Chapter LIV
By the time the trio had reached the Palace gates, the battle had spilled into the city. Richard, Ben, and Cara did everything they could to keep the brutes from hurting innocent people but their mission was clear: find Torren before he could hurt their family. As they neared the Palace gates, the three took in the group of Torren's men who had taken it upon themselves to try to bring the doors down with a battering ram. Had they known anything about the Palace and its magical fortifications, they would know that it was a waste of time. However, they were blocking the three's closest entrance to the Palace. As the sharp ring of the Sword of Truth reached the men's ears, they dropped the ram and rushed the three immediately. More than annoyed at the delay, Richard began cutting through the men as if he was slicing butter. Cara and Ben were equally vicious in their attack as their fear for the people inside grew with every passing moment. It didn't take long to dispatch the misguided men.
"Where are the guards?" Cara asked as she took in the empty doorway. The three began to quickly make their way towards where they believed Kahlan would've been taken.
"They must be in the city." Richard assumed. "They know the Palace has magical barriers around it but the people of Aidyndril definitely do not."
"Which means that the Palace is empty." Ben's revelation caused all three stomachs to lurch.
"The only people inside should be the staff, the men who are protecting Kahlan, Aria, and Kahlan."
"What about the twins?" Cara asked quickly. Richard waved a hand to dismiss her fear.
"Hopefully Dahlia and Helena got them out by now." Richard could see the worry physically leave his Mord'Sith. He would've smiled at the woman's concern had his fear for Kahlan's safety not overwhelmed his very being.
"If Torren's inside, we have to assume that he has men with him." Cara pressed. "I'll find Dahlia and the twins. Ben, stay with Richard and Kahlan. There's no doubt in my mind that Torren's going after her." The two men nodded once. Without a word, the blonde turned and placed a quick kiss to Ben's lips. The man smiled as he kissed her back and watched her sprint into the Palace.
The quiet of the Palace unnerved Cara as she made her way past the kitchens. Usually, the Palace was bursting with life at all hours of the day making it hard to find a moment's peace. Now, it was as if someone had placed a silencing spell over the structure. As the Mord'Sith listened to the sound of her own footsteps against the marble, she wondered where her sister would've taken the children. Undoubtedly, Dahlia would know about the city's hidden tunnels. Cara assumed that that would be the best place to find them, especially if they were hiding from Torren's raiding party. Hopefully her sister knew about the intruders and wasn't caught unaware with the twins and midwife in tow. The blonde found herself hoping that she would come across Torren on her way to Dahlia. Oh, how much she would love to be the one who ended his miserable life. The thought spurred her, despite the fact that she knew there was one who deserved the honor more than her. Aria would never forgive her if she was the one who killed the tyrant.
As the minutes trickled by and Cara saw no sign of anyone, let alone her sister, she grew worried. She had searched most of the tunnels she knew about and had found nothing. The blonde paused for a moment, catching her breath and gathering her wits. As she took in her surroundings, Cara thought she heard something. Straining her ears, the Mord'Sith frowned at the sound. It was someone's labored breathing…and they were close. She swallowed hard as she searched for the source of the sound and steeled herself for what she might find. Turning a corner at almost full speed, Cara felt her breath catch at the sight before her. The corridor was littered with bodies. Cara glanced at the men as she stepped over them. One or two were still alive but cradling mortal wounds. Besides, they were all Torren's men. As she reached the end of the hallway, she saw that they were not all Torren's men. She felt the blood rush to her head and didn't even hear her Agiel drop to the ground as she fell to her knees.
"Dahlia." She whispered. Her eyes searched for a wound and found it quickly. Her sister had a deep slash from just below her neck to her navel. Cara gently took the woman's head and placed it on her lap as she watched her sister struggle to open her eyes.
"Cara." The brunette breathed. "Th-they're safe."
"Shh," Cara cooed, stroking the woman's head. She could feel Dahlia's blood soaking her leathers and desperately tried to ignore it. "Don't speak. You're going to be just fine." As she spoke the words, her voice trembled. Dahlia offered her a weak smile as she reached up and took the blonde's hand.
"I will always," Dahlia struggled to speak as the blood pooled in her mouth. Cara hoisted her up slightly in an attempt to help, "love you, Cara."
"And I you." The blonde frowned as she watched her sister cough. She couldn't even feel the tears as they streamed down her face in spades. "You did well, Dahlia. You saved them." She wasn't even sure if her sister could hear her but the need to comfort her was too great.
"I'm sorry." Dahlia groaned. "I never meant…to hurt you." Cara shook her head immediately, tightening her hold on the woman as she struggled to draw breath.
"That wasn't you, Dahlia." Cara insisted. "I knew that was never you. Please…just hold on." As Cara begged, she knew it was useless. No magic- not a wizard's spell or a Mord'Sith's Breath of Life- could save her sister now. A sob escaped Cara's lips as she pressed her forehead against the dying woman's. She felt, more than saw, Dahlia smile.
"I'll finally," she inhaled sharply, "be at peace, right?" Cara swallowed hard, her own beliefs about the afterlife conflicting with what she wanted for her sister.
"Yea." Cara breathed, shutting her eyes tightly as she felt her sister relax against her. "Everything will be alright, Dahlia. Rest now." She lifted her head slightly and stared into her sister's beautiful eyes for what she knew was the last time. Dahlia smiled as she nodded slightly. Cara withheld a sob as she leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss on her sister's lips. She felt Dahlia's lips move against hers briefly before finally, they stopped. Cara knelt there for what could've been hours with her dead sister's head in her lap and the blood from nine bodies surrounding her. She dropped her head as her entire body trembled with anger and grief. This woman had been with her since she could remember. When she would cry herself to sleep at night during their training, it was Dahlia who held her hand. When she had been forced to spent a night with Rahl and could hardly breathe in the morning, it was Dahlia who comforted her. And now, when Dahlia needed her most, she was nowhere to be found. Cara no longer cared about what she had been taught- what had been beaten into her as a child. She knew that love is not what made people weak. She knew that the tears she shed for Dahlia did not make her weak. So she cried as she cradled her sister against her chest and felt her heart fill with a pain she had never experienced before- a pain that she knew would never go away no matter how hard she squeezed her sister's hand.
