He could feel her fingers running through his hair as he opened his eyes. Trying to adjust to the sun's rays raining onto him, he looked around. His hands were tied to something, keeping him from moving. He started to sit up when she pressed her hands against his head, moving him back down. "Don't let her know you're awake." Kahlan's voice was a soft whisper as she pressed her lips to his ear, lightly kissing him. Something dripped onto his cheek as she pulled away, he turned quickly to look at her. "Kahlan," she looked down at him and tried to smile. "I'm fine. It's just a cut." she said lifting her hands to wipe some of the blood from her cheek. Her hands, bound together, wiped the blood onto her shirt and then returned to his hair, turning his head away from her. "Where are we?" "I'm not sure." she said looking around the room. She had been looking around the room for a few hours asking herself the same question.
"How long have we been here?" She looked down at him as he starred at the door. "A few hours, half the day maybe." he turned his head back to her, seeing the fear in her eyes "I'm going to get you out of here." "I don't believe you will." Richard turned quickly to the sound of her voice. "Nicci." Richard said lifting his head from Kahlan's lap. "I'm curious, how did you get to the Mother Confessor? She was guarded by some of the Keepers most trusted." "What do you want with us?" He said ignoring her question. "Us? I want nothing from you. The Mother Confessor however, we have plans for her." Kahlan leaned against the wall. "What plans?" Nicci smiled a wide smile that sent chills through Kahlan's body. "Your death will ensure the Keepers victory."
"I'm not going to let you kill her." Richard said moving to Kahlan's side. Nicci's smile widened as she walked towards them. "There is nothing you can do to stop me." Kahlan twisted her hands around, trying to loosen the ropes around her wrists. "I'm afraid that will be of no help to you." Nicci said as she watched Kahlan. "He told me you weren't too fond of the rope." Richard looked from Kahlan to Nicci "Who?" she laughed "Someone who got to know the Mother Confessor here, very well." She laughed louder as she watched Richard's face. He looked horrified. "We killed them all." Richard said tarring his eyes away from Nicci to look at Kahlan, whose eyes stared straight ahead at Nicci. "You killed most of them." She corrected, taking a seat before them..
A large man's shadow appeared in the doorway. At Kahlan's gasp, Richard followed her gaze to the door. "You remember Daniel, don't you?" Nicci asked motioning for the man to come inside. Daniel walked slowly, his long black hair flowing behind him. "I'm sure she remembers." he said coming to a stop beside Nicci. "Yes, you are quite talented. She must be fond of your skills." Daniel smiled widely at Kahlan. "She only complained for a short while." Nicci watched Richard carefully as his knuckles turned white in anger. "Their friends have killed most of your sisters." For the first time, she looked to him "What? How many survived?" Daniel cleared his throat and looked to the floor. "Three out of the nine you sent." She narrowed her eyes at them "Someone must have warned them. Who was it?" Kahlan was starring at the floor, mind racing over the images flashing through her mind.
"No one warned us." Richard said watching Kahlan. Her chest rising and falling with her quick breathing. "Your Wizard and Mord-Sith must have known they were coming or they would be dead." Nicci said starring at Kahlan. "No one warned us." Richard repeated. "My bother has gone missing. He must be the one." "Your brother always had to do what was right, didn't he?" she replied looking back to Daniel. "Tell Sister Helen to find Ronan and keep him out of trouble." Daniel nodded and turned towards the door. "Be sure to return. The Mother Confessor will miss your presents." Daniel smiled widely back at Kahlan before disappearing through the door.
"If you wish to kill me, why go through this?" Kahlan asked looking up to Nicci. "I am under orders from the Keeper himself. I am not to kill you until he says so." "You're not going to kill her!" Richard said moving to his knees as trying to wrap his arms around Kahlan. She leaned into him, pressing her shoulder into his chest. "I have no doubt you will try to stop me, but we will kill her." Nicci stood, and walked to the door, letting the fool force of the sun's rays to cover her. "Watch them." She said to someone on the other side of the wall. Richard stretched his neck, trying to see out of the door as she spoke. "Do what you wish, as long as you do not kill her until I say so." She moved quickly through the door as two men came through with Daniel.
