A/N: Been a while. I'm working on Gone Forever, first in the Lost in the Arms of Destiny saga, and basically, any extra scenes that don't make it to the story get thrown here. Hoping to have a new chapter within a couple of weeks.
This one was essentially a study of how Cara and Kahlan meet within their roles. Well, here it goes.
Things couldn't be worse. They couldn't. Cara burst out the mangled shack of a building despite Zedd's protests. Desperate eyes found Kahlan atop a horse in the middle of this wasteland of a town. She turned slowly, and their gazes should've locked, like instinct, like fall giving way to winter. But green eyes flicked down. Cara felt the intense stare, the quiet demand. Her foot stepped back, as though of its own accord. Something cold and forgotten gripped her heart and held her in place even after she heard Kahlan ride off.
She'd come so far. So close.
Things couldn't be worse.
"I fear," Zedd said slowly, "Kahlan will kill Richard."
She only stared blankly at the place Kahlan used to be, unable to accept her inevitable future.
Zedd laid a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Considering the task before us, I must expect the worst. In which case, I must confess something." He stopped.
The Mord'Sith glanced at the wizard, seeing the beginning of tears in his eyes—much like her own. She pulled off a glove and rested her hand upon Zedd's.
It was worse.
They caught up to Kahlan, only to find her surrounded by Sisters of the Dark.
Richard's blind confusion with a child was but a background detail in her mind. Let him damn the world. She had eyes only for Kahlan.
The Mother Confessor whirled amidst the Sisters. Eight to one. But the fear in the battlefield was not Kahlan's. No, wrapped in the embrace of Confession and the Con Dar, the strongest Confessor to have lived since Magda Searus was both a glorious and terrible sight to behold.
A dacra came her way. She spun, plucking it from the air as she went. Her hair whipped to the side as she flung the dacra into a Sister's chest. A terrible smile played about her lips while she took in her enemies. As Kahlan advanced, the circle of Sisters moved, refusing to engage in close combat. It was no longer an ambush, but a consuming terror and desperation to live. Kahlan's grin grew more sadistic, as though feeding on their fear.
Power surged, barely noticeable in the sea of Kahlan's. Cara sighted on a particular Sister. Nothing remained of her but an animal, the inverse of Kahlan. A cornered animal consumed by terror summoned everything it had left, drawing the attention of its predator.
Kahlan gave a sweet, deranged smile, and beckoned to her.
The Sister screamed, releasing all of her Han in a bolt of lightning.
Cara's body moved out of instinct, of terror.
Zedd's yell drowned in the roar of magic and fury.
Cara extended control, her gift of damned origins close to rebuffing the Sister's magic, but something ancient and furious slammed her magic back on her so roughly she fell. Dizzy, she barely saw Kahlan's hand turn. Barely processed the blast of lightning from the Confessor.
Two magics met, a loud crack cutting the air as they did.
Two Sisters surrendered their Han to the one battling Kahlan.
"Do you feel it?" Zedd yelled.
Cara frowned, looked at Kahlan again.
The Confessor's head was tilted, as though she was deciding what to do with a boring plaything.
Dacras flew toward her. Her free hand rose; they stopped. Back to their owners they flew, missing only a few. Four bolts of lightning shot toward Kahlan, but they simply dissipated once close to her.
Kahlan smiled.
The Sister battling her paled.
Kahlan's bolt thickened, grew wild. Instead of their magics meeting equally, Kahlan's pulsated and pushed slightly, then all at once surged forward and devoured the Sister's magic until it crashed over the woman.
Not even ash remained.
The surviving Sisters put forth everything they could. They won or they died.
Kahlan twisted in a frightful dance with magic and dacras. Cara watched, fascinated and horrified until Kahlan stopped. Power billowed outward, thunder rocked the ground beneath Cara's boots—even at this distance. Confession filled the eyes of four Sisters from too great a distance to be real. Blood fell from their eyes, and they collapsed.
Cara couldn't look away from their bodies, even as the Confessor silently demanded her attention. Her gaze fell further and she choked on a sob, so foreign to her body. "Zedd," she called. "Zedd, friend, help the Seeker."
Silence met her, and she understood.
Now, it was only Mord'Sith and Confessor.
"You rebuffed my magic," Cara said quietly, thoughtlessly observing the small patch of sand at her feet dampened by her tears. She ached for blue eyes she'd never see again. "I know they'll fix you… if I buy them time." She drew her agiels. "Nothing can break me as you have."
Dirty boots stepped into her vision. "You would fight me, Mord'Sith?"
Kahlan's voice was chilling, quiet not just in sound, but in depth. Empty, a shell of itself. Surprisingly, devoid of anger. Cara had never heard the woman speak in the Con Dar. She smiled wryly. "I imagine we have the same answers."
Cara could practically hear Kahlan's head tilt. "You ask no question, Mord'Sith."
Her screaming agiels were only background noise, the pain insignificant compared to the feel of Kahlan's power on her skin. For the first time in an agonized eternity, Cara looked into Kahlan's eyes. There was no cool blue, no open serenity, no compassion staring back at her. Instead, an abyss of maddened rage regarded her with a curious precision. "You're terribly beautiful."
A cool smirk crossed Kahlan's face, likely acknowledging the play on words. "You ask no question, Mord'Sith. Your time grows thin."
Cara stared into that abyss. "Do you love me?"
Rage flitted across Kahlan's face and she made a feral noise. Kahlan's fist darkened Cara's vision. She didn't even see Kahlan move. Again. Cara fell backward.
"You would fight me, Confessor?"
Kahlan snarled, yanking the Mord'Sith to her feet. She closed a hand on Cara's throat, the Con Dar allowing her to lift the shorter woman with ease.
Instinct said to agiel so many sensitive spots.
Her senses began to fade.
To fight.
She focused on rage-filled eyes.
Survive.
Her agiels fell.
"You could've held on longer." She shook Cara. "Fight me."
Darkness crept further into her vision. She ached for blue eyes.
Power rushed from Kahlan, radiating from her touch, enveloping Cara. It was the strongest thing she had ever felt, ever would feel. It was without the taint of rage she expected and flooded her, touching her very soul. The thunder without sound echoed in her body. She couldn't breathe.
An eternity passed. All Cara could focus on was the quiet, almost reluctant retreat of power. It created a new emptiness within her, and could she have found her voice, she might've begged it to stay.
"Twice now, you resist my Confession." It was soft now.
Dual spots of blue broke into the darkness of her vision. Then everything went dark.
She woke in the Underworld, oblivious to Rahl's and his torment. She could only feel the embrace of Kahlan's power, only see blue eyes.
A/N: Cara doesn't stay dead, but it felt appropriate to end here. I hope you guys liked it and I'll see you next time.
Wkgreen, I hope you're still out there.
