Walking beside her, he couldn't help but glance at her every few seconds. She was breathtaking. "Their love is beautiful." He said looking ahead of them to Richard and Kahlan, walking hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder. "Don't you agree?" he asked looking over to the Mord-Sith with a wide smile. "No." she said flatly as she rolled her eyes "They waste their emotions." Leo laughed a full loud laugh that filled the air around them. "You know, love is more than an emotion." "It weakens you." She said as she looked at him. "Would you not fight to save the one you love?" Fight harder for them? It strengthens you." Cara shook her head. Love was certainly not something that made a person strong. "Look at them." He pointed ahead of them "They would do anything for each other." Cara stopped walking and turned to face him "Yes. That will end in them dying for the other." Leo smiled. "But they would have saved the person they loved." Cara starred at him for a moment. Part of her was confused as to why dying for anyone, even if you loved them, could seem like something he would like to do. The other part of her wished she could.
He squeezed her hand tightly in his as they walked. He had been smiling all day, the past two weeks really, and he had no intention of stopping. Seeing her again, being with her, holding her and touching her was all he wanted. He didn't mind that there was a new Seeker. He thought he would, but after time with Kahlan, Richards didn't care about anything else. She smiled up at him as he told her stories about his training. How he'd push himself to learn quickly to get back to her. "She just let you go?" Kahlan asked looking up at him in wonder. "Yes. I must have bored her mad with all my talk of you." He laughed "she was always trying to get me to concentrate." letting go of her hand; he pulled her to him, wrapping his arm around her waist. He loved feeling her body as they walked. "Where's Zedd?" Kahlan asked coming to a stop and looking around them.
"He was right there." She said starring into the distance. A loud bang came from the distance as they ran towards some smoke. Zedd was setting fire to a few banleings as more came through the trees. Pulling away from each other, they ran in opposite directions to help the wizard. Richard used Kahlan's dagger against the many that surrounded him. They kept coming as he dropped one and then another. He could see no end. Cara was all too happy to be able to cause something some physical pain. It had been almost two weeks since she had the pleasure of placing her agiel to someone's chest. Leo tried to stay close to her, but she was moving through them quicker than he was. He lost sight of her as he rushed to help Richard.
Richard's heart was pounding as he watched the last of his attackers fall to the ground. Zedd walked over, set the body on fire and looked around. "Where's Kahlan?" Frantically turning around, Richard pushed by Cara and Leo, searching the area before he let his eyes search the ground for her body in the midst of the dead burning bodies. She was nowhere in sight. He walked to the edge of the clearing looking through the trees, there was nothing. His heart fell to his stomach as he tried to recall every last detail about the fight.
He couldn't see around them. The banelings had completely surrounded him. He couldn't see Kahlan. Richard replayed it over and over in his head, trying to find something. Anything. "Richard?" Cara said as she stepped in front of him. "She was dragged that way." Richard's eyes came to hers "Dragged?" his heart pounded with rage as he closed his hands into fists, turning his knuckles white.
A sharp pain jolted her awake. Her eyes slowly opening, she was surrounded by a large number of men. The room was dimly lit as they stared at her, smiling widely at her. She was being hung from the ceiling by her wrists, her body slowly swaying back and forth as she breathed. Pulling on her hands, she tried to breakthrough her restraints. S soft cry came from her lips as she pulled harder, the rope tearing her flesh from her.
The men watched her as she twisted herself in her bindings. They laughed as the rope slowly began to be covered in blood. "It's no use, Confessor." A voice came from the crowd. The men tensed as a large built man stepped through them. Quickly moving out of his way, a few rushed to stand before Kahlan. "We have brought her, just as we were asked." The larger man smiled a wicked smile as he looked from one man to the other. "That you have." He took a step closer, pulled something from his side and both men fell to the ground dead.
"Move them!" He shouted as he stepped over them to Kahlan. Several men hurried to the bodies and began dragging them away. "Hello. You are quite a prize aren't you?" His breath heated her face as he moved in closer. His tongue licked his lips as he starred at her. He brought his hands up to her face, softly stroking away her tears. "What do you want with me?" Kahlan's voice was soft but firm. "You are the key to stopping the Keeper. We can't just let you roam free." His face inched closer, his nose gliding over her cheek as he took in a deep breath. "What are you talking about?" He pulled his face from hers and smiled. "The newest prophecy." He paused, waiting for her to respond. "As long as the Mother Confessor's pure heart beats, The Keeper is doomed to fail." She starred at him, her mind trying to make sense of it all. "You see, Confessor, The Seeker must hand over the Stone of Tears to the Keeper and he can't do that if you are alive."
"You won't win. Even if you kill me, you won't win." His hands moved from her face, down her neck and over her chest. Taking her breasts in his hands he smiled up at her as she tried to wiggle out of his grasp. He gripped harder as he held her still. "We are going to hold you here until they get here. We can do what we wish with you." Slowly, he leaned up and slid his tongue over her chin. "We can't have such a beautiful woman at our disposal and not have our fun." His smile widened as her eyes darkened with anger. "You won't get away with this." she said between heated breaths. "They'll come for me." "I'm counting on it." His hands fell from her breasts only to take hold of her clothes.
The men filed into the room as he began to remove her clothes. "Well men, I promised you a good time. Have I not delivered?!" He shouted over the room as the last of her clothes fell from her body. The men shouted in excitement as they closed in on her. She screamed as she kicked her legs out, trying to stop them from coming any closer. A small man came behind her, took hold of her legs and pulled them back below her. "If you don't fight them, they will get bored." he said softly into her back.
One jerk of her legs she had them freed from his grasp and she kicked three of them back. The pain from her wrists was overwhelming as she swung through the air. The men, tossed her around, each taking a few moments to run their hands over her. Wrapping her legs around one, she dug her heals into his back as hard as she could, making the man cry out in pain. Suddenly her world went black.
