New Episode: 3.09 - "Instinct"

Jun 04, 2011 22:00

Disclaimer: This is a fan-produced creation and is not affiliated in any way, shape or form to the official TV show Legend of the Seeker. Neither the characters nor the universe belong to us, and we are making no money from this whatsoever.



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Previously on Legend of the Seeker:

Episode 3.01 - "Tremors"
Episode 3.02 - "Restoration"
Episode 3.03 - "Madness"
Episode 3.04 - "Found"
Episode 3.05 - "Night"
Episode 3.06 - "Choice"
Episode 3.07 - "Doubt"
Episode 3.08 - "Trust"

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Episode 3.09 - Instinct

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The camp was illuminated by a modest fire, the moon and stars having hidden behind the dark clouds that seemed to get darker the closer they got to Caddock. Cara looked around at her sleeping companions. Zedd was snoring loudly. Next to him Richard was smiling in his sleep one moment, and frowned and cringed the next as if in distress. A bit closer to the fire Kahlan was sleeping next to an empty bedroll, her head turned away from Cara. On the other side of the fire, basically dividing the camp in half, Darken Rahl was the one closest to the fire. Next to him Raina and Berdine were curled up in each others arms, both with a smile on their face. Nicci was half lounging, half sitting with her back against a tree, her eyes open even in sleep, though the rhythm of her breathing showed that she too was fast asleep.

The sound of a twig snapping under a boot made Cara whirl around. She didn't draw her agiels but waited calmly for Dahlia to step into the clearing, returning from her perimeter check. Cara waited until Dahlia had reached the fire before she stood up to relinquish the watch post to her.

"All is calm, Cara. Go to sleep. We all need it because, let me tell you, as soon as we enter the accursed land of the Calthrop I'll not sleep a minute."

"It's just one magical beast controlled by a Rada'han, Dahlia, you've grown weak."

"I'm not afraid of anything, but I saw the few soldiers who returned from Caddock while the Calthrop was loose. I don't trust magic. Besides wasn't it you who most vocally objected going there?" Dahlia said with a provocative smile.

Cara answered with a sarcastic half-smile, "It's a waste of time. The most direct route to Agaden Reach leads through the mountains, not around it and halfway back to D'Hara. Anyway, I'll leave you to your watch. Don't fall asleep."

"I'm Mord-Sith," Dahlia said.

"You did it once. Mistress Denna was most displeased."

"She punished us both because you ordered me to take watch," Dahlia answered, then her eyes widened, "We're doing it again. These are not my memories. I'm stronger than that."

"As long as you keep serving the wrong Lord Rahl, Dahlia, you always will be weak."

Cara walked the few steps to her bedroll and stretched out next to Kahlan. She pulled one of her agiels out of its sheath, slipped the chain holding it over her wrist to have the weapon ready at a moment's notice.

Kahlan turned her head and Cara saw that the Mother Confessor was everything but relaxed. Her face was drawn and the way she held her hand showed Cara that the rest of her body was also quite tense. She cast a quick glance over to Dahlia who at the moment had her back turned to them and touched Kahlan's hand. It was clutching the folds of her green travelling dress. Cara closed her leather clad fingers around Kahlan's hand and repositioned the blanket covering Kahlan's legs and hips to hide the touch. She once again checked on Dahlia who had turned a bit to the side but was still not looking in their direction. The tense lines on Kahlan's face relaxed gradually and Cara closed her eyes just as a small smile graced Kahlan's lips.

**

A massive four poster bed with white sheaths and a white comforter dominated the room. It was illuminated by the flickering flames of a fire place. The flames cast moving shadows that made it hard to discern if it really were the flames or the bodies on the bed creating the movement and plunged the room in a study of light and shadows.

The diaphanous bed curtains outlined the silhouette of a woman, propped up on her arm. Long hair was cascading down her body. She looked down at the outline of another body stretched out in front of her.

Her gaze wandered from the outline of long slender legs barely visibly under the pristine white linen sheet upwards. It followed the hips up to a slim waist also hidden by the sheet. Lower ribs expanding upwards, the swell of firm breasts made it evident that the body under the sheet was female and naked. And that's where the sheet ended. Its left side was a bit lower than the right, pulled down by the weight of the rest of the sheet, crumpled and bundled up.

The gaze of the first woman leisurely slid over slightly sun-tanned, freckled skin and tendrils of long hair, up to an elegant neckline.

Slender fingers stroked along the shoulders and up an ear. The index finger retraced the jaw that could have been chiselled by the Creator herself. The woman licked her red, luscious lips and the hand pulled back.

The lips curled into a smile but her eyes were still closed. The back of the slender fingers slid down the other side of the throat to the top of the sternum and down to the valley between the breasts, pushing down the white sheet even further...

**

The morning sun had yet to reach the camp when Kahlan slowly drifted awake. The blanket was tucked up almost to her chin. Her cheeks flushed, a small smile touching her lips as she looked over to the bedroll next to her. Finding it empty, she sighed and looked around. On Rahl's side of the camp everyone still was asleep, including Dahlia who was next to Darken Rahl, apparently to keep him warm. She heard Zedd's snoring before she turned her head and saw Richard nudging the remnants of their fire back to life.

**

ROLL CREDITS

**

Kahlan got up, stretched and squatted next to Richard, "Good morning, Richard. Did you sleep well?"

His gaze focused on the fire he answered flatly, "It was a calm night, aside from Dahlia staring daggers at Cara after I relieved her for last watch."

"Speaking of Cara, she's the only one not accounted for," Kahlan replied.

"Oh, she went to the stream to get us some water. Berdine found some herbs yesterday while she and Raina were checking the perimeter. We'll have a nice tea later," he said, still without his usual enthusiasm.

"I'm looking forward to that," Kahlan answered. Seeing Richard's carefully neutral expression she added, "They must literally have stumbled over the herbs. Those two rarely have eyes for anything or anyone else but the other. On the other hand if I were in their shoes I'd also use every chance I got to be alone with my belov -"

Kahlan swallowed mid-word. From her perspective it looked as if for a moment Richard had frozen. The blink of an eye later he put a small log onto the growing fire and said, "We'll cross the border to Caddock late this afternoon if we get an early start," he said, "though I don't hold out much hope for that."

"Your... the former Lord Rahl is not a very efficient traveller but it was you who agreed with Zedd that a detour to recruit Queen Corah's help would be worth the delay," Kahlan answered softly, her Confessor face firmly in place.

"And you did not disagree, Kahlan," Richard said without looking at her.

"Queen Corah and her people are the perfect allies. After the Boxes of Orden were destroyed, the Kingdom of Caddock fared much better than the rest of the Midlands or D'Hara because the Calthrop and Corah's armed forces were able to keep the banelings at bay," Kahlan's tone of voice was light hearted to get Richard out of his funk.

Richard was still focused on the fire, with tension evident in the set of his shoulders. Zedd was still loudly asleep, so she added, "Logic aside, I think Zedd voted for this route as a way to postpone having to meet with Shota, and more importantly having to ask her for help, again. Those two have history, to say the least. It's in her best interest to stand with us but she wouldn't be Shota if she made it easy. If I were Zedd, I'd be wary too."

Cara returned to the camp before Richard had a chance to answer. She deliberately made enough noise to wake a dormouse in hibernation. Zedd sat up, wiped his eyes and reached for an apple he had put on top of his pack late last evening. Cara dropped two skinned rabbits next to Nicci and handed Richard three waterskins. The sorceress glared daggers at Cara's neck but got up and started to prepare the food anyway, while the rest of the camp was slowly waking up.

**

They followed a broad, well trodden path. Richard and Cara were taking point, followed by Darken Rahl, Dahlia and Nicci. Berdine, Raina, Kahlan and Zedd were riding in a cluster behind them, occasionally trading places. Kahlan laughed with Raina and jested with Zedd and discussed animatedly with Berdine. They talked about the early history of the New World, before the Great War, before the creation of either Confessors or Mord-Sith. Early that evening they passed the border markings of Caddock, Queen Corah's realm.

**

They made camp close to a cliff, Darken Rahl and his entourage on one side, Richard's group on the other. Cara and Kahlan went east to hunt, Zedd and Dahlia west to gather firewood. Zedd unloaded his bounty and found Richard and Darken Rahl staring at each other. Nicci once again was leaning against the trunk of a tree. Kahlan was positioned at Richard's left shoulder, protecting his back, Dahlia next to Darken Rahl. No one was speaking but there also was no mistaking the tension between them.

Zedd turned on his heels in search for more firewood. The sun was just going down, far out of ear shot of their campsite; he bent down to retrieve the perfect log to put on top of the armload he was already balancing. A shrieking roar made him drop his fuel. Picking the branches up again he took deep calming breaths. He made his way back to the camp. The night was eerily silent, no crickets, no owls, no night critters. Another roaring shriek cut through the night. Zedd stumbled and almost lost his hold on his cargo a second time. He turned, following the sound. His body tensed but he kept hold of the logs.

Back at the camp he found every single one of the Mord-Sith with their agiels drawn, ready to attack. The fronts between the two groups were more than evident. Zedd raised his hands up to a defensive position. Kahlan had her daggers drawn and Cara her agiels. And then there was another shriek, as loud and agonising as the first and second one but coming from a completely different direction.

**

They all huddled around the campfire and ate the leftovers from breakfast. Zedd was eating heartily, but Kahlan and Richard were only pushing their meal around on the plate.

Berdine broke the silence, "Anyone care to talk about the Calthrop in our midst?"

A cacophony of voices was raised. The roars and shrieks kept coming from the North-East, East and South-East.

"So, that's what a Calthrop sounds like," Darken Rahl said.

"Not really," Richard said. "The Calthrop Kahlan and I encountered last year sounded much more menacing and definitively much louder than that one. And there was only one of them."

"Still, it could be Queen Corah," Zedd said. "She can take off the Rada'han whenever she wants. She might see using her Calthrop-self as the only way to keep her people safe."

"That might be, Zedd, but it does not explain why one sound comes from the South-East and the other from the North-East, less than a heartbeat apart. Not even a powerful translocation spell could work that fast," Nicci said.

**

The midday sun was looming over their heads when they rode through a small town. The Mord-Sith, including Cara, sat straighter on their mounts. Zedd and Richard let their eyes roam. Kahlan identified first one and then three other pairs of eyes spying on them. She too sat up a bit straighter in the saddle. The streets were deserted. No chickens, no dogs, no cats, no horses, no nothing; just eyes hidden behind window shutters following their progress.

**

Queen Corah's throne room was filled to capacity. Kahlan, wearing her white Confessor's dress stood in front of the dais with Richard on her right and Cara on her left. Corah was sitting on her throne. Her advisors were fanned out to her left and right.

"...we're dealing with a danger far outweighing the tensions between the Midlands and D'Hara, Queen Corah," Richard ended his discourse.

"Mother Confessor, Seeker, First Wizard, we have of course heard of the agitators who call themselves Blood of the Fold, but we are not worried. My subjects know that they owe their freedom to the sorceress Shota's curse, to magic. They know that magic in itself is not good or bad but that it depends on how one uses it. The Blood of the Fold is not a danger to us," Corah said with an air of arrogant authority.

Kahlan took half a step forward and locked eyes with the young sovereign, "It would be unwise to underestimate the Blood of the Fold. They may not be a danger to you and your lands now, Queen Corah, but they will not rest until every last magical creature in the New World has been destroyed, including yourself and the magical beings living under your protection. As the Mother Confessor and the Leader of the Alliance of the Midlands I ask for your cooperation against a mutual enemy, the Blood of the Fold," Kahlan said.

Kahlan's white dress outshone the light in the throne room. It was a majestic sight. Most of the nobles in the room got down to a knee at the authority her voice commanded. Corah started to kneel as well but stopped herself and the expression on her face left no doubt that she was fighting the Mother Confessor's influence.

Corah took a deep breath and said, "You come here as the Mother Confessor to the Midlands and yet you are in the company of the Tyrant of D'Hara and his Mord-Sith whores," Corah said.

"And that alone should tell you everything you need to know, Queen Corah," Zedd said emphatically, stepping forward. "When the Mother Confessor, the Seeker, the former leader of D'Hara and the First Wizard, all deem it necessary to join forces despite everything that stands between us then everyone can be sure that there is a very good reason for it. These fanatics are a dangerous threat, to the Midlands as well as D'Hara."

"The Blood of the Fold are nothing but a misguided group of people who have no grasp of the real scope of magic in our daily life. They are nothing to worry about," Corah repeated.

"Only a few weeks ago that so-called misguided group of people attacked Aydindril and tried to kill the Mother Confessor. Their hatred for everything magical is only topped by their thirst for power," Cara said, glancing sideways at Rahl. "I served a tyrant for most of my life. I recognise tyranny when I see it," Cara said.

Darken Rahl took a step forward and then stopped himself. Nicci was standing on Rahl's left side with an unreadable smile on her face. Raina and Berdine had each grabbed one of Dahlia's arms and dragged her back.

"You might not care about the rest of the Midlands, Queen Corah of Caddock, but there is no doubt that if the Blood of the Fold succeeds in destroying or conquering Aydindril and the magic there, your land will be next. They will overrun your land and eradicate it as the Fold has eradicated Ebinissia, and kill every single man, woman and child," Cara added in a surprising bout of verbosity.

Richard's eyes widened at Cara's words. Zedd looked from Kahlan to Cara and back. He saw a tiny flaw in Kahlan's Confessor's mask, an almost proud grin.

"I will not allow..."

Corah fell silent when a messenger ran in and knelt in front of the throne, "My Queen, a shepherd has been found mutilated in the Northern paddock. His parents ask for your permission to bury him."

A cacophony of utterance from nobles and citizens alike burst forth, drowning out individual voices. A few words and half sentences were more discernible than others.

"Magic is evil." -"There have been enough deaths." - "Locked up." - Calthrop." - "More than one." - "Kills." - "Guarded." - "Abomination." - "Cattle and sheep." - "Indiscriminate." - "Queen Corah's key." - "Future." - "No way." - "Too many died." - "Kill the magic."

Richard exchanged a glance with Zedd who waved his right hand and silenced the whole room. A few whispered words freed Richard, Kahlan and Cara, followed by Corah, her main advisors and the commander of Caddock's armed forces, followed by Darken Rahl and his retinue.

"Do not be alarmed, your majesty. Your people have not been harmed. We'll just need some silence and cold-blooded reason for the rest of our discussion, not overexcited citizens too afraid to think straight," Zedd said. "So, would you please fill us in on what is going on here or should I start with giving you my version on what's happening?"

"I don't know what you're talking about Wizard Zorander," Corah said coldly. "Mother Confessor, could you please order your wizard to stop his parlour tricks."

"First Wizard," Kahlan's eyes twinkled but she still asked as if she didn't know the answer, "all those people here, they still can hear us, right?"

"Of course Mother Confessor."

"Then, Queen Corah, I'm sorry. You said yourself that you don't want to keep secrets from your people, and yet some of them want to make everyone believe that you are responsible for the recent loss of livestock and human lives. I am the Mother Confessor, I've learned to listen to more than people's words, and the men and women in this room are afraid.

"Last night we heard the cries of the Calthrop. They were too far apart to having come from a single beast. From what I just heard from your subjects I know that you were under guard, the key to the Rada'han around your neck locked away in the treasury. You are not the monster that indiscriminately kills man and animal alike, but I can see that you know who does. Let us help. You know that you can trust the Seeker," Kahlan said.

"I have nothing to say to you, Mother Confessor, nothing to confess or to admit," Corah said. "Perhaps your abilities have been dulled or corrupted by gallivanting through the New World in the company of the Mord-Sith, every Confessor's sworn enemy."

Kahlan looked up and made visual contact with the young woman, "What is it you're so afraid of, Corah? You bear the burden of your station with such dignity, and yet I can feel your fear even without having to touch you."

"There is nothing to say, Mother Confessor," Corah repeated, "but I will accept the help of the Seeker and his allies to find the reason for the killings plaguing my land and my people since it apparently is the only way to get you all to go and mind your own business."

Kahlan inclined her head in acquiescence and looked at Zedd who removed the spell that had silenced the rest of the audience. Immediately the cacophony of voices was back, making it impossible to have any kind of rational discussion.

**

Rahl, Zedd and Berdine stood around the body of the young shepherd the messenger had talked about. He had led them to the mortuary and pulled the cloth off the shepherd's chest. He then had pointed out the deep gashes and torn flesh on the victims.

"Such wounds, they can only have been made by a vicious predator," their attendant said, "a Calthrop or another creature of the underworld. That witch woman must have sent them."

Zedd's eyes narrowed, "I can understand that you want to protect your queen, good man, but those accusations will get you nowhere. Shota never does anything without a good reason or something to gain, and she has nothing to gain by sending or creating more Calthrops; thereby making the Blood of the Fold's case that much stronger.

Mistress Berdine added, "I have never seen a Calthrop but they are well documented in the libraries of the People's Palace, and I'm not talking about myths and children's stories. Our historical accounts leave no doubt that a Calthrop is at least as tall as one and a half men. Those wounds have been made by something not much bigger than a human hand. A Calthrop, a real Calthrop would have done much more damage to the body."

"How sure are you of that, Berdine?" Darken asked.

"Have you ever known me to be wrong when it concerns something I've read, my Lord?" Berdine asked with a cocky grin. "Also, the wounds are too varied to have been made by only one attacker."

"Combined with the Seeker's observation that the shrieks of the Calthrop we heard last night were not as loud as the ones she heard the last time, we can logically deduce that we're dealing with something else," Darken said. "Are there any other bodies?"

