Cold… So cold…

Limp on the floor, forearms and cheek pressed against the Shrine's icy stone ground, a chilling shiver rushed down the Mother Confessor's body. It penetrated her consciousness sharply before she was fully awake. When at last she peeked open her eyes, she mournfully remembered where she was. Memories, sharp as knives, slashed through her head, and with a heavy heart she recalled all that had transpired. Inhaling dust from the cold stone ground, she wanted to close her eyes again and sink into nothingness from which she had emerged, forfeiting this bleak reality she had returned to, forfeiting everything she knew, willing to forfeit life itself. Alas, she found that she could not. The moment she closed her eyes, trying to withdraw into herself, a pain came alive, a throbbing pain, in the back of her head.

Cara... It must have been her... No one else can deliver a blow like that, the thought painfully surfaced in her mind.

Desperate to reach up and rub at her temples, Kahlan realised that her wrists were bound together with rope. So were her feet.

With effort, she raised her head a little and looked around herself. Her vision was blurry and her head ached all the more as she searched for the pillar... Until, she saw him.

Richard... Thank the Spirits, he is alive!

Still in Darken Rahl's body, still unable to speak, Richard remained firmly tied to the pillar at the centre of the altar. Nicci's corpse still hung, bleeding, above him, streaking him with tears of blood. He looked at his beloved and acknowledged her seeing him. If he had still had a mouth, he would have smiled to reassured her.

Kahlan lifted her head a little more to see beyond the pillar. On its other side, stood Cara, as though waiting for something. And then Rahl, himself, advanced, positioning himself directly in front of the pillar, in front of Richard, facing the three of them. The five Mord'Sith stood further away in the Shrine, beyond the altar, waiting expectantly.

With effort, Kahlan forced herself upright. The best she could do was to sit up in a kneeling position.

"Ah," Rahl said, "Mother Confessor. It is good of you to wish to participate awake... This time."

"I will not participate in anything you are doing, Rahl," Kahlan spoke lowly, against the throbbing pain in her head. She thought she tasted blood on her tongue. "I will die before I help you."

"You've said that before, and as I've said: I do not doubt that for a moment, Kahlan Amnell," Rahl acknowledged matter-of-factly. "Which is why I have envisioned a plan where your active participation is not necessary, merely your presence."

"My Lord," Cara interjected, "Why not simply confess the Mother Confessor?"

"In order for the confession spell to work, my dear Cara," Rahl replied, "We must first remove the Rada'Han from the Mother Confessor's beautiful neck. However, removing the Rada'Han from the Mother Confessor is not something I would do in a hurry in this place. We have seen what kind of potency the Shrine can inject into anyone carrying even a drop of magic - who knows what power it would unleash within her, hmm? Besides, wouldn't you agree that you would do a much more satisfactory job of giving birth to and ensuring the survival of my son?"

Cara raised an eyebrow and affirmed with a wicked, slanted smile.

"In any case, once the transference is complete," he continued, "We will not have any more need of the Confessor."

"What do you mean 'transference'?" Kahlan demanded, alarmed. "What are you planing to do?"

Rahl ignored her questions.

"And now, without any further interruption, let us begin!"

Kahlan watched in alarm as Rahl closed his eyes and raised both hands. He began chanting in a language she did not understand.

"Richard..." Kahlan whispered, turning to look at him, fear painted over her face. He was afraid too, she could see it in his eyes, though she could also tell that he was trying to remain strong, that he wanted to reassure her that everything was going to be alright, somehow.

The longer Rahl chanted, the louder his voice became. He lifted his arms higher towards the pillar, towards Richard, his entranced voice booming all around them.

