Promethean Heat, Chapter 2

Disclaimer: They aren't mine (except for Anson and a bunch of cannon fodder), so don't sue me for treating them so badly.

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Later that morning, Kahlan and Richard sat with the others around a small fire in the Resistance camp. Richard explained what had happened to Zedd.

Devlin looked grim. "They'll take him to the D'Haran camp before they transport him further," he said. "It's about ten miles west of here."

Richard poked savagely at the fire with a stick. "We have to get him out of there, Devlin. I know what a Mord Sith can do." There was a shadow over his face as he said it, and Kahlan touched his arm lightly in concern. He glanced at her and smiled reassuringly.

Devlin was shaking his head. "There are a hundred men in that camp, Richard. I don't have nearly enough men to stage a raid, even a simple hit and run. Not at three to one odds."

"Are there any other Resistance groups nearby?" Kahlan asked.

"No," Anson said sadly. "We've been hit hard the last few weeks. What you see here is everything within a week's ride."

"We don't have to beat the whole camp," Richard said. "We just need to keep them occupied long enough to give me a chance to get in and free Zedd."

"Who's being guarded by a Mord Sith," Devlin pointed out.

Richard's face fell. "What we need is the sort of distraction a wizard could give us," he said glumly.

"Wait," Kahlan said. "Richard, we still have the fake Sword of Truth we got from Clayre and Frytss."

Richard looked at her, frowning. "What does--?" he began, and then his eyebrows went up as he began to see where she was headed with this. He smiled, nodding. "I always thought that would come in handy. Especially now that we have a man who looks an awful lot like the Seeker." He tilted his head toward Anson.

"I'd say that'd be a pretty big distraction," Devlin said. "We hit the D'Harans from one side, with the Seeker leading the charge…"

"And when they go after that Seeker, we hit them with another attack from the opposite side, with another Seeker," Richard continued.

"And in the confusion, I go in after Zedd," Kahlan said, nodding. "I think it's our best shot. But it's a big risk, especially for you, Anson. The D'Harans will throw everything at you."

Anson nodded, smiling warmly at her, even though he felt a chill of fear at the thought of what he'd be facing. "I didn't sign up for this to sit around in camp. Count me in." She smiled back, relieved that he was so willing to take the risk.

"It's not exactly a cakewalk for you, either, Kahlan," Richard said, sounding worried. "There's still the Mord Sith. She won't be easily fooled, and she'll be expecting an attack."

Kahlan looked over at Devlin. "I'll take Devlin and a couple of his men with me. If the Mord Sith is there, I'll keep her busy while they get Zedd. The minute he's free, I'll get clear."

Richard frowned, not happy at the idea of Kahlan taking on a Mord Sith by herself. "No crazy risks?" he said.

She raised her eyebrows. "No more than you take," she promised archly.

Devlin snorted. "If we're really going to do this," he said, "we'll need to know more about that camp. I can't afford to be wandering around looking for Zedd in every tent while you three are holding off the entire D'Haran camp. We'll have to get in and get out as fast as possible."

Richard nodded. "Then let's take a look."

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Richard and Kahlan crawled up a small rise near the D'Haran camp. A small rock outcropping at the top provided reasonable cover for them to observe safely. At least, that's what Richard was hoping.

"That line of trees there," Kahlan whispered, pointing off to the left. "I think that's the best spot for Anson's attack. It's the closest you can get to the camp with cover for a large group."

Richard nodded. "And that side over there is the best we can do for my attack," he said. He was pointing at another line of trees on the opposite side.

"I don't like it," Kahlan said. "You're too exposed for too long. That's at least fifty yards of open ground."

"True," Richard said, "but Anson will be keeping them occupied. I think we can do it, especially if we go in before dawn. The dark will give us almost as much cover as trees would. And it's not like we have a lot of other options."

Kahlan sighed, scanning the camp, looking for signs of a prison. That was the crucial part—the attack wouldn't do them any good if they couldn't get Zedd out fast. But where are they holding him? she thought. All the tents looked the same, and there weren't any permanent structures.