**

"I know that you are not telling us everything, Corah," Kahlan said. "I can see that you are afraid. Let us help. Trust us as you did before."

Corah had been looking out of the window and now turned around. They were in a small room off the reception hall that held a few comfortable looking chairs and a desk overflowing with papers.

"I already told you that there is nothing to tell, Mother Confessor. I only gave in to your demands to calm my people. They trust the Seeker. Now, if you would excuse me, I have work to do," Corah gestured towards the desk.

Kahlan's expression showed sadness and disappointment but she inclined her head slightly and left the queen alone.

**

Zedd, Daren Rahl and Berdine returned to the palace. They passed through the lower part of the town situated at the foot of Queen Corah's abode. The streets there were narrow and filthy, a far cry from the broad alley they had walked earlier that day. Groups of unkempt young men were lingering in doorways and at crossroads. Even without Berdine topping most of the men in her brown leathers Rahl's red robes and Zedd's more subdued wizard's robes stood out like a warning beacon, and it didn't take long for the people to start pointing at them.

At an especially narrow junction a group of about ten agitated men suddenly blocked their way. Their leader, a heavyset man holding a club didn't waste time with many words, "That guy from the Blood of the Fold was right; magic is a filthy curse. But don't worry, we'll beat it right out of you."

The club fell from his hand before he even that the chance to raise it to a halfway efficient attack position. He grabbed his wrist where Berdine's agiel had struck him and landed hard on his knees. Instead of seeing it as the warning it had been intended to be, his followers got more aggressive and obviously hoped for might in numbers. They attacked with cries of "abominations", "filth", "Keeper's minions", and were violently thrown back by a concussion wave that stunned them all. The three of them continued on their way as if nothing had happened, and though they then passed through an even seedier part of town there were no more attacks.

**

Kahlan had changed back into her travelling dress to attract less attention while roaming the halls of the palace in search for information. She was listening to a group of servants gossiping in a corridor but learned nothing of use. She walked on and saw Helena, Corah's lady-in-waiting, exiting the queen's office. Helena put a folded piece of parchment in a small bag dangling from her belt and walked off hurriedly. Curious Kahlan followed the older woman.

They descended deeper into the bowels of the big stone structure. Soon the hallway became deserted and the man-made walls and ceilings gave way to natural but well maintained corridors that reminded her of a cave system. The ground became rougher and the walls more irregular, making it easy to stay hidden even on long mostly straight stretches. Finally she saw flickering light at the other end. Helena hurried her steps.

The light came from two torches held high by Duncan, the queen's footman. He gave one of them to Helena as soon as she had stepped out of the mouth of the cave and picked up a heavy bag he threw over his shoulder. They walked off and Kahlan allowed for a bit more distance before she started to follow them. She kept the light of the torches in her sight and moved silently through the night. She listened carefully to the usual sounds of a forest at night, ready to defend herself or run at a moment's notice. Duncan and Helena were following a well trodden path and they walked swiftly until they reached Norwood Grove. Kahlan stood at the edge of the clearing and waited until they had crossed it and disappeared down a narrower path that forced them to walk single-file.

Kahlan hugged herself when she came past the spot where King Gregor had died and she had gone into the ConDar. She looked around nervously as if she expected something ominous. Shivering, Kahlan stared down at the hard-packed ground. She shock herself and recalled the end of their stay in Caddock.

**

Richard, Corah and Kahlan were standing in the throne room that was still littered with debris. Kahlan picked up the Rada'han that lay discarded on the floor and handed it to the young queen.

"You can wear the Rada'han at night to suppress the curse," Kahlan said.

"Don't you need it?" Corah asked.

Kahlan looked at Richard who was standing on Corah's other side and gave him a gentle smile while he looked at her encouragingly. She shock her head, "No, my power is part of who I am. I tried to deny it and only put people in danger. I need to embrace it, learn to control it."

**

"My power is part of who I am," Kahlan repeated softly, smiling as she hurried after the two servants. The light from the torches had moved a considerable distance away. She caught up with Helena and Duncan at another smaller clearing. They both were focused on pulling some parcels out of the bag and putting them on a big flat boulder at the south end of the secluded clearing. Helena unwrapped them. It was raw meat. The scent made Kahlan scrunch up her nose and she walked further along the edge to get away from it. That also brought her closer to the two others.

"Do you think we brought enough?" Duncan asked Helena.

"I hope so, my friend. After what they did last night most of their hunger should still be satisfied. I just hope that they heed the queen's warning and venture over to D'Hara until the Seeker and the Mother Confessor are gone," Helena answered.

"We should go. I want to be back in the palace by the time they arrive here. I know they don't mean to but they scare me."

"Duncan, they are the sons and daughters of Caddock. All they did was to try to protect us. You know they try their best but they can't help it that they can't control their urges, and accidents like last night do happen," Helena said sharply.

"I know that, Helena, but I still prefer to err on the side of caution."

They left the clearing and Kahlan's eyes followed them until the torchlight disappeared in the night. She turned her head back towards the low boulder that was illuminated by faint moonlight. The chunks of meat were still partially dripping blood. She stared at the boulder, deep in thought. Kahlan stepped forward and reached for the parchment Helena had left on the boulder but darted back under cover when she heard branches breaking.

Moments later six dark forms burst forth from her right. They fell on the offerings on the boulder like a pack of starving, gigantic wolves. They looked like Gregor and Corah had when they had transformed into the Calthrop, but they were not as tall or muscled. Their claws seemed less sharp, their muzzles less pronounced, their teeth smaller. From what Helena had said those monsters had once been citizens of Caddock. Corah's message fluttered to the ground unseen and a short time later the pack stormed off in another direction. Kahlan followed them, still trying to stay down-wind to avoid being detected.

The sounds of the Calthrops breaking through the underbrush made them easy to follow, but they were moving fast and she had to pick up her pace from a light jog to a full out run. She burst from the cover of the trees onto a field to a scene of utter pandemonium. The Calthrops had found Richard and his group who had been accompanied by a dozen soldiers.

