Promethean Heat, Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Still not mine, so I can't be held responsible for what happens next. Trust me. That's all I'm sayin'. Just trust me.

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"Kahlan!" Anson called, catching sight of the Confessor ahead of him. He spurred his horse to catch up to her. They were approaching the rendezvous point, much to his relief.

Kahlan turned in her saddle, pulling her horse up enough for him to come even with her. She smiled at him tiredly, then frowned, looking around. "Where are the rest of your men?"

"Don't worry," he said. "After we fell back, I sent them around the other way to give Richard some extra support."

Kahlan looked relieved. "Good idea. How many did we lose?" she asked after a moment's pause, and it was clear she was bracing for bad news.

"Two," he said, "at least that's all from my group. I hope Richard's group fared better."

Kahlan nodded. "Two's bad enough," she said sadly. "I'm sorry, Anson."

"I know," he said, and looked up as they approached the clearing.

Kahlan spurred her horse forward to where Zedd was lying on the grass. She almost fell as she dismounted, forgetting how badly her leg still hurt. "Zedd!" she said, kneeling next to him.

"Kahlan?" he said, and he sounded confused.

"It's me, Zedd. Are you all right?" she asked worriedly.

"I'll live," he said. "I may not enjoy it for a while, but I'll live. Where's Richard?"

"Here," Richard called from his horse as he rode up. He jumped down to join Kahlan at Zedd's side. Kahlan reached out to him, squeezing his shoulder. "It's good to see you, Zedd," he said roughly, ignoring Kahlan.

"Thank you, my boy," Zedd said weakly. "I owe you two a tongue-lashing for coming after me, but I'm grateful enough to be alive, I might just forego it this time."

"We should get him back to the camp," Kahlan said. "He needs a healer."

"So do you, Kahlan," Anson said. He'd seen her pain as she'd dismounted.

She waved him off. "I'm fine," she said. But Anson noticed her favoring her leg as they helped Zedd up onto a horse.

"Don't worry," Devlin said to him as they rode toward the camp. "I'll make sure the healer takes a look at her. She took quite a beating back there." He smiled admiringly at her back as she rode close to Zedd, ready to help him if he faltered. "I've never seen anything like it," he said, and told Anson about her battle with the Mord Sith.

Anson's eyes widened as he listened. He'd been impressed with her skill before, but to survive an encounter with a Mord Sith? And not only that, but to have defeated one? "She's a remarkable woman," he said reverently.

Devlin looked over at his friend perceptively. No wonder Richard was worried about him, he thought. He's got it bad. But then again, I think we're all a little bit in love with her. But that wasn't the sort of thing he was going to tell Richard.

Later that evening, after they had gotten Zedd into the healer's tent, they sat quietly around the campfire. The healer had been reassuring, and Zedd himself had told them not to worry. But they were still too wound up from the day to try to sleep. Richard had been uncharacteristically quiet, Kahlan had noticed, but she put it down to his concern over Zedd.

"Kahlan, are you all right?" Anson asked worriedly after watching Kahlan wince yet again as she shifted uncomfortably to lean against a log by the fire.

"I'm fine," she said, but she didn't sound particularly convincing to him.

"That's it. I'm going to go get the healer," he said, standing up and heading toward Zedd's tent. Kahlan thought for a moment about stopping him, then decided that a visit from the healer couldn't hurt. At least not worse than I hurt already, she thought wryly. That soldier who'd tackled her must have weighed twenty stone. She realized now what a luxury it had been to have Zedd there to heal them when they were done with battles in the past.

Richard watched Anson go, a look of disgust on his face. He turned back to her. "You'd think you'd Confessed him, he's so ready to do your bidding," he said. "Or did you do something else to him?"

Kahlan stared at him, unable to comprehend what he'd just said. "Is this about making you leave Zedd behind in the first place?" she asked, starting to get annoyed. "Because given how things turned out, I think it was the right decision."

"This has nothing to do with Zedd," he said. "This is about you."

Kahlan sighed. "Richard, I spent the morning fighting a Mord Sith." She looked across the fire at him. "I'm too tired to figure out what it is you're angry about."

