Chapter 42 – The Fall
The rain drenched everything and made her dress stick to her body, clinging in all the right places that made men go wild with lust. But that was not why she wore it. She wore it because it was her; it was who she was. She had been a seductress, and part of her still believed that was what she was. And despite everything that had happened, there was still a small part of her that hoped beyond hope that one day she would have the man she wanted, no matter how ridiculous such a thought was.
That was why Nicci was here, now… defending a lost city that was doomed to fall. She did it all for Richard. He was the only man she had loved, saved for her father. Her father, who had worked so hard and sacrificed so much for her, yet she had never repaid that love, believing the twisting ramblings of her mother and her group of perverse followers, who all praised and adored the messianic preaching of Brother Narev.
Before she had left the Old World for good, Nicci had visited the ruins of her childhood home. It had been burned down long ago, her father and mother long dead… for centuries, which had passed with almost no feeling for her parents. Having been gifted, Nicci had gone off to the Palace of the Prophets and had been inducted into the Sisters of the Light at a young age. She had never seen them again when Sister Roslyn came to take her.
Nicci had expected her father to fight back, to make some sort of protest, when they took his little girl away, but he did not. He merely closed his eyes and turned his back, all the while her mother smiled smugly, like a triumphant victor in a duel. It was not until she had returned to her home, nearly 800 years after the fact, that she realized the game that had been played, a game that her mother had easily won.
Mother had been a dictator, or sorts, and had beaten father down into submission. Not physically, but mentally, with words instead of blows. Nicci had admonished herself when the realization struck. Out of her two parents, her father had been the only one who had truly loved her for who she was, not what she could be mold into.
Her mother and Brother Narev had plans for her, plans she had not known until she had reached maturity, and she had been raped by that man in the prison. The Prelate had not helped; only Brother Narev had helped, guiding her towards a path that had eventually led her to the Keeper.
His plans for her had been unknown and vague, but as she stood in the ruins of her home, having just shrugged off the Keeper's yoke, and regained control of her own destiny, she finally realized how much of her life had been determined by others. Narev had wanted her to serve the Keeper, knowing that in doing so she would gain the powers of subtractive magic. She already possessed one of the strongest Hans amongst all the Sisters of the Light when she was nothing but a novice. And she learned quickly and easily. Nicci was to be the boon to which Brother Narev's plans would be made fruitful.
Yet, even the intricate and detailed plans of Brother Narev had not counted on the random factor in the equation that was the Fuer Grissa Ost Drauka—the Bringer of Death, the Seeker… Richard Rahl… the pebble in the pond. With just one ripple in the still water, Richard could change everything. And he had. He had changed her, breaking her of the strings that had pulled her along and manipulated her life. Nicci was now free of those bonds, and she did as she wanted, as she needed.
Even if she could not have Richard, she would gladly die for him… and for Kahlan, for that matter. The two were inseparable. They were one and the same. To know Richard was to know Kahlan. And Nicci's life had been forever changed by those two.
Together Richard and Kahlan were a force that no one could stand against.
Not Darken Rahl, not the Keeper, not her, and certainly not Brother Narev and his puppet Emperor.
And Nicci… well, to Narev and his Emperor, she had become the weapon of their own demise. The instrument they had forged to use in creating a super being born of dream walker and magical blood was never going to be. The things she had learned were no longer for their use, but for hers. And she freely gave that knowledge to the Seeker and Mother Confessor, and their way… their path.
The dust cleared and the shouts of the men called her thoughts away from her sad past. Scowling, she sent another bolt of deadly subtractive magic out at the oncoming horde.
XXX
Kevan encouraged his donkey up the small hill to the crest. Brother Cadelf was already there, sitting on top his shaggy garron. The late afternoon air was chilly, and the older brother had pulled his cowl up over his head to shield his pale cheeks from the wind. Kevan let out a breath, and watched it fog before his eyes. He shivered and tugged his long cloak tighter around his trembling frame. His donkey let out a loud bray of gratitude when he reined her in for a stop.
