Leather & Agiel – Chapter 2
Kahlan sagged against the mossy trunk of a tree, breathing heavily as she took a brief respite from her hike up the mountain slopes. She had a vague idea of her location, but it wasn't much. The last thing she remembered without the haze of her pounding headache was passing through the small dale of Hebber.
They had stopped in the village to acquire some supplies and to stay at the local inn, wanting to have a roof and bed for at least one night. Only two rooms had been available, and since they were traveling with Zedd, Richard had to wait until the old wizard had dozed off before sneaking across the hall to her room so they could make love.
She could still vividly remember the feel of his hands on her as he untied the laces of her green traveling jacket, his fingers brushing along the swell of her breasts as he dipped his head down to kiss her. Richard had been very persuasive that night. Somehow, he'd managed to divest her of all but her underthings until she could stop him long enough to snap the Rada'Han around her neck. Richard had groused about how it was a mood killer, but the pause had not rendered his need any less wanton.
Inhaling the clean mountain air slowly through her nostrils, Kahlan closed her eyes, trying to center herself. Her thoughts and feelings were roaring all over the place and had yet to settle on the predicament she had found herself in.
The most worrisome thing at present, though, was not her unsettled heart, but the absence of Richard and Zedd. She had no recollection of what had become of them, or where they were. It frightened her that she had no answer to that question. Though both men were capable of taking care of themselves, the timing of their disappearance rankled with what Kahlan new about her current location.
The dale of Hebber was nestled in the low-lying slopes of the D'Haran Mountains. With that in mind, Kahlan knew without a shadow of a doubt that the mountains she was presently traipsing through had to be those very mountains. Which meant they were close to D'Hara… and by extension the forces of Darken Rahl.
Easing her breathing to a calmer rate, Kahlan swung her pack around and unlatched the flap. Digging around inside, she pulled out the small waterskin. She wrapped her fingers around it, checking its weight in her hand to ascertain how much drinking water she had left. She cocked her head and stared up into the grey sky, listening to the pitter-patter of the raindrops. She decided it would be easy enough to refill her waterskin, so she popped the stopper and took a long slow swig of water.
"Ah… that's better," she sighed out loud, slumping back into the moss covered tree trunk.
Kahlan closed her eyes, inhaling and exhaling slowly. She'd been hiking for the better part of the morning and really needed to rest. Exhaustion was catching up to her, but she wasn't willing to just lie down and fall asleep, at least not until she found some proper shelter. Part of her wished she had not abandon the shack as quickly as she had. It had been the presence of the wolves that had scared her off. She couldn't really recall why the rapid beasts had been chasing her.
Wiping her brow, Kahlan took another long sip from the waterskin, before holding it up in front of her to catch droplets of rain. She held that position for a while, refilling the waterskin. It was a slow process, and would have been quicker if she had access to a creek or stream, but she'd seen no evidence of either as of yet. Judging the waterskin properly refilled, Kahlan tucked it back into her pack, before latching it back up and hefting it over her back.
She ran her fingers through her dark damp hair, and brushed it away from her face, tucking them behind her ears as she adjusted the green traveling cloak around her shivering frame. Pulling it snug around her body, and raising the hood over her head, Kahlan pushed off the trunk and back into the rain.
Moving over the rocks with careful deliberate steps, she tried to focus on her memories of the last couple of days. It was hard not to lose herself in the remembrances of Richard making love to her, and she found herself tripping once or twice due to her lack of focus. Shaking her head, she firmed up her resolved to keep her attention where it needed to be and out of the lustful parts of her mind.
Kahlan's nose twitched when she caught a whiff of something. She paused, freezing in her tracks as her eyes darted around. Sniffing the moisture laden air again, she was able to make out the faint aroma of a vegetable stew. Kahlan licked her lips at the enticing scent and smirked, bemusedly, when her stomach grumbled in agreement.
Shifting, wary of being spotted, Kahlan slipped through the tree, following her nose. She found it amusing, remembering when Zedd had made a comment along the lines of following his nose to get them to Hebber. Richard had joked that Zedd was just looking for food, which had been half-true, since Zedd stuffed his face with the roasted duck that had been served at the inn they had patronized.
