Chapter XXI

Relatively uneventful weeks passed slowly, Kahlan and Ava both feeling as if they were moving at a snail's pace towards Cara. The man who had sent word to the Palace regarding the blonde lived in a small village by the name of Palindor. Palindor lay in between two large forests and held less than five hundred residents at a time. It made sense that Rahl would've chosen to pass close to the small farming town. He didn't anticipate anyone seeing, let alone, caring about their presence enough to contact the Palace. Thankfully, a man named Shaw had heard of the Mother Confessor's search for her friend and felt obligated to assist. According to his correspondence, Shaw worked as librarian in the small library of Palindor and was, apparently, very well-known in the area. Although the Palace had issued quite a generous reward for any information leading to Cara's return, the man had insisted that he did not want it. In fact, his letter insisted.

While I have heard of the reward posted in return for this information, I want to assure you that I have not contacted you in the hopes of retrieving it. I am a simple man and wish to remain so, therefore, with the utmost respect My Lord and Lady, please do not burden yourselves with it on your journey. The only thing I desire is to help the House of Rahl seeing as you have helped us all many times over.

Warmest regards,

Your servant,

Shaw

Richard had insisted that they bring the man the reward regardless. He was sure he could convince him to take it and Kahlan saw no need to disagree. She would give him the throne if it meant getting Cara back. Ava tried to remain optimistic, not wanting to be the downer of the group, but her grisly past couldn't help but doubt the man's intentions. Keeping her suspicions to herself proved difficult as her traveling companions made a point to praise the librarian at least four times a day. However, despite the man's intentions, Ava was sure they could dispatch a threat easily. Richard was the most skilled swordsman in the three territories. Assuming anyone was foolish enough to try to fight Kahlan, it wouldn't last very long. She diverted most people with a simple glance and Ben was a member of the Dragon Corps so she assumed he had a decent amount of skill. However, it wasn't a physical threat Ava feared most. She knew that after countless failed missions to locate Cara, Kahlan was on her final leg. The Mother Confessor's overall mood had been souring gradually over the past four years and it was obvious to anyone who spent more than an hour with her. Although she had begun to look like the woman Ava had chased down all those years ago within the first year of freedom, she doubted Cara would recognize the woman if she was even capable of it.

"This is a good place to camp tonight." Richard announced, earning himself a glare from his wife as he did every time he suggested they stop. This time, however, Kahlan didn't argue. Instead, she turned to Ava and said,

"I believe it's our turn to get dinner?" The Mord'Sith nodded once, tossing her pack at Ben who caught it midair.

"Don't be long." The soldier called. "I'd hate for us to be apart for too long." Ava, certain that the comment was directed at her, didn't even bother turning as she responded.

"Nothing would sadden me more." Kahlan grinned, shaking her head as the Mord'Sith caught up to her.

"You two are funny." She told the blonde.

"I'm glad his harassment serves to amuse you." Ava's response was only half serious. Kahlan scoffed in return.

"You're not exactly blameless, you know." With a raised eyebrow, she watched the woman mull it over, thinking of all the times she had baited Ben without his prompting.

"Irrelevant." Ava waved a hand in dismissal and Kahlan let out a chuckle.

"Oh, look!" The Mother Confessor knelt in front of a bush and began to pick its fruit. Ava, ever on guard, remained standing and scanned the area constantly.

"Let me know when you spot a pig. Or a deer." Ava toyed with the tip of the longbow they had used to hunt wild game. It had been several days since their last "real" meal and she was getting annoyed. There was only so long she could stand eating berries and roots.

"Too much meat is bad for you, Ava." Kahlan felt the need to remind her. The Mord'Sith almost laughed.

"Hasn't been a problem for twenty-five years. I don't see it becoming one now."

"You were only twenty-one when we met?" Kahlan stopped picking, her head tilted up to face the woman. Ava frowned.

"How old did you think I was?"

"I don't know. I guess it's just…weird thinking of Mord'Sith being that young."

"As opposed to the normality of a twelve-year-old Mord'Sith?" They both knew that that was around the age Mord'Sith were initiated into the sisterhood.

