I am absolutely overwhelmed - fifty-two followers!

I hadn't imagined it to be so many when I started this story - but I'm afraid to say that this chapter isn't for you, but for the ones who reviewed the story!

Chapter 25

The air was buzzing with readiness as the women that had started to line up in one single line in front of the boundary that gave them sanctuary from the men outside.

This was not something they had ever done before, but it needed to be done. Over the few days the size of the men had increase significantly, from being a small army of only one hundred men to be almost three hundred. The size wasn't a match for the Untouchables, but for any single woman coming to the sanctuary, it was deathly.

After seeing the woman, the demi-god in her bowl, there had been only darkness – Ademia had a feeling that whatever was going on, on the other side of the boundary, it was something of very importance and something that was clearly wrong.

Ademia had stood guard on the safe side, wearing a small frown on her face – where did he managed to get the men from? Behind her someone called her name and she turned.

"We are as ready as we can be" Yuki told her and settled down the end of the halberd into the over brightly grass underneath her bare feet. Outside the boundary the snow was falling heavily down towards the ground. "Kahlan says that all she needs is a small bag and if we can give her with some distraction, when she will go as quickly she can".

"Good, we need someone near the girl. I know we can't risk sending everyone to Tortall, but this is something that is required" Ademia replied while turning back, only to find that a man had placed himself in front of her. Not taking her eyes of a man who stood only millimeters from the divine shield, she could clearly smell the unwashed clothes and the decaying food hanging in his unkempt beard. His eyes were bright blue, reminding her of the man she had been betrothed to and who had beaten her. She standing here because she wanted to see the prove for herself, that the men whom he was gathering, was coming from the country that had been her birthplace; Scanra.

The man standing in front of her snorted and took a handkerchief up only to blow his nose. Taking the fabric down he opened it and gazed down as if to check the contents. Wrinkling his nose in disgust, he threw it at her, but the Goddess spell caught it and burned it to ashes, as it had done with her former husband.

"I don't like this" Ademia admitted. Behind her the selected woman continued to form a line down where the boundary was protecting them. Turning to her friend she sighed "I don't like this at all – they keep coming. I have counted more coming in and down the mountain these last days, then he have ever summoned before. If I haven't seen this kind of gathering before and if my intuition isn't wrong, we'll have more coming the next month and we'll then be looking at war".

Yuki nodded her agreement allowing her own brown eyes to wander over the scenario in front of her "Have you seen anything to that young man he have trained?"

"Non and any intelligence I have received tells me that he's off somewhere in Galla – where the girl was too, but after that he's like gone".

A young woman wearing a white cloak, covering the green dress underneath, came forth and settled her bag down at her feet "If they are ready, I am to – I wants to be gone before they realize that they have been tricked" Kahlan said with as much confidence she could muster, but her eyes gave her away.

Ademia noticed this and gave her a concerned look "You don't have to do this, you know, I could ask someone else -" she was interrupted by Kahlan's words.

"No are you crazy?" she retorted "I wanted for years to see the capital of Tortall and now where I'm finally given a chance, you are going to take that opportunity away from me? Not by any chance!" She lifted the bag up and placed it on her back. "I'm going and that's final – how else will you gain access to the information you need and have someone inside to keep an eye on her – none! No one other than me volunteered".

Yuki raised an eyebrow "Your sister did" she told the young woman tartly.

Kahlan shrugged "Yes, but she drew the short straw and if we are two to take the journey, the risk of being captured is higher – I'm going alone – besides the one who's in charge of recruiting the staff to the household of the palace, would begin to question why two young woman seeks employment at the same time, where it would be easier if there is only one".

"She has a point" Ademia agreed slowly. "We need to get inside and help the girl when and wherever we can, if it means that I eventually have to send ten or twenty women pas that maniac of a man, after Kahlan has arrived and settled into the palace".

Yuki looked down to where Kahlan stood with her hand resting on a large head of a white tiger. "What will you do with him? You can't take him with you" she said softly, almost careful.

"He's staying" Kahlan answered with her blue eyes blazing with regret "He's to big to carry in any bag" she looked down as the big cat began to purr "you're not a baby-kitten anymore and we talked about this – You need to look after Aura or she gets into trouble".

"The one I know who is the one who's always getting into trouble is you" Yuki remarked knowingly "from what Aura told me, you where the one they captured, not her, and she was the one who took the chance and risk to rescue you".

Kahlan growled low over the words. She knew that there was some truth in them, but she still had her pride "I know and that's why I'm the one going – not her, if it comes to that and I'm captured again, I know she'll be the one coming after me – she's fearless on that point, where I'm the coward one".

Ademia grabbed Yuki's arm in a firm grip "I trust Kahlan with my life if I should ever leave this place, but we have matters to take care of" turning her eyes to Kahlan's equally blue eyes, she searched the woman's features "Have you got the letter I'd written?"

The young woman nodded "It's safely tucked in the pouch around my neck" she patted the item.

"Good – remember if it ends up in the hands of the wrong person, it will kill him or her instantly – however, the recipient is the king of Tortall and he will the only one to read it".

Kahlan nodded, but frowned when a thought appeared to her "Where am I'm going to leave it or should I simply walk up to him and hand it over?"

"Goddes no!" It was Yuki who responded and Kahlan snapped her eyes to the Yamani girl "If you get caught the king will question you and he'll know that you are something that shouldn't be walking around".

"But isn't that what it is all about?" Kahlan exclaimed "That they get to know of our existence and..." she was interrupted by the Queen, shaking her head.

"Not yet, Kahlan, they will consider us an enemy when we aren't. The truth about us will come in due time and the time isn't now" Ademia shook her head again as the blond woman seemed to be opening her mouth again "No Kahlan – I do not question the Goddess's ways, I only follow her bidding and the time isn't the right".

A woman with long red hair, twisted in a long braid approached them "We are ready" she told the three women and bobbed a curtsy. Behind her lingered a creature that would hunt everyone in their dreams, if they accidentally stumbled over it in the middle of the night. The animal, if one could describe it such, was a mixture, its head was formed as a mountain goat, but where normal animal-eyes should have been they was swapped with orange fire and that was only the head. From the neck and down to its muscular body, the animal was covered in black feathers that twisted with copper. The last part of the body was paws that flashed with long copper-claws. It pushed affectionately its mistress in her back.

Ademia nodded "Thank you Deliah". Looking at Kahlan that was kneeling down beside the white tiger, hiding her face in the fur where the stripes changed from black to white "Are you ready?" she asked.

Kahlan rose to her feet "Not at least, but I did decide to do this and I'm sticking to my decision".

"And you said that your sister was the stubborn one?" Yuki sighed loudly while walking away.

Shrugging Kahlan retorted to Ademia, who tried to hide a smile "She still is, but sometimes I'm allowed to borrow some of it and use it to my advantage".

To be continued