Word Count: 6,678
A/N1: See the previous chapters for disclaimers.
A/N2: My gratitude to Cloud Auditore Fair, my lovely beta.
A/N3: Again, I apologize for the delayed update. Thanks to and for you readers that kept an patient eye on this tale, I managed to bring this one to life. Life which has been whipping me lately, but I'm working hard to get the last chapter finished as soon as I can, which may be by this weekend. As of the present chapter, I'll let you find out what it has to say.
Survivor
- V -
When the Mord'Sith took the first step out of the shadows, Kahlan planted her feet into the muddy ground and braced herself for the inevitable.
The woman was stalking toward her with murder in her eerie sallow eyes and all she could think at that moment was how life could be ironically revealing when confronted with its imminent end.
She took a deep breath and raised her daggers; her only chance was to attack first.
But before Kahlan could make her move, something landed heavily behind her and scurried towards the brushwood to her right. Her eyes flicked reflexively to that direction, then back to Cara, who was now standing startling close to her. The woman shook her head disapprovingly at the Confessor, a wicked glint in her eyes as she clacked her tongue.
"Bad decision, Confessor," She sneered, before suddenly appearing by Kahlan's right side to give the brunette a hard shove just as the beast crawled out of hiding releasing a gut wrenching growl.
Kahlan went sprawling on the ground several paces away, the pack she carried somehow slipped off of her shoulders and fell even farther. Hurrying to get her bearings, she scooted backwards until the back of her head hit the thick trunk of an oak, which she used as leverage to scramble up to her feet.
She was gripping her daggers so hard her knuckles were hurting and she could feel the skin of her palms callusing, but none of it could compare with the violence of the scene she was witnessing. Her stomach churned at the sight of Cara hovering over the jawless body of that nude man… No, it wasn't a man anymore. It was now a hapless sack of bloody entrails thrown on top of the boulder that Kahlan had used as coverture.
She just stood there, frozen in that place between shock and confusion, back pressed against the rough bark of the tree as she watched the Mord'Sith jump off of the rock and toss the man's jaw to the dirt as if it was a useless twig. Cara turned to meet her eyes, chest heaving, a grin forming on her face; that gory, unemotional thing, just as before.
Then, it dawned on Kahlan.
Upon seeing the stricken look on the Confessor's face, that grin slowly faded from the Mord'Sith's own, the thrill of killing lessening as the blood cooled in her veins once more. Sallow eyes narrowed then, darting to the sides, nostrils flaring as she scanned the tree line for a moment before she looked back at Kahlan and spoke evenly, "We need to move."
But the woman just continued staring blankly at her. It was then that Cara caught the silvery glint of her blades flashing in the dimness as Kahlan methodically flexed her wrists, feet slowly drifting apart as she readied her stance.
An ominous silence fell upon the woods as their eyes locked in a battle that wasn't meant to be won by either of them. Five yards kept them apart from one another and shadows blurred the air in between. Still, Cara could see the regal lines of Kahlan's body perfectly, the hard set of her face framed by luscious, long dark locks, her chin raised in cold defiance and azure eyes that blazed a fiery warning. The Mother Confessor was in fact a mythical sight. How could she not be awed by such passion and beauty? How could she not want to devote her body and soul to this strong, fierce woman? Cara wondered, realizing that she had been the one trapped the whole time, for there was no escape from this, no escape from Kahlan. Sadly so, she just found out that there had never been a reason to run away from this fall.
Until this happened.
Her lips twitched despite herself, the closest she would get to a genuine smile; a sad one that she was certain Kahlan wouldn't see.
Cara looked down at her hands, at the front of her torn leathers; no wonder Kahlan was staring at her like that. Without wasting any more time, she strode to where the pack had landed a few paces out of the diameter of the clearing, crouched by it and, after digging a water skin and a rag from the bottom of the pack, she began to scrub herself.
All the while she could feel the weight of that stare on her, boring on the back of her skull. When she was at last finished, she threw the bloody rag away and the emptied water skin back into the pack which she just then recognized as her own. Still sitting on her haunches, her back to the other woman, Cara brought her right hand to her left side, fingering the three deep scratches left there by the fellow she had just killed. He wasn't one of the biggest she had found, perhaps even the weakest for she had dismembered him in no time. Yet, he, and his companion before, had surprised her, managing to approach without being noted. Well, she was being dutifully distracted then.
As for her wounds, they were of no consequence, not even bleeding anymore. Lowering her fingers, she let them graze the Agiel still strapped to her left thigh. Her eyelids fluttered shut for a fleeting moment, her teeth gritting as she let out a ragged sigh. There was no pain at all.
The Mord'Sith stood quickly, pulling the Agiel off and shoving it into bottom of the pack to make company to its ineffective twin. She didn't need yet another reminder of what couldn't be remedied. She didn't want nor have the time to think about what was happening to her. Focus on the task at hand.
Thus, holding out the pack by one of its straps, she turned to face the Confessor, who had moved slightly around the tree, just a step to her right that would enable her to read Cara's movements better. Kahlan, having noticed the woman's abrupt rise, felt her guts twisting in knots; if out of fear or anything else she couldn't be precise at that moment. But, seeing that at least Cara's hands, chest and face were mostly cleansed of all that disgusting fluid provided her with the needed pause to breath. The darker blood... A thought occurred to Kahlan then, but before she could elaborate it further Cara's voice cut in the night.
"Why are you not moving?" She asked gruffly, taking steps toward Kahlan, offering the pack to her.
"I should've known."
That caused the Mord'Sith's steps to falter. A furtive look to her right prompted Cara to continue on, though, if only for the two more paces that would bring her to stand in front of the boulder, blocking what view Kahlan had of it.
She parted her lips to remind Kahlan that they needed to get away from that place, that everything was going to be alright, but the Confessor had this far-away look in her eyes that made Cara's throat tighten, for what she could only manage a rough, "Known what?" as her eyes sought Kahlan's own in the near dark.
The Confessor met her gaze after a silence and spoke quietly, as if in a daze, "The Agiel I put in the pack, I… When you found me, it no longer burned at my back."
Cara lowered her eyes, saying nothing.
"Are you dead?" Came the strangled whisper.
The Mord'Sith's head snapped up, sallow eyes flashing inhumanly in the dark; sudden, irrational anger boiled in her veins at hearing the Confessor asking her that. Cara was seeing those things in Kahlan's eyes again and it opened the gate to set free all those confused emotions, the old and the new doubts that had been battling inside her all this time came forth to cloud her judgment.
Her still human side, a part of her Mord'Sith self, screamed for life, to feel the pain of it, while the bestial instincts inside her roared for release, thirsting of blood.
Kahlan's heart thundered in her chest as she saw the Mord'Sith let the strap of the pack slid from her ungloved fingers to land with a muffled thud on the ground, her head cocked to one side, eyes hooded in intense scrutiny.
She'd most likely asked the wrong question, judging by the menacing way Cara was approaching her, but she couldn't help thinking the worst; she had held Cara's lifeless body, felt her still heart under her fingers before it miraculously started to beat again. Nevertheless, the Mother Confessor wouldