CHAPTER TWO
Zedd pulled on his horse's reins, drawing the mare to a stop. Kahlan followed suite, noting the worried frown etched on Zedd's long face, but she could not sense what had caused his obvious ill-ease.
Kahlan stared down the road. It was lined by cherry trees, each covered in pink and white blossoms. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves and sent delicate flowers tumbling across the grass. Warm sunlight filtered through the leaves. It was difficult to imagine this was a terrifying place.
"Agaden Reach," he said slowly, his voice grave with concern. "You'll have to go on alone from here."
"Is the way safe?"
Zedd considered the question. His long pause was answer enough, and Kahlan felt her heart sink and stomach tighten.
"The Shota does not like visitors. Her wards are useless against a wizard such as myself, but you may run afoul of them."
"Wards?"
Zedd's gaze met Kahlan's, his lips twisted with concern. "Fear. Fear and illusions They are her greatest weapons. The forests of the Reach are safe, safer than any other forest in this world. Safe because the Shota rules them. But they will seem terrifying. The spells are woven into the trees themselves, spells to terrify and frighten the weak-willed. Only the bravest and most determined find their way to the heart of the Shota's realm. You will hear strange sounds, shadows will seem to follow you. You must ignore these things, put them out of your mind."
"But there is no real threat?"
Zedd fell silent. As Kahlan waited for a reply it slowly dawned on her that none would be forthcoming.
"You should go now," Zedd finally offered. "You're losing daylight."
Kahlan started to protest, then thought better of it. With her stomach souring and her jaw set tight, she turned her horse towards the cherry lined rode and spurred it forward.
***
Richard yawned and stretched his arms, adjusting his seating on the stump he'd found to rest on. Sebastian was still working on building a sundial. At least that's what Richard thought he was building. He'd been working on it for at least an hour. Richard had helped him shape a long wooden stake and set in the ground, but the rest was up to Sebastian. First he had connected a series of strings to stones, forming a fragile net over; now he was using pebbles to draw lines radiating out from the stake, and more lines connecting them.
"I'm telling you, we can find the trail on our own. I'm an excellent woodsman."
"And you're entirely unfamilliar with this area. We could waste hours wandering down the wrong trail. Just give me a little more time and we can be certain of where we are."
Richard tapped his foot impatiently and fidgeted restlessly with the Sword of Truth's pommel.
"Tell me you're almost done."
"I'm almost done."
"You're lying to me, aren't you?"
Sebastian stood and brushed the dirt from his hands, admiring his handiwork.
"It should start working any moment now."
Richard stood and stretched then ambled over to Sebastian's side. The pattern radiating out from the stake was quite intricate, and as the sun shown down on it the shadows of the strings drew lines across the stones. As Richard watched the pattern seemed to blur and change, the shadows twisting and turning about. The lines of shadow formed by the strings bent into impossible shapes. Finally a single stone began to glow with a pale yellow light.
"What is it?"
"A cartogramancer's trick, a magical sundial. That glowing stone indicates our position."
Sebastian unfurled another of the dozen or so maps he'd brought along and began comparing the map to his sundial. Richard peered over his shoulder and realized that the shadow lines of the sundial corresponded to the coastlines and major rivers on the map.
"That's amazing!"
"It's not so bad," Sebastian agreed with a smug smile. "And I was right, that last trail fork we passed was the one we wanted. Let's get ourselves turned about. If we move quickly, we should be near the Keplat by nightfall."
"I'm surprised you're willing to spend the night in the Keplat."
"Are you crazy? I'm not going in there. And neither are you, not until morning. Once we get to the Keplat, we'll camp outside and you'll protect me, just like you promised. Then in the morning I'm going home. You want to go inside and get yourself killed, that's none of my business."
Richard snorted and leapt onto his horse.
"Let's go then."
***
Bullant's best scout had walked the perimeter and found no signs of the Seeker's passage. Not a single foot print, or any sign of horses. The Seeker was known to be a woodsman of some skill and could be counted on to cover his tracks, but the terrain surrounding the ruins was dry and bare earth, broken only by the occasional clump of dry and dying grass. It was peculiar, given that the rest of the small valley was lush and green. It was as if the grounds surrounding the ruins had been salted, but there was no salt. Bullant worried that magic was at fault, dark magic seeping out of the ruins. Whatever the cause, the Seeker would have left some sign of passage, unless he'd flown in. Which seemed unlikely.
