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Chapter 28

Kahlan did her best to keep her body from trembling as she watched Kao C'Id approach her, the wicked gleam flickering in his coal black eyes making her exposed skin crawl. She forced herself to take even breaths, fighting to keep her heart from pounding out of her chest as he drew near.

She kept her eyes locked on him, refusing to show the slightest bit of fear despite the terror that had gripped her. Memories and images from the horrifying nightmares that Kao had forced her to endure over the last several nights sprang to her mind, forcing her to relive the revulsion of watching her beloved city, her friends and family…Richard and her children…being slaughtered right before her eyes.

Kao took slow deliberate steps, his eyes never leaving her face…her body. It made her feel filthy and tainted the way his eyes roamed over her like a starving animal ready to pounce on his prey. She held her chin up high, keeping her Confessor's face firmly in place.

Kao came to stand right before her, his hands clasped behind his back. Because of his enormous towering height, he was able to stare directly into her eyes despite the fact she was hanging by her shackles two feet off the ground.

He just stood there for several painfully unnerving minutes just staring at her, his depraved gaze tracing over every single curve of her body as if imprinting it into his mind to dwell on later. Kahlan ground her teeth, refusing to close her eyes or look away from him.

A wicked smile slowly spread across his tanned face, revealing a set of white teeth. As dark and barbaric as he appeared, she was stunned to find his teeth so perfect. Fine lines around his dark eyes crinkled as he began to laugh, a low deep rolling chuckle that seemed to vibrate in her chest.

"It is an honor to finally meet the infamous Mother Confessor Kahlan Rahl," Kao finally said, his deep voice rolling like thunder.

Kahlan refused to speak, her cold glare her only response as he began a slow deliberate saunter all the way around her. She felt nausea roiling in the pit of her stomach, a shiver of panic lancing through her as he finally came to a stop before her.

"Rumors of your beauty do not do you justice, Kahlan," Kao admired, his hand coming free to run a slow calloused finger across her cheekbone.

She quickly pulled away from his vile touch, but had nowhere to go chained with her hands over her head like she was. She felt as though her shoulder joints were going to pop out of place with the constant strain they were under.

Kao's derisive chuckle filled her ears again as he gripped her chin in his firm grasp, forcing her to look him in the eye. "You will die, Kahlan," he assured her with a confidence that made her shudder despite her best effort. "It won't be today or tomorrow…probably not even the day after that, but I promise you that you will die…you and your husband and your children. You will watch them all be slaughtered right before your eyes and then you will die as well."

"I will kill you if you lay a finger on my husband or my children," Kahlan hissed, her bright blue eyes flashing dangerously with the fury within.

Kao's chuckle was grating on her nerves, inflaming her anger and making it burn even hotter. "I love your spirit, Kahlan Rahl," he grinned at her, finally releasing his hold on her chin. "It's very…alluring."

"What do you want?" she bit out.

"Isn't it obvious?" he cocked an eyebrow as he studied her, an incredulous expression on his face. "The world, of course."

"You won't win," Kahlan coldly stated. "Richard and I will stop you."

"I would be very disappointed if you didn't try to stop me," he admitted to her. "I'm looking forward to a confrontation with Richard Rahl, the renowned Seeker of Truth. I've dreamed of it."

"Richard's going to make you curse the day your parents ever conceived you," she spat out, her lips twisted into a disdainful sneer.

"You're going to be so much fun to play with, Kahlan," Kao admired her, his hand caressing her side before moving to her thigh. "Maybe I'll keep you around longer than I had first planned."

"The longer I'm alive, the greater the chance that I will kill you," she sneered at him.

"You keep talking like that you're going to arouse me even more than you already have," he told her with a smirk dancing on his lips. "I'm already finding it hard not to just take you right here…bound in your chains. It would be so incredibly easy."

Kahlan's chest was heaving with the anger and fear that was coursing through her now. Her eyes fell closed as he began to run his hands over her body, stroking her skin with his rough calloused hands and enjoying the soft smoothness of it. She wanted to vomit, to make him stop, but she couldn't.

The feel of cool metal around her throat as well as the frightening emptiness in her soul told her there was a Rada'Han around her neck. She was powerless to stop this monster from touching her, doing whatever he wanted with her, but she would make him pay in the end.

She gritted her teeth as he leaned in to press his lips against her stomach, tongue sneaking out for a taste. A low rumble of laughter suddenly filled the room as he suddenly pulled away, his dark eyes filled with a kind of depraved lust that made her stomach churn with sick dread.