"Shall we make camp, Brother Cadelf?" he asked, glancing over at his superior.
Cadelf looked over at him with his ice blue eyes. "No, not yet, young Kevan," he said. "We still have several hours of light we should make use of. We need to reach the slopes of the mountains and cross into D'Hara before too long. From the rumors I heard back in Forks, I suspect the Order is sacking Aydindril as we speak."
Kevan let out a horrified gasp. He had known that such a thing could happen, but it was still too ghastly a thought to think of. He had always wished to one day visit Aydindril and truly explore its wonders, but now he was coming to terms with the knowledge that such a thing was never really going to happen. He had seen what the Order did to towns and villages they conquered. They were practically destroyed, wiped out, obliterated.
"Come, let us not dally too long enjoying the view," Brother Cadelf called out as he snapped the reins, his garron snorted and took off in a slow trot.
He quickly did the same, much to the displeasure of his donkey. Patting her neck, Kevan tried to sooth her. "Don't worry girl, I'll find you some apples when we set up camp."
They rode in companionable silence for a while, simply listening to the chirping of birds, the hooting of owls, and the occasional screech of a hawk. The trees clustered close together and it was hard to keep track of the trail, but Brother Cadelf seemed in his element. Kevan began to wonder when the elder monk had joined the Order of Ulrich. He was tempted to inquire upon this mysterious past that was clearly evident, but he kept his mouth shut.
Following the bend in the path, they went down a hill and came to a small creek. The two mounts made braying noises, and Brother Cadelf reluctantly declared they would stop for a break.
Dismounting, Kevan rubbed his sore backside. They'd been riding for days, and he ached all over. He stretched and walked around the small clearing in the trees, working on the stiffness in his legs. As Brother Cadelf stooped down to refill their waterskins in the creek, Kevan trudged off into the woods, searching for an apple tree. After all, he had promised his donkey an apple.
The leaves crunched underfoot as he meandered through the cluster of deciduous trees. Spotting the red fruit, Kevan hurriedly removed half a dozen and made his way back to the creek. When he got back, he let out a startled yelp and dropped all the apples.
"Easy there, Kevan," Cadelf's voice was calm and steady, despite the threat of the dagger to his throat.
Kevan's eyes darted to the wilding clutching the weapon, and was shocked to find that it was a young man about his own age. His eyes were light blue and his hair was a mess of blond curls.
The crazed young man was shaking, like he himself was startled by his own actions. His wild eyes darted down to Kevan's feet and the apples.
"Pick them up!" he snapped. "Slowly!"
Trembling with fear for his superior's life, Kevan slowly lowered himself to his knees and gathered up the fallen apples. Glancing up, he could see that the man was terrified. But what puzzled Kevan was how Brother Cadelf could remain so calm and collected. His expression betrayed no fear.
Having collected all the apples, Kevan worked his way to his feet. "Please… we mean no harm," he pleaded, looking earnestly into the young man's eyes, only to be met with fear and distrust.
"No one is safe these days!" the young man snapped back. "We are all hunted! Prey!"
"Please," Kevan picked up his plea. "We are merely monks, brothers of the Order of Ulrich… we are but peaceful travelers."
"Kevan," shushed Cadelf. "You are not helping. Just give the boy what he wants."
"But…?"
"No buts, just do as I instruct, Brother Kevan," Cadelf stressed his words, making himself very clear.
Kevan nodded. He did not fully understand how Cadelf could remain so calm with a blade at his throat, but the senior monk was a pillar of reason, so he trusted him.
"Put the apples in the saddle bag," the young man jerked his head towards Cadelf's shaggy garron.
With slow movements, so he would not excite the already feverish young man, Kevan stepped over to the garron and lifted the flap on the saddlebag. As he placed the apples into the bag, he was surprised when Cadelf began to speak.
"We can help you, young man," the older man said. "Like us all, we run from the Imperial Order. We are heading for the People's Palace… why don't you come with us? Together we shall be safer than apart."
The young man wavered for a moment, his eyes darting around. "To the People's Palace, you say?" he questioned. "To… to the Lord Rahl?"
