Chapter 2

His breaths were rapid staccatos as he huddled beneath the thick undergrowth of brush that he had quickly dived into. He felt as though his heart was hammering loud enough for even the Underworld to hear it. He was worried that it was going to betray him, giving his position away.

Richard didn't know how it was even still beating now after everything that had just happened, how it was still a living thing within his chest after losing Kahlan.

She owned his heart, had been everything to him and now she was dead.

No…he silently berated himself, swallowing back the sob of anguish that suddenly caught in his throat. He had to believe that Zedd and Cara got to her in time. If not, if he didn't grasp onto that single thin thread of hope with everything that he had left, then there was no reason to live.

It made it more than difficult to even draw a breath at that moment as he thought about a world without her being in it, a future that no longer allowed him to see her smile or lose himself in her intense cobalt eyes. It felt as if the D'Harans had caught suddenly him again, wrapping their arms around him and squeezing his chest, crushing him and taking the air from his lungs.

The sound of voices sliced through his tormented thoughts, bringing him back to his present desperate situation. He twisted his wrists again, grinding his teeth as the ropes burned like fire against his skin. The muscles in his legs began to tighten and cramp as he hunched closer to the ground, branches sticking him in the back as he attempted to shift his position without giving himself away.

"Over here!" a soldier suddenly yelled from nearby, causing the Seeker to immediately freeze.

"Find him now!" another roared. "Returning without the Seeker means all of our heads!"

Richard could hear the pounding of their footsteps drawing closer, their voices louder. He bit his bottom lip in anticipation, determined to fight his way through every last one of them if need be in order to gain his freedom.

He held his breath, waiting for the moment that he could escape without detection. The sharp cracking of a stick beneath the boot nearly made him jump, but he steeled himself to stay frozen in place no matter how badly his body was beginning to ache from the cramped position he had balled himself up into.

With his hands bound and no sword at his side, he knew that he was at a serious disadvantage, but that had never deterred him in the past and it certainly wouldn't stop him now. He wanted the blood of the soldier who had so brutally taken Kahlan's life, the one who had stolen his soul-mate from him.

He could feel his rage coalescing in his core, swimming in an ever-growing current that seeped into every fiber of his being. He wanted to look that man in the eye as he breathed his last breath, wanted that man to know that that it had been him who had taken his life and why. He wanted to be the one who sent that vile monster to the Keeper, knowing that his Confessor has been avenged.

Even then, though, Richard knew he'd never again know peace within his soul. He knew that extracting revenge would only bring a fraction of comfort to him in the end, but right now it was all that was holding him together.

The forest suddenly became eerily quiet. No chirping of birds. No scurrying of squirrels. No rustling of rabbits through the bushes. No sound could be heard except for the soft pulsating pants of his breath as sweat trickled down his neck and back.

He could feel the fine hair begin to prickle on the back of his neck as he silently waited. He knew these men would not give up so easily. These were the best of the best of D'Hara's soldiers. These were the elite guard. He had been fortunate to have been able to escape at all let alone make it this long before being captured again.

He knew that every second that slipped by was only dragging him that much closer to being back in their grasp, every moment of freedom becoming more fleeting. He risked peering up at the sky through the green blanket of foliage that was a canopy over him. Through the leaves, he could see bits of sky that had grown darker since the attack had first begun.

Evening was fast approaching and with no way to fend for himself, he knew he was in serious trouble. His head felt like fireworks repeatedly firing inside. He could tell his hair was matted with dried blood now.

He couldn't stay here all night. He was going to have to risk getting help, finding Zedd and Cara if he was going to survive. He continued listening to the tranquil solace that surrounded him, finding no comfort, but only more anguish and dread. There was a dark foreboding that was crushing in on him from every side, one that he knew that he would never escape as long as he was alive.

There would never again be daylight in his life, only an endless starless night, the kind of inky black void where one couldn't even see their own hand before their face. That's what it felt like inside.

He absentmindedly wondered in some strange way if this was what death felt like…only he was still alive to experience it, to endure its relentless tormenting haunt.

Sweat trickled down his forehead and into his eyes. He risked tilting his head and wiping his brow across his shoulder. A twig poking him in the back snapped with his movement, causing him to suddenly freeze.

He held his breath again as he listened. Still no sound. No nothing. He was all alone.

In the distance, he suddenly heard an owl begin its evening call to its mate. It brought an odd sense of comfort, knowing that he was not alone and yet at the same time, pierced his heart like the same arrow that had taken his Confessor.

It's forlorn, lonesome hoots softly carried on the hot evening breeze, dancing in the air and lingering in his ears. It was seeking out its mate, searching for its other half. But his…his was gone, no longer to call his name or smile that smile that lit up his soul.