Quite unexpectedly, out of nowhere, a white light started to glow and spread within the stone pillar, behind the man that stood tied to it. Its intensity grew quickly, growing brighter, stronger, until it permeated from every inch of the pillar with almost unbearable intensity. So bright it became that Kahlan could not stand to look at it anymore. Despite being afraid of what it was doing to Richard, she was forced to avert her gaze from him. She did so with a torn heart - the muffled cries called to her, pleading, underlying Rahl's powerful chant and the echoing voice that paraded as Richard's own. She called out to her beloved and struggled to her feet, finding it difficult to maintain balance with her ankles bound so tightly. Still, she could not suppress the overwhelming urge to do something, to try, as futile as it was, to help Richard somehow, despite barely being able to look at him beyond the stark light that emanated from his direction and sharply stung her eyes.

"Richard, I'm here! Richard!" her voice was no more than that of a fearful child in contrast to Rahl's powerful resounding tones and the inescapable humming that grew louder within the Shrine as the light begun spreading beyond the pillar.

But suddenly, there was no sound from Richard anymore. When Kahlan momentarily obliterated her vision by forcing herself to look at the pillar for a split second, she was horrified to see that the light had merged with Richard, that he had become an extension of the stone pillar itself, as if he were made of stone too, and had become a vessel for this light. It shone fiercely, coursing powerfully through him: Through his eyes, his face, all throughout his body, setting his skin on black fire. And then, even as Kahlan was forced to look away, she saw that there was nothing but the all-encompassing brilliance of the white light surrounding her, now illuminating the Shrine in its entirety, filling it completely, while its mighty hum reverberated throughout the entire mountain, causing the ground and the walls of the cave to shake, causing dust to fall from the star-lit ceiling, while Rahl strained to maintain control of his voice and avoid becoming overpowered by the light himself. And just as unexpectedly, Kahlan realised that she was paralysed, that an invisible force had seized her body, constricting her almost to the point of breathlessness. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the pillar, along with Nicci's body and Richard, dissolving into the light, feeding it like a crucial spark igniting a mighty fire. She saw it evaporate and burst into ash at the same time... And Richard, along with it, disappearing into nothing. All that stood after that was what was on its other side: Cara - who, just like Kahlan, was as frozen as a statue, while Rahl chanted and chanted.

In a moment, Kahlan felt herself being lifted off the ground, being suspended in the air in front of her mortal enemy, on his command. But she could feel something else as well: Life, strong and spirited, awakening inside of her stomach, restless, tugging and kicking inside of her. The higher she floated above the ground, the more restless the force within her belly became, until all she felt was violent heaving, as if her stomach was being ripped to shreds from within. She needed to cry out in agony but could not open her mouth or use her voice. She had no choice but to withstand the pain in silence and hope that she is able to survive it.

And then, all at once, the pain ceased. Kahlan felt empty, still, and before her, floating mid-air just like her, was a tiny spark of life, no bigger than a single apple seed, enchanted and glowing in golden light. She watched it float, drift away from her to her right, towards Cara, who floated also, waiting, paralysed. The spark of life entered Cara's stomach as if her clothing and flesh were liquid, malleable. There, it nested inside her womb.

Rahl's task was complete.

The bright white light withdrew from the far corners of the Shrine, returning into its centre where the pillar rematerialised erect, while at the same time, Kahlan and Cara were laid down gently on the ground.

It took the women a few moments to adjust their blinded eyes, while Rahl waited patiently. The five Mord'Sith remained in the background, awaiting instruction from their master.

Once she had regained control of her body, her hands and feet still bound, Kahlan struggled to her knees once again. She looked to her side and saw that Cara was struggling to stand up too: One hand on the ground to support her, the other, clutching tightly at her stomach, as though she were in pain. And then she saw... The pillar. It had rematerialised entirely bare as if never having been touched by a human at all.

"Where's Richard?" Kahlan demanded from Rahl. "What have you done with him?!"

"You can hardly expect magic of this magnitude to come without a price," Rahl replied.

"What do you mean?" Kahlan demanded again. "Where is he?"

"Oh, Richard is dead," his voice was entirely unmoved, as though he were explaining something painfully obvious.

"No... No, that can't be," Kahlan shook her head. "You are trying to trick me... Where is he?!"