The soldiers were standing back to back in a circle with their swords drawn. The closer Kahlan got the clearer she saw that the two Calthrops attacking them were much less aggressive than the four beasts going up against Richard and the others. Kahlan heard the hissing of Cara's and Raina's agiels and the distinctive sound of the Sword of Truth. Nicci was deftly defending herself with her dacra. But all of their efforts seemed to do nothing more than to barely hold back their attackers.

The Calthrops she had seen before had acted like mindless predators, destroying every living being in their path, ruthlessly, brutally, instinctively. Those new Calthrops were different. They worked together like a pack of hunting hyenas. They managed to separate her friends. Nicci and Cara were on one side, Raina and Richard on the other.

The beasts attacking the soldiers suddenly also turned against Richard and the others, and they came from behind. Kahlan shouted Richard's name in warning but she didn't see how he ducked the claw-sweep aimed at his head. She was already past him and towards Cara and Nicci. Nicci was moving faster than Kahlan had ever seen a Sister of the Dark move and her dacra even seemed to do some minor damage to her attacker. Cara, however, had lost her footing. Her agiels blocked one claw, a second hit her lower right arm and sliced through the chain holding her weapon. A second Calthrop was coming up from behind. Cara was trapped.

Time slowed for Kahlan and everyone else suddenly moved with the swiftness of an old turtle. Her focus narrowed. She stepped over Cara's prone body, rammed both daggers in the chest of the Calthrop attacking Cara from behind and gave the wounded beast a hard push. With her hand stretched out she reached up to the throat of Cara's second attacker. Her fingers closed around hard, slightly scaly flesh. And then she not only let her magic free, she hurled it into the beast with all the concentrated worry and anger and fear of the last weeks and months. Thunder without sound exploded. The force of her own magic propelled her off her feet and right on top of the body of a young man who had her daggers in his chest, her eyes still swirling dark with more unreleased magic.

The remaining four Calthrops now all turned towards her. Cara was back on her feet, her arm dripping with blood but her agiels firmly in her hands. Richard, Raina and Nicci also quickly regrouped. By the time Kahlan had retrieved her daggers from the corpse of the former Calthrop his pack mates were in attack position, except for the one she had confessed. It was standing quietly, its arms at its side, but when the first of the others came close to striking distance the confessed Calthrop stepped in front of Kahlan, roared and raised its claws.

The others stopped. They looked at each other in silent communication, and then they turned around and ran away. The remaining beast also turned around and looked at Kahlan with something akin to longing in its eyes. Cara had her agiels raised, but Kahlan put her hand on Cara's uninjured arm.

"It's alright, Cara. He won't hurt me."

Kahlan stepped right up to the Calthrop, close enough to have at least part of her head bitten off. She stretched out her hand to touch the beast's snout. It cautiously pressed into the touch and began a low, almost inaudible purr.

"You did well," Kahlan said. "Tomorrow, when you have returned to your human form, I want you to come to the palace, to Queen Corah's private chambers. We will find a way to help you and your friends. For now I want you to lie down and sleep for the rest of the night. The soldiers will protect you."

The Calthrop obeyed immediately. Richard's eyes were wide and it was obvious that he was completely stumped but his almost imperceptible shrug of a shoulder was a clear indication that he would let Kahlan handle the situation. Kahlan gave Cara a small nod and an encouraging smile that was answered with the slight narrowing of her eyes. Kahlan sighed and turned her attention to the others.

"Is everyone all alright?"

Nicci and Raina nodded and Kahlan turned her back to them and addressed the soldiers who were still standing in their defensive formation, "Which one of you is the commanding officer?"

A man with short cropped hair and a full beard stepped forward. He had the scars of an experienced fighter but his eyes were widened in shock and surprise, "Mother Confessor, you... you should be at the palace."

"I have only one question: Did you deliberately lead the Seeker in an ambush?"

"No, Mother Confessor, on the contrary. We were supposed to keep him as far away from their hunting grounds as possible. We were told that they would be at least a swift hour's walk to the North and to keep the Seeker and the others as far away from there as possible.

"Thank you. I want you and your men to guard the Calthrop. You heard my orders, make sure that he obeys them. Also, be sure to bring the body, the First Wizard might be able to learn something from it. After that the young man will have an honourable funeral."

"Yes, Mother Confessor," he said and ordered his men to make camp.

Kahlan turned her attention to Richard, Cara and the others, "Lets go back to the palace, Queen Corah has some explaining to do."

**

Corah was sitting in a comfortable armchair but she looked decidedly uncomfortable. She practically squirmed under Kahlan's stern look.

"In the weeks before the Seeker closed the Rift to the Underworld, repelling the banelings was getting harder every day. I ordered my people to stay in their homes, the army protected the towns and settlements as best as they could, but I still had to let the Calthrop loose every night. During the day I was always tired, too tired to eat, and then one day I got a report on another thwarted baneling attack but I had been nowhere near that area that particular night. And the next day there was another report and the day after that and the day after that. So, I decided to investigate and ventured out in the forest late in the night with the Rada'han still around my neck. They found me and just stood there, looking at me. They didn't attack. In the morning they changed back in their human form.

"They are my friends, Mother Confessor. We grew up together. I have to protect them. They only wanted to contribute to the protection of their land and their queen. At first it was like a miracle, but after the Rift was sealed there were no more banelings or other creatures of the Underworld to hunt. Their instincts got the better of them. I try to feed them but sometimes that's not enough. I had my guards lead the Seeker away from them in hopes that after a night of wasted efforts you all would give up and return to your own, more important mission," Corah said softly, her eyes firmly on the Mother Confessor to make it clear that this time she had nothing to hide.

"You know who they are. Have them executed and your problems go away," Darken said. "In fact, I'd be more than happy to have my Mord-Sith take care of that for you."

"Stop it, Rahl," Richard said, "no one gets executed. There has already been one death tonight. That's enough. I understand you, Queen Corah, I would have done the same. It's only right. Right, Kahlan?"