Bullant considered himself a rational and logical man, not prone to wild flights a fantasy. Under the guidance of Commander Voltarro he had developed his gift for logical deduction and strategic thinking, and knew that base superstition was little more than fear of the unknown. Still, as he considered the mysterious ruins he felt a chill run down his spine and a tremor in his resolve. The ruins inspired in him the same sense of dread and fear that the sight of an unexpected Mord Sith provoked.
"Take up positions behind those fallen columns there!" Barking orders at his men restored some sense of normalcy. "Our best hope is to surprise the Seeker and catch him in a crossfire. Don't reveal your numbers! Move single file, cover your tracks!"
As his men rushed to obey, he cast a nervous glance back at the ruins. There was no way he could know what lay within, but his every nerve told him that to find out would bring death.
***
Kahlan rode slowly through the forest. Her horse whinnied and protested as the penetrated deeper into the increasingly gloomy woods. The bright cherry trees had given way to towering oaks and maples, and they cast deep shadows across the trail. From those shadows Kahlan could hear sounds of animals; the baying of wolves; the howl of mountain cats; the roar of a gar. She ignored the sounds, putting them out of her mind by humming a quiet lullaby to herself.
As she continued to rise she heard voices, human voices. She stopped humming and the voices began more distinct. Whispers from the sides of the road, the the sharp notes of the D'Haran tongue. From the corner of her eyes she thought she saw troops following her route, just off the road. Illusions she thought. There were no soldiers of D'Hara in the Agaden Reach. Not even Darken Rahl was greedy or fool enough to try to conquer this valley.
The forest felt strangely silent. Ominously silent, without even the chirping of birds or the rustle of leaves. From the corner of her eye she saw a large shape gliding through the forest, but when she turned to look it was gone. Or perhaps had never been there to begin with. Kahlan gripped the horse's reins tight, her knuckles turning white. The horse neighed and she realized she was digging her heels into it's ribs. With a long breath she tried to relax and banish her fears.
A child screamed in the distance.
Kahlan snapped to attention, looking intently about for any sign of the scream's origin. There was nothing but the heavily filtered late afternoon light, forming hazy beams where it penetrated the thick canopy overhead. The child screamed again and this time Kahlan pinpointed its direction.
She spurred her horse forward but it would not budge. Grumbling she slid from its back and wrestled it closer to a tree where she could tie it off. Once the horse was secured she began racing towards the sound of the last scream. A third cry kept her on course.
As she came over a slight rise she saw a large sinkhole. Wet earthen walls rimmed a pool of thick, black mud. In the center of the depression a young girl struggled against the mud, but already it had claimed her up to her shoulders. She was blonde and fair, with her hair cut short like a page. She seemed strangely familiar.
"Hold on!" shouted Kahlan as she climbed down the steep walls of the sinkhole, grabbing hold of the thick roots exposed when the ground had collapsed. "I'm going to get you out of there."
"You can't get me out!" cried the young girl as she thrashed about.
"Don't struggle! The mud will only take you quicker!"
"The mud takes us all!" cried the girl as Kahlan reached the lowest point she could find. As she reached out a hand to the girl her eyes went wide with recognition and terror. The girl was Kahlan! Kahlan at the same age she'd been when her mother had died, when she had first began to worry that she was not worthy of the burden she would have to carry.
"Down in the muck and mire," screamed the girl who looked like Kahlan. "It's where you belong!"
Her hand wrapped around Kahlan's wrist and was cold and clamy. Kahlan's heart froze with terror as the girl who looked like her grew older before her eyes. In the blink of a eye she was older than Kahlan was now, and a heartbeat later she was withered and aged, her skin splitting as her tangled nest of grey hair fell around her. She was cackling now, and Kahlan realized she herself was screaming. She kicked at the gruesome spectre, but it held her fast in it's bony grip.
"Come with me!" screeched the foul thing as it tried to drag her into the pit. "You know this is the best for you! Come drown in the filth with me!"
