Chapter 10

Kahlan couldn't help the shiver that raced through her despite the hot summer weather, the humidity that hung heavily in the air. She felt chilled to the bone, an icy numbness that seemed to spring from somewhere deep within her. She had a dreadful feeling it was one that she wasn't going to be able to shake no matter what she did. There was no fire that could cure this chill.

It was the Keeper's hold on her soul.

It felt like a steady pull deep within her, something that she could not begin to explain. It was as if there was a thin invisible cord inside of her, one that was fixed to her soul. The Keeper had snatched hold of the end of that thread somehow, was steadily pulling on it, drawing her back into the Underworld and under his control.

She knew that she was rapidly running out of time. Her strength was beginning to fade, her soul slowly dying. She had to get to Richard before it was too late, before she was gone forever. She had to help him one last time, had to keep going for him. It was her fault that he was in trouble and now she had to save him.

Growing closer to the Palace, Kahlan could feel a nervous flutter in the pit of her stomach. It wasn't going to be easy getting inside. Soldiers were going to be on guard against a rescue attempt, ready for them…or at least Zedd and Cara…to try to save Richard.

The Mother Confessor cast a furtive glance to the Mord'Sith riding beside her. It was disconcerting to see her with the long tight black braid hanging down the length of her back. Zedd had done a good job of altering her appearance. Hopefully, it would take time for her to be recognized once they were inside.

There was an intense fierceness about Cara more so than she already possessed, a deadly air that exuded from deep within, fully encompassing her. It left Kahlan feeling uneasy and yet brought her a renewed sense of determination, a hope that they were going to make it through this and see Richard again very soon.

Straightening her shoulders, Kahlan sat up a little taller in her saddle despite her body's desperate desire to curl up and lie down, to sleep forever. But not without Richard. Not without knowing that he was going to be alright, that he was safe and away from the monster that had him now.

She would gladly return to the Underworld if that's what it would take to save Richard's life. She could die happy then, knowing that he was safe. He would be heartbroken at first, angry with her for leaving him, but he would eventually move past it, would find someone to love him, someone to love. He could have the family that she knew that he so desperately wanted to have, deserved.

The thought hurt so much worse than she had imagined that it ever would, the idea of Richard marrying another, having children with some other woman. She felt her insides suddenly quiver with unimaginable grief, her heart constricting as if instinctively warring off such an incredibly idiotic notion as letting him go.

She knew that her heart could never truly belong to another. And as much as she wanted Richard to be happy, to know that his every wish and dream would be filled, the thought of some other woman being the one to do that for him brought her inexplicable sorrow that pierced her heart like the sharpest of daggers.

She wanted to be the one who brought him incredible joy, to be the one that he slept beside, to bring passion to his nights. She wanted to be the first one that he saw when he opened his eyes in the morning, the last thing he saw when drifted off to sleep at night. She wanted to be the one who shared in his happiness, the one who he turned to with his every hurt and fear.

She wanted him so badly it took her breath away, made her heart flinch away from the pain of her intense desire.

"Are you alright?"

Kahlan abruptly turned to see Cara studying her, concern filling her face. "I'm fine," she replied in confusion. "Why?"

"You're crying," she simply said, turning her focus back to the Palace steadily growing larger.

The Mother Confessor quickly wiped at her cheeks, brushing away the unexpected tears that she found there. She hadn't even realized that she'd been crying. She felt ashamed for allowing them to even form let alone fall.

"Kahlan, you don't have to go in there," Cara informed her with a gentleness that even startled the Mord'Sith.

"Yes, I do," she firmly said without giving it a second thought, her jaw set with resolve. "Nothing will keep me from getting to Richard, from getting him out of that vile place."

"You're starting to look like death," the Mord'Sith commented. "Stay close to me or Zedd so we can protect you."

Kahlan looked at the woman out of the corner of her eye, unwilling to let on that she felt like death as well. If Cara or Zedd thought for even one moment that she wasn't able to handle the fight that they were about to enter into, they would force her to stay behind. And she wasn't about to let that happen.

"Let's just worry about how we're going to get into that Palace," the Mother Confessor replied.

"I have been working on some ideas on how we can get in," Zedd interjected.

"And how are we going to do that?" Cara asked.

"I'm still working out the details, but for now it would be best if you weren't seen with us, my dear Cara," Zedd revealed. "They'll be looking for a Mord'Sith travelling with an old man. We can't afford to draw attention to our arrival."

"Once inside, we can meet up at the Black Crow," Cara instructed them. "It's a tavern on the east side of the Palace just past the marketplace. We can meet there and figure out how we're going to get Lord Rahl out of here."