"Wait, Kahlan, there!" Richard was pointing at a tent near the center of the camp. The Mord Sith had just come out, followed by a pair of soldiers dragging another soldier's limp body between them. There were two other D'Haran soldiers outside as guards. "I'd say that's a likely spot."

Kahlan nodded, memorizing the location. Fourth tent in from the outside, in the middle of the east side. It would be the hardest part of the camp to get to, she thought. I hope our diversion works. At least the woods were relatively close to the east side, so they could have horses close for a quick getaway. "I'd say we know enough. Let's get back to Anson and the others."

They scrambled back from the edge, then turned and headed back to the clearing where they'd left their horses. "You like him, don't you?" Richard said as they walked.

"Anson?" Kahlan said, surprised. "I…wait, there's no way I can answer this that won't get me in trouble, is there?" She'd expected her echo of his words to elicit a laugh, but Richard didn't seem amused. Kahlan frowned, but then Richard held up his hand, looking around. Kahlan froze, listening, and then heard a faint sound of metal on metal. Chain mail, she thought. She glanced at Richard, who nodded almost imperceptibly at a thicket a few yards ahead. He edged to the left, and she moved quietly in the opposite direction. She came up behind a tree, and peeked around.

There was a D'Haran soldier looking right at her. He yelled and ran at her, raising his sword. She stepped back, raising her daggers, and met his assault, sweeping his sword to the side with one dagger, slashing his throat with the other. She heard the ring of swordplay behind her and knew Richard was in the fight.

Another D'Haran ran toward her, followed by three more. If it's just a patrol, she thought, then there can't be much more than ten men. She kicked the first man in the gut, and used her momentum to duck under the attack of the next man, stabbing upwards into his stomach. She shoved him back into the other two, and she flung one dagger into the throat of the nearest man. She turned, meeting the attack of the man she'd kicked, letting his thrust pass her and clubbing him over the back of the head as he lunged forward. The remaining man was struggling to get out from under the writhing soldier who'd landed on him. Kahlan ignored him for the moment, trying to see where Richard was.

He was surrounded by four soldiers, with two already dead at his feet. But there was another creeping up behind him. But before she could call out a warning, there was a yell. "Death to D'Harans!" Anson cried, striking down the soldier behind Richard. He skidded recklessly to a stop just behind the group surrounding Richard. They looked back at him, confused. "Not so brave when you're facing the true Seeker, are you?" he said.

Laying it on a bit thick, there, aren't you, Anson? Kahlan thought, almost laughing. But it seemed to be working. Two of the soldiers turned to face him, leaving Richard with the remaining two.

Kahlan turned back to deal with her last soldier, who'd finally gotten out from under his now-dead compatriot. This one seemed a little more wary, but it didn't do him any good. He stepped forward, ready to attack, then staggered, falling forward, and there was an arrow in his back. Kahlan looked up to see Devlin, who grinned at her over his crossbow, nodding.

She nodded back, and turned to help Richard and Anson, pulling her second dagger from the throat of the dead soldier as she went. But they were already done, or near it. Richard turned and cut down the last soldier as Anson was pulling his sword free of another.

"Thanks again," Kahlan said as Devlin rejoined them. "You seem to be spending a lot of time getting us out of trouble."

"I'd say we have pretty good evidence that our diversion is likely to work now," Devlin said, nodding at Anson.

But Anson wasn't looking at Devlin. He was staring over Kahlan's shoulder. "Kahlan!" Richard shouted, and she turned, but Anson had already run through the soldier who'd been ready to strike her down.

The one I clubbed over the head, she thought, disgusted with herself. Sloppy, Kahlan. "Thank you, Anson," she said, clasping his shoulder and giving him a grateful smile.

He nodded, breathing hard. Neither of them noticed the hard look Richard gave them.

"Did you get what we needed?" Devlin said.

Richard jumped slightly, startled, and nodded. "Let's get back to the camp. We can talk about it there—I don't want to risk running into another patrol."

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