Kahlan kicked and screamed as her feet sunk into the mire. She clutched futilely at the sinkhole's muddy walls, gouging huge clumps of dirt from the walls. The horrid creature had her with both hands now and its strength was fantastic. As the mud reached her waist Kahlan feared her life was over. It was then that she realized why Zedd had not answered her question, why he would not assure her that the Shota's illusions could not harm her. She closed her eyes and cleared her mind, focusing all of her thoughts on summoning a calming image. In her mind's eye she could Richard smiling face, his sparkling blue eyes.
Suddenly all was quiet, but not a ominous quiet. Birds chirped, the leaves rustled, and Kahlan found herself alone in the sinkhole. It was real enough, and her white gown was now a mud-stained soggy mess. She reached out and grabbed hold of a root and began to pull herself out of the muck.
As she pulled herself over the edge of the hole, she grumbled something nasty under her breath. The Shota better have an answer for her, she thought. This was a lot of irritation to put up with for nothing.
***
"Hah!" Sebastian tugged at his suspenders as he puffed up his chest. "Didn't I tell you I'd guide us here unerringly."
Richard nodded appreciatively. The ruins dominated the small valley, and given that someone had cleared away the brush from around them, they stood out quite noticeably. There was something about the clearing that gave Richard pause.
"So, where should we set up camp?" Sebastian was already guiding his horse down into the valley. "I want to get started on dinner. I'm absolutely starving."
"Wait, stop."
Sebastian stopped and looked at Richard, clearly confused.
"I thought you wanted to come here. I'm little surprised that we're here and now you're the one with cold feet."
"No, look." Richard pointed and Sebastian followed his finger.
"I don't see anything."
"That glint? You don't see that?"
Sebastian stared at the clearing, but Richard could tell he was looking at it all wrong. He was starring, but he wasn't observing.
"Wait here."
Richard hopped off his horse and began cutting a trail through the brush, carving a curving line to the outermost perimeter of the clearing. Sebastian dismounted and followed along, leaving the horses on the trail. As they drew closer to the clearing the glint Richard had seen earlier resolved itself into the helmet of a D'Haran soldier. He was resting casually against the remnants of an ancient stone wall, a heavy crossbow lying across his lap. Near him another D'Haran soldier crouched down, hiding himself more effectively. Richard quickly spotted several more soldiers. They were set to ambush anyone coming down the main trail, and from this angle their hiding spots were useless.
"Can you take them?" Sebastian hissed from behind.
"Maybe, if it's only the six I can see. But there's probably more I can't see on the other side of the trail. A straight up fight could get really ugly. I wish Zedd was here. Or Kahlan. We'd have more options."
Richard hunkered down behind a large rock and considered his options. Sebastian continued to stare at the D'Harans until Richard grabbed his jacket and pulled him down to the ground.
"Get your head down, we still have the element of surprise."
"So I guess it's a bust, huh?" Sebastian looked at him hopefully. "The D'harans are here, so we'll have to turn around, go home."
"That's not an option."
"Oh. I'm sorry, I thought you promised me I wouldn't get killed. And yet, here we are, at the mouth of a prison-tomb of some unholy beast from the underworld, which is surrounded by more D'Haran soldiers than you can handle, and you're telling me the only option that won't get me killed is off the table," Sebastian huffed, then sarcastically added: "You're quite the hero."
Richard scowled as he poked his head over the rock to check on the D'Harans again. Off in the distance he could see their horses. "Follow me."
Together Richard and Sebastian crept along the perimeter of the ruins, keeping low to the ground, making their way slowly to the D'Haran's horses. Richard counted quickly. There were twenty one horses, which meant five quads and a captain. From their new position Richard could make out another six D'Harans and their leader. From the styling of his armor and tunic Richard guessed he was a lieutenant.
"Look there." Richard pointed and again Sebastian followed his finger but did not see what he was pointing at.
"What am I looking for?"
"That hole over there, under the collapsed building."
"What about it?"
"It must be the entrance to the tomb. The D'Haran's have set up their ambush well ahead of it, so if were careful, we should be able to slip past them and get in without them noticing."
"And what am I supposed to do? Wait out here and hope they don't find me?"
"No, you're coming into the tomb with me. It's not safe out here."
"It's not safe in there!"