The ruler of D'Hara paced before his throne, anger made visible through his every move. He turned to one of the captains he had summoned from his army. "I will not stand for anymore failures," Darken Rahl's voice boomed through the halls. "To defeat the Seeker, we need to cut him off from those he cares about, from his traveling companions. Without them, he won't be able to navigate the Midlands or protect himself from my wizards."
"Very good idea my Lord. Whom shall we target first?" The captain clasped his hands behind his back, standing at the ready.
Rahl didn't need any time to think about his answer, "The Mother Confessor." A creepy grin spread across his face. He would strike the Seeker where he is most vulnerable, his heart.
The soldier saluted, "Her death will be long and painful, I promise you that."
"No," Rahl spoke slowly. "You won't kill her. We need something worse than death, something that will torment Richard Cypher for an eternity." A plan formed in his mind. "Bring a wizard with you; take Jonah. Tell him to be creative." Gracefully, he glided over to his throne. His eyes closed as he sat, reveling in his own power. Soon the Seeker would know what it was like to have the object of his affection in mortal jeopardy.
The captain bowed respectfully, "I shall ready the troops at once my Lord. We will leave with Jonah within the hour. You have my word." The man exited quickly, eager to be out of Darken's line of sight.
Rahl nodded as the uniformed soldier scurried out the door. Smooth fingers caressed the arm of his throne. Cypher will never take away his power. He will learn what happens to those who stand in his way.
*****
"He'll be fine." Kahlan insisted for the third time that day. Richard glanced over his shoulder towards her. He didn't have to guess at who the 'he' she referred to was. Zedd had left yesterday to escort Jennsen safely to the resistance with two of the boxes of Orden. Richard was still uncomfortable with the idea of Zedd or any one of them going off on their own. "He's done this before. And he's Wizard of the First Order, he can handle himself." She smiled despite herself, "He's the one usually bailing us out of trouble, remember?"
A small smirk finally graced the Seeker's lips. "Okay, okay. I'll stop worrying about him."
She shook her head, "I'm not asking you to stop worrying about him; it's only natural you do. I also can't help but be a bit fearful. I'm asking that your worry not cloud your mind. We need to be more alert than ever with Zedd gone." She blushed slightly, realizing a double meaning could be interpreted from her sentence. Luckily, Richard seemed to remain oblivious. His smile disappeared as quick as it had come. He stopped walking next to Kahlan. She turned back, "It's okay to-" The man brought his hand up to silence her. She instantly became serious, "What is it Richard?"
He cocked his head to the right. "We're being followed." Kahlan turned her head in the same direction, trying to hear whatever Richard's ears were detecting. He pointed up into a tree. A single nod let him know she understood. She grabbed a tree branch, hauling herself up into the dense foliage. Richard made sure she was invisible to the enemy before lifting his own body weight into the leaves.
Within two minutes, a troop of twenty armed soldiers marched through the area. A dagger pierced through the air vertically, wedging itself between the shoulder blades of one of the men. A split second later, a woman dropped from the tree, her feet landing on either side of the fallen D'Haran. In one swift move she held both of her daggers in the defensive position. Before anyone could make a move on her, Richard followed suit, slicing a man in half on his way down with the Sword of Truth. The duo went back to back, readying themselves for the inevitable battle.
A battle cry rippled through the forest. Richard relaxed, letting the dance with death overtake him body and soul. The sword cleanly sliced through a man's abdomen, sending him sprawling to the ground. He pivoted on his left foot, driving the piece of metal through the torso of another soldier. The weapon made a repulsive noise when it was removed.
Kahlan easily cut the throat of a Dragon Corp member before spinning to meet the blow of another. Her white confessor's dress flowed like liquid behind her. The heel of her foot made contact with a soldier's groin before he toppled over. A hand reached out of nowhere, grabbing her wrist. With lightening speed, she pried the grabby fingers off of her. Another hand replaced it. She fought to get free, but a different man grabbed her other wrist, pulling in the opposite direction. She grunted with the pain it caused. She struggled against them. Ideas raced through her mind, but each came up empty. A man wearing robes as black as the night sky made his way towards her. He walked through the troops as if he was parting the sea. He eyed her up and down, "Well well, I can't say it's a pleasure to meet you. Though I do hope when all is said and done, you are able to eventually rot in the Underworld." He bowed his head, making sure to stay far enough away to avoid her now flailing legs. Kahlan heaved all of her effort into trying to kick the scumbag of a wizard before her. Words began pouring out of his mouth in a language she couldn't understand. She recognized it as the one Zedd spoke in when he was performing magic. Jonah bowed his head, raising his arms out in front of him.
A piercing scream escaped Kahlan's throat. It rang loud in the Seeker's ear. He instantly turned to find her. "No!" He screamed into the air, fighting his way over to where she was being held. She writhed as blue magic danced and crackled along her pale skin. Standing between Richard and Kahlan was in itself a death sentence at the hands of the Seeker. Her eyes glossed over, becoming a milky white. Brown locks tossed from side to side as she shook. The Sword of Truth descended upon the wizard, producing a large gash in his right side. Rage was evident in Richard's eyes as he addressed the soldiers holding Kahlan, "Release her now or die where you stand." The two men let go of the woman as she slumped down to the ground, her eyes still unseeing. Richard sunk down beside her, taking her face into his hands, "Kahlan, look at me. Focus your eyes on me. Come on-" Before he could get another word out, the blue magic spread from Kahlan's skin to his own, engulfing them both. A thunderous boom reverberated through branches and shrubs. The two remaining soldiers stared wide-eyed at the black scorch marks outlining where their enemies had been crouching. Not even a single hair follicle remained in the area. They glanced at each other before tending to the injured wizard. Lord Rahl would want to know about this new turn of events.