The eager expression on his face made it evident that he was looking for Kahlan's approval but her Confessor's face was unreadable.

"It is not right, Richard. As a ruler you can't put the wellbeing of a small group of people before the wellbeing of an entire country," Kahlan answered harshly.

Richard looked at her as if she had just slapped him. Kahlan didn't flinch under his wounded gaze but added more softly, "It's a hard lesson to learn, Richard. When the Blood of the Fold attacked Aydindril I put my own insecurities before the needs of my people and it resulted in death and destruction; it could have destroyed the Midlands as a whole. That's a risk I can't take, no, Richard, not any more."

Zedd slapped Richard on the back and said, "Wizard's Second Rule, my boy, the greatest harm can result from the best intentions. Queen Corah, do you know how they got turned into those not quite Calthrops?"

"No, they said that it would better if I knew as little as possible should the people turn against them," Corah answered.

"That's alright, Queen Corah," Richard said with a forced smile. "The Mother Confessor confessed one of them. He can give us all the answers we need and then we can fix it and everything will be fine, right, Kahlan?"

Kahlan was still wearing her Confessor's face but instead of agreeing with Richard she just said, "It's late. We should all go to bed."

**

A servant led them to their bed chambers in the east wing of the palace with Cara and Raina putting up the rear.

"How did she do it? Confessor magic only works on humans," Raina asked her fellow Mord-Sith.

Cara's answer was simple, "She is the Mother Confessor."

**

Cara and Kahlan entered their shared room and Kahlan immediately started to get ready for bed. Cara crossed her arms over her chest and stared daggers in Kahlan's back. Aside from the sound of Kahlan's movements it was absolutely silent in the room. The silence made Kahlan turn around with a smile that disappeared the moment she saw Cara's disapproving frown. She stepped closer to the visibly irate woman.

"You saved my life, Confessor," Cara half said, half growled.

"You're welcome, Cara."

Cara's eyes narrowed a bit but confronted with Kahlan's gentle smile she uncrossed her arms.

"You could have died. Don't do it again."

Kahlan's smile softened even more and she put a hand on Cara's arm, "I can't promise that, Cara."

They held eye contact. Cara shrugged off Kahlan's hand and reached for her agiel but didn't touch it. Instead she stepped around Kahlan, walked over to the bed and started to undress. Kahlan followed her with her eyes, still smiling.

**

The morning sun fell through the open windows. Queen Corah sat at one end of the long wooden table and the Mother Confessor at the other. Richard and Darken Rahl sat next to the queen. Richard kept looking longingly at Kahlan and played with the food on his plate. Cara was sitting at Kahlan's right, from there she could see the whole room, including all three doors, though it seemed as if she had only eyes and ears for the Mother Confessor. Dahlia glared daggers at her which earned her an elbow jab in the side by Raina.

The double doors to the main entrance of Queen Corah's dining room opened and a young man walked in, wearing simply spun trousers and shirt that was way too big for him. He was tall and well muscled and had the gait of a fighter. Without even noticing the others he made a beeline to the Mother Confessor and knelt in front of her.

"I'm here. Command me, Mistress."

Kahlan sat up straighter and assumed her neutral Confessor's face, "What is your name?"

"Elron, Mistress. Please forgive me for attacking you. We wanted to keep hidden in the queen's clearing but then there was this smell and we could not control the beast any longer. Every night it's getting harder to control. I'm glad you stopped us."

"How many of you are there?" Kahlan asked.

"We were ten, now we are five. The first was killed by banelings. She went alone and there were just too many of them. Three killed themselves after the Rift was closed because they didn't want to become a threat for our people. They were brave. Tomas was killed last night, but he died honourably under your blades, Mother Confessor."

"How did you come to be what you are? Who put this curse on you?" She asked.

"We heard of this woman who walked the lands healing people the healers had given up on. We only wanted a potion that would allow our queen to sleep and eat again and give her back her strength," he said, gazing up adoringly at this Mistress. "She said that she could help us but that it would only be a temporary reprieve. She also said that she knew a way for us to take some of the burden off our queen's shoulders and help our people. She said that she could transform us into beings almost as strong and deadly as the Calthrop itself but that we, our human souls would still be in control at all time."

Elron looked down to the floor and fell silent. Kahlan put a comforting hand on his shoulder and he looked up again, "She lied. The beast gradually got stronger every night. At first we did not notice, but slowly we became overwhelmed by the thrill of the hunt. The smell of blood created the need to have more and every morning when we woke up covered in blood and gore we remembered what we had done the day before."

Elron once again fell silent and looked at his Mistress with tear filled eyes, "We didn't want to kill our people but the taste of human blood, it was just so sweet, so addictive. It gets harder to resist every day. Please, Mistress, help my friends."

"What exactly did that woman do? Did she us a spell, an incantation, a potion? How did she do it?" Zedd asked.

"Answer the First Wizard, Elron," Kahlan ordered with a smile when the young man looked at her for approval.

"Yes, Mistress. She said that she needed a sample of Queen Corah's blood to give us the powers of the Calthrop. She had this big cauldron over a fire; it was bubbling and had a funny smell, a bit like human blood, even before she added the queen's blood. She let it boil and put some other things in the cauldron. I'm sorry, Mistress, I don't know what it was."

"You're doing fine, Elron," Kahlan said and squeezed his shoulder.

"She asked for locks of our hair and threw them in as well. She told us to form a circle around the cauldron and hold each other by the hands. She started to sing in a language I have never heard before, and I know most of the languages of the Midlands and D'Hara. Her voice got louder and louder, and suddenly tendrils of fire shot from the cauldron straight in our chests. When night fell we changed for the first time. I'm so sorry, Mistress."

Kahlan padded his hair in soothing approval and looked expectantly at the others in search for answers and further questions. Corah's eyes were cast down, her expression showed pain and guilt. Richard looked at Zedd for answered but the wizard as well as Darken Rahl seemed deep in thought. Berdine continued eating and the other Mord-Sith looked bored.