"Yes," Cadelf gave a slight nod of his head despite the blade threatening to cut open his throat. "We have urgent business with the Lord Rahl and his wife."
"The Mother Confessor! ?"
Kevan could not tell whether or not the boy spat the title of the beloved ruler of the Midlands with vile contempt or fearful reverence.
"They are together, yes," Cadelf continued. "We have heard word that they have fled Aydindril and are now most likely in residence at the People's Palace."
The young man let out a breath and lowered the blade, allowing it to drop to the ground. Cadelf immediately spun around and plucked up the dagger, stuffing it inside his robes. He put his hands on the boy's arms.
"Who are you, my son?" he questioned. "And why are you so afraid?"
Kevan watched at the young man shook and sniffled, tears rolling down his dirty cheeks. "Merrin… my name's Merrin," he let out in a sob, his entire body rocking with the weight on his shoulders. "My… my parents have been killed… killed by magic. And the only one who can help is the Lord Rahl. He… he is the magic against magic."
XXX
Cara jumped right and rammed the pommel of her short sword into the snarling face of one of her attackers. The man cursed, falling back with a broken nose. The hit had been hard, and heaving the blow caused her to stagger back a bit. Thankfully Benjamin was close, and his hand found her back and steadied her. She smiled. His presence was much more comforting in the heat of battle than she would have thought. The rain was falling hard and kept them clean of all the blood and gore that was spraying up as they hacked off limbs and dispatched their enemies.
Once the wall had been breach, Nicci had been able to hold the horde back for longer than Cara had expected, but by late afternoon, the front line had to fall back, and soon the fight had spread to the labyrinth of streets and alleys within the city of Aydindril. The Order did not stop to burn or topple buildings, like Cara had expected. They kept driving, pushing them further and further back.
General Sheldon had led a detachment of soldiers to help Nicci and General Reibisch fall back, leaving Cara and Benjamin to deal with the invaders rushing them in the square before the Confessor's Palace. Benjamin barked out orders to the men, and they jumped to obey without question. Cara's red leather pulled a lot of attention away from the D'Harans, and the brutes of the Order tried to take her down, but she was too effective with the short sword.
And whenever she was in any sort of distress, which was rare, Benjamin would always step in with his broadsword and hack the attacker down. It was taking her some time, but Cara was finally getting used to letting her guard down around him, and allowing him to help. Richard, Kahlan, and Zedd were the only other ones she had allowed to do this, and the meaning of this was not lost on Benjamin.
"Right flank!" she heard him shout, taking her away from her thoughts.
Spinning in the rain, her long blonde braid whipping around her, Cara watched as a stream of fresh troops came pouring through the right alley. Benjamin rushed there with a column of men and began barking out orders, having them form into a tight line to hold off the advance. Cara followed, keeping close to her lover. She looked over her shoulder and saw the left flank begin to give way.
"Ben… the left flank!" she yelled over the din of battle.
He heaved his sword up and slammed the blade down on the head of a man who had made it through the line, shattering the attackers skull, sending brain matter flying out around as he removed the blade, before he turned to face her. "We can't hold!"
"Stay here, I'll deal with it," she called back, already turning.
"No, Cara… wait!" he called after her, but she was already sprinting away, clutching her short sword in the ready.
As she darted across the square, large glowing spheres of flame continued to sail above them. The artillery attacks had never ceased, and Cara kept her eyes ahead, focused on battle. She knew the Confessor's Palace had been struck several times, and she loathed to look upon it. The palace held so many happy memories for her that she did not want to mare them by seeing what had become of the place those memories had been created. Despite her brutal training and her difficult road back to her humanity, Cara was still a Mord'Sith, and Mord'Sith did not give in to fear or feelings.
Just as she was reaching the line of men, reading to take command, a burst of light exploded around them. Cara held up her arm to shield her eyes, and let out a huff as she looked back up and saw only dust and smoke settling around where the rush of enemy had been.
