I have decided to make longer chapters, so there are going to be a lot longer time between each chapters being uploaded - hope you will find it okay :-)

Chapter 26

A few hundred meters down the boundary the first female, a small stocky woman, stepped forth and raised her bow. Aiming and releasing the string the arrow flew right through the air, splitting it silently, before it landed firmly and embedded itself in the middle of a man's back.

The attack came as a surprise and Kahlan was standing, calmly, at the other end of the boundary – waiting for the other men guarding the area in front of her to notice that something was about to happen and something was very wrong.

Deliah was the next to aim her bow at a man sitting underneath a tree calmly and half asleep. Taking a deep breath, frowning over the fact that she had to kill again, which wasn't a thing she was proud of and as the thought ended, only to settle to yet another fact that this may be her tenth time, Deliah released the string and the now sleeping man was on his way to be received by the Black God himself.

As the next few minutes went, the snow on the ground was gaining spots of deep blood as more men fell – each taken down by a firmly and precisely arrow. Some was sticking out from the place where a heart a few seconds before was beating hard to give life to the owner, others had sliced the skin open across their throat and was now bleating to death with every strained heartbeat.

Now the others, the ones near Kahlan, was alerted and was pulling their short swords with their crooked ends. Two of the nearest ones was running as roar split the air from a long distances. She was keeping a firm eye on a man who had grabbed hold of another, holding him back while saying something under his breath. Why didn't he follow the others who had run up along the boundary, as the men continued to fall to the ground, dead.

"It's a trick keep guarding the boundary" the man hissed as he kept hold of the other man.

Kahlan frowned and looked closer at the man. Where had she seen that man before?

The other man, the one who clearly wanted to be off, helping the others – finding out what was happening further away in the forest. The down-fall of the snow muffled the frustrated voices and he was clearly uncomfortable. Kahlan could see that he wanted to be where the action was and help his friends, but the other man continued to restrain the man from moving forth.

Biting her lip over the annoyance that the two men was blocking her line into the realm of the mortals. If they only would go as the others had done, it would be easier, but now they was standing with crossbows lifted – the weapon ready to be fired.

They would kill her the instant she crossed the boundary.

"Need a hand?" someone asked as she was checking the string on her own bow.

Kalhan lifted her head abruptly and looked into the black eyes of Shinko, who smiled shyly "Sorry, I didn't mean for you to be startled, but I thought that you might need a hand taking down those two?" She turned her own blue eyes to where the two men had positioned themselves in the best possible posture, ready to defend themselves.

"They are quit stubborn and the man, the one with the black tattoo don't give a crap that others are being killed several hundred meters from him, so it would be nice to get it over with" Kahlan replied and shifted the bag on her shoulders so the arrows in the quiver was easily to reach.

Shinko nodded confirming as she studied the two men "How do you propose we do this?"

Kahlan gazed to the other woman; the one who had brought the man's attention to the sanctuary in the first place. She had known Shinko to be soft-hearten, but under the guidance of Yuki the black haired woman had become as deadly as any of the woman living here. "Take them on at the same time" she offered and searched for any weakness the men could offer to her. As she assessed the one man, she finally recognized him.

"That man" Kahlan pointed to the one who had giving the other man an order to stay, "were the one who caught me when Aura and I came back from Galla" she explained with a gruel smile, before continued her speaking "he's mine – I still have a bruise where he hit me".

Shinko nodded and Kahlan could see how the deadly glow was developing in the Yamani woman's eyes "That's your choice or revenge, just do the thing quickly – I'll take the other one".

She nodded confirming. Oh, she would do the deed just as quickly she could, but first she would make him look in her eyes and see the hated she held for him. Kahlan knew of course that the men didn't have a say in the matter when it came to hunt the Untouchables down, it was the other man – the one Shinko had been betrothed to who held the blame for everything, pulling the strings as if he was a puppeteer.

The wind was picking up on the other side of the boundary, making the froze-bitten branches crack underneath the two men feet. They were looking towards the sound of their comrads dying screams that could be heard from a distance, when another, a new one, clearly a woman's mingled itself only to be the death-sentence for one of the two men.

Shinko had buried one of her arrows into one of the man's eye and with him squatting down in agony, trying to pull the long thin and twisted tree with a curved arrowhead out, she had finished him of by gripping her fan in her hand and sliding his throat open. The man who had wanted to aid the others lay motionless on the ground, coloring the snow red from where a deep wound was showing under his head.

