You Love Him
The rain pounded the branches above her, collecting itself on the needles of the pine and falling to the ground in large round drops. The plopping sound it made all around her made it seem as if she was in a natural hot spring, but she most definitely was not. Kahlan sat huddled underneath the large fir trying to shelter herself from the downpour. They had been traveling through torrential rain for three days now, their eastward journey only insuring that they followed the storm. Kahlan's wet travelling clothes clung to her skin, the weight of them pulling down on her, the wetness making it difficult to even move. It had been a miserable three days.
In front of her, Cara stood at the crest of the hill they were on, braving the elements, her gaze never leaving the red stone obelisk-like structure atop a small rise across the valley in front of them.
"I don't know what's taking him so long? What are we waiting for?" She asked as she shook her head to remove wet strands of hair from her face, sending droplets of water flying everywhere. She placed her hands on her hips and grunted.
"Cara, relax." Kahlan said. "Richard's a big boy. He can take care of himself. You, more than anyone, know that we can't just rush in there. It would be suicide."
Cara huffed, casting a condescending look toward Kahlan.
"I also know, more than anyone, what's going on in there." She said smoothing more wet hair back out of her face and casting another worried look at the temple.
They had been riding for three weeks straight. Well that wasn't exactly correct. They had ridden for two and a half weeks, but Cara had pushed them so hard that their horses had actually given out on them a few days ago, just as the rain had set in. After the men had ridden off with Ben, Cara had revived one of the men Ben had killed with the breath of life. They found, much to their surprise, that he wouldn't tell them anything as to where they were taking Ben, even after Cara attempted to persuade him otherwise. Kahlan had been left no choice but to confess him. She reached out, released her power from that holding place deep inside her, felt it course through her into him as time stood still, and took him. Thunder without sound shook the very air around them. Everything that man had once been was destroyed in that moment.
"How may I please you mistress?" He asked.
"Tell me where they are taking Ben." She said, her Confessor's face on.
"They are taking him to the Mord'Sith temple at Stowcroft, mistress."
Cara flinched. Kahlan knew that that had been where Cara had first been broken. It didn't make any sense though. Why would Mord'Sith be after Ben? She had had to make sure that that was who they were dealing with.
"Mord'Sith? So you wouldn't reveal where they were taking him out of loyalty to your mistress?" Kahlan asked.
"Yes, mistress, please forgive me."
Kahlan ignored his empty groveling. It didn't make any sense.
"Why are they taking him there?" She asked.
"Forgive me, mistress, I don't know. I don't know what they are going to do to him there. I only know that my former mistress was adamant about finding and capturing that man."
"Why?" She said.
"I don't know mistress, I'm sorry. I only want to serve you, but forgive me I don't know. I wish I could give you the answers you seek, but I can't. Is there any other way I may serve you?" He asked looking longingly into her blue eyes.
"Die." She said sternly, her Confessor's face never breaking. With that the man convulsed, fell to his side clutching his chest, and died, a small stream of blood leaking from his mouth to the ground. It wasn't the first time she had ordered someone under confession to die, nor did she imagine it would be the last, but still she couldn't help but have it leave a mark on her, even though she didn't show it.
She had discovered more questions than she had answers from the man, but they at least knew where Ben was headed. They had all set about packing their things, but just before they were about to mount up and leave, Zedd arrived back at camp.
"What's all the commotion, my boy?" He asked as Richard burst out of his tent and joined Cara in loading up the horses.
"Ben's been captured Zedd, we're about to leave to go after him." Kahlan said, answering for Richard who was too involved in packing to take time to answer the old wizard.
"Bags! Captured? By who?" Zedd exclaimed. "I killed all the Imperial order soldiers with that light web. The boy's plan worked perfectly."
"We don't know yet, Zedd, but their taking him to the Mord'Sith temple outside of Stowcroft. They already have a good head start on us, so we need to hurry." She said back over her shoulder as she too joined Richard and Cara in loading the horses.
"Mord'Sith! Double Bags!" He screamed.
"Come on, we've got a horse all ready for you." Richard said as he swung himself up into the saddle.
"I'm afraid I can't join you." Zedd said, his head lowered.
"What?" They all exclaimed at once.
"Don't get me wrong, I like the boy just as much as the rest of you, but there is a bigger dilemma here than his capture. The council needs to be warned of the impending threat that both the Imperial Order and the Blood of the Fold pose. By the creator, the Fold is practically in Aydindril's back yard!"
He was right and they all knew it.
"Listen I'll rush to Aydindril and once I've convinced the council to begin taking defensive measures, I'll join you." Zedd said.