Out through the smoke, several figures emerged, one was clearly the sorceress Nicci—she was hard not to miss with her slender frame that was only accentuated by the form-fitting black dress she wore and her long rain soaked blonde hair swaying behind her. General Sheldon, his sage green cape fluttering behind him, was right beside her, and they had a phalanx of men surrounding them.
Cara nearly sneered with displeasure. The sorceress had taken out the advancing enemy with a single bolt of her black lightning, leaving none left for Cara to send to the Keeper. She grudgingly stifled her animosity and reminded herself that they were on the same side.
"Where's General Reibisch?" Cara asked after the others had safely retreated behind their lines.
"He fell," was all Nicci said, as General Sheldon turned and began ordering men about.
They pushed a cart, upturned it and used it to form the beginnings of a barricade. When they were finished creating a barricade, Nicci then cast some of her subtractive magic on it, helping to reinforce it. Cara left them to it and darted back across the square to rejoin Benjamin. Captain Meiffert gave a soft grin upon her return and together they took down as many of the Order as they could.
Cara relished the feeling of fighting alongside the man she loved, and she wondered if this was what Kahlan felt when she and Richard had done battle against first D'Harans and then banelings. For Cara, the fact that Benjamin was in as much danger as she was, only seemed to intensify her desire to win, to beat out her opponents. She took each attacker down with a brutal efficiency that came from her years of training and her own righteous need to protect the man she loved from harm. When she glanced briefly into Benjamin's eyes, she saw the same fire reflected right back at her.
Giving a soft smile, she winked at him, and turned to face the next invader. Raising her short sword, she cut short his blow and swung her clenched fist into his side, hitting a pressure point near his kidney. She might not have use of her agiels, but Cara still knew where best to strike. She took some pleasure in the man's groan of pain, before she quickly sliced at his throat, sending him sputtering to the ground.
Soon Nicci and some of the other D'Harans joined in on the fight and they quickly pushed back the advance. General Sheldon ordered a barricade set up, and the men quickly went about the task. Nicci spelled some more subtractive magic on it, and then turned around, breathing heavily.
Cara's chest was heaving with all the exertion and it seemed almost surreal to have a few moments of respite after what had been hours of intense fighting. Benjamin stood next to her, his head held back as he allowed the rain to wash away the blood and gore that had splattered on his face during the battle. Cara found it oddly arousing, watching the blood dilute in the water and stream down his face and the glimmering breastplate he wore on his chest.
Unlike the ground advance, the artillery assault, however, did not stop. The burning projectiles continued to roar above them, and Cara grimaced as she heard them collide with building behind them. She could hear the yawning and crackling of the brick giving way and structures crumbling down into ruin.
As the men busied themselves with preparing for the next assault, Cara and Benjamin followed Nicci and General Sheldon to the center of the square. The General had dark circles around his eyes and looked exhausted. There was also a hollow look in his eyes, like he had resigned himself to a fate that Cara wanted to deny. She knew that Sheldon and Reibisch had become close friends since the union between the Lord Rahl and the Mother Confessor had united the Midlands and D'Hara. And it was clear that Sheldon was taking Reibisch death hard.
Sheldon growled and flipped the table with the map on it over. It crashed before them, yet no one jumped or was startled. They were all frustrated and high-strung. Though Sheldon seemed more angered at the loss of Reibisch than anything else.
"He was a good man," Nicci spoke up, trying to calm the angry general. "His sacrifice will be remembered."
"I pray that all of our sacrifices will be remembered, Nicci," Sheldon replied, looking up and running his hand over his slick black hair.
Nicci gave a single nod, and turned her gaze to Cara. "It is time, Cara," she spoke simply, her voice calm and relaxed.
"What?" Cara snapped back, narrowing her eyes.
"It is time for you and Captain Meiffert to go," Nicci said with a calmness that only made Cara angrier.
"We are not leaving you all here to die!" she roared back.
Benjamin gripped her arm to soothe her, but she yanked herself free and advanced on the sorceress. Nicci held firm and did not show the slightest display of fear. Her eyebrows stayed flat and she merely stared back at Cara.
