Legend of the Seeker
The Male Confessed

Wow! I've gained even more reviewers. Thank you all so much for the quick responses and support. It all means a lot to me. So many of you have even got my story as your favourite in order to be informed when a new chapter is made, so that is extra special to me. Thank you!

Last time, on The Male Confessed: With last chapter, it ended with the kidnapping of Kahlan from a mysterious young male, known as a commander, to a group of soldiers not known about. Everyone wore white but wielded plain ordinary swords. The young commander showed a power with the white/silver forcefield around himself and Kahlan which eventually thrust out and sent Richard and Zedd sprawling along the floor.

He escaped, and with Kahlan, rode off into a valley to where Richard followed, both on white horses. This of course left Zedd to walk it in order to follow them.

So, what will happen next in this story of survival and love? There's only one way to find out and that's to read on. So please do and review at the end.

Enjoy!

Chapter 3
The beast

He had to do this, or else take his guilt into the afterlife. He knew there was no right choice. He knew that either one would hinder his progression. However, when walking for a good hour, he knew the sensible and smart thing to do. So that was why he was here, alone, apart from the crickets in the early dusk. He was surprised by their sudden appearance from such a weather storm they had just encountered. Panting from the effort of what was needed, the crickets continued to chirp and sing happily ignoring the carnage around them. They had no cares in the world and all was safe to them. He envied their carefree lives and wished he could live in such solace.

Eager to be done and away from the spell, he ignored the bewitching sounds of the crickets. A few he could overpower, but when a nest of crickets begin to sing happily in a sort of lullaby he is almost powerless to their charms. Trying his best to separate his head from the sounds he continued at the laborious job ahead. Tears swelled in his eyes at that moment at the finality of what was being done. Knelt down in the dirt he looked at the fresh patch of soil. He chose the nicest and peaceful area he could imagine for such an event.

Whilst the crickets, be it annoying him, he was glad they were here. At this time. For this moment. It were as if they were all collectively sending her spirit into peaceful harmony. Stroking at the fresh patch of spoil he smiled a sad smile. Placing both hands on top of the soil stretched apart, they begun to glow a golden orange. The warmth from the energy flowed into the soil eventually making it burst with swirls of golden illumination. He still stared mesmerised by the sight despite having done this many times before.

"Nell Troth. May your spirit be safe and protected in the valley of the dead. May you forever be at peace" he prayed, bowing his head. When the light faded, sweat had already spread across his body. Feeling tired, he lifted up his head to where the grave had been made. However it had now been concealed making no one aware that a body lay underneath. Grass had grown along with flowers ensuring her protection and security. He wanted her to be in peace.

He had laid her to rest in, when daylight, shone with great purity that it couldn't not make you smile. He knew what went on around him, he knew of the task he had of burying Nell, but the sight was so breathtakingly beautiful he had to take time to bask. Once over he knew, after hours of searching, that that was the perfect place to lay her body to rest. Zedd had been dealt the agonising decision of following his grandson, Richard, or burying Nell to whom he knew had passed on to the spirit world. Not from physical sight but from the flow of magic. Anyone magic give off a feeling, an essence. Each one is unique that he knew Nell's. For what felt like hours of walking, Zedd had a nagging feeling in his gut. Something didn't feel right. He couldn't quite put his finger on it that he concluded it must be him hungry. In order for food he picked at fresh grapes and ate them with water in his pack. He hadn't passed a town and was left with the grapes.

The sun, whilst setting, emitted its powerful heat wave exhausting him after a time. At times he would have to stop and gather not just himself, but his senses. With the open endless fresh green grass, he was getting visions of Richard, of Kahlan and of food. His mind started to think of what could be happening to Kahlan, where Richard was. If he was ok. He thought about what Shota said about Chainfire. It bamboozled him to how she could possibly know that, even in the flow of time, still stunned him. He wondered also what heat meant. That they must beware of heat. Running through his head putting more strain onto him was who Shota morphed into. Such horrible memories came back to him when he stared at that small little innocent child. He tried to shake her out of his head but nothing worked.