"Yes…you and I are going to have a lot of fun together," he murmured again, his fingers caressing her lips before turning and leaving her all alone again.

Tears stung her eyes as she hung there in the throne room all alone. Her throat constricted with the anguish and rage that had welled up inside of her. She would kill this man for touching her, violating her. He would not live to touch her like this ever again.

XXX

The sound of a woman's panicked screams echoed through the hallway followed by the roll of deep sadistic laughter. It caused the fine hairs on the back of Cyrus's neck to stand on end, her screams abruptly fading along with her life as Kao's men finished her off.

Cyrus's chin fell to his chest as tears burned in his eyes, overwhelming guilt nearly devastating his heart. He had been the reason that poor woman had lost her life, the one who had helped bring this unimaginable horror upon Aydindril. He would never be able to forgive himself for this for the rest of his life which might not be that much longer at this rate.

He momentarily paused, his hand finding a nearby wall to brace himself as he fought to contain the panic that had risen in his throat, threatening to choke the life out of him. How had he allowed himself to become this…this dreadful person full of such hate, this monster who had just condemned his beloved city to a death sentence they might never recover from?

Edmund turned back to find Cyrus leaning heavily on a wall for support, his face pale. "Cyrus!" he softly hissed, racing back towards his friend with concern. "What's wrong?"

"I…I can't believe…" he choked out as he shook his head. "I had no idea this…that I…"

Edmund put a sympathetic hand on the other man's shoulder, squeezing it. Despite everything that had happened, all of Cyrus Lang's involvement in the plot to overthrow Richard and Kahlan, he couldn't help but feel sorry for his lifelong friend. He knew now that Cyrus had never intended for any of this to happen, but it had and now they needed to stop it.

"Come now," he firmly said. "These deaths are on Kao and Trevor's shoulders, not yours. You did not seek out Kao C'Id yourself. Trevor Bail did that and I have a feeling he would've done it regardless of anything that you or anyone else could have said or done."

Cyrus slowly nodded his head in understanding, drawing a deep breath. "We have to do something, Edmund. We can't allow this madman to destroy Aydindril."

"We will stop him, but we need to get out of the open like this before we're found," Edmund told him.

"Where can we go?" he frowned. "Kao's men are storming through the Confessor's Palace, killing anyone who gets in their way."

"I know this Palace inside and out," Edmund replied with a sudden confident grin that Cyrus was definitely not feeling. "There are secret passages that run all throughout this place. Besides, we can't lose hope. Kahlan and Richard are still out there. They will not stop until Kao is dead."

"You're right," Cyrus sighed heavily as he straightened up. "What do you suggest we do now?"

"I think we need to…"

The sudden chilling sound of depraved laughter filled the corridor causing Cyrus to look back over his shoulder in the direction Edmund was now staring. Pounding boot strikes mimicked the forceful thumping of his heart knowing they were about to be discovered.

"Come on," Edmund murmured, firmly grabbing Cyrus's arm and pulling him down the hall with him.

Edmund and Cyrus took off in a dead run, careening around the next corner in order to evade the approaching troops bent on slaying anyone left in their path. They sidestepped bodies lying scattered here and there on the marble floor that was streaked with blood, cold dead eyes of friends now lost staring back at them in silent warning.

Later they would have time to grieve, to mourn the loss of so many lives, so many friends. Right now they couldn't dwell on the horrors that surrounded them, the bodies that had been ripped to shreds with swords and axes.

Cyrus swallowed back the sudden bile that burned in his throat like acid at the blood that dripped down the walls and coated the floor, his foot slipping in the wet red fluid that seemed to run like a river through the once pristine Confessor's Palace.

Glancing down, he suddenly spotted Linus Bertram lying in a pool of his own blood, his entrails spilled out all over the ground. Steeling himself, he forced his legs to move, knowing there was nothing more that he could do to help Linus now.

Edmund paused, motioning for Cyrus to hurry and follow him. "This way!" he hissed.

Cyrus followed Edmund into a large room, racing towards the back of the room. The sounds of a woman screaming down the hall again filled their ears as Edmund searched for the secret lever that would open the hidden door.

Cyrus clutched his dagger tighter in his hand as the screams grew louder, her pleas for help going unnoticed by anyone who could help her. "We have to go help her," he insisted, taking a step back in the direction they had just come.

"No!" Edmund growled, seizing hold of Cyrus's arm and jerking him back. "We can't get caught as well."

"No! No…stop!" the woman screamed. "Don't touch me! Let go of me! Please…stop!"

They listened in absolute horror as the woman was slammed to the floor, her clothes being ripped off of her body as she shrieked and struggled against her attackers. Cyrus gritted his teeth in rage, the overwhelming need to help her flooding his system.