Kahlan however was still keeping the other man alive, but only almost as she wanted him to look into her eyes and see the hated she held for him. Slapping him hard across the cheek making his curly long and dirty blond hair dance, she leaned forth and whispered in a very low voice "That's for the many bruises you gave me and the others, and this" she held the knife she had taken from him to his throat "is for the many girls you tortured instead of allowing them to pass over to safety" she began to slide the sharp blade across very slowly bringing forth blood and whispered low "may their souls haunt yours forever" and with his horrified blue-eyed gaze still locked firmly with hers, she pulled the last centimeters allowing his life to be non-existing. Dropping the dead body on the ground she spat with disgust "and may the Black God treat you as you treated me".

Taking a step back she found that she was utterly shaking and when a hand, small, but female touched her shoulders she flinched. Looking into the eyes of Shinko she saw the clear realization the other woman held "Why didn't you say anything?" Shinko asked pulling out a handkerchief, allowing Kahlan to take it while cleaning her own fan that was soaked with blood.

"What does it matter now" Kahlan replied with a restrained voice and looked down on the ground where the man lay, she spat on him a second time before she looked up, "now he can't hurt others as he did me and if he hadn't been here I would have killed him eventually before going to Tortall".

"But if you had told Ademia she would have giving the task to another or helped you to get rid of it" Shinko's voice held only compassion, something Kahlan didn't need right here and now.

"She would tell my sister and then the others, and then everyone would know that I wasn't strong enough to fight back" locking her eyes with the Yamani woman's she continued "please don't say anything to Aura" she pleaded "She will not understand my reasons or that I cheated so it was I who would be going".

She could see that Shinko frowned "Are you ever going to come back?" Shinko asked slowly while realization hit her.

Kahlan nodded "When the babe is safely brought into the world". Now there she said it – the secret that lay beneath her heart, only that it was like the size of a small walnut.

"But you can't come back with a child to live among us" Shinko told Kahlan firmly "The Goddess will not allow it".

"I know" Kahlan replied taking the water out to clean her bloody hands, "but I'm not going to bring the child back with me when this is all over" lifting her gaze she smiled allowing some happiness to shine through her blue eyes "there must be someone where I'm going who needs it more than I do".

"I hope you are right" Shinko whispered. The Yamani woman took a step forth only to stop short and bow in the way of her former country, "May the Goddess look over you and give your strength".

Kahlan impulsively hugged Shinko "So mote it be" she replied allowing the ritual words to fill the air. "May the Goddess bring us peace" and with that she turned abruptly, only to vanish among the snow-covered ground.

"So mote it be" Shinko whispered as she pulled back into safety, turning her back to the winter, allowing the sun warm her face.

She was wrinkling her nose as she acted on the impulsive thought. She had sat in the bed for not longer then it took her to breathe calmly thirty times when the thought hit her hard and she stiffened.

Looking down on the blankets, she realized that this was the bed she had slept in when she had woken abruptly earlier that day. The scent of Him, had been something that had lingered in her back of her mind through the day and now sitting in the middle of it, she took a deep breath, allowing the air to enter through her nose, only to realize that there was something comforting mixed in it.

She tried to breathe deeper as if trying to asses which ingredients he had used to make this single smell and while filling her lungs, it hit her – the man, or his scent, revealed a man who was very balanced.

Closing her eyes, she breathed again and new scents came to her; a scent of – Daine shifted on the bed, wondering why she was recognizing a scent that shouldn't be present when a loud curse reached her ears.

Moving from the bed she followed the sound and as she approached the door, the cursing changed to a low muttering. Glancing out the door, she found him sitting in the middle of the floor with hands busy checking every link in a iron-chain laying in front of him.

Every inch of his appearance told her that he wanted to be left alone and she wouldn't disturb him. Pushing the door carefully shut, she turned to the room behind her. Biting her lips her eyes wandered over the items in the room and she quickly found a table where jars stood lined up next to each other.

The content surprised her as she lifted the lids and the smell of Him floated towards her, but as she worked through the various smells the last jar was different – it was a smell that she linked with something a woman would use. The scent of jasmine, strong and clear, gave her unwanted thoughts about him being with other woman and a small strike of jealousy hit her – glancing back to the door where she knew he was sitting on the other side, her eyes caught a slip laying beneath the jar.

Carefully she pulled it to her and found what must be a rough writing printed on it; her eyes took in the letters, letting them form words after words and abruptly she realized what it said; 'Dear Numair – as a close friend, I imagine that you will forget the necessities a woman needs, I have taken the liberty to gather some clothes (you'll find it in the chest of drawers) and soap for your return with your wife. Please tell me if she needs anything else and I will get it for her'.

