Chapter 25

Richard pressed his brow against Kahlan's shoulder as he struggled to catch the breath she had just taken from him, his heart hammering against his chest wall in effort to break free with the full intensity of his release. Guilt began to wrench the panicked knots in his stomach even tighter. Now had not been the time or place for this, not when Kahlan's life was in such terrible danger.

Nuzzling his nose along her neck, he tenderly brushed feather-soft kisses against her skin, loving her for loving him so deeply. His anger with himself heated his blood in a different way now as he gently unhooked her legs from his waist and set her feet back down on the ground.

How had he let this happen now?

How had he allowed himself to get carried away like this in the midst of the chaotic storm surrounding them?

Deep down, he knew he couldn't have turned her away, though. To deny her this was to deny his heart.

But he was the Seeker, the Lord Rahl. He was supposed to be in complete control of his thoughts and emotions. But when it came to Kahlan…it was nothing more than a fleeting notion. All sense of reason was swiftly washed away in the wake of her beauty and the love for her that had taken root in his heart that day in the Hartland woods.

It was a love that had only intensified and deepened and expanded since then. He'd had no idea that his heart could hold so much love for one person and yet it continued to grow beyond all imagination.

"I'm…so sorry, Kahlan…" he whispered in her ear as he held her close, burying his face in her hair as tears pricked his eyes.

"Why are you sorry?" she murmured, her brow creased in confusion as she turned to brush kisses along his cheekbone. "It was beyond amazing...just like every time with you."

"We shouldn't have done this here…now. Not when your life is hanging so precariously in the balance," he scowled in shame, shaking his head as drew away from her, putting himself back together again. "What was all this? You wouldn't let me touch you before?"

"I don't know. All I knew is that I just suddenly needed you so much," she admitted to him as she lowered her eyes in shame, leaving out the fact that the reason for her visit here had left her feeling bewildered and confused as well. "I just had to see you…be with you."

She had truly wanted to be with Richard again; that had been undeniable, unmistakable in its intent. But something else had drawn her here as well. It had been like a dual purpose living inside of her, something else that was swimming deep in the recesses of her mind, waiting to surface.

"Kahlan, I always want to make love with you," he heatedly replied, panting softly as he gazed into her bright sapphire eyes still swimming with want. "Spirits, it's all I can do sometimes to hold on until I can see you again, be with you again, but not now when I'm so close to losing you forever."

"Well, it seemed like the perfect time and place to me seeing how I'm about to become the enemy. And the Lord Rahl can't be seen cavorting with the enemy," she softly teased to lighten his mood, her cheeks still flushed with arousal as she grabbed the flaps of his shirt and pulled him in for another heated kiss.

She felt her throat go dry with the shameless thoughts taking shape in her mind once more. She had just had him and she wanted him all over again. When it came to Richard Rahl, satisfied was just a brief glimpse of heaven.

"Kahlan, you are not the enemy," he spat out, his eyes flashing with anger. "You will never be my enemy. I will defeat Scai."

Kahlan cupped the side of his face, brushing her nose softly against his. Her lips danced so very tantalizing close to his, making his pulse begin to race yet again. He drew a ragged breath, desperate to gain control despite his body's demand to be with her once more. Being satiated never lasted long when it came to Kahlan.

He placed his hands on her shoulders as he bowed his head, gripping her firmly in an effort to put a little distance between them. She suddenly hissed as pain shot through her arm, pressing her forehead against his in an effort to catch her breath. He immediately released his hold on her, reminded of the injury that she had sustained yesterday.

"Spirits, I'm so sorry," he apologized, burying his hand in her hair and pulling her close.

"No, it's alright," she murmured, shaking her head.

"I wish you would've let Nicci heal your shoulder," he frowned as he held her, relishing the feel of having her in his arms again. He still wasn't absolutely certain what had brought her down here to him, but right now it mattered little.

All that mattered was her and that she had needed him.

"Have you been able to find anything yet?" she asked, pulling out of his hold and changing the subject.

"No, not yet, but Cara and Garren think they may have found something," he sighed, running his fingers back through his hair. "Everyone is up there right now checking it out."

"Why aren't you up there?"

"I don't know," he thoughtfully shook his head as he folded his arms across his chest, forcing his focus to return to the wall he had been working on before Kahlan's seductive appearance in the temple. "I just can't help but feel the answer is in here somewhere. We're just missing it somehow. I wanted to stay here to see if I could find it. Besides, you know how I feel about prophecy."

"You can't fight me any longer, Kahlan Rahl. The time has come…" Scai's intrusive voice brushed like soft feathers against her mind, gently coaxing her back to him.

"I am not yours!" she silently screamed, fighting the vile force that was suddenly ballooning within her.

"You are mine. And you will do what I have chosen you to do!"

Kahlan grabbed her head as the soft feathery brush of his voice turned into scraping nails. She squeezed her temples, trying to force him from her thoughts as confusion flooded her mind.