Nicci's face was almost as unreadable as a Mord-Sith's. She stood up, walked over to Kahlan, bent down and tore Elron's shirt apart. There was a mark on his chest that looked like a half-drawn grace. Nicci took a step back.

"That's impossible," she said. "There are no mages in the New World."

"A mage? Are you sure, Nicci?" Zedd asked. "If that's true than the death of the mage will at least partially undo the spell, but there has not been a mage for hundreds of years."

"Even in the Old World, there are not many, and I've never seen one, but while I was still a novice in the Palace of the Prophets I read about them. Their magic is neither substractive nor additive; it comes from the elements themselves, earth, wind, fire and water," Nicci answered.

"Can a mage be confessed?" Kahlan asked, sitting up even straighter to hide her discomfort at her own question.

"There are no Confessors in the Old World, so, I'm guessing it's never has been tried. It wouldn't do much good, anyway. As far as memory serves a spell cast by a mage can only be undone by destroying the mage and the symbol of the element the mage commands best. It is used in every spell."

"Like a stone or something?" Elron asked. "At the end of the incantation or whatever it was she threw a small stone into the cauldron."

"So," Rahl said, "all we have to do is find that mage who probably left Caddock weeks ago, kill her and smash her little stone. Great! Another waste of time. The Mother Confessor should simply order her new pet to identify the others and have it done with."

"And that's what we'll do if we haven't found a solution by the end of the day. We can't risk any more people being killed," Kahlan said in a calm voice not even Richard dared to question. "Elron, do you know where to find this mage?"

"No, Mother Confessor. Please, don't kill my friends. We only meant well," Elron reached for Kahlan's hand but stopped himself.

"I know, Elron," Kahlan said, sadness and determination colouring her voice, "and in a perfect world every living being could exist in harmony with all the others. In our world, however, as hard as it may be, sometimes the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few," Kahlan answered, her words meant more for Richard and Corah than for the young man still on his knees.

"I understand, Mistress. The Mother Confessor is wise. If it has to be done, could you please confess them first, so that they may die with love in their hearts instead of fear," Elron pleaded.

Kahlan swallowed hard and for the fraction of a heartbeat her eyes widened at the heartfelt plea, "Yes, Elron, if there is no other choice I will confess them and they will die without pain in their heart."

"There might be a way to track the mage, Mother Confessor," Nicci said, "by redrawing and finishing the grace on his chest."

"How? It looks like it has been burned into the skin," Queen Corah asked. "I do not want him to be hurt."

"It's alright, my Queen, I would offer even if I did not want to please my Mistress. I can do it," Elron said.

"It has to be done by someone able to recognise magical markers, and it has to be done by a blade imbued with magical powers. So, if you would do the honours, Nicci?!" Zedd said.

"A tracking spell will have to be spoken, and with the collar I can't use my han, and my dacra can not be used by a male."

"I will do it," Cara said. "But I'll need someone to guide my hand. I know what a grace looks but I have never drawn one."

Cara made visual contact with Kahlan, her expression was determined. So, Kahlan just nodded and gave her quick smile, "Let's do it. Zedd, please, write down the tracking spell. Elron, give Queen Corah the names of your four friends. There's a cave system under the palace. Yesterday, when I followed Helena we passed a few caves that can easily be blocked off. If this doesn't work we can trap all of them in one of the caves, and Zedd can reinforce it with a binding spell."

"There's no need for that. They are no danger at the moment. We might be able to get this all solved without wasting time chasing after Elron's friends," Richard said.

Kahlan's eyes narrowed and she retorted angrily, "That's a risk I'm not willing to take, Seeker."

Richard's eyes were wide and he was staring at Kahlan as if he could not believe that she had really just rebuffed him that sharply.

"The Mother Confessor is right, my boy. We don't have to like it but it has to be done. Nicci should stay with you, just in case, Kahlan, while the rest of us deal with Elron's friends," Zedd said, once again putting a reassuring hand on his grandson's shoulders.

"Let's get this over with; all this do-gooding leaves a bad taste in my mouth," Rahl said.

**

The tracking spell led Nicci, Kahlan, Cara, Elron and Queen Corah to a small house in the middle of the rundown district of town Zedd, Berdine and Rahl had passed through the night before. They found an old woman dressed in oversized clothes made of small pieces of colourful fabric, a disharmonious patchwork that would have given the Creator herself a headache. She raised her hand and began to murmur a spell, but before she could finish the second word Kahlan's hand closed around her throat. There was thunder without sound.

The woman sank to her knees and whispered, "Command me, Confessor."

"Tell me about the spell you used on him and his friends," Kahlan ordered, pointed at Elron.

The woman broke into childish giggles and rubbed her hands in glee, "Fools they are, magic they craved, magic must die. The master commanded, the master I served. His voice now so far, the confessor I heed."

"Who is your master?"

"My Mistress you are. Command me, Confessor," the woman answered.

"Who ordered you to put a spell on them? Tell me your former Master's name."

"Red robe of the Fold, fellow of the Order of Creation," the woman said and convulsed on the floor. Nicci blanched for a moment but regained control over her expression before anyone noticed.

The seizure only lasted a few heartbeats, then she took a deep breath and returned to her kneeling position. The look in her eyes spoke of utter devotion and a gratefulness Kahlan had rarely seen in one of her confessed. She pulled a small stone out of a pocket.

"The Confessor's love protects me, so, let me speak freely before I die," she said. "The Blood of the Fold want the people of Caddock to rebel against magic and their queen. The beasts were made in the Calthrop's image but they are not as strong, as you already know. The spell can not be undone completely. If you kill me and then destroy my token, the stone in my hand, the transformations will stop but their minds will deteriorate until there is nothing human left. If you destroy the token and then kill me, the transformations will continue every night but their human minds will stay in control. It is for you to decide, Mistress."

"Cara, do you have something to destroy the focussing stone?"

Cara pulled a hammer from behind her back, "Put the stone down."

"I can not. If it has no contact with my skin it can not be destroyed."