"Why would I be trying to trick you, Kahlan, now that I have what I've come for?" Rahl replied. "If he isn't dead then where is he? Zedd was obliterated by his own fire... And Richard... He was obliterated by his own light."

"No... That can't be... That can't be!" Kahlan cried out with all of the pain of her heart being torn out of her chest.

She bowed her head and cried bitterly, while Rahl flinched at the sound of her shrill voice.

"Richard, no... No, you can't be gone... I am sorry... I am so sorry... I have failed you…"

Rahl rolled his eyes.

"Cara," he called casually.

The Mord'Sith warily looked up at him. Still clutching at her stomach, she looked a bit rattled by what had just happened to her.

"I don't expect that the Mother Confessor will get over the death of her beloved any time soon," he spoke in a tone that conveyed boredom, "And I am already getting tired of the sounds of her... Wailing."

"What would you like me to do, my Lord?" Cara struggled to stand up, her hand pressing at her stomach and the new life it contained, still unsettled.

"Kill her."

Pointing the hilt at Cara, he offered her the red dagger, which Kahlan had tried to attack him with earlier. Tentatively, Cara took it.

The five Mord'Sith gathered closer around the altar, carefully watching their chosen sister, silently but eagerly anticipating what was about to happen.

Cara looked at Kahlan.

Slowly, she advanced towards her.

The Confessor had remained kneeling, doubled over. Her long dark hair hid her pale face as she sobbed inconsolably. At hearing what her fate was to be, she had barely flinched.

Cara stood before her.

She grabbed Kahlan by the shoulders and forced her to stand. Kahlan wobbled on her tightly bound feet, immobilised by grief and resignation. She didn't try to resist or defend herself in any way, and simply wept heavy tears that left her face streaked in shiny rows. Cara steadied her and pointed the dagger against the flesh of her chest, aiming at the woman's heart. Half-heartedly, Kahlan looked her in the eyes and passively awaited her fate. Two heavy tears rolled down her cheeks, their way pre-paved by the tears that had gone before, sliding down to the peak of her chin before merging into one large droplet, and finally, falling off. But as the single large sphere of a teardrop fell, it crash-landed against the sharp edge of the dagger's metal, and burst into various directions, splattering over Cara's gloved hand.

Cara blinked at it. She looked at it and blinked at it as if she had never before seen a teardrop.

From her hand, she looked up... And, looked deep.

In Kahlan's resigned, barely-open eyes, she saw a well of heartache. With her sister and Zedd dead, and now Richard gone too, she didn't care if she lived or died. But there was something else in there too, in those sky-blue eyes... Something that puzzled Cara.

She blinked again, dagger steadfast in hand.

"Cara, what are you waiting for?" Rahl's voice came from behind her, jolting her from her momentary trance. "Kill her now."

The blonde shifted on her feet and turned the dagger in her hand, pushing its point deeper into the Confessor's breast, threatening to pierce the skin. But then... She halted.

Cara wanted to carry out her master's order, wanted to execute the plan and the woman that stood before her, waiting for death's release... But as she pointed the dagger over Kahlan's heart, she found that ultimately, this was as far as she could go. The dagger would not go any further to harm the Mother Confessor, and Cara, frozen, as she stared into Kahlan's mournful face.

At seeing the girl hesitate, Kahlan ceased crying. Deliberately now, she looked into Cara's eyes and saw a hint, a flicker of doubt, of panic, confusion and sorrow... And of concern. Her eyes were full of concern for her.

Holding her gaze, as if by magic, Kahlan felt her own self come back to life, felt a glimmer of hope again where, till then, all hope had died out.

"Cara! I said, end her now!" Rahl demanded again, furious at this pointless delay. He stood on the other side of the altar, facing the two women. The five Mord'Sith shifted uncomfortably in the spot, scrutinising Cara carefully... But Cara didn't move an inch.

Rahl marched towards her, deeply angered by such insolence. He meant to find out what exactly had caused this delay, to strike the girl for disobeying his order, and ultimately, grab the dagger from Cara and finish the Confessor himself. But just as he reached Cara from behind, the Mord'Sith turned, and with one swift movement, buried the dagger deep into Rahl's own heart.