His lips tightened. "Oh, so you're going to throw that in my face, too? That he's the one who saved you, and I didn't?"

"Saved--?" That's it, she thought. I'm done talking to him tonight. She stood up painfully, glaring at him. "As if I needed saving by anybody," she snapped, and turned on her heel, stalking out of the camp and into the woods, puzzling over his comment as she left. Nobody saved me! she thought, her pride stung. Where did he get that idea?

Anson came back to the fire to find Richard poking at it savagely with a stick. "Where's Kahlan going?" he asked.

Richard ignored him.

"The healer asked me to bring her to Zedd's tent so he can make sure she's okay," Anson said, trying to keep his voice neutral. "Devlin said that Mord Sith almost killed her today, Richard."

"Why are you so concerned about her?" Richard asked him, and even though his voice was quiet, there was something threatening in it.

Anson looked at him, trying to decide how to respond. "Your quest is important to all of us, Richard," he said finally. "And she's important to you. Why wouldn't I care about her?" When Richard didn't answer, Anson shook his head, and went to find Kahlan.

Kahlan was pacing back and forth in a small clearing just outside the camp. What is wrong with him? she thought furiously. After everything we went through today, after coming so close to losing it all, and all he can do is snipe at me? It was more than just the stress over Zedd, that was clear. They'd freed Zedd, but Richard was even worse now. They'd all been through a lot, but he couldn't even manage to ask if she was okay? It just isn't like him.

And she realized that somehow that was the key. She stopped cold. Any other time, he'd have been the one going for the healer, he'd have been fussing over me, he'd…

There was a snap of a twig, and Kahlan whirled, her hand reaching for her dagger before she realized it was Anson. Oh, she sighed inwardly, not now. I know he means well, but his timing is terrible.

He raised his hands, smiling. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. You just seemed…upset. Are you all right?"

She nodded, looking away from him, not really wanting to talk about it. I'm not even sure what's going on, she thought tiredly, trying to regain her train of thought. There was something important…

Anson was looking at her in concern. "It's Richard," he said, "isn't it?"

Kahlan sighed in frustration, knowing she was too tired to think clearly. "I don't understand it," she said. "I don't know what I did that could make him so angry with me."

"Maybe it's not you," Anson said. "Maybe it's just all the strain you've both been under."

Kahlan shook her head. "It's more than just that--it's like he doesn't trust me. He said--" She stopped, realizing what she was about to say. Anson didn't deserve to be dragged into whatever was going on between her and Richard.

Anson frowned, stepping closer. "He doesn't think we--?" he started to say, but was interrupted by someone approaching. Anson turned to see who it was, and Kahlan stepped backwards, unnerved by the look on Richard's face.

"Excuse me for interrupting," he said, the torch he was holding casting disturbing shadows on his face, and there was a hard edge to his voice.

"You're not interrupting anything," Kahlan said steadily.

"Oh, really?" Richard said, and there was an uncharacteristic sneer in his voice.

"I…I think I'd better go," Anson said, looking uncertainly at Kahlan. She nodded, trying to tell him she'd be fine without saying it. She kept her eyes on Richard as Anson left the clearing. He looked sidelong at Anson, but his focus returned to her almost immediately.

"Richard, what's going on? Did I do something to hurt you?" she asked, trying to keep her anger under control.

He snorted. "I don't know," he snapped, jerking his head back towards where Anson had just left. "Did you?"

Kahlan frowned. "You can't think that I would--"

"Can't I?" he interrupted. "I saw the way you've been looking at him."

"What are you talking about?" Kahlan said, hurt by the accusation.

"Don't play innocent with me, Kahlan," he said, walking slowly toward her. "You're a terrible liar."

"I'm not lying, Richard," Kahlan said, a warning tone in her voice. This isn't working, she thought. We can't have this conversation when he's this irrational. "And I'm not going to listen to this anymore." She started past him toward the camp.

But he swung the torch down across her path, and she pulled back, stunned at his aggression. "You're not going anywhere," Richard said.