Water Under The Bridge, Chapter 4
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Darkness was falling as the rain slowly stopped. A dark figure, faintly lit by a glowing orb hovering near it, moved towards the riverbank, towards a crumpled, mud-caked figure in white.
"Oh, my," the figure said. Her quiet voice radiated concern. "Oh, my, oh, my." She rolled Kahlan onto her back, cooing gently at the faint moan she heard. "I am sorry, dear, I'm afraid this may hurt you. But we can't be leaving you here, that's certain." She lifted Kahlan from the shoulders and began dragging her heavily up the riverbank, stopping several times to shift her grip. She continued dragging the unconscious Confessor after she reached level ground, moving her laboriously toward a small cart with a donkey in harness. Once there, she stopped, looking back and forth from the cart to her charge.
"Now how on earth am I going to manage this?" she said. The orb of light made a sound, and the woman said, "I am hurrying." She lifted Kahlan, wincing as she thought of the pain she must be inflicting. She wrestled the Confessor into the cart, then climbed in, rummaged about, found a blanket, and covered her with it. "Hush, you. I'm stronger than I look," she said, panting. "But I say, next time I do something like this, I'm bringing Roderick." She took a moment to wipe her forehead.
"All right now, Blossom," she said, climbing forward to the drivers' seat and picking up the reins. "Home, my darling, and quick. But be gentle." She flicked the reins, the orb flitted forward and disappeared, and the donkey stepped forward steadily into the darkness.
Minutes later, a contingent of D'Haran soldiers marched into the clearing. "Search the bank," the sergeant yelled. "If you miss her, I'll have your heads!"
***
Richard kept searching, even after it became too dark to see much along the bank. Finally, after he realized he'd almost walked past a bear's pawprint without seeing it, he came to the conclusion that he had to stop. It killed him to wait, but he didn't want to risk missing Kahlan's trail if she were well enough to walk away from the river. He built a fire, which took a long time given the dampness of the wood. At least the rain had stopped. He lay next to the fire, exhausted, but unable to sleep. Be safe, Kahlan, he thought into the darkness. Be well.
***
Kahlan was fairly certain she was not well. She wasn't sure of much beyond that, though. She was in a bed, under heavy covers, and her head hurt. Actually, everything hurt. Badly.
She shifted, trying to sit up and look around in the dark room, to see where she was. But the slightest movement sent pain shooting up her side. She coughed weakly, and the pain turned her vision red. Her head swam, and she fell exhausted back into the pillow. It's a pillow. Richard would love this. Her heart sank as she thought of him, how worried he would be. If he made it to the other side, she thought, and felt a terrible pressure around her heart. Stop it. He's fine. Don't give up. She coughed again, shallowly, wishing she could do more. Her chest felt like an anvil was sitting on it.
A door opened near her head, and light spilled into the room. She blinked away tears, trying to see what was coming into the room. She prayed silently it wasn't a threat—she wasn't sure she'd be able to move even if the entire D'Haran army walked in.
"Oh, you're awake! That's lovely!" a woman's voice said. Then she ducked out the door again, and came back with a small lamp. Her face was round, with rosy cheeks and a warm, friendly smile. "How are you, my dear?"
Kahlan was taken aback. She'd braced herself for the worst on the riverbank, and to find herself here, with this sweet-faced woman, was confusing. "I'm…" she croaked, unable to find her voice, "I…hurt," she finished weakly.
"Oh, my, yes, I can imagine. You've been through quite an ordeal. I'm afraid I may have to make it worse for a bit. Are you up to having me take a look at you?"
"Are you a…who are you?" Kahlan asked. "And where…?"
"You're in Waterford," the woman said. "I'm Marlena Barstow, and this is my home."
Waterford? Kahlan thought with dismay. They'd passed Waterford two days earlier. How did I get so far downstream? "When—?"
There was a pounding on a door somewhere near, and a voice shouted, "Open up! Open up, in the name of Lord Rahl!"
Kahlan closed her eyes, thinking, Of course. It's the entire D'Haran army, but she was too tired to even feel fear anymore.