Chapter 6
Lost Light
Kahlan felt lost. Richard and Zedd were unconscious. Cara and her were dinning alongside three other people in a very rich hall. She still had no idea who these people were: a blond woman, who seemed to be both a wizard and the host of the mansion, a handsome young man grinning cockily most of the time and finally, an astonishingly beautiful woman with the most serious expression on her face Kahlan has ever seen. The trio was truly bizarre. She sat in silence, devouring a very delicious steak and listening to most incredible explanation to the events. The blond woman was talking about ways to travel between world with the air of someone who has already seen the strangest of things. The other woman was looking intently at the blond, her features unreadable. Suddenly, as if alerted somehow, the woman broke off the eye contact, let her gaze linger for a second on a glass of wine she was holding and then looked straight at Kahlan. These were not the eyes she'd like to look into, she realized the instant the woman's gaze locked with hers. These eyes, albeit the most astonishingly green eyes she'd ever seen, were lacerating her with ease. She wanted to look away and found out that she couldn't. The woman was stripping her naked, tearing down her defenses and penetrating her very core. The gaze remained hollow, deprived of any emotions and void of any humanity.
'Kahlan.' She heard Cara whisper 'Are you all right? Do you want me to set the matters straight with that… redhead?' the last word was uttered with such a strong dislike, that Kahlan actually sniggered. Before she managed to chastise herself for it, two things happened. First, the gorgeous redhead tore her gaze away and then the pale woman she'd encountered on the street, entered the room.
'Laura.' She said in a smooth and absolutely flat voice 'May I speak with you in private?'
'Of course.' The redhead stood up and nodded towards the host 'Excuse me.'
Kahlan watched the two women leave the room. She felt much more at ease now. She let her eyes set upon the blonde wizard who smiled apologetically .
'Forgive Laura, she's a rather busy person.' She said.
'Of course.' Kahlan forced a smile.
'Do you know, wizard.' Cara spoke out in a rather impolite manner 'How to get us out of here?'
'Not yet.' The answer was short and sharp 'And I am not a wizard.'
'Then what are you?'
'I'm a mage. My name is Ithinia of the Isle.'
'Of what isle?' Cara was definitely up for a fight. Kahlan kicked her under the table. She felt the mord sith stiffen slightly.
Their host, Ithinia, simply chose to ignore the question. Instead, she raised her wine glass and spoke to no one in particular 'I will, of course, put my research to finding proper means to transport you back to your plane. It is, I fear, not going to be very easy and it's not going to happen soon. There are more pressing matters at hand, I'm sorry.' Her eyes met Kahlan 'The current situation isn't looking good here.'
'Well so they do in our world.' Cara retorted smoothly, her gaze never wavering.
'Do tell me.' The mage seemed genuinely interested.
Kahlan began speaking. She told her of the Keeper of the Underworld and the oncoming war against the living. Ithinia listened to her with utmost attention, never asking unnecessary questions.
'So to sum it all up, there is a deity who wishes to engulf the realm of life?' Kahlan nodded vigorously at that 'I wonder, why don't you ask other gods to interfere? Surely they aren't too pleased with the current course of events, are they?'
'There is only one more god, the Creator. Their powers are matched, I believe.' Kahlan felt she had entered a very uncertain territory 'Are there more…gods here, in your world?' the word "god" sounded strange against her lips.
'Of course.' Ithinia nodded 'There are many gods and each controls different portfolio. An aspect.' she added explanatorily ' Therefore some are much more powerful than the others. Usually they keep each other in check, as none would be too pleased if the other grew too powerful. Our lord of the dead is called Kelemvor.' She licked her lips thoughtfully 'Judging by what you told me of your plane, it seems that the dichotomy of your, let me call it like this, supernatural powers, is a result of some strange policy.'
'Policy?' Kahlan repeated, flabbergasted.
'Well.' Ithinia gestured around 'The whole Creation – all the planes linked together by the Spiral – is a work of a great force . Outside the Creation, there is Chaos or the Nether Void, no one knows that for sure of course, but that's reasonable. The gods have divided the domains between each other, so that no one would come into a conflict with the other. Since some domains, such as the domain of death, or the underworld, are multiple – as each plane requires an underworld – the gods have divided the control over each one between themselves. Probably to prevent anarchy, there has to be – let me put it this way – the chief god of death. Your Keeper seems to me like a lesser deity, therefore any more powerful god could easily stop him. They have not. It indicates that there is some strange policy concerning your plane.'
The whole world was shattering. The woman was speaking of such abstract things in a most normal way. Kahlan felt stupid. She knew nothing and the mage was pointing it out with apparent ease. Many gods, greater and lesser deities, divine policies – Kahlan felt dizzy. She clung to the table, praying not to pass out. She felt a firm hand on her leg, it was Cara. The mord sith was looking at her with concern.