Minutes dragged by like an eternity as he waited in his hunched position. He hoped that the soldiers had turned back to get their horses to try again, but somehow he knew it wasn't going to be that easy. He also knew that he couldn't stay here any longer. His muscles burned and ached from their locked position, his head pounding.

Slowly, Richard slid one foot forward, stopping and listening to hear if his position had been discovered. Hearing nothing, he slowly slid his other foot next, pausing to listen again. Still nothing. Some of the twigs softly bent to accommodate his shifting position, helping to keep him safe as he guardedly inched away from his hiding place.

His heart raced like a stampede of horses, knowing that one of the large D'Harans could just pop up out of nowhere, grabbing him by the neck and hurling him like a child if they wished. It didn't really matter, though. There was nothing that anyone could do to hurt him more than what had already been done. He was already dead inside. It was just a matter of time for his body to catch up with his heart.

Nearing the edge of the undergrowth, Richard paused, peering past the leaves for any sign of his captors. He silently listened, knowing his time was running out. Hearing nothing, he carefully pushed his way past the thick tangle of branches and leaves. It was now or never.

Exiting the brush, he quickly leapt to his feet. He was all alone. There was no sign of anyone around. Now was his chance to find Zedd and Cara.

An unexpected cracking sound was the last thing he registered just before everything suddenly went black.

XXX

"Kahlan, you must rest. It's far too dangerous for you to keep going like this," Zedd adamantly insisted with a deep frown that only accentuated the wrinkles that lined his face.

"We've wasted far too much time as it is," she bit out, never breaking stride as they made their way through the dense forest. "I'll rest when Richard is safely back with us."

Following the determined Mother Confessor and Mord'Sith through the woods, he knew it was pointless to argue with her. He couldn't very well force her to do anything. She was much too stubborn for her own good. With Richard now missing, she was going to be next to impossible to persuade to take care of herself.

She had lost a lot of blood in that attack. It would take time for her to heal from that arrow that had stolen her life, but trying to force her to stop when the Seeker's life was at stake was a hopeless cause. To her, her life meant nothing compared to his. He also knew the Seeker felt the same way for his Confessor.

Zedd huffed under his breath as he worked to keep up with them. He had to admit that he was more than concerned about the welfare of his grandson. For someone to send that many D'Haran soldiers after him, it had to be something significant.

He just couldn't figure out who it could be. Darken Rahl was dead, had been for months. No one had assumed the throne of D'Hara that rightfully belonged to Richard…at least not that they knew of yet.

The Wizard felt an uneasy chill settle in his old bones at the thought of another tyrant possibly taking control of D'Hara or even the Mord'Sith being in charge for that matter. Despite how evil Darken Rahl was, there always could be someone far worse.

He shuddered at the thought of someone worse than that evil monster that was Richard's brother. It was beyond difficult to believe that two people could be brothers and yet so different; one full of hatred and one full of compassion.

"You're not going to do him or anyone else any good for that matter if you're dead," he groused.

"Then Cara can bring me back again with the breath of life," Kahlan snapped. "I already rested long enough back at the clearing. We've wasted too much time."

Cara looked to the sky, worry for her Lord Rahl brewing. "We're running out of daylight," she commented.

"We can't stop now," Kahlan stated.

"We won't be able to follow their tracks in the dark," Zedd reminded her. "We'll have to start again at first light."

"I can't stand the thought of Richard in the hands of those soldiers any longer than necessary," the Mother Confessor angrily replied.

"They won't hurt him, Kahlan," Zedd gently told her. "They didn't come to kill him. They would've done it long before now. They want him alive for some reason, probably to bring him back to whoever sent them for him in the first place."

Frustrated, Kahlan pulled a stray lock of raven hair behind her ear. "That doesn't make me feel much better, Zedd. Who could've done this?"

"I don't know, but I promise you we will find out," he swore to her.

"I hope so," Kahlan murmured more to herself than the others.

She tightened her grip on the hilt of the Sword of Truth, holding it in a death-grip. She could feel the magic it held, the righteous rage from it inundating her and fueling the fury that already stormed within her. The thought of those men taking Richard made her nauseous.

The last thing she remembered was being safely cradled in his arms, the look of sheer anguish that had veiled his face breaking her fading heart. She hated the thought of causing him so much pain, but it was preferable to being the one watching him die instead.

When she had seen that arrow being leveled at her Seeker, her legs had very nearly betrayed her, almost giving out on her with the pure fear that had suddenly swept over her. She hadn't even thought twice about shoving him out of the deadly path of that arrow, saving his life at the risk of her own.

And if truth be told, she'd do it all over again even if Cara wasn't able to bring her back from the dead. Just knowing that he was alive and safe in the world of the living would have been more than enough for her to lay down her life for him again and again. She loved him too much to let him die.