His eyes turned large.

Before the other Mord'Sith realised what had happened and could reach her quickly enough to strike her down with their agiels, Cara twisted the dagger a little and watched as Rahl's mouth opened, his lip quivered, as if to speak. One hand firm on the dagger's hilt, she caught and supported her master with the other, when he threatened to drop to the floor with all of his bodyweight.

"That was for Richard, and Zedd..." she whispered in his ear, as she held him in an almost intimate embrace. "And this... This is for what you did to Kahlan."

She twisted the hilt once, sharply, utilising all of her arm's strength.

Rahl's mouth popped wide open now, gasping in shock. His body tightened, muscles contracting, as he struggled for one final breath. A look of bewilderment locked on his face at this act of ultimate betrayal that should not have been possible... Before Cara let him drop.

Even before Rahl had sprawled out on the floor at her feet, the five women had raced towards the centre of the altar and flung themselves at Cara. Their agiels viciously swiped through the air, ready to strike the very life out of her, but Cara was ready. An agiel in each hand, she blocked their moves and delivered blows where she could, drawing blood, invoking pain, being a far superior fighter compared to any of her sisters. Alas, five against one, the odds were not in her favour, and despite all of her abilities, despite all of her fire and determination, Cara could not prevent the agiels that came from behind, stabbing into her back, straight into her spine, paralysing her for moments at a time, exposing weakness. Before long, Cara became entirely disarmed, her agiels struck out of her hands, confiscated by her enemies. All she could do was retreat far enough away from Rahl's dead body, leading her sisters, her enemies away from Kahlan.

Surrounding their traitor sister, the Mord'Sith delivered blow after blow to the blonde, until finally, she fell to her knees, blood dripping out of her mouth. Captured and held down by the arms, a Mord'Sith on each side of her, Cara watched as the other three surveyed her closely, and the leader of the five approached her face-on, armed with her own agiels. The woman held up one of them before Cara's face as a threat to what she planned to do to punish her act of treason but was dismayed to see Cara flash a defiant, checkered smile in response, licking the blood on her lips as if it were honey, flicking her tongue provocatively at the woman. Angered, the Mord'Sith swung the agiel and struck Cara across the cheek, summoning an angry welt. Stepping back to see the effects of her punishment on her hostage, she loathed to find that Cara had only expected as much, her attitude unchanged. Angered further, the woman lowered the agiel to the level of Cara's heart, threatening to send her straight to the Underworld to meet their Lord whom she had just murdered, but found that this too did nothing to break Cara's spirit. Furious, the woman was about to lunge at her hostage... When suddenly, she dropped the agiels to the floor. She straightened up and turned her back at Cara. And just as suddenly, in likewise manner, all other agiels were dropped to the floor too, and all five Mord'Sith stood entirely unarmed. The two women that held Cara by the arms, abruptly released her. Without warning or reason, the five women extended upwards, as if pulled by their crowns towards the ceiling, balancing on their tiptoes until they were lifted off the ground altogether, levitating, floating in the air above Cara. In unison they turned to face the pillar... And the Mother Confessor that stood by it.

Kahlan's arm outstretched towards them, her fingers pointed at each of the women, controlling them with ease. Her blue eyes had turned into the blackest of nights, while the Rada'Han, unlocked by its key, lay discarded at her feet, just like Rahl. The women's eyes mirrored her own where they too filled with the colour of a moon-less night, ready to obey whatever whim was to be uttered by the Mother Confessor's lips. When she was satisfied that she had unreserved control over the Mord'Sith, Kahlan gently laid the five back on the ground, at which point, they dropped to their knees, heads bowed, voicing in unison: Command us, Mistress.

But Kahlan said nothing.

Eyes pitch-black, ready to obliterate, she looked beyond them, at Cara, who stared back at her incredulously, if not a little fearfully. The blonde struggled to her feet and wiped the blood off her lips, staining the back of her maroon glove red.