Much like the feeling in his stomach. After gathering the grapes from the spaced out bushes and then some green apples at a nearby oak tree he knew that whatever he was feeling was not his stomach waning food. After the long walk he could see fresh grey smoke billowing into the sky. When climbing up the hillside he could see a tiny village in the distance. Joyous that he found something and eager to get going, he then realised what the feeling he was feeling. Nell. He couldn't feel her magic from the moment they entered the cave and that feeling stayed with him. He then realised, foolishly, that he hadn't seen her anywhere. She didn't come out of the cave. She wasn't seen in the cave. He felt so foolish he almost used his wizard's fire on himself.

He also felt extreme guilt at the thought of Nell's body all alone where the rats could feast on her. In the cave full of rotting corpses. Of men who tried to kill them. The race of men whose commander kidnapped Kahlan. His bottled fury only rose when thinking back to that moment several hours ago. The sun was starting to show signs of setting. He glanced at the village and reasoned with himself that Richard may have passed through and people may have some information. Better yet, he thought with glee, food, or at least a place to rest and sleep.

However, the thought of Nell's body in that cave overpowered his urge to eat or sleep. He knew Richard could look after himself, at least for the time being, and so he turned around and at a brisk pace, returned to the cave. Knowing he cut the distance by at least half, he was now winded. However the smell from the cave hadn't faltered. The putrid stench almost made him vomit and with his empty gnarling stomach he almost lost the restraint on his muscles. Pushing through the stench he used a light spell to bring light into the cave revealing the bodies that lay sprawled. Body parts were scattered every this way and that. The sight almost matched the smell. Despite their intentions, it still panged Zedd to see so many deaths, many caused by him, but many of these soldiers as young men.

How such a young youth could be corrupted so easily hurt his heart. He knew there was no way to stop that unless Darken Rahl was killed. The evil dictator who thus far has been enslaving many and brainwashing many people into his ways. Whilst these soldiers wore uniforms he had never seen before, Zedd suspected that they worked for Darken Rahl. Why else would they have been there? Nell had mentioned briefly they were after her but maybe to lure out Richard. He didn't have the answers, he wasn't perfect. As he manoeuvred around the cave he finally found her, laid on her back peaceful looking even with her eyes shut.

With bittersweet emotion, he cradled her into his arms and carried her out of the cave and outside. This was the time the crickets begun their melodious songs. Rats, he could see, were pouring into the cave to feast on the dead. The bodies which lay sprawled outside were the first to be eaten. What was left was bones. Some skin remained, but most of it was cleanly eaten. How they could have eaten muscles he didn't understand but just assumed them to do as such. He wasn't in the mood to put reason behind a rat's eating habits. Looking around his surroundings, Nell lay slumped in his arms. Her lifeless arms dangled beneath her, her legs stiff. He didn't really know her but she had saved Kahlan from dying and for that he thanked her. He only wished he could have helped her and given her the energy she needed. He knew how she died. The magic gives off the energy of their death and Zedd analyzed it was from exhaustion. What she done to bring Kahlan back to health and zapped all her energy and ultimately killed her.

She was with the spirits now though. Safe and protected. At least that made him smile. Standing up, his calf muscles aching from being knelt down for a while, he brushed off the dirt from his simple robes. His white hair blew in the gathering breeze and gave him a fresh breath of certainty. He knew that if he wanted to make it for that village before nightfall then he had to hurry or else be caught in the dark where he was vulnerable. He knew he could use the light spell but he was so exhausted from the walk there and back, the battle with the soldiers, carrying and burying Nell that he knew it a lost cause.

Despite the urgency in it all he never hurried with the ceremony for Nell. Such an event should never be rushed. With the sun setting and the moon just beginning to rise he simply wanted to fall down and go asleep. He was so tired he feared that if he done that he wouldn't ever get back up again. With a last brief glimpse to Nell's now invisible grave, he turned on his heels and set off down into the valley. Marching, his robe billowed behind him as he made his way past berries, grapes and other unknown fruits. Telling himself that picking and cleaning these food would only cost him more time, time he had very little of.

Within 10 minutes of walking he begun to get another nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach. Aggravated that it could be something else Zedd tried to ignore it and carried on walking. It wasn't until another 10 minutes later when he realised what was wrong. The crickets had stopped chirping. Recalling back, he remembered the crickets stop as soon he passed the last bush of berries. He thought it a strange thing but carried on. His mind being tangled up with thoughts of Richard and Kahlan he thought nothing of it, like with Nell not being around.