"But that would shatter your hand," Corah objected.

"It will be a brief pain," the woman answered.

It did not take more than one strike for the small stone to shatter into thousands of pieces. The woman cried out, her face contorted in pain. Corah gagged and turned away from the sight. Cara drew her agiel to put it on the woman's heart, but Kahlan waved her off.

The Mother Confessor cradled the woman's face in both hand. Her eyes were said when she gently ordered, "Die for me!"

The expression of deep gratitude was back on the woman's face. Kahlan held her until she had stopped breathing. She lowered her to the floor and Nicci bent down and closed her eyes with surprising gentleness.

"I will see to her funeral, Queen Corah," Nicci said without looking up. Her right hand now resting over the dead woman's heart.

"Thank you, Duncan will make sure that everything is done to your specifications. He's waiting outside. Mother Confessor, please accept my deepest apologies for the way I acted. I underestimated the Blood of the Fold and the length to which they go to reach their goals. Caddock will give you every support we can. Please, stay the night to give my advisors the time to write a Royal proclamation to that end."

"Thank you, Queen Corah. We accept your hospitality, and as the Mother Confessor I'm grateful for your support and your change of heart," Kahlan answered.

**

On the way back to the palace Elron and Queen Corah walked a few paces ahead of Kahlan and Cara. Kahlan seemed lost in thoughts but kept turning around and looking back at the house of the mage.

Cara grabbed her agiel as if to fortify herself and said, "I should have killed her."

Kahlan stopped in the middle of the street. She turned towards Cara and smiled, "She welcomed death. From the moment I confessed her I could feel her pain, so much pain. After everything that happened with Nicci I had forgotten that Confession can also be a blessing, Cara. It's a very good feeling I would do well to remember."

A brief smile flashed over Cara's face before it returned to her normal expression, "Let's go and find the others and see if it really worked.

**

Corah, a couple of courtiers, Richard, Zedd, Kahlan and Cara stood outside of the magical barrier when the five young people, two women and three men, including Elron transformed into mini-Calthrops. Nicci joined them, followed by a sulking Dahlia.

Richard gave Nicci a curt nod, "Did the funeral go well?"

"The mage has been buried with the remnants of her stone and her book of spells as is tradition in the Old World. This way she can become one with the one element over which she had the most command. Elemental magic is very rare," Nicci said with a certain warmth in her voice.

"Where is Darken Rahl?" Zedd asked but kept his attention of the creatures behind his magical barrier.

"The Lord Rahl decided to make use of the amenities of the Palace and has ordered Mistress Berdine and Mistress Raina to pamper and entertain him," Dahlia said flatly.

Cara snorted and also turned her attention to the cave prison. The beasts were just standing calmly in the cell. They didn't speak but they also didn't shriek. There were subtle differences in colouring and height but no way to tell who of them were the men and who the women. Kahlan stepped closer to the barrier and one of the Calthrops walked over and slowly got on his knees. He looked up at Kahlan with love in his eyes.

"How do you feel, Elron?"

He tried to answer but the only sound that came out was a strangled growl. Kahlan instinctively reached out to comfort him but Cara pulled her back before she touched the barrier.

"Kahlan!" Richard cried out. "Be careful."

"Elron would not hurt me, Richard. Zedd, can you remove the barrier?"

"I'd rather wait a few candlemarks more, Kahlan, just to be sure. It looks as if they can't speak but we should find out how much they understand."

**

Kahlan was back in her white dress when she led their group into the throne room the next morning. Elron and his four friends were standing at the foot of the dais leading to the throne. Queen Corah rose when she saw the Mother Confessor enter. She walked down the dais and knelt in front of Kahlan, followed by every noble and servant and soldier in the big room.

"Rise, Queen Corah of Caddock. Everyone, rise my children."

They got up again and Corah led Kahlan to the throne. She stood at Kahlan's side and looked down on the tightly packed room; the people quickly fell into an expectant silence.

"Citizen of Caddock, on this day we join the Mother Confessor and the rest of the Midlands in the fight against a great threat: the Blood of the Fold. It was they who created the plague that has cost the lives of eleven of our brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers. They want us all to think that magic is evil, a gift of the Keeper. If not for the Mother Confessor's timely intervention, they might have succeeded. Some of us had forgotten that magic is life and life is magic. The truth is that magic is a tool, and what we do with it determines whether it is good or evil. Caddock has used it for good in the past and will continue to do so at the side of the Mother Confessor and the Seeker of Truth. Together we will end the threat the Blood of the Fold poses."

"Long live Queen Corah."

"Death to the Fold."

"Long live the Mother Confessor."

"May the Midlands prosper."

Nobles and soldiers alike yelled their approval. Corah raised her hands to bring the assembly back to order and when they finally calmed down she turned to Kahlan.

"Mother Confessor, the army and the people of Caddock are at your disposal. Ask and it will be done."

"Thank you, Queen Corah, the rest of the Midlands and I are grateful for your support and I have no doubt that our fight for the greater good will be successful," Kahlan said, her voice easily carried even in the furthest corner of big room.

More shouts of "Long live the Mother Confessor" and "The fold to the Keeper" were heard while Kahlan embraced Corah and said her good-byes.

She walked down the stairs. Elron sank to his knees in front of her, "Please, Mistress, take me with you."

Kahlan stroked his cheek and smiled at him, "You will please me more if you stay here and protect and serve your queen, Elron. Be the strong arm on which she can rely and the pillar against which she can lean and rest. It is my wish that you serve her as you would serve me."

"Yes Mistress. I will serve my queen," Elron said and got back on his feet.

The people all got on their knees when Kahlan passed them on the way out. Richard tried to walk next to her but Cara held him back with a warning look. Berdine and Zedd walked side by side as they left the throne room.

"It seems as if the Mother Confessor has her confidence back," Berdine said with a twinkle in her eyes.

"That she does, Mistress Berdine, and not a moment too soon."

**



**

TO BE CONTINUED ...

... in Episode 3.10 - Harmony!

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