"Well, I've never seen a twelve-year-old Mord'Sith." Kahlan defended, resuming her picking.

"How old were you when we met?" Ava raised an eyebrow, refraining from grinning as Kahlan looked back up at her.

"That's not a very socially acceptable question, Ava."

"And since when have I allowed social acceptability to get in my way?" The grin was in her voice, if not her lips, and Kahlan opened her mouth to relent. As soon as she did, however, Ava stiffened, her shoulders squaring as her head perked up.

"What is it?" Kahlan knew what that look meant and immediately rose to her feet, pulling her daggers out of her boots as she did.

"Quiet." Ava shushed her as the two held their breaths and strained their ears. Before long they were able to hear a faint snap of a twig in the distance. Turning towards the sound, Ava motioned for Kahlan to stay back as she inched forward on the balls of her feet. If she tried hard enough, Ava could've sworn she heard the sound of a string on a bow being pulled tight. Glancing behind her and seeing that Kahlan was merely a few feet away, she jumped into action. Without a word, the Mord'Sith tackled Kahan to the ground, sending both of them down a small hill in a tumble of limbs and foliage. The Mother Confessor, caught completely off-guard, grunted and groaned as they rolled, trying to hold onto Ava but failing as the Mord'Sith slipped out of her grasp. She landed hard at the base of a tree, slamming into the trunk and letting out a brief cry of pain. Blinking fast in an attempt to stave the dizziness, she scanned the forest floor for her companion. Catching sight of her several feet away, Kahlan rose to her knees.

"Ava." She called out to her. The woman didn't move. A sense of urgency overcame her as she scrambled, not yet standing, towards her friend. "Ava!"

"Looks like she can't hear you, Mother Confessor." A familiar voice caused a chill to run down Kahlan's spine as she froze, still on all fours. A hand wrapped roughly around her hair and yanked her up.

"Lauren." She growled through clenched teeth. The woman was quick to press her Agiel to Kahlan's neck as she hoisted her to her feet.

"I'm so glad you remember me, Kahlan." The blonde breathed in her ear as Kahlan threw her arm backwards, palm open, in search of Lauren's skin. Instead, it was met with another strike of an Agiel, making Kahlan gasp as the memories began to flood back. "It'll make killing you all the more sweet."

"Like hell." Kahlan threw her head back and connected it hard with Lauren's face. The blonde barely winced but it was enough for Kahlan to pry herself out of her arms. Before she could properly recover however, Lauren was back on her, a quick succession of blows sending her back to the ground.

"There's no escape. Not this time." Lauren toyed with her, winding back a kick that struck Kahlan in the back of the head. "And when I'm done with you," she let out a chuckle, "I can't wait to see what Lord Rahl does to her." Kahlan's heart nearly stopped, her hands clenching into fists in the dirt.

"You won't," she struggled to rise to her knees, "hurt her." Lauren approached, tilting her head as she watched the blood pour from the Mother Confessor's nose.

"Oh, I'll do more than that." She placed her foot on Kahlan's back, forcing her back down. "I'll break her but before that you can be certain that I'll hurt her in unimaginable ways. Would you like a demonstration?" Lauren rammed her Agiel against Kahlan's thigh, the assault not nearly as painful to her as it would've been five years ago. However, the Mord'Sith didn't stop there. Running the weapon up her thigh at an agonizingly slow pace, Kahlan felt the pain increase exponentially. As Lauren grabbed her roughly and flipped her over, the Agiel made its way to the inside of her thigh. Tears prickled in Kahlan's eyes, the panic rising within her as she realized what Lauren's intention was. A brief cry left her lips as she frantically fought against the blonde. With the pain increasing, however, her blows were reduced to mere inconveniences as the Mord'Sith relished in her pain. Five paces away, Ava finally began to stir, a hand running along herself in search of an injury. She found it quickly as her fingers ghosted over the remnants of an arrow's shaft embedded just beneath her ribs. Struggling to draw breath, she blinked rapidly, trying to focus. As a blood-curdling scream reached her ears, Ava froze.

Kahlan.

