Upon walking she thought the many things she had been going through recently, from serving Darken Rahl to now serving Richard, becoming a close friend with Kahlan, and starting this newest journey for the Ruby Mirror.
All these experiences, experiences that certainly didn't weaken her confidence on herself, created however something new inside her. The fact that she had taken the pieces of Ruby Mirror and the prospect of what all of this could open, made Cara excited although the precise meaning of this excitement was unclear.
The landmarks started to make more and more sense. The hill, a little creek, the forest, things hastily drawn on Johan's map, seemed to be now right, aligned with the map looking from the perspective where she was standing.
Cara rubbed her fingers together. She tossed her hair aside and took a deep breath. In Johan's map the X had been on the north side. Would there be an entrance? But entrance to where, to the interior of the hill? To a labyrinth that the legend mentioned? It was afternoon, she would have plenty of time to investigate the slopes of the hill. The sun was getting hotter and a mild breeze waved her hair.
On entering the slope, she noticed something. Rather densely along the slope, with unequal distance from each other, she could recognize some kind of rudimentary altars, made of piled stones. The grass had pushed through the stones but these constructs were clearly human made. Altars for what?
Her gloved hand swept over the rough surface, the top and front surface. Was something carved on the stone? With much concentration she could see, rather feel, some kind of letters or contours of figures on the front surface. The stone surface was worn but there was clearly some signs. She moved to another construct, some distance uphill, and observed the same thing. So perhaps these were indeed the travellers shrines that had been mentioned in the inn. The strange thing was that these shrines were so close to each other on this hill.
Cara straightened her back, watched the blue sky and again glanced over the hill. The next thing would be to see if there would be any kind of entrance in one of these constructs. But she felt she had absolutely no clue what to do and how to open such an entrance on the half-ruined stone walls.
Then out of nowhere, a storm gathered above Cara. First as distant echo Cara heard the rumbling of the skies. She looked up and saw the clouds racing, competing with each other. They seemed to approach the hill, right where she was standing, from all corners of the sky.
There was no way to hide as the drops started to fall on Cara. She didn't think to run and a strange feeling seized her, signalling that she shouldn't be leaving the hill.
The wind screamed in whirling gusts. It was like at the time that Kahlan had changed after the Castle of Lyonhall. She shook these thoughts off, she was no Confessor. Cara stayed standing, she leaned into one of the stones, her fingers touched the letters in relief.
In the final phase of the the storm the lightning started. It almost blinded her. She could see flashes above and around her, hitting the stones nearby and the top of the hill. The stormy concert took a long time before finally the clouds retreated and the sky cleared up.
Cara laughed. Soaked but saved from the rage of the storm. Still standing. Mord-Sith, the Queen of the Hill, haha, she thought. She prepared to continue her - so far fairly blind - search for some necessary sign, any sign to find a place to either use the pieces of the Ruby Mirror or where to go to find any entrance to the rumoured labyrinth.
"Hello there. Hi. I can help you."
As suddenly as the storm had appeared, she heard this woman's voice from her left. A dark-haired beautiful woman. Like Kahlan in appearance, slightly younger than her.
"Hello", Cara said first cautiously but something in her made her feel easy almost immediately. She had an intensive and friendly look in her eyes.
The woman got closer.
"You got wet huh? Well these things happen often in this region. I know a narrow cave, a kind of a quick shelter at the bottom of this hill, so I didn't get as wet as you."
"Yes indeed", Cara smiled back and wiped drops off her outfit. "My name is Cara. And you are?"
"Ruth. You are some kind of a warrior?"
Her accent was cool and something Cara hadn't heard before. She liked it. She just said yes and didn't try to explain more and Ruth didn't seem to expect further explanations.
"You know I truly can help you. You sure look like you're looking for something. I'm good in finding. People actually call me Finder. Ruth the Finder."
"Very well, Ruth the Finder."
Cara took a deep breath and decided to trust this woman, who moreover seemed to act very naturally with her despite they had met just a few moments ago.
"So, what do you know about mirrors and labyrinths? This is just a hill but people tell me there could be an entrance to some kind of a labyrinth somewhere. Or are they just legends?"
"Oh…" Ruth said, "Legends, yes I know about them. But no one has for a long time mentioned mirrors too. Do you possibly have some mirrors with you?"
"Yes I have."
"Can you show me?"
Ruth's question was so sincere and her attitude so open that Cara simply opened her bag and took out the two pieces of the Ruby Mirror.
"Oh my, are these…they can't be…or can they?" Ruth's words were filled with solid excitement when she checked the pieces. "Cara, I can't believe I'm meeting someone who has in her possession such pieces. If they truly are what I believe they are." Her voice continued to be excited and determined. "These could open up a lot of things. Something unbelievable. I mean it."
Cara knew what she was telling. She remembered the very special experience she had had when she had checked these mirrors with Kahlan.
Ruth placed her hand on top of Cara's and closed her eyes. After a few seconds she said:
"It's the fifth stone at the North East side of this hill. I know that stone. Let's go there. I'm absolutely sure about it."
They walked quickly to the stone that Ruth had envisaged. It was an impressive, decorated, a bit taller than average, monolithic wide stone, filled with carved letters. It was positioned on an exceptionally steep slope, so it seemed to push right into the hill.
"Can you read it?" Cara asked.
"No. Not yet. But I will be able to in the future."
Cara was slightly curious about these words but she didn't ask more. They checked the stone from both the sides.
"So what now?" Cara had the two pieces of the mirror in her hand.
Ruth watched her and the stone. She speculated:
"If these mirrors have any special optical effect…"
"… we could get the rays of sun to help us?" Cara completed Ruth's thought.
"Right! Yes Cara you are right! And do you see that narrow opening that goes inside the stone, right next to the letters in reliefe R and M there?"
"I see it. So let's try it!"
The pieces of the mirror fitted surprisingly well on two small protrusions next to these letters.
The angle was indeed exactly correct. The sun was about to move to a position that there would be a kind of a special reflection. And after that, the ray would enter a narrow slit between these letters.
"Maybe this will do the trick." Cara said.
After a few, painfully long minutes a ray of sun found it's way inside the stone.
What happened next was like an inverted light storm, the whole stone wall started to glow. There was a low, increasing hum inside it.
"'The light will connect with the stone'", Ruth whispered to Cara, "This is what the legend says. 'There will be a Bringer of Mirrors who will open the Way.'" Ruth continued to recite in a low voice. "I learned this from my grandmother, Cara, I remembered these words just now."
The sound got louder and louder and its pitch started to alternate. The stone kept glowing. They could see it vibrate. It slowly started to move in two portions, the opening was exactly between those two letters R and M.
"R and M, Ruby Mirror. Haha of course." Cara laughed.
"See, it's like predestined", Ruth said.
Both women stared the spectacle in awe. The glowing, humming stone divided itself and formed an entrance. The two parts of the stone flanked now a path that led right into the interior of the hill.
There was a sparkle in both pieces of the mirror. Cara looked at Ruth, who nodded. She collected the pieces and they entered the path. Silently the two parts of the stone pivoted back to their original position behind them. They were in and turning back was not possible any more.