She ducked her head under a low branch of a tree, reaching up to steady herself as the ground dipped slightly. She moved with ease through the underbrush.
Kahlan had always liked the outdoors, but she had never really been that good with living off the land, as it were. As a confessor, she'd lived most of her life in a place of privilege, in the Confessor's Palace of Aydindril. Her early childhood was still haunting, but after her and Dennee had been retrieved by the Confessors from the sanctuary of Thandor, where the Sisters of the Light had looked after them, Kahlan had been surround more by books than trees. But still, she loved the wilderness, and the sense of freedom it gave her.
Richard was a natural in the woods. She'd have not been able to survive it had not been for him and his teachings. He had taught her how to build a snare to catch a rabbit or squirrel. Before him, she'd never known that those deliciously plump blackberries she'd often been tempted to pick and nibble on were, in fact, poisonous. Only so much could be learned from books. Richard had first hand knowledge of living in the wilderness, and she took advantage of that.
Another reason she'd hold a soft spot for the woods was how magical it was to make love on the soft downy moss beneath a large sheltering tree. Often or not, it was when they were traveling through a forest where they could find time to slip away from Zedd and enjoy some alone time together. Zedd had yet to suspect what they were up too, as he would almost instantly find a secluded spot to rest while they went off in search of firewood or some other such excuse they gave him when they wondered off from camp.
Smiling softly, Kahlan recalled one time when they had almost been caught by the old wizard. Richard had her pressed up against a tree, the top of her dress pulled down to her waist. One of his hands had palmed her breast, while his thumb teased her nipple. He leaned into her, nuzzling her neck as he planted soft kisses along her skin. That was when they'd heard a twig snap. Kahlan had just enough time to pull her dress back over her shoulders and tug the cloak around her to shield her untied laces before the wizard had burst out through the foliage, bragging about how'd he managed to snag a rabbit without burning it into ashes with his wizard's fire.
Oh, how Kahlan longed to feel Richard's hands on her again. Not just because she was needy… well that too, she would never get enough of him… but also because of the bone-chilling freeze of the mountain air.
Letting out a shudder of desire, feeling it course through her veins, Kahlan wrapped the cloak tighter around her, admonishing herself for letting her mind wander. She narrowed her brow, determined to concentrate on locating the source of the delicious aroma floating through the air.
Shuffling up a small rise, Kahlan dropped instantly when she spotted the cabin. Her breath left her lungs as her eyes went wide. She watched as a shadow moved past the opened window. The clinking of a spoon hitting the sides of a pot drifted across the wind, followed not long after by the warm scent of the vegetable stew. Her stomach growled, and her mouth watered. She was starving, and couldn't remember the last time she'd truly eaten.
The shadow approached the window and Kahlan lowered herself behind the mound of earth, catching a glimpse of an elderly man with a craggy face and long stringy grey hair. He looked kind enough. He reached out and pulled the shutters closed before disappearing.
Kahlan pulled back and slipped back down the mound to think. Ignoring her rumbling stomach, there were other things she needed to know that this old hermit might be able to provide. After thinking it over for a couple minutes, she decided that she had no choice, especially from her stomach, which wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. Reaching down to her boots to find her daggers, she stilled.
They weren't there.
She cursed under her breath, glancing over her shoulder in the direction she'd come. Kahlan didn't know when she'd lost her daggers, or if they'd even be back at the shack. Knitting her eyebrows together, she clambered back up the earthen rise and stared out at the cabin. Even without her daggers, she wasn't completely defenseless. She had her powers. If the need arose, she'd have to rely on them to defend herself.
Standing up, still a little cautious, Kahlan made her way down the small ridge, careful of the loose scree under her feet. She hedged her way around the brush and ferns, before approaching the door and raising her fist, knocking two times. Stepping back, she listened for sounds to indicate the man inside maybe unfriendly. Nothing. If he was removing a knife from a sheath, he was doing it quietly.
She heard the rattle of chains, and the thud of the deadbolt turning. The door groaned as it opened inward. Two eyes peaked out to stare at her.
"Hello? Yes?"