Forcing the pain to the back of her mind, she began to stand. Holding her breath to keep from alerting their attacker, Ava's heart began to beat faster as she caught sight of who was standing over her friend. Lauren, her Agiel running up Kahlan's thigh, had her back to her. It would be the last mistake the bitch ever made. Breaking into a sprint, Ava barreled into the woman's back, forcing her away from Kahlan, and landed on top of her. The air left her lungs and as she took her first full breath since regaining consciousness, Ava bit her tongue to keep from crying out.

"Ava," Lauren grinned up at her, easily evading her drastically weakened punches, "you don't look so good."

"You're going to regret this." Ava warned her sister but the woman merely laughed. Grabbing the broken shaft sticking out of Ava's abdomen, Lauren quickly reversed their positions.

"You're the one who winds up impaled every time we meet." The shorter blonde slowly pushed the arrow further into Ava, effectively disabling her. "Now, get up or I'll pin you to another tree and make you watch while I beat her to death." There was no doubt in Ava's mind that she wasn't bluffing. As Lauren's hand wrapped around one of the latches of her leather to pull her up, Ava caught sight of Kahlan, still recovering from whatever Lauren had done to her. Her sister was quick to stow her Agiel, one hand still wrapped dangerously around the arrow's shaft and the other taking Ava's braid into a fist.

"Don't do this, Lauren." Ava managed to utter. She knew that Richard and Ben were close by and had undoubtedly heard Kahlan's cries. It wouldn't be long until they found them. Instead of listening, Lauren tightened her hold on Ava's hair and pulled her against her.

"Say goodbye to the Mother Confessor, Ava." She growled in her ear, forcing her head to look down at Kahlan. The brunette struggled to regain control of her legs as she stood. "Don't worry. It won't be long before you're reunited- after a little attitude adjustment, of course."

"I'll kill you." Kahlan snarled, beginning to stand and searching for her daggers on the forest floor.

"I've heard that before." Lauren spat back, the hand holding the arrow twisting slightly. "Care to see who's faster?" Blood pooled at their feet as Kahlan locked eyes with her friend. Ava's blood. Ava's blood was being spilt because she took an arrow meant for her. Kahlan swallowed hard. "I thought not."

"Kahlan," Ava breathed, "go."

"Yes, Kahlan. Go." Lauren urged. "Before I change my mind and kill both of you with my bare hands."

"Please," Kahlan's eyes couldn't look away from the arrow, "you don't have to do this."

"Four years and you're still spouting the same nonsense." Lauren scoffed. "Give it a rest, Confessor. Now, we're leaving and if you even attempt to follow-"

"Kahlan!" Richard's voice caused Lauren- and therefore, Ava- to turn around. At the sight of the man, Lauren's grip on the arrow tightened. Ava was little more than dead weight, the blood she had lost beginning to take its toll.

"You must be him, then." Lauren looked him up and down, progressively backing away. "I can't say I'm impressed."

"To be honest, I don't really care." Richard told her. "Now let Ava go and we can talk about-"

"There's nothing to discuss." Lauren lifted her chin. "Lord Rahl wants her so he's going to get her and I'll be rewarded for bringing her in."

"Darken Rahl is not the true Lord Rahl." Richard said boldly. "You know that. You don't have to suffer him any longer."

"The two of you really are meant for each other, aren't you?" The comment was less of a compliment that it should've been. "Get out of my way Seeker, or Ava here will have a much bigger problem than some blood loss." To make her point, she flicked her wrist slightly upwards, nudging the arrow closer to Ava's lung. While the blonde didn't make a sound, her naturally pale skin had turned sickly white and she found herself leaning more and more on Lauren for support. Her eyes, try as they might to focus on Richard, were beginning to close.

"I won't let you take her and you can't kill her so it appears we're at a stalemate." Richard took a step closer and Lauren took two back.

"You're right." She admitted, the hand in Ava's hair letting go as she drew her Agiel. "But how long are you willing to watch her suffer before you do as I say?" Before he could respond, she pressed her Agiel directly onto Ava's wound. A slight gasp escaped Ava's lips as she was caught unprepared, her ability to hear their conversation compromised. As Lauren sustained her weight almost entirely, the smile on the woman's face was unmistakable. Because of it, what happened next did not disturb Richard in the slightest.