"We can't just sit here and let them rape her!" Cyrus snapped, his eyes blazing with rage. "They're going to kill her!"

"And we can't take on ten of Kao's men," Edmund reminded him, the woman's shrieks of terror growing louder as they brutalized her. "We don't have the weapons to even do it."

Cyrus stared into Edmund's eyes, unable to make his voice work. He knew and understood the truth of his words, but knowing and it accepting it were two very different things. He finally relented, following him through the secret passageway, the woman's cries for help growing muffled as the door slid shut behind them.

They both leaned against the wall of the secret corridor, fighting to catch their breaths. They listened as the woman's screams finally died out, her life being extinguished by the vile monsters that had infested their home.

The magical globes installed along the corridor immediately began to glow with their presence, giving off a soft light that allowed them to see where they were going. Thick layers of dust covered the walls and floor, heavy cobwebs dangling from the ceilings. It was obvious no one had been through here in years.

Both men hung their heads in heavy grief, lifting up silent prayers to the Creator for the poor woman's soul…for all of those that had been lost knowing that they would sharing their ultimate fate as well if they didn't do something to stop this utter madness they had been plunged into.

Edmund put a reassuring hand on his friend's slumped shoulder. "You know we couldn't have helped her, Cyrus," he gently reminded him. "Believe me when I say I wish that we could've done something, but we'd be dead now too along with her."

"I know…you're right," Cyrus whispered. "I just…I wish we could've helped her."

"Me too, but we'd be dead too and we can't afford that right now," Edmund replied. "Richard and Kahlan are going to need as much help as they can get especially with us being on the inside like this."

"How will we get word to them?"

"I don't know," Edmund admitted with a thoughtful shake of his head. "We need to come up with a plan, find a way to let them know we're here."

"What do you suggest we do now?"

"We need to find some supplies like food and water as well as more weapons," he said.

"Where are Lord Rahl's First File and Mord'Sith right now?" Cyrus asked.

Edmund checked down both ways of the secret corridor, trying to remember the layout of the Palace before finally responding. "They were sent out with the Mord'Sith to help scour the city for Kao. We're on our own for now until we can somehow get word to Richard and Kahlan that we're in here."

"Alright," Cyrus nodded. "Let's get moving then."

XXX

Richard could not stop pacing as he raked his fingers back through his hair in obvious frustration. Thoughts of Kahlan and what she could possibly be going through at that moment ate at his sanity like a deadly virus, threatening to tear him apart.

Everything inside of him was screaming at him to go after her, to storm the Confessor's Palace and get her out of there and away from Kao and his vile friend. The thought of them touching her, hurting her nearly took his legs out from under him.

Images of them running their filthy hands over her, touching her in places that only he had ever touched caused his rage to thunder through him. His body nearly trembled with the fury searing through his veins, the sick nausea that churned in his stomach. The thought of her in pain, suffering at the hands of those monsters was too much to bear.

Regardless of what they did to her, Kahlan had to fight. She had to know…had to believe…that he would come for her no matter what it took. She couldn't give up, had to hang on. He would always come for her…always.

A sudden firm hand on his shoulder broke him free from his tormented thoughts, causing him to stop his worried pacing. He turned to find Chase standing beside him, a reassuring glint in his dark eyes. "Richard, don't go there," he softly warned him, his voice gentle yet firm. "You don't want to think those things right now. It'll only tear you apart."

Richard drew a shuddering breath as he slowly nodded his head, fighting to control the fury that was teeming within, begging for release. "I can't lose her, Chase," he choked out. "She's my whole life."

"I know," Chase nodded. "And we'll get her back, but imagining what they're doing to her right now isn't going to help. It's only going to drive you insane."

"You're right," he sighed heavily.

Chase watched as the Seeker's dark brown eyes began to blaze again, but this time with a different kind of fury…one that was bred from jealousy. "What's the story on this Tristan guy?"

Richard snorted in response as he folded his arms against his chest. "Are you sure you want to know?" he ground out. "He's a friend of Kahlan's."

"And?" Chase prodded him, leaning his back against a table to listen to the story.

"He and Kahlan were betrothed to be married at one time," Richard replied, his voice growing hard.

"What? When?"

"Before Kahlan was sent by the Mother Confessor to find the Seeker in Westland," he told him. "Evidently, Tristan has been in love with Kahlan for years and begged his father who was a king to negotiate a marriage arrangement. The wedding never happened because Kahlan had been sent to find me."