Kahlan took in a quick breath, before returning the greeting. "I've been hiking since well before morning, and I could not help but smell your stew. As you can see, I'm soaking wet. If it is not too much of a burden, I'd appreciate it if you could offer me shelter from the rain." And then she added, hoping it would win him over, as he looked reluctant, "I won't stay long, just until the rain is over and then I'll be on my way."
The old man looked her up and down one last time before opening the door wide and gesturing for her to enter. Kahlan inclined her head in thanks and stepped across the threshold. Turning on her heels, she pulled down her hood and watched as the old man closed the door and locked it, continuing to notch up a series of chains to further secure the entry.
"Spirits!" the old man startled when he turned around and saw her with her hood down. His eyes went wide as he took in the length of her hair and he dropped to his knees, holding up his hands in supplication. "I beg you, please… don't confess me! I intend you no harm."
Kahlan raised her eyebrows in surprise that he could tell she was a confessor, but remained calm. And since the cat was out of the bag, so to speak, she didn't bother denying what she was, instead just answering him plainly. "I have no intention of confessing you, kind sir," she assured him, folding her hands in front of her and taking up a non-threatening stance. "I'm merely seeking shelter from the rain."
The old man bobbed his head, though still somewhat unconvinced. "Sorry if I startled you, Confessor… I just did not think to see one of your kind up here in the mountains so far from civilization." He let out a grunt, and a soft groan, as he heaved himself up off the floor. He rubbed one of his achy knees and cast a cautious glance in her direction. "I am called Miles. What are you called, Confessor?"
"Kahlan. My name is Kahlan," she replied with a polite smile. "Do you live here by yourself?"
Miles nodded and shuffled away from her and toward the cauldron boiling over the hearth. "Yes. It has been a long while since I have encounter anyone, let alone a confessor." He looked at her with some concern. "The last confessor I saw was in Ellestown, just as a D'Haran quad caught up to her and… punished her for her crimes."
Kahlan swallowed and backed away. "You're D'Haran?"
"Aye… is that a crime?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at her.
"No… just… D'Hara is at war with the Midlands—"
"Darken Rahl is at war with the Midlands," Miles interjected. "Not all D'Harans are blind followers to that bastard."
Kahlan eyed him warily. "My apologies then."
"None needed, Confessor Kahlan," he said. "I understand your trepidation around D'Harans, seeing as our quads like to hunt you down and… er… punish you for being… well, being confessors." His eyes grew sad. "It wasn't right what they did to her… those soldiers. She managed to confess one before the others overpowered her. They quickly dispatched with the confessed man, and dragged her to the town center. She was stripped of her white dress and brutally raped in ful view of all the townspeople. Once each soldier had had a turn, she was flogged and then hung from a tree on the road out of town."
Her bottom lip trembled at hearing the recollection of what had been done in Ellestown to one of her fellow confessors. D'Haran quads were specifically designed for that sort of humiliation. It was a revenge ploy that Darken Rahl enjoyed inflicting upon confessors that were captured. He understood that their powers diminished after they was used, rendering them weak and defenseless, which was one of the reasons why all confessors were always accompanied by a wizard. But true wizards were rare nowadays, and those that did have the gift, seemed more interested in coin than public service.
"I am sorry," he said, looking at her with a remorseful expression. "If I had been younger, and stronger, I would have tried to stop them. D'Hara and the Midlands may be centuries old enemies, but that sort of savagery is uncalled for."
Kahlan inclined her head. "Your sympathy is appreciated."
Miles bowed slightly, and turned back to stirring the stew. "It is almost ready," he asserted. "Please, take a seat." He gestured to the small table with a two rickety chairs.
Sighing, she pulled her cloak back and turned to find a place to hang it when she stopped, her eyes going wide as she took in the bed and the unconscious man lying in it.
"Oh, sorry… just some poor fool I found out in a ditch last night," Mile said. "Don't worry. He's harmless… probably as old as I am."
Kahlan swallowed past a lump in her throat and approached the bed, letting her rain soaked cloak dropped to the floor with a splatter of wet cloth. She sat down on the edge of the bed, the mattress dipping slightly as she seated herself. Leaning over, she picked up the warm washcloth on the man's brow and gently ran her fingertips along the side of his face. Her lips trembled as she took stock of the bruises marring his jovial features.
"Oh… Zedd, what has happened to you?"