"Cara," the Mother Confessor spoke in a deep, unnatural voice... Before her own tone returned, along with the blue of her eyes.

"Are you alright?"

The blonde emerged from behind the five kneeling figures. She walked towards Kahlan and stopped before her, apprehension playing in her gaze.

"I'm fine," she answered. "You?"

Kahlan shrugged. How to answer such a question after everything that had just happened?

"Cara," she whispered uncertainly, "What happened here...? You were confessed..."

"I was," the woman answered simply.

For a moment, she thought about what to say, where to begin. When she began explaining, she spoke slowly, carefully:

"Back at the hill, when you were feeling unwell, when I went to hunt for conies... I saw Richard in the forest, who I guessed was Rahl. The woman he was fighting with, it looked like he was trying to harm her, to take her away. She... Looked like you. And even though it didn't feel right and I should have known that it was Nicci, that it couldn't have been you, the thought of him harming you again... I couldn't risk it. I ran towards him and fought him... But Nicci must have knocked me out because suddenly, everything turned dark. And when I opened my eyes again, my hands and feet were tied and Rahl was forcing some liquid down my throat. I could feel the power of the spell taking its hold of me... I tried to fight it," she added in a low voice, looking away, as though ashamed, "But I failed. After that, I only cared about pleasing Rahl in any way I could. He gave me the red dagger and told to me that I needed to trick you and Zedd, and get you to follow his trail to lead you here, to the Shrine. He said that by using the Shrine's power... And... Richard's life-force as a sacrifice..." Cara swallowed with difficulty against the lump in her throat, "He would be able to transfer the baby from you... To me. He wanted the baby for himself, to give it all the wizard's knowledge he possessed, and have me give him Mord'Sith's training and discipline, so that one day, as a male Confessor on top of everything else, he would help Rahl extend and secure his rule over the world."

Kahlan listened with tears in her eyes.

"But such a child would grow up to become a monster even worse that Rahl," she said, shaking her head in horror. "Can you imagine? I'm afraid to think that he managed to get so close!"

Cara looked to the ground, self-reproach obvious on her face.

"But Cara," Kahlan took a small step towards the girl, "I meant, what happened to you here, now? I mean, I remember those confessed soldiers we fought. They were so vicious and so bent on drawing blood unlike anything I'd seen before! And you... Moments ago... You looked like one of them," she swallowed hard. "What happened? Rahl commanded you to kill me. I... I should be dead, Cara..."

Cara's eyes fell. Her mouth opened as if to speak but only breath passed between her lips. When she next looked up at Kahlan, looking her in the eyes with that sideways glance of hers, it was that look that declared the truth of her feelings. And though she said nothing, the memories of the night before came flooding back for the both of them, although, after everything that had happened that day, the event of the kiss seemed like an entire lifetime ago. Still, by that one look from Cara, Kahlan understood that it was the girl's love for her that had broken the confession spell.

Kahlan's features softened. Cara abruptly looked away.

Not wanting to make things any more difficult for either of them at an already difficult time, she silently turned to leave. But before any more distance could be placed between them, Kahlan grabbed the woman by the wrist, pulled her backwards and placed both arms tightly about her neck.

"Thank you... Thank you," she whispered, squeezing Cara all the tighter to emphasise her gratitude. "You have saved my life once again... But more importantly, you have saved all of Confessor-kind."

At first, Cara was unsure of how to respond, but before she could make up her mind towards any deliberate action, her arms had wrapped tightly about Kahlan as well.

And so, the two women stood like this, perfectly still, silent, as they embraced, regarded by the kneeling Mord'Sith, surrounded by sparkling, shimmering walls of the Shrine, as if thousands of bright eyes watched them in awe, revelling in the fact that there was hope, and love, still left in the world... That is, until Cara felt a sudden surge of nausea grip her from within, and before she was able to completely break free from the Confessor's tight embrace, she violently threw up down the front of Kahlan's white dress.