"She doesn't love him, Richard," Chase shook his head in disbelief. "She loves you. You're the one Kahlan chose, the one she married."

"Chase, she never told me about the engagement," he snapped. "I had to find out about it when Tristan suddenly showed up at the People's Palace. He came to persuade Kahlan to return to Aydindril with him because he had discovered that someone was plotting to overthrow the city. He hoped that the Mother Confessor's return would help settle the tension in the city. Unfortunately, it turned out to be bigger than any of us could have guessed."

"She probably never told you because it meant nothing to her," Chase tried again.

"She left for Aydindril with him, Chase," Richard hissed. "She left me behind to go to Aydindril with Tristan. How am I supposed to accept something like that?"

"Why didn't you go with her?"

Richard's scowl deepened, his slumping shoulders belying the anger in his face. He moved to stand beside Chase, choosing rather to stare out the window into the darkness of the night instead of having to face his friend.

"I…I didn't think she wanted me anymore," he softly admitted.

Chase studied him for a long moment before he finally spoke again. "What happened, Richard? What did you do?"

Richard released a ragged breath before continuing. "It's a long story, but I had pushed her away," he confessed. "Some horrible things had happened, things that I couldn't control or prevent and it changed me. I lost my way for a time, pushed Kahlan and everyone else away because I felt like I didn't deserve her anymore, didn't deserve to be the Seeker. I hurt her deeply, Chase.

"And then I was captured by a seer named Sangria who was bent on revenge. She lured Kahlan to come rescue me. When Kahlan came, she cut her and hit her…tortured her. I didn't find out until after, but Kahlan had lost our baby because of it and it pushed us even further apart. I blamed her for coming to rescue me, for losing our baby. I wasn't there for her when she needed me the most. I withdrew even further into myself.

"Then when we finally escaped and returned to the People's Palace, I found Tristan Kabay there waiting to steal Kahlan away from me and I…I just let her go. Didn't even put up a fight. I just let her walk right out of my life without a single word. I felt like I had lost my whole world."

Chase frowned as he processed everything that Richard had been telling him, feeling horrible for the terrible things that he'd had to endure. "Something had to have happened to have caused you come to Aydindril then."

"Nicci and Zedd finally knocked some sense into me, made me realize that I needed to regain control over my emotions instead of letting them rule over me," he continued. "I had spiraled so deep into an abyss of pain and guilt and regret that I thought I'd never pull myself out of it again. I thought that I had lost the only woman I have ever loved along with my children, fearing that I never get them back.

"I knew that I needed to come to Aydindril and fight for Kahlan. I couldn't survive without her. At the same time, Zedd had discovered a prophecy that involved Kahlan, our children, and me. It spoke of a storm blowing in from the north and descending like a plague to destroy the bonded gifted."

"Kao C'Id," Chase filled in for him.

"Yes," Richard nodded his head. "Zedd and I raced to Aydindril to stop whatever storm was coming, knowing it was probably tied to whatever Tristan and Kahlan were encountering here. It turned out to be Kao."

"Have you been able to talk to Kahlan at all about any of this before all of this happened?"

"Some, but not much," the Seeker said, staring out into the darkness as he thought about his wife, how much he missed her…loved her. "Tristan definitely wants Kahlan back, but she told him that she wanted to try to work things out with me."

Chase's frown turned into a smile as he clapped Richard on the back. "Well, there you go, my friend," he replied. "Kahlan chose you…again."

"But what if I never get the chance to make it right, to tell her how sorry I am and how much I truly love her?"

"You will get that chance, Richard," Chase told him as he stood to his feet. "We won't give up until she's safe again."

"Thank you, Chase," Richard murmured. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you here in Aydindril."

Just then, Rachel and Tristan entered the room, grim expressions on their faces. "What did you find out?" Richard asked.

"We were able to find most of the First File or at least the ones who hadn't been killed already by Kao's men," Rachel replied as she closed the door behind them. "I told Captain Tobias to keep his men and the Mord'Sith well hidden for now on the south end of the city near the stables until we're ready for them. He'll wait for your orders there."

"Good," the Seeker nodded, his lips pursed into a grim line. "We just have to figure out a way to get inside the Confessor's Palace now."

"I know all the secret entrances," Tristan informed them. "I practically grew up there with Kahlan. I know how to get us in undetected."

Richard instantly stiffened with his words, but nodded in agreement nonetheless. Despite how Richard felt about him, they would need Tristan's knowledge of the layout of the Confessor's Palace if they were going to be able to find a way in and to get Kahlan away where she'd finally be safe.

After that, Kao C'Id was all his.