"Get him away from her." Daniel said smiling at the other two. Both men walked closer to them, they were as large as Daniel. Richard could feel Kahlan's heart pound against his arms as he held her tightly against him, trying to protect her. "Stay away from her!" he shouted as the men came closer. "Now, now Seeker. We just want to have a little fun." One of them said in a laugh. Richard pushed himself backwards against the wall, taking Kahlan with him, trying to get them as far away as he could. She clung to his arm, watching the men make their way closer to her, licking their lips in anticipation. Daniel's fist slammed against Richard's face, sending his head back against the wall, a spray of blood splashing onto Kahlan's face as his world went black.
"They should be here." The tavern keeper said walking into his house, followed by Zedd and Verna. "They were here." He said picking up Richard's belt. "I didn't see any of them come this way." Sister Verna said looking around. "There was a lot going on, I'm sure we must have missed them if they had." Zedd said turning around to her. "There are some tracks through those trees, then they stop." Cara said coming through the door. "They should have left when I arrived. She will be dead when find them." Verna said looking out the door, into the trees.
"If we move now, we may be able to catch them." Cara said walking back outside and through the trees, not waiting for them to follow her. "Cara, slow down." Zedd called after her. "We'll find them." Cara stopped and looked back as Zedd reached her side. "We should have protected them better." Zedd nodded with a sigh "There was nothing we could have done." He said walking along side her. They followed the tracks until they disappeared, moving slowly as Zedd tried to unspell the covered tracks.
Richard's eyes flew open as his body jolted upward searching the room for Kahlan. A cry of pain came through the air, followed by a rain of laughter. "Kahlan!" He shouted as loud as he could. "Don't worry Seeker, she'll be returned to you." Someone shouted from the next room. Richard pulled at the ropes binding his hands, tearing through his skin. "See, here she is." Daniel said coming into the room with Kahlan in his arms. Richard's eyes flew over her, she was naked, and most of her body was, once again, covered in blood. He dropped her body in front of Richard, her body slamming into the floor. Richard moved forward, trying to get to her, but was stopped by the ropes. The men laughed as they watched tears fall from Richard's eyes. One of the men stepped to her, and pushed her closer to Richard with his foot, before bending down and tying her back to the wall with Richard. As the men walked to the door, Richard pulled Kahlan into his arms and held her as tightly as he could.
Kahlan's eyes opened slowly, looking up at Richard. "You okay?" she asked softly. "Kahlan, how can you ask about me?" "I was worried. You didn't move." she said as she pressed her cheek against his chest and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm fine. Kahlan, are you okay?" she nodded against his chest. "I am now." She moved in closer, trying to get warm. "You're hurt." she said softly, taking his arms into his hands, she pulled off part of his shirt and wrapped it around his wrists. Richard wrapped his arms back around her, trying to keep her warm. "I'm going to get you out of here." She smiled warmly at him. "I know." she said as her teeth chattered together.
"He never could resist temptation." Nicci's chilling voice shook Richard from his thoughts. Nicci was once again sitting in the chair, starring at them. He hugged Kahlan closer as she slept. "You won't win." he said through his tightly gritted teeth. "We already have." Richard shook his head "If you touch her, I'll-" "You will do nothing. You will watch helplessly as she dies. I imagine you have been sitting there trying to find a way to stop us." Nicci smiled, "There is nothing you can do. She will die." she watched him for a minute, allowing him to process her words. "You should not hold hope for her to return to you as a baneling." she added "She will not be given the offer." She smiled. "Kahlan would never take the Keeper's offer." her smile widened "It is not just the pain the Keeper will inflict upon her that you underestimate. It is her love for you. She would do anything to get back to you. To be with you one last time..."
Richard's eyes widened as she let out a chilling laugh. "I heard you two. In the midst of being hunted, you two made love in a powerful throw of passion. I am curious though, how were you able to survive her touch without a Rada' Han?" Richard looked to Kahlan, still asleep against his chest. "There is a magic more powerful than you will ever know." She laughed loudly, waking Kahlan. "There is no magic that can overpower Confession." Kahlan, looking around the room for a moment, looked to Richard and smiled softly. "Yes, there is." He couldn't help the smile that crossed his features as he starred into her blue eyes. Nicci watched them, taking a thrill in the fact that they both would be dead soon."He has requested your presents." the smile fell from Kahlan's lips as Daniel made his way to Nicci, "Watch them." she said as she stood and quickly made her way through the door.
"Lord Rahl." Nicci said stepping before a bright green fire. "Do you have her?" He asked turning to face her. "Yes." A smile crossed his lips "And Richard Cypher?" "We have him too." she replied as she took a step closer to the flames. "Good. He should watch. I want him to see all hope die." Nicci smiled back at Rahl "I will do as you ask." "Do not disappoint the Keeper, or you will have forever to spend facing the Keeper."
Kahlan didn't take her eyes off of Richard as Daniel sat in the chair. Richard watched him carefully, being sure he saw every move the man made. Richard had been trying to figure a way to save Kahlan, but only after he thought of how he would kill Daniel. He sat there, smiling at them, waiting for an excuse to do anything to them. "It won't be long now Mother Confessor, before Darken Rahl tells her to kill you." He leaned back in the chair, crossing one leg over the other. "See, I told them we should keep you alive for a while. Most of us would enjoy that." He looked at Richard and smiled. "She's very beautiful isn't she?" Kahlan could hear Richard's teeth grinding together as he starred forward, he wanted nothing more to leap forward and choke the life from him. His body began to shake with rage as he pulled at his ropes. "Calm down, Seeker. We are willing to share her with you." "She's not a toy! She's not supposed to be shared!" he shouted as Kahlan wrapped her arms tighter around him, trying to hold him in place.
Pulling his arms away from her, Richard pulled himself up onto his knees and leaned forward towards the larger man. "She is not your toy!" he repeated in a scream. Daniel didn't move as Richard stretched towards him. "I'm afraid she is. We've all played with her. We've all enjoyed her." he said with a huff of laughter. "In fact," he said leaning closer to Richard. "She's the most fun we have had in some time. She fights. She loses. It's fun." A smile came onto Richard's face as he slammed his forehead against Daniel's, sending him falling backwards into the chair. Quickly Kahlan moved to her knees, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling until the ropes binding her hands connected with his throat. She pulled until he was beside her next to the wall, while Daniel shouted out in pain and coming to his feet.
Taking two steps towards them, Daniel lifted his fist into the air "Since you misbehaved, I have to punish you." he said with a small smile as his fist slammed into Kahlan's shoulder. "Stop it!" He froze before his fist reconnected with her and Richard pushing her behind him. "We have our orders." Daniel turned and walked to the door as Nicci reached the chair, followed by four men. "Get him away from her." As the men walked towards them, Kahlan turned Richard to face her and pressed her lips against his, kissing him with every piece of passion within her. Three of the men grabbed Richard, pulling him away, while the fourth man gently untied Kahlan's hands before wrapping his arms around her waist. Chains replaced his ropes as he fought against them. When Kahlan was out of his reach, they released him and moved to help tie Kahlan to the wall on the other side of the room.
Moving quickly all four men moved away from her, standing behind Nicci. "It was requested that you watch." she waited until Richard looked from her to Kahlan before raising her hand towards her. "No! You can't kill her!"He pulled himself up, trying to get to Kahlan. "Kahlan!" He watched the tears fell from her eyes as she starred at him. "I love you." she said as a bright light flew from Nicci's hand into her. Kahlan's body flew backwards into the wall, several loud cracks were all Richard could hear as he watched helplessly as her body fell to the ground. "Kahlan!" he cried out, pulling at the chains. Without a word, Nicci and all five men walked out into the moonlight as Richard fell to the ground. "I love you too." he said softly, starring over at her lifeless body.