"Hopefully we'll be able to gather some information on whoever has assumed the throne," Kahlan said, her gaze narrowing as she stared at their destination. She was just beginning to be able to make out figures roaming about outside of the People's Palace. They would be there soon, would be that much closer to finding Richard. It caused her heart to suddenly flutter in her chest.

"Keep your eyes and your ears open," Zedd sharply inhaled before releasing a ragged breath. "We need to arm ourselves with as much information as possible before we plan on breaking down any doors in order to find Richard."

"We don't have a lot of time, Zedd," Kahlan snapped, her frustration mounting and mingling with her anger. "Spirits only know what is happening to him in there."

"I know, my dear," Zedd agreed with a frown. "At the same time, we can't act impulsively either. What good will we be to Richard if we all end up prisoners as well?"

"I don't know how much more time I have left. The next time I blink, I could find myself back in the Underworld," Kahlan heatedly reminded them. "You will need my help to get Richard out of there."

Feeling a sudden hand on top of hers, Kahlan looked up and into the warm comforting eyes of the old Wizard, the weathered lines on his face suddenly softening. "We won't let that happen, Kahlan. We won't let you die again."

"There's not much we can do about it right now," she reminded him. "Richard's life is in danger. We can't afford to waste time on me. We find him first."

"I think I had better leave before we're spotted together," Cara suddenly announced, looking up at the sun's position in the sky. "I'll wait for an hour before I enter. I'll meet you at the Black Crow."

"Don't be late for dinner, my dear," Zedd smirked. "You know that I won't wait for you to eat."

Cara just shook her head as she rolled her eyes. "Be careful," she adamantly instructed them. "I don't want to have to organize a rescue for the two of you as well."

The Mord'Sith could hear Zedd chuckling softly as she pulled her horse off to the side of the road. She just hoped that they'd be able to come up with a plan to save Lord Rahl before they lost the Mother Confessor for good.

XXX

Richard slowly opened his eyes, his head throbbing in seamless harmony with his heart. He found himself lying face down on an enormous bed, his hands and feet no longer bound by rope or chains. Rolling onto his back, he stared up at the dark red canopy that blocked his view of the ceiling, trying to figure out where he was. Small gold tassels lined the edges of the canopy, matching the curtains that framed the nearby window.

Despite the intense pounding in his head, he allowed his gaze to slowly roam the room, taking in his unexpected surroundings. He was stunned to find himself in an elegant room instead of a dark dungeon chained to a wall like he had anticipated.

The room appeared to be best suited for royalty. For a brief fleeting moment, he wondered if this was at all like Kahlan's suite at the Confessor's Palace in Aydindril, her bed this large. A sudden lump rose in his throat as tears immediately burned in his eyes.

Spirits, he missed her so fiercely, so much so that he wanted to die just so he could see her face again.

Hot tears started leaking from his eyes and streaming down the sides of his face. He couldn't bear the thought of her being dead, gone from his life forever. He could think of no worse fate than this. How could the good spirits be so cruel to bring them together only to tear them apart like this?

Just the thought of her being gone caused such intense sharp pain to erupt deep within the void that her absence had brought. When he had been separated from her while at the Palace of the Prophets, he had missed her deeply, so much so he could barely put one foot in front of the other.

But he had been able to survive it only because he knew that she was alive, safe with Cara and Zedd. It was what had kept him upright, forced him to wake every morning knowing that the dawning of each new day brought him that much closer to returning to her.

Now, the dawning of each new morning was just a taunting reminder of how he had to go through another day without her, live another moment without her beautiful presence in his life, in his arms. He couldn't do it, didn't want to do it. It was far too painful, too difficult. Not even the Seeker of Truth was immune to a broken heart, invincible to its brutal devastation.

Richard could feel the tears beginning to fall faster, the heartache choking him as it devoured him whole. How could he ever escape its painful clutches? He immediately decided he didn't want to escape it. Escaping it drew him that much further away from her and he couldn't bear it.

Instead, he clung to it, seizing hold of the pain and anguish that was ripping him apart, clutching onto it with everything he had left. He welcomed its cold darkness, its ghostly touch on what was left of his heart and his soul, the little that she had left behind. It was all he had left of her and he wasn't about to let go of it for anything in this world no matter how deeply it hurt him.

Soon, his entire body was wracked by his sobs as his fingers clawed at the silken bedspread, the air filled with his tormented cries. He could bear it no longer as he released a small measure of the agony and fury that he'd been harboring deep within him. He fisted the dark red material beneath him, twisting it in his hands as he fought to gain control once more.

There was nothing left for him anymore, nothing to hope for, nothing to dream about. It had all vanished the moment that she had drawn her final breath.

He suddenly realized there was no need for him to try to escape, no need to search for the Stone of Tears. The prophecy had been fulfilled and the Keeper had won. Kahlan's beautiful pure heart had stopped beating. There was no stopping the Keeper now.