Frustrated with himself once again he slowed down deep in thought. Swat! He continued to think at why they would stop there and such abruptly. Swat! It just seemed odd to him that he decided to shake it off and carry on walking. Swat! Grunting with annoyance he swatted another, and then another.

"Bags!" he cursed, "What are these flies doing here?" he wondered aloud. That's when he saw it. On his hand of one of the swatted he could see a trickle of green oozing blood. His eyes widened in the sudden realisation. The horror struck him stone cold in the path. "Blood flies" he growled. Then he heard the powerful flapping of wings from behind him. Ducking down with all his might, a blurred winged beast flew over him. Throwing his hand into a air, a stream of wizard's fire flew out, lacing, cutting through the air. The area lit up but all it hit was air. He could hear the hissing from the beast, almost laughing at the old wizard's pathetic attempt to attack it. Zedd wasn't foolish, he wasn't aiming for the beast, but needed the area lit just enough to see what it was. His suspicions were confirmed to be a Gar.

With a frustrated sigh, he rolled to the side as the Gar flew by him. With an ear piercing shrill the winged beast rose into the night sky. Zedd, catching his breath, turned upwards to try and spot the Gar. How could he have been so foolish and not realised he was being hunted by a Gar? The last encounter he had with a Gar was when he saved Richard and Kahlan from being killed by one in Westland those many months ago. All seemed so long ago now. So much has happened. A Gar was a beast of ferocious evil intent with its primary goal to mutilate and kill.

Its muscled body is so tough it would be like trying to stab metal and hoping to dent it. It would be like trying to draw blood from a stone. Many Gars have black thick fur covering their entire bodies or there's the one attacking Zedd to be one completely hairless. What Gar's share in common are their sharp penetrating fangs and claws which could rip any animal or being to shreds in a matter of seconds. It then dawned on him at how those soldiers could have possibly been eaten down to the bone – the Gar. Whilst Zedd had been finding a resting place for Nell, he opened up a nice little buffet for the Gar. Every Gar also wields a pair of powerful wings enabling them to fly great distances and even attack a person with. They can cause sand or dirt/dust storms with the power behind their wings. Arched in such a way for the tops of both wings to be pointed their vainy wings are green on the outside whilst the inside is webbed. Such imposing beats and one of the most feared in the Midlands, one had decided to pay Zedd a visit of its own.

Knowing the danger of what a Gar can cause; Zedd's caution and alert rose to epidemic heights. He dared not move, dared not breath, just encase he lost focus on the ware bouts of the Gar. Such a foolish mistake would not be made. He was done with being foolish for one night so, ignoring his empty stomach, shot streams of simple wizard's fire into the night's still damp air. It was to light the sky, if be it briefly, to get a better look. In comparison with the darkness it was getting incredibly harder to spot the beast. Feeling the cost was clear, Zedd shot forward, continuing down the path he needed to take towards the village. Reason kicked in when thinking that he would be leading the Gar into innocent territory and so had to dispense of the Gar himself.

Realising the challenge, he bottled up his courage and stopped, kicking up dust from beneath him. Spinning around, his frail skeletal hands raised in preparation, a body came falling from the sky landing with a loud thud in front of him. The sudden shock and distance from the body made Zedd jerk backwards with gasp in the surprise. His racing heart beating rapidly, Zedd coyly, but cautiously, bent down to get a better look at the body. Raising out his hands they begun to faintly glow with an illuminating yellow.

He gasped when he saw who it was. When his eyes widened, tears immediately begun to form and threaten to fall from his hazel eyes. He stroked the bloodied and partly flesh ridden face of the woman he had only hours before just buried. A tear rolled down his wrinkled frail face and landed gently on Nell's swollen cold cheek. "I'm sorry…" he choked back more tears, "I thought my magic would have protected you". About to say a pray for the old woman, the Gar came spiralling down. With its muscled feet it knocked Zedd against the head sending him crashing into the dirt, sliding down it just a bit. Dazed, he watched helplessly as the Gar began to savagely tear open Nell and then eat her.

Zedd turned away at the sound of bones being snapped and crunched. Muscle torn, blood licked. He told himself that her spirit was protected and safe. Her body is now but a shell. Still, the blow was pretty hard for him to recover from so easily. As he stood himself up with vengeance, he used that anger to summon a large ball of yellow, orange and red intense liquid fire to form between his hands.