Her anxious gaze swept around the room as she tried to make sense of everything before finally falling on Richard, her center, her rock. She kept her eyes fixed on him as she began to circle the stone alter like a lioness hungrily eyeing her prey.

She watched as his muscles tightened and relaxed, visible evidence of the tremendous strain that he was under. She ran her hands through her hair as she drew a deep breath, letting the soft curls slip through her fingers as she fought the urges pulsating and warring inside her body.

Being with Richard once again had been such sweet euphoria, a demand that her heart had made. But her heart that belonged to Richard was in a fierce battle now with her soul that belonged to Scai. Each was fighting for complete control of her mind and body, her heart momentarily winning out, but Scai was rapidly gaining control now.

Her pulse quickened as she moved with the catlike gracefulness of a Mord'Sith, her steps deliberate and yet light as she felt a new urge flow through her, this one so different from the overwhelming need for Richard that had drawn her here in the first place.

"What makes you still think the answer is in here?" she innocently probed, doing her best to keep her voice even despite the fierce struggle that was overpowering her and rocking her senses.

Richard tilted his head as he contemplated the same set of words that he'd been working on, his gaze narrowing in thought. There was something unusual about this particular phrase that had completely captured his attention, his previous lingering desire now forgotten as his instincts took over.

"I'm not sure," he murmured. "But this room was constructed this way for a very particular reason, something that we haven't picked up on. These words and phrases are joined like this for a purpose. I'm hoping if I can discover that purpose, I can somehow reverse it or stop its progression."

Kahlan was barely listening now as she ran her tongue along her bottom lip before biting down on it. She stealthily made her way up the steps of the dais on the opposite side of Richard, keeping her movements concealed. Her breath was low and shallow, afraid that he would suddenly turn around and notice that she was no longer where he thought she was.

Studying the wall, Richard cursed under his breath, frustrated with his lack of success. He needed answers now. Despite having just made love with her, he still felt as though Kahlan was slipping further and further away from him and he had to fix it now before it was too late.

He suddenly felt the fine hairs stand up on the back of his neck, alerting him to the fact that something was terribly wrong. He spun on his heel, his eyes immediately searching for his wife. That was when he finally noticed her standing on the platform at the top of the dais.

"Kahlan!" he cried his heart suddenly pounding like the hooves of a thousand horses as she placed her hands on the orb centered in the platform.

Richard stood frozen in horror, his joints locked into place as wind blasted through the room. Her hair began to flutter in the wind, her eyes glowing emerald as thin green bolts of lightning shot forth from the orb. His body suddenly felt boneless from the terror that ripped through him.

He knew that he had to get her away from there now before she was sucked into the Underworld like Solairna had been. He began to race towards her with a desperate need to reach her, his every muscle drawn tight with an all-consuming fear that had been steadily eating away at him since he had first arrived home and discovered what had happened to her.

Reaching the steps, he began to take them two at a time, his need to save her driving him forward despite the knee-buckling panic that was pounding through him. This was it. He was going to lose her if he didn't reach her in time.

Kahlan closed her eyes as the power of the Underworld inundated her, pulling her mind under a dark waterfall and holding her there until she would be free to rise to the surface, reborn in the image of Scai. Burning like tingling flames licked at her body and permeated her blood, fusing her soul with her master at last. She gasped at the searing pain that tore through her, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes.

Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion as he watched the depraved power of the Underworld envelope his wife. Fast was suddenly not fast enough as he suddenly fought to put one foot in front of the other. He wasn't going to get there in time. Scai was stealing her away from him right before his eyes.

"KAHLAN!" he screamed again, fighting against the powerful forces that were trying to hold him at bay. It felt like he was pushing his full force against a wall of water, impenetrable and unyielding and keeping him from reaching his beloved in time.

Magic suddenly exploded from the alter, bathing the temple in a wash of glowing emerald light and hurling Richard backwards off the dais. He crashed into the wall behind him, hitting the floor and knocking the air from his lungs.

Kahlan eyes flew open to find Richard lying lifeless on the ground, blood oozing from his head and staining the stone floor beneath him. Something inside of her began to tremble and shake at the sight of him lying injured on the ground.

"Richard!" she cried, her tears falling faster at what she had just allowed to happen to him.

"No, Kahlan Rahl! You no longer belong to him. You belong to me!"

Kahlan shook her head against the violent force of his voice, his power escalating. She could feel herself fading, what little grip she had left slipping from her fingers. She gritted her teeth, sweat breaking across her brow as she fought the unseen demon who was taking control of her.

She began to shake as rage exploded inside of her, an awakening of undying love and righteous justice that slept deep within her core demanding revenge. A low growl escaped her lips as she shook her head, her blood turning to burning fury in her veins. Thunder filled the room and shook the ground with the violent collision of two worlds – the Underworld's magic clashing with the powerful magic of the ConDar.

