Breath

Hali barked out orders as soon as Cara returned to camp, dragging a horribly burned Darken on his own cloak.

She placed the Healing Hands on him immediately, horrified at the amount of damage, fighting hard to retain her own sense of purpose in the face of the dark confused thrashings of his mind. Hali ordered Zedd to make a soothing paste out of whatever he could find and demanded light cloth to protect Darken's burned tattered flesh from the elements.

She wouldn't be able to heal him all at once without draining her own life force, and that was something she absolutely could not afford, not even to save her heart of hearts.

Kahlan took one look at the thing barely recognizable as Darken Rahl and set about helping without complaint. It was impossible to refuse help to a creature that wretched. She fetched her Confessor robes from her saddlebags and started to tear them, but Cara stopped her.

"Lord Rahl would not wish us to delay. He will have to be carried on a stretcher between two horses. Your dress is the best choice for that."

Cara was so uncaring, so practical, so Mord'Sith in that moment that Kahlan almost lashed out at her. But the little darting glances Cara was sneaking at Hali, the stiff straight almost military attention pose gave Kahlan pause.

Cara blamed herself for the attack and she was trying very hard now to anticipate Darken Rahl's wishes.

But was it out of love and devotion, or fear?

Kahlan knew better than to ask.

Hali said they absolutely could not move Darken until the next day.

"Just don't let him die. He'll tell the Keeper where we're taking the stone," said Richard in a strangled voice, appearing as if that were the only reason he cared.

The way he kept reflexively gripping the hilt of the Sword of Truth told another story.

Cara stood watch that night, guarding against death and enemies both. She kept her eyes trained on the faint but steady rise and fall of Darken's chest, just as her ears were attuned to every noise of the land, searching for any that were unnatural.

Darken's breath paused a second longer than Cara had been counting them out and she prepared to lunge forward, the breath of life already gathered at the back of her throat.

But then he breathed again and she sighed, a faint white wisp flowing past her lips.

Cara's eyes ghosted over Hali, who was stretched out beside Darken, a hand on him to lend him strength even in sleep. Between Zedd and Darken, Hali was wasting away. Her green dress was already a little looser in the bodice than it had been.

Cara gazed at the rest of her companions, Richard, Kahlan, and Zedd.

She could not protect them all. As good as she was, she simply couldn't be everywhere at once. Never before had a Mord'Sith had to protect two Lord Rahls and their retinues single-handedly.

She needed reinforcements. Richard would not approve… but Darken would, and he would convince Richard of the sense of the idea.

She would go as soon as they were close enough for her to make the detour in a few hours.

Decision reached, she dipped her fingers in the bowl of water Hali had set by Darken's head and gently ran her dripping fingers over his lips.

He swallowed.

Nicci crumpled to the ground as soon as she appeared. She didn't know where she was, she hadn't been able to grasp her magic hard enough to do anything but get away from the Mord'Sith. She should have known that Rahl wouldn't go anywhere without one of his warrior women to hide behind.

There was something particular about that Mord'Sith… Nicci had seen her before. But she couldn't remember, she was so tired.

Footsteps shushed through the sand on which Nicci lay and a familiar voice said, "Well, Sister Nicci. I have missed you," before a dacra was shoved into her blackened flesh.

Nicci knew no more as her han was ripped away.