her stomach. Maybe she should just let her have her way and kill Richard; she didn’t very much care for his fate right now. 
“Kahlan, please look at me.” The darkening eyes look down at her, waiting. 
“We have to help, him, remember? This is not him!”
“He keeps hurting you!” As if to confirm her words, Cara moaned, her fingers dinging painfully into Kahlan’s head, her eyes closed tightly. Kahlan growled dangerously, pulling her close against her chest.
“Perhaps I can help this time.” Zedd said quickly before Kahlan let anger take control again. If he could keep her focus on Cara, her anger would cool enough not to slip into Con Dar. 
“Put her down.” He wrapped his large hands around Cara’s head, closing his eyes in concentration. 
“Don’t fight me, Cara.”
Cara shook her head, her eyes closed tightly; the pain was too much to concentrate on anything else. 
“Please?” The soft plea whispered in her ear wrapped around her mind like a lifeline and she grabbed it with both hands, and held on.
Zedd kept muttering under his breath until Cara finally stopped resisting him and gave in to the magic. He sighed tiredly. 
“As long as she’s unconscious, he can’t hurt her.”
Kahlan frowned, helplessly brushing the blonde hair from the sweaty forehead. 
“Her fever’s up again…”
Zedd nodded. “Whatever’s wrong with her has gotten worse. I can’t even heal that cut on her eyebrow.”
“You’re sure this is not Lord Rahl’s doing,” she growled, despise coloring her voice, tears welling in her eyes.
“I can’t be sure of that, Kahlan, but I strongly believe this is not his fault; he’s not that powerful!”
 “Get up, Mord’Sith!”
The half-growled words surprised the both of them. Kahlan was the first to react upon seeing him slightly bent, drawn sword in one hand, the other wrapped around his crotch protectively. She jumped to her feet swiftly with both daggers pointed at the Seeker in a defensive pose. Zedd followed just a moment after, hands spread, ready to defend both his charges.
“Get out of my way!” he shot angrily at Kahlan.
“Cara is unconscious, Richard; you made sure of that,” Zedd said in a calm tone. 
“Why don’t you go to the stream to cool down, mm?”
“I don’t need to cool down, wizard! I need to set some things straight!”
“You won’t get anywhere near her.” Kahlan warned, her voice betraying nothing.
“I’ve told you to stay away from the affairs of the D’Hara, Mother Confessor! Now give me my Mord’Sith.”
“You won’t get anywhere near her while she’s unconscious, Lord Rahl. She can decide if she wants to go with you once she wakes up.” Her cold blue eyes were about to shred him to pieces.
Richard snarled at them, his breathing ragged, but decided not to push. She would pay for her insolence once she was awake. They both would.
“Don’t worry,” Zedd mumbled as he kept Richard in his line of sight, the Seeker walking awkwardly to his own bedroll. 
“I can make this last for several candle marks.”
Kahlan nodded gratefully and sheathed her daggers. 
“We need to move out; we need to cover as much ground as possible.”
Zedd nodded. He really, really was too old for this. 
“She can ride with one of us.”
“I’ll take her,” she said immediately, a little smile playing on her lips. 
“She’ll have a fit if she even dreams you carried her.”
Zedd smiled fondly at the peacefully sleeping Mord’Sith. “Let’s get ready then. We have another long day ahead of us.”
##