"We're going to have to make camp for the night soon," Cara suddenly announced, causing Kahlan to stop abruptly in her tracks.

"What?" Kahlan angrily whirled on her. "I thought you of all people would stop at nothing to help get your Lord Rahl back."

"I want him back too, Kahlan," Cara evenly explained. "But we can't search the woods in the dark. It's too dangerous. Besides, you need to rest. You look like you've been to the Underworld and back."

"I have been," Kahlan bit out, emphasizing every word.

"Kahlan, my dear, we'll start at first light," Zedd reassured her, placing a calming hand on her shoulder. "Richard is strong. He can survive anything. You know he won't stop fighting to get back to us…to you."

Sighing heavily, Kahlan finally nodded in agreement, unable to find her voice at that moment. Looking up at the moon starting to peek over the treetops, she couldn't help but wonder where he was and if he was alright.

XXX

Richard groaned as his head slowly rolled from one side to the other, his chin resting on his chest. He squeezed his eyes tight against the sounds rushing in his ears. He couldn't quite make out the noises he was hearing or what was going on, only that his head felt as if it had connected with a hammer.

He groaned again as he attempted to lift his head, his neck stiff and not wanting to cooperate at that precise moment. He tried to swallow, but his throat was scorched as a desert. He slowly moved his jaw, trying to make his tongue work, but nothing seemed like it wanted to cooperate with him.

Finally, he tried opening his eyes, blinking several times before his vision decided to work. Everything was blurry as his eyes attempted to focus on what he was playing out before him. Several D'Haran soldiers sat around a large campfire, talking and eating. Their rolling laughter felt as if it could split his head in two. Whatever they had hit him with had done the job this time.

They didn't even seem to be paying the least bit of attention to him as they talked, eating and telling tales of their numerous battles. He carefully attempted to sit forward, only to find his body wrapped tightly with rope. Shifting his position, he could feel the bark of the tree rough against his back. Looking down, he saw that his legs had been bound securely with rope as well, his boots missing.

They were going to make sure that he wasn't going to escape again and if he did, he would have an even harder time getting around the rough terrain without anything on his feet.

He tilted his head back against the tree he was tied to, gazing up at the night sky as he tried to think of a way out of this. The moon shined down on him from above, a brightly glowing ball standing out against an inky canvas littered with stars. How long had he been unconscious?

His thoughts quickly drifted to Kahlan and the dead void that had taken up permanent residence in his chest, remembering the last time that he had seen her. She had been lying dead on the ground before him, needing him, needing his help to save her life and he hadn't been able to do a damn thing for her.

And now she was lost to him…forever.

Richard's chin fell to his chest in overwhelming waves of sorrow, his insides quivering with a rage so intense he thought for certain he would go mad from the sheer weight of his loss. Looking down at her blood staining his shirt, all he could think about was the desperate need for revenge that began to devour him from the inside out, the rage that was taking control of his body.

These animals would not live to be old men; he would personally see to that. Every single one of them would feel the heat of his fury, his blade would sing with the taste of their blood when it was all said and done.

"Why the long face, Seeker?"

Lifting his head, Richard leveled a deadly glare at the soldier crouching down before him. He was the one who had kicked Kahlan with his boot, pronouncing her dead. The Seeker quickly decided with a small hint of joy that he would die first. The one who shot the arrow would be next.

"Do you miss your friends…your Confessor maybe?" he derided with a smirk.

Richard's chest began to heave as he glowered at the man before him, memorizing every detail of his face, the ridicule that filled his dark brown eyes. He pictured that same face being removed from his body, the sudden elation that thought brought him hardening his resolve to slaughter every last one of them.

"She's dead. I'd forget about her if I was you," the soldier continued, his face suddenly growing serious. "The sooner you forget her, the easier it will be for you. You have much bigger things ahead of you that you need to worry about."

"I will kill you," the Seeker hissed like a deadly viper preparing to strike, his body beginning to tremble with the fury pounding through his veins.

The soldier studied him for a long moment, noticing the storm of fury that was intensifying before him, the raptor gaze that sliced deep into his soul. He internally shuddered; suddenly very glad they had bound the Seeker as heavily as they had this time. He licked his lips as he attempted to gather himself before finally replying.

"You'll find out your destiny soon enough," he replied, keeping his voice steady despite the sudden unease he felt.

His fingers wandered to the hilt of his weapon, making sure it was still close at his side even though he knew that the Seeker wasn't going anywhere this time. He knew he could never be too careful when it came to Richard Cypher.

Richard watched as the soldier slowly stood to his feet and walked away, joining his comrades around the fire. He was obviously their leader. And he would be the first one to die.