"You must go, Cara," Nicci spoke again. "You must go and protect the Lord Rahl and Mother Confessor. Nothing more can be done here. Aydindril is lost. It was lost the moment the Order set up camp in the fields below."
Cara stopped mid-stride and looked at Nicci, assessing the sorceress. "But…?"
"No," Nicci shook her head, her eyes looking almost sad, as if she too, like General Sheldon, had resigned herself to a fate which there was no return from. "This is not your place, Cara… your place is by Richard's side. You are his Mord'Sith." She paused and averted her eyes for a moment as she took a deep breath. "And his friend. He will needed you for what is to come."
Cara stood stark still, unsure how to respond. She felt Benjamin come up behind her, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder. His presence and touch gave her strength. She swallowed hard against the sickening taste of guilt she was feeling at having to leave her fellow D'Harans to the massacre that was to come.
"What is to come?" she asked, gazing at the former Sister of the Dark for answers.
Nicci shifted, almost uncomfortably, as she gazed up into the deluge of rain, her eyes closing. "A reckoning," she almost whispered. "Light and darkness shall meet and it will be Richard… the Fuer Grissa Ost Drauka, who shall decide the fate of many."
"The Bringer of Death," Cara muttered, looking away, and lowering her head towards the ground. "That is what that means, right?"
"Correct," Nicci confirmed. "But it means much more than the physical death." Cara tilted her head back up and locked eyes with the sorceress as she continued. "It almost means the end of what we know, a rebirth, a new way of thinking and of living. It is so much more than what the words translate from the ancient High D'Haran and into the common tongue."
Cara nodded. "He—Richard—is a rare and special person."
"Yes, he is," Nicci agreed. "And so is Kahlan. Together… together they can do great things, things that no one else can even conceive of."
"Like uniting D'Hara and the Midlands," Sheldon spoke up, having been silent for most of the conversation.
"Exactly," Nicci said with an incline of her head. "Just like that. No one would have predicted such a thing. But now, here we are, a united D'Hara and Midlands standing together as one, combating an evil force bent on the destruction of all which we hold dear." Nicci paused, taking a deep breath. She returned her attention to Cara. "Richard and Kahlan must be protected at all costs, Cara. And I know no one better suited for that charge than you."
Cara stood stiffly, taking all that was said in and mulling it over. A lot of it was simply too complex for her to understand, but she had to agree that Richard and Kahlan were something never before seen. Together, they were irrepressible.
"Fine," she bit out, relenting. "We will go."
Benjamin let out a sigh behind her. Cara knitted her eyebrows together and turned back to Nicci. "But Nicci, don't simply go and throw your life away," she asserted, surprising herself with her words. "I may not always like you, but Richard… no, we need you, as well."
Nicci seemed stunned. Her mouth dropped and she was unable to form words. Cara was equally amazed at her own words. She had never told someone that before. She frowned. It appeared that Richard and Kahlan's influence, yet again, was turning her into a big softy. Sighing, Cara shook her head, turning her back on the sorceress and looking up at Benjamin.
"Come on, let's get out of here before I change my mind," she grumbled.
"Cara," Nicci voice stopped them.
The Mord'Sith stiffened and arched her neck to look over her shoulder. The sorceress gave her a soft smile and inclined her head.
"Thank you," Nicci said, her eyes watery with unshed tears.
"Um… think nothing of it," Cara replied, trying to regain control of herself, of how she was used to being. "Just… just make sure you don't get yourself killed doing something stupid."
Nicci laughed lightly and gave a nod.
"You two should go now," Sheldon said, stepping forward and signaling two men over. "Go through the back gate and head north before turning east to D'Hara. Keep lower, keep safe."
"We will, sir," Benjamin said, then straightened his back and saluted General Sheldon.
For a moment, Cara was left speechless. A D'Haran captain saluting a Midlander general as an equal and trusted ally was something unheard of. Never in her life would Cara have dreamt she would have seen such a sight. Richard and Kahlan were indeed very rare and special people to have created something as unique and wondrous as this. Cara could only hope that it was not fated for failure.