'Don't listen to that, it's plain nonsense.' She whispered quietly and shot the woman a very unfriendly look.
'So you're saying, that no one interferes in Midlands because the gods have made an agreement between themselves not to do so?' she managed to choke out.
'Probably. If I was allowed to make an educated guess, I'd say your world is a buffer zone.'
Kahlan opened her mouth and said nothing. Precisely this moment the redhead returned to the room and walked over to Ithinia. Her face was grim. She lowered herself and muttered something in the mages ear. The blond nodded slightly and then quirked her eyebrows.
'They're fast.' Kahlan barely caught that. She rose from her seat, looking very stern 'Listen. As Laura warned you before, your arrival piqued not only my interest. There are force here, who also pay attention magicwise. They've picked on your trail. I suggest you stay put.'
'Ithinia.' The redhead said in a low, harsh voice 'This is stupid. You are not going alone.'
'Do you really suggest that the Cowled would be able to overpower me?' the mage asked incredulously.
'Somehow they did manage to overpower Irenicus.' The redhead remarked coldly.
'They wouldn't dare an open attack, at least not yet.' Ithinia shrugged. 'Now, they'll probably just want to find out if I also noticed the disturbance. And you're not coming with me. In case you need a reminder, Laura it was you and not me, who sprung a top secret prisoner from their maximum safety prison.' The last sentence was accompanied with a broad smirk.
Kahlan couldn't help but wonder. The girl was visibly young, probably a little younger than her. She was dressed all in black: a black shirt and black leather pants. She wore knee high boots with many silver buckles. He also wore gloves, unlike Cara's they were closely fitting, resembling skin rather than clothing. The gloves were also black. Her hair was bloody-red and wavy, it fell gracefully upon her shoulder blades. She was pale, her skin resembling alabaster, adorned with regular features, very well shaped and rather tender-looking lips and high, protruding cheekbones. Kahlan shrugged. She never gaze at women like this.
This time it was different, she realized. The girl was scandalously beautiful and therefore Kahlan felt fascinated by her looks. It was like gazing upon a piece of art, nothing more.
'Please, excuse me.' The redhead, or Laura, as Kahlan began calling her, turned in their direction 'I hate breaking the mood.' There was something in her eyes; despite their bottomlessness and coldness, there was something beside it. Kahlan focused on discovering this enigmatic something and then she simply saw: there was a hint of smirk in her eyes. A smirk to genuine, an amused quirk that dwindled on regardless of the rest.
And Kahlan, for the first time, smiled to that Laura girl. And the Laura girl returned it and it was the most beautiful smile she has ever seen.
XXX
It was later that night and Kahlan was standing on the terrace, gazing at the sea. She couldn't see it, she could smell it and it brought her peace. She heard unfamiliar footsteps and turned around. Laura was slowly making her way towards her. Kahlan watched cautiously, but the girl paid her no heed. She simply walked over to the balustrade and most casually leaned against it, her eyes fixed ahead.
'Do you like it?' she asked after a while.
'Do I like what?' Kahlan asked, somewhat curious.
'The view, of course.'
'Well, if I could actually see the view…'
She heard Laura laughing.
'I hope you'd like it.' She answered simply.
'Are you from… here?' Kahlan asked tentatively.
'Here meaning Athkatla?'
'Yes.'
'No.'
Kahlan waited patiently for some time but after a while she gave up. Laura had absolutely no reason to discuss her whereabouts with her.
'I spend my childhood north of here, in Candlekeep.' The girl spoke out in a flat, simple voice.
'I was brought there when I was five I think.' She added in an afterthought 'And I didn't spend there too much time. And when it comes to Athkatla, I've been around for about a year. Well, more than a year, I suppose.'
'Who are you?' Kahlan asked before she could refrain herself from doing so. The girl was interesting. Kahlan wanted to learn more about her. Somehow talking to her reminded her of talking to Cara. None of them seemed to be too talkative.
'Who am I?' the girl flinched and repeated the question rather harshly 'My name's Laura.'
'No, I'm sorry, I have asked the wrong way… I was merely curious what do you do for the living?'
'I see.' The girl hesitated 'I guess you could call me a mercenary. Although I don't have any employers. I merely stumble upon situations and get magically involved in them.'
'Magically involved?'
'Oh well, it's the ironic phrase my sister uses when describing the usually dodgy circumstances that lead to my, rather involuntary, involving in those situations.'
'Like for instance?'
'You know, picture me walking down a road. Sooner or later I'll be the one to run into a dragon or get pulled into some nifty politics just because I spent the night in the wrong place.'
'You're a walking trouble bait?' Kahlan laughed out.
'I like the phrase, yes. Not it's consequences, though.'
'So what dragons brought you to Athkatla?'
The girl fell silent.
'It's a long story. And now's not the time.' She said quietly.