Pausing she considered the fact that obviously she and Alanna, the Lioness, wasn't the only female present in his life and she really didn't know what to feel about that. There was no name under the text and flipping the slip around she found the back of it blank, but clearly the choice of words indicated that the writer was a woman.

She had never considered herself to be the jealous type, but whoever this woman was, she was on close terms with Numair. As she placed the note on the table, she could hear the soft words from the other room and it took her only a few seconds to recognize that he was cursing yet again - clear whatever he was doing troubled him deeply.

It gave her peace in her thoughts; not that he was in a bad mood, but that she could hear that he was near her and she could find him if needed. With that in mind she decided that whatever background he had with other woman she would try to accept it just as equally as he maybe accepted her miserable background as well. On that point they was going to have a deep conversation on how much he knew and how much she would tell him, but now it didn't matter. The only thing she was sure of was that there was something about him being near her that made everything fade away and not matter anymore, which was fairly odd she began to think not for the first time.

Scanning the room her eyes settled on the first of three chests – and squatting down in front of the first she lifted the lid and the content was being slowly revealed. She couldn't help herself, but to smile as more annoyed words reached her ears from the other room. Whatever he was doing he was having a great time of trouble with it and as the words continued she closed the lid down. The first chest of drawers held noting but menswear.

The second contained only books; dull books she corrected and in languages she couldn't read or even understand. This chest she left to itself rather quickly. She knew of rumors saying that any mage with the rank like his must study a lifetime to achieve the black robe, but she had never had any education on that matter and a lifetime sounded exaggerated. She had been allowed to borrow certain books from the library while living at the court of Galla, but the old king couldn't have her return them quickly enough and so she knew that she was uneducated on the matter of her own magic.

In the third one she found what she had looked for; soft woolen dresses made in various colors. This woman who had provided her with clothes didn't know how much she resented being a living thing with breasts, monthly periods and all that followed her gender or even being in long and expensive dresses that revealed to much of her body; taking up a under-dress her elbow hit a pitcher with water and it splashed all over her as it collided with the floor; soaking her clothes.

He had heard a noise, a loud one and not one he had recognized as ever heard before, but a noise that brought his attention away from his task of enchanting the shackles laying in front of him and rising from the floor, he moved over to where the noise had come from.

Pausing, not sure if he should do this, he waited only a few seconds before giving the door a little push so the open crack expanded.

Light of candles lit the chamber, giving it a soft and almost divine glow. With his one hand pushing the door more open he suddenly stopped short at an unexpected sight.

With her back turned towards him, hands pulling up the fabric of a wet shirt, skin was slowly being revealed. She had already stripped off her wet breeches along with her loincloth and as the shirt was lifted up, her hair was being pulled along only to land softly down along her back as she dropped the clothes on the floor beside the pile of a soaked blanket and her other clothes. Shattered porcelain lay everywhere on the floor and he hoped she would be careful not to step on a fragment, cutting herself.

Enchanted, captured by the sight of her creamy and smooth skin he watched her movements and his breath caught in his throat. Goddess she was beautiful and he wondered how it would feel to let his fingers slide down over the warm skin, only to create shivers – then it hit him, this was wrong. It was a private moment for her and he concluded that she had found the clothes Onua had bought for her. Numair still needed to thank his friend for her hindsight as Daine lifted a light gray cotton under-dress up, holding it closely to her front body, turning and looking at herself in the large and expensive mirror.

Her slim fit figure was reflected back and he could see that her blue-gray eyes admired the dress – Onua had been carefully picking out colors and various items for her. Just as Numair was about to pull himself back of the scene in front of him, the fabric of the dress slipped through her fingers, down on the floor.

Numair's throat went dry as her firm breasts became visible. Now he did pull himself away, pushing the door closer silently. He cursed over whatever force had driven him to the door in the first place – he was beginning to care about her, but he had promised to annul the arrangement and give her money for her to settle herself into anything she wanted.

Resting his head against the door frame he closed his eyes. A sudden sound came behind him and abruptly, acting on instinct, he turned and pushed the door open yet again. Someone, a God or a Goddess was torturing him – the sound had been from the lid of the drawer crashing down and Daine was in the middle of lifting it yet again – naked, only the curled and voluminous hair covering her a little.

Taking the under-dress up from the floor where she had dropped it in her surprise, she pulled on her shift and Numair turned away quickly – if she caught him lingering at the threshold to the bedchamber he would never be able to explain and she would never be able to trust him.