Richard slowly opened his eyes, his head throbbing as he crawled up onto his knees. Thunder and lightning crashed as his frantic gaze fell on Kahlan. She was shaking violently, her eyes swirling from glowing emerald to bright crimson. It was the familiar flaming red of the Blood Rage.

"Kahlan!" he yelled again, praying that his voice would be heard over the fierce storm that shook the very foundation of the room.

She looked like a fierce avenging angel, both gorgeous and terrifying as her hair whipped wildly, her eyes glowing red as the trembling finally subsided. Richard fought his way to his feet, his heart thundering as she leveled her fiery glare on him.

"Kahlan…it's me!" he shouted above the gale. "It's Richard…please, come down from there!"

She growled under her breath as she glowered at him, her hands becoming fists as her chest heaved. A shiver raced up his spine as she considered him for a long moment, not from fear but from awe at the power that she truly possessed. He could see the conflict wash through her beautiful face, the violent battle that was fighting for control within her. He knew that he was the only one who could ever break through the struggle to reach her.

"Kahlan, please!" he pled with her as he took a cautious step towards her, his hands raised up in front of him. "I love you, Kahlan! Come back to me!"

He watched as her crimson eyes suddenly softened for a flickering moment, filling his heart with relief. She tilted her head to the side, her brow furrowing. Tears trickled from her eyes as recognition seeped through her, the thunder and lightning subsiding.

"Richard?" she softly cried in the sudden silence that filled the room. "I'm so sorry…" she sobbed, her bottom lip trembling as the powerful magic of the ConDar waged war with the dark magic of the Underworld.

"Kahlan, it's alright," he told her as he began to make his way to her once more, fearful of which magic was going to win out in the end and more so if Kahlan would even survive it.

And then her eyes suddenly burned even brighter as she trembled again, flaming crimson swirling with dark emerald. She growled at him, raising her hands and unleashing a blast of magic on him. Richard fell backwards, landing on the floor and hitting his head. The sight of Kahlan in the throes of the Blood Rage as she came down the steps towards him was the last thing that he saw as everything went black.

XXX

"It says that the pure heart will lead Scai's army with the sword fashioned by Wizards of old," Cara informed them as she sank back in her chair, her hand unconsciously falling to her abdomen.

She was expecting her first child, Kahlan her third. They should be celebrating with each other, not searching for a way to save her soul from the scourge of the Underworld. She had just gotten her husband back and now she was on the verge of losing her closest friend.

Garren noticed her fear, snatching up her other hand and squeezing it tenderly. He knew how all of this was affecting her, how hard she was taking it. She felt as if the world was falling apart all around her. He understood because he felt the same way. Richard and Kahlan were like family, their daughters like their own. To see them suffer like this was not only heartbreaking but infuriating.

"Spirits, this just keeps getting worse," Zedd mumbled under his breath as he sank wearily into a chair.

"I wonder how Kahlan will get her hands on the Sword of Truth. It's not like Lord Rahl is just going to hand it over to her no matter how much he loves her," Cara interjected.

"That's what worries me," Nicci sighed in frustration. "Things are going to come to a head quickly, I'm afraid. And when it does, it's not going to be good."

"What do you mean?" Cara asked, her green eyes narrowed at the unspoken implications.

"I mean that we're going to have to make some decisions regarding Kahlan," Nicci replied, folding her hands and laying them in her lap. "Richard refuses to listen to the fact that prophecy says that the only way to stop the Keeper's minion is for him to Kahlan's life."

"Can you blame him?" Garren piped up, aggravation tingeing his voice as he straightened up in his seat. "I mean we are talking about Kahlan, the Mother Confessor…Richard's wife. Can you blame him for not accepting that option?"

"No, I cannot," Nicci calmly replied despite the anger in the Commander's voice. "At the same time, we can't sit here with our heads buried in the sand and hope that all of this just goes away like a vapor in the wind. We have to have a plan to deal with Kahlan when all of this blows up. And it will blow up... terribly."

Everyone sat in suffocating silence, the weight of her words sinking like a rock to the bottom of a dark murky lake that no one wanted to venture into, more from sorrow than from fear. They were not just in danger of losing Kahlan; they were in danger of losing everything that they had known and loved.

"I know how difficult this is to discuss. I don't like it either," Nicci softly ventured. "I've come to think of Kahlan as a close friend and that is why we have to come up with a plan…for her sake as well as ours.

"We all know that she doesn't want to hurt any of us, most all of Richard and her children. She's prepared to take her own life if necessary to keep from doing that. I for one don't want it to come to that. That is why we need to protect her, from herself more than anything."

"I agree…for Kahlan's safety," Zedd finally, softly replied. Sadness filled his words as well as his face.

The room suddenly began to shake, books falling from shelves, glass windows rattling in its frames. Everyone hit the floor, Garren throwing his arm over Cara to protect her from falling debris. Seconds turned into several long tenuous minutes before it finally stopped.

"Something's wrong in the temple," Nicci cried as she jumped to her feet, running for the door as fear raced through her.