"As soon as you can." Cara said.
It wasn't a question but Zedd took it as such. He walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, looking her in the eye.
"As soon as I can." He had assured her.
They had all left. Zedd heading to Aydindril with Richard, Kahlan and Cara hot on the trail of Ben's captors. Still something had bothered Kahlan about the whole situation surrounding Ben's capture. She had never seen Cara so upset about anything. She didn't quite understand it either. She knew that Cara and Ben had learned to stand each other's presence, in fact, they had almost grown to tolerate each other, but this type of worry went far beyond what one felt for someone you simply tolerated.
"This is taking too long. We have to get in there." Cara asserted, only confirming what Kahlan was thinking. She resolved that she was going to get to the bottom of it.
"What's gotten into you?" She asked.
"What do you mean?" Cara said.
"I've never seen you like this. You're acting crazy."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Cara insisted turning around to face her and crossing her arms.
"First you ride us to death, not even letting us stop at night to sleep or eat, you even ride us so hard that our horses give out on us, and now you're suggesting we go barging into a well-guarded Mord'Sith temple without even a plan or even scouting it out first. That's crazy Cara, and I know you know it! Why are you acting so bizarre?" Kahlan exclaimed.
"I'm just trying to save Ben." Cara said scratching her neck nervously. "He was pivotal in us winning that last battle and I think he could be an asset to us if there is an impending war, and the more time we sit here planning and scouting the closer we get to losing him forever. Trust me, I'm not crazy." She insisted.
"Cara, can't you hear yourself. While I want to rescue Ben just as much as you do, we can't rescue him if we're dead. What you're suggesting could be lethal to us all. Think. I mean if I didn't know any better I'd say it was like you're in-" Realization hit Kahlan like a slap to the face. She finally understood. "Oh my stars!" She said in bewilderment.
"What?" Cara said her head tilting to the side, a confused look on her face.
"I can't believe I didn't see it sooner." Kahlan said, looking off to her left, placing a wet hand to her wet forehead.
"What?" Cara exclaimed.
Kahlan looked into her eyes and smiled, the rain hitting the ground the only sound reverberating through the air now syrupy with tension.
"You love him." She said, the sound breaking apart the gelatinous atmosphere.
Cara rolled her eyes and shifted her hips.
"Now you're sounding crazy." She said.
"Am I?" Kahlan asked.
"Yes, you are." Cara avowed. "Firstly, Mord'Sith don't fall in love. Secondly, that man is by far the most infuriating, confusing, and complicated man I have ever met. I can't make heads or tails of him on a good day, not to mention the bad ones. To suggest that I could have fallen in love with him, of all people, is absolutely and completely absurd."
"Is it now?" Kahlan asked, the smile on her face getting wider.
"Of course it is. Like I said, he is the most frustrating man I have ever met."
"All I'm hearing is that you spend a good deal of time thinking about him and that you find him mysterious. You know it isn't something to be ashamed of Cara. Love is a wonderful thing."
"Stop it." Cara said, turning away from her to look at the temple again.
"He's a fine man, Cara. Strong, virtuous, attractive…"
"Stop it." Cara insisted over her shoulder.
"You two would make a cute couple..." Kahlan chided, her smile turning into a grin.
"Stop it!" Cara exclaimed.
"How did he look in that mud, Mistress Cara? You certainly could get a good look at his "assets", couldn't you?" Kahlan teased.
Cara turned back to her, a scowl to match Kahlan's grin painted on her face, anger, but also something else, burning behind her eyes.
"Here comes Richard." She said venomously, trying with all her might to change the subject.
Kahlan got up and started toward the crest of the hill, her wet clothes pulling at her every step, the rain now falling more heavily upon her as she left her shelter under the pine. She smoothed her hair back and placed an arm around Cara and said, "Oh don't worry it will be our little secret."
Cara quickly turned her head toward Kahlan, sending water flying off her hair, and scowled at her again. Kahlan playfully smiled back.
Richard appeared out of the torrent, soaked to the bone, slowly trudging the rest of the way up the hill to meet them. His face showed not only the effort each step required in this horrible weather, but also how dire the situation was. She locked eyes with him and with a raise of her eyebrows silently asked him what he thought about their chances of rescuing Ben. Slowly, ever so slightly he shook his head no. Just from that Kahlan could tell things were not good. Richard slogged the few remaining feet up the hill and with a big exhale placed his hands on his hips as he stopped in front of them.
"Well?" Cara asked expectantly.