The intensity, anger and murder in the old wizard's eyes would be enough to strike anyone dead. The liquid fire blanketed the surrounds with a bright flickering light. The ball of liquid fire swirled and hissed, ran with the sound of water that wasn't water. The heat begun to make Zedd sweat from the intensity but he pushed all that to the back of his mind and kept in front the most important issues.

"Gar…" he growled. The Gar, blood and strips of intestines dangling from its sharp teeth, turned to face Zedd. It barely made movement from the ball of liquid fire set in front of it. Its yellow cat like eyes stared unblinking at the old wizard if be it from amusement. The Gar's wings suddenly rose into the air as it stood up and faced him. Cocking its head, as if amused by the bright light, stepped forward in a heap. The earth seemed to shake with the weight of this beast walking. No wonder why they flew more then they walked.

Zedd had came to realise that this Gar, despite its power, muscled build and height, to what was taller then Zedd, to be a baby Gar. His suspicions were at first aroused with the movement of the Gar. A more grown up Gar would move with quicker intent and wouldn't waste time with anything. The Gar also seemed unsure of itself and of its surroundings, as if it didn't know it too well. Now, this Gar stood transfixed like a little baby looking at the world for the very first time. This however also meant that this Gar had parents but he hoped that the parents might have been killed leaving just this one. He had to prepare for the former though. The Gar took one more step forward with curiousness, its wings gently vibrating.

"I bet you've never seen wizard's fire before, have you?" asked Zedd. The Gar hissed at him exposing the bloody teeth. Nell's blood. Zedd only leered the more. "Ever felt it?" he continued.

With that Zedd unleashed the wizard's fire with a lethal blood cry. The growing ball of liquid fire flew through the air, howling and echoing through the still night. The sound with deathening that he flinched from the unexpected power of its release. The entire area lit up with great menace reflecting their shadows in many different areas of the pathway. Nearby trees and bushes were set alight and made to burn into ash. The spitting fire of ball mass slammed hard into the Gar. With a howl of fury and pain, the beast blew up sending its essence to the underworld.

The night air rang with the scream until slowly dying down along with the light. Upon impact with the Gar the light expanded and glowed brighter until being sucked into oblivion as quickly as it was formed. Zedd collapsed to his knees from exhaustion, panting hard and dripping with sweat. Trying to re-collect himself, he crawled his way over to Nell's decapitated unrecognised body. Her face was destroyed making it impossible to see anything of her. Bones were everywhere; blood was splattered in every place he could see. Her flesh was scattered. Everything else was eaten.

It panged his heart to see Nell like this but he had to leave. He needed to get out of this threat and into that village for rest and food. His energy from the day's events, the battle with the Gar and lack of sleep and food has made him fatigued. He needed food or sleep soon before he died from such a drain in his energy.

Picking himself up, he staggered off in the direction of the village. He knew it to be at least half an hour's walk but he couldn't just give up. He had to find Richard, he needed to save Kahlan and then go after Darken Rahl. His head with a numbing pain, a head ach settling in. The grasses and bushes were swaying. Everything looked unnatural and dreamlike. He almost thought he was dreaming. Gasping and coughing back the dryness in his mouth he couldn't keep it up any longer and suddenly collapsed knees first, onto the ground. In desperate need to find that village he begun to crawl his way but he lost strength in his arms. His face now firmly against the muddy ground, sideways, his vision was getting even blurry and brighter. Realising he was going unconscious; he noticed something get into his line of sight.

Something which made him panic. This last act of emotion, withdrawing from energy, was what finally made everything go black as he was made unconscious.

To be continued…

There you go everyone. A new chapter and what did you all think? It was Zedd-Centric. It revealed what he done and why he done it after Richard rode off after Kahlan. Did Zedd make the right decision going back to bury Nell? What did you think of when the Gar appeared and ate most of her up? Will there be parent Gars? Zedd also confirmed that this ball of liquid fire is infact Wizard's fire… but he also used the simple wizard's fire earlier on their journey. So why has he only now recently decided to use this liquid fire?

Before Zedd drifted unconscious, what did he see that worried him? I'm sorry if this chapter bored you for there was no real action or fighting, but it helps lead into the next chapter nicely which is when the story picks up once again.

Now with so many questions, there's only one way to be told the answers… you got it! Please submit me your reviews. I loving reading them all. So until next time…