A sat up with a sudden thought, tears still trickling down his face. Maybe that would be the key, a way to get Kahlan back.

If the Keeper had free reign on the world of the living, maybe Richard could steal into the Underworld and rescue her somehow. There had to be a way to get to her, to bring her back to him. He would not stop until he had found a way to reach her. He had nothing left to lose.

With a sudden sense of purpose, he felt his tears begin to subside, his breathing fighting to return to normal. His stomach continued to churn with the anguish that relentlessly swam there, but he felt as if he had a little bit better control over it again.

Sitting up on the edge of the bed, Richard held his head in his hands for a few moments, willing himself to shove aside the splintered pieces of his heart. He needed to find a way out of here if he was ever going to find a way to save Kahlan from the Keeper and Darken Rahl.

Getting to his feet, he began to wander around the room, coming to a stop before the window. Peering outside, he found it didn't offer much of a view or route of escape as he stared at bars lining the window frame.

He was more than taken aback to find himself in a suite rather than a dungeon, but relieved none the less. He would find it easier escaping from here than chained up and held prisoner in the bowels of the Palace surrounded by an army of guards.

Coming to a stop at the door of his suite, he studied it for a long moment, knowing that it wouldn't be as simple as it appeared. His gaze wondered over the seal of the door, the hinges and door handle. He knew that a mass of soldiers waited outside of his room, waiting for him to make some sort of escape attempt. And he bet that scar face headed up the group.

Reaching out a tentative hand, Richard's fingers lightly brushed against the handle only to immediately jerk back. He scowled as he shook his hand in an effort to lessen the electric shock that still tingled in his fingers. He cursed under his breath as he backed away from the door.

Making his way to another door on the far side of the room, Richard was stunned to find a bath waiting for him. Walking over to it, he lightly dipped his fingers into the water to find it lukewarm. The idea of a bath suddenly sounded like a small piece of heaven at that point even if it was no longer hot.

After everything he had been through the last few days, he was more than ready to wash away the dirt and blood that covered him; hopefully drown the anguish he felt inside. It was a constant dreadful reminder of the heavy burden of loss that he now carried.

Sitting down on a bench, he stripped off his clothes before settling into the bath. He leaned back in the tub, his arms draping the edges as he closed his eyes. Although not hot by any means, the water felt incredibly good at that moment.

The whole notion of there being another Rahl, another brother to contend with made his anger flare hotly in his core. This twin brother of Darken's was no doubt just as evil as his brother had been. Having been raised by a dark sorceress hadn't helped matters any.

Now, he had to figure out what Demos Rahl was up to, what scheming plans he had concocted and why he had been brought here. Demos no doubt had a reason for kidnapping him like he had. Richard knew, though, that he didn't have much time to waste trying to figure it all out right now if he wanted to try to find a way to get Kahlan back.

Demos's delight over Kahlan's death proved that he would be no help in trying to find a way to save her from the Keeper. To him, it was just one less person who stood in his way of getting whatever it was that Demos wanted so badly.

Drawing a deep breath, Richard began to wonder where Zedd and Cara were right then. Were they trying to get to him? Were they possibly here now? The thought brought him an unexpected measure of peace and reassurance. Zedd would know what needed to be done to rescue Kahlan and bring her back to the world of the living, to his world.

One that didn't involve her was one not worth living in.

He felt his throat suddenly constrict at the thought of her again, his tears already threatening to overwhelm him once more. He abruptly shoved it aside. He had allowed himself to languish in his grief and anguish for a short time, allowed his tears to fall, but it would do Kahlan no good to continue to allow it to rule over him. He needed to think of the solution, not the problem.

He scrubbed his body with the cake of soap, trying to wash away the pain and the memories of the last few days. He tried to think of a way out of this. Demos had already proven that he was very powerful, able to hold Richard at bay with a simple flick of his hand. He didn't have his sword either to help him now.

Richard decided he was going to have to play Demos's game for now, pretend to go along with whatever it was that his new-found half brother had planned. It would be his only way out of here and back to Cara and Zedd. He also knew that he was going to have to be on guard at all times, ready for a surprise rescue should they manage to infiltrate the Palace.

He internally cringed at the thought of them risking their lives to save him, but at the same time, he knew that he needed them if he was ever going to escape and rescue Kahlan. He knew deep within his heart that he would travel to the Underworld just to get her back. He wouldn't think twice about it.

He'd gone into a rift in order to rescue Zedd. He'd go so much farther than that just for a glimpse of Kahlan's beautiful face, to see the smile saved for no one but him. The thought of seeing her again caused a small smile to touch his lips. If going to the Underworld was what he had to do, then he would do it without question. He would go to the ends of the world for her.

And he knew without a doubt, she'd do the same for him if she were still alive.