"Doesn't look good." Richard said. "There are at least a dozen Mord'Sith in there with at least twice that many slaves like the ones Ben encountered on the battle field, men not necessarily well trained but desperate to please their mistress, and that's just from what I could gather from the outside. While the weather might have helped us in veiling our approach, it has also ruled out any chance of us scaling the walls. Without a doubt Ben is up there," Richard said indicating the one lone window at the peak of the structure, "so if we can't scale the outside then our only hope in getting there would be to fight our way up the inside, a battle in which we are greatly outnumbered. Even though the confined space would lessen the advantage that numbers would afford in the battle, I'm afraid that I'm not sure how we're going to pull this off."
"What do you mean you're not sure how we're going to pull this off? If we don't act, and I mean now, we might lose Ben forever. You're the Seeker for crying out loud! You defeated Darken Rahl and the Keeper! Isn't this what you do, find the answers? So find them!" Cara insisted.
"Cara, I'm trying. I just don't see any way we can try to save Ben without forfeiting our lives in the process. If we die then we will have been of no help to him at all. Will we? I've been wracking my brain since I left the temple trying to find any other way and, I'm sorry, but I just can't see how we can accomplish this." Richard said. Cara cast a dejected look toward the temple as her brow furrowed and her shoulders slumped, the hopelessness of the situation finally hitting her. "If only there was another way into that top chamber without having to fight our way through the main interior." Richard said almost to himself.
"What did you say?" Cara asked.
"What? Oh, nothing, I was just thinking out loud that if there were a way for us to get to that top chamber without having to fight every Mord'Sith in that horrid temple, then we might have a chance.
"There might be…" Cara said.
"What do you mean?" Kahlan asked.
"Well, unless the temple has changed since I was last there, then there is a secret tunnel through the hillside that leads to a narrow stairway that leads directly up to that chamber. It was constructed in case the tower was ever under siege and the head mistress needed to escape some other way than the main entrance."
"Would it be guarded?" Richard asked.
"It may be, but very lightly, one maybe two Mord'Sith at the most."
"That's perfect!" Kahlan exclaimed. "Why didn't you mention it before?"
"Because the door to the tunnel is also spelled." Cara explained.
"Spelled? In what way?" Richard asked.
"With a Resonating Spell." Cara said.
"A Resonating Spell? I've lived in the Wizard's Keep most of my life and I've never heard of that. What is it?" Kahlan asked, smoothing her wet hair back again.
"It's a barrier spell. It works almost like waves in a tub. You know how if you move in a tub full of water it creates waves and if you time your movements correctly with the waves you can make them get bigger, even to the point that they overflow out of the tub? Well, this spell works much in the same way. Once someone comes in contact with it, it creates a magical link between that person and the barrier. The link works almost as a magical feedback loop, so as the barrier feeds power into the person it is linked to, it merges that power with the person's han and feeds even more power back into itself, which it then feeds back into the person, who then is used to amplify it even more, and so on until the power contained in the link becomes so great that the person explodes from the sheer force of it." Cara explained.
"Well, then how do we get past it?" Richard asked.
"We don't. I do." Cara said. "Only Mord'Sith possess the power to be able to repel the spell and therefore pass through the barrier. I'm going to have to go in their alone."
Just as the weight of what Cara had just explained to them began to settle on Richard and Kahlan, a noise from the woods down the hill behind them set them all on edge. Richard bent his knees taking a defensive position as he drew the Sword of Truth from its scabbard, the sword announcing its presence, its distinctive ring cutting through the thick air. Kahlan and Cara spun around both drawing their daggers and agiels respectively. They all prepared themselves for a confrontation. The sound was without a doubt the sound of someone running through the brush behind them. Kahlan tightened her grip on her daggers, a grimace on her face. The footsteps were getting closer. Cara gingerly sidestepped farther off to the right, placing a bit of distance between herself and Richard and Kahlan so that the assailant couldn't get easy shots on all three of them at once. Kahlan could hear the rain making a pinging noise as it struck the steel of Richard's blade. The footsteps were even closer still. Cara still edged her way off to the right more, but now she was also pushing forward, hoping to hide behind a tree, so as to sneak up on the incoming threat as they approached, allowing them to run right by her so that she could surround them. The footsteps were on top of them now. As Kahlan tightened her grip even more on her daggers a young man, no older than thirty, came bounding over the hill top, his brown shirt and pants soaked through. As he rushed right past Cara, hiding behind the tree, he caught sight of Richard and Kahlan. Sliding to a stop on the wet ground, he opened his mouth as if he were about to say something, but before he could even get a syllable out Cara drove her agiels into the back of his head, knocking him unconscious.