Chapter Six
"Mother Confessor." Dahlia said, her back was against the door, and she seemed uncertain what to do.
"Hello, Dahlia." Kahlan stood, she had summoned Dahlia to her chambers, but she was unsure why. The Mord-Sith and her really had nothing to talk about, except Cara.
Dahlia said nothing as Kahlan thought, her face was calm and collected, a perfect Mord-Sith, her leathers an extension of her body, but something had made her different, something had led her to help Nikolas Rahl when no one else would, or could.
"Dahlia." She said again, something about the Mord-Sith kept her from speaking.
"Mother Confessor?" Dahlia seemed confused now, unsure of her self, but she walked forward.
"Dahlia." Kahlan started again, the Mord-Sith was only a few feet away. "I . . . I was wondering . . . about you and Cara."
Dahlia halted abruptly, a few feet away, suddenly awkward looking in the tight leather. "What about me and Cara?" She asked.
"Your . . . relationship?" Kahlan asked.
"We . . . were friends." She seemed uncertain about what she was saying.
"Nikolas Rahl?" She asked, not sure what she was actually asking about the boy.
"He is the Lord Rahl." She said, and paused. "He's like my son." She paused again, and Kahlan let her. "I helped raise him at the People's Palace, but Darken Rahl decided it was a bad idea, until he . . . " Dahlia stopped suddenly.
"Until he . . . what?" Kahlan asked, suddenly suspicious of the Mord-Sith. She was hiding something.
"Until he died." Dahlia returned, but Kahlan knew it was a lie, and then the strange tension returned, and Kahlan was draw to the woman in her room, her chambers, maybe this hadn't been a good meeting place.
"Oh. Well, that's all then." Kahlan said, but Dahlia kept walking towards her.
"Is there some other reason you called me?" She asked when they were nose to nose.
"No." Kahlan whispered, but she didn't back away.
They stood there for a few seconds, staring at each other, and Kahlan wasn't sure if they would ever move. Even scarier was that she wasn't sure she ever wanted to move. There was a knock on the door, but neither of them was startled.
"Good." Dahlia said finally, and pulled away.
"Who is it?" Kahlan called to the knocker, after taking a breath.
"It's Cara." Kahlan and Dahlia both glanced to each other, like they had been caught doing something wrong.
"What should I do?" Kahlan mouthed, but Dahlia shrugged. "Come in Cara." She said uncertainly.
Cara opened the door and sauntered in, until she saw Dahlia. "Dahlia?"
"Cara." Dahlia was standing near the bed. "It's been a long time."
Cara turned to Kahlan, confused. "Why is she here?"
"I . . . wanted to talk to her." Kahlan said.
Cara seemed stunned for a few seconds as she just stood there gaping at the two women. "Well . . . I . . . all right."
There was an awkward pause. "Well, I guess I'll just be leaving then." Dahlia said. "Goodbye Mother Confessor. Cara." She walked out the door gracefully and Kahlan had that strange feeling again.
"What was that about?" Cara asked, interrupting Kahlan's thoughts.
"Hum. Nothing, I just wanted to talk to her . . . about Nikolas." Kahlan added, but Cara didn't seem convinced.
"What did she say?"
"She helped raise him." Kahlan paused, trying to get past all the confusing feelings of the conversation about Nikolas. "Oh, and she was hiding something about him, but I don't know what it was."
"I'll talk to her, see what I can . . . find out." Cara started walking out.
"No, it's fine." Kahlan paused. "Why did you come here, anyways? You didn't know Dahlia was here."
"I . . . went to see Nikolas." Kahlan narrowed her eyes. "He's my son. I – "
"It's all right, Cara. I understand. I just wish you'd told me. I don't know why he makes me so . . . so angry."
"He reminds you of Richard." Cara supplied.
Kahlan looked up, she hadn't thought about Richard since Dahlia had shown up. She never went without thinking about him for more than a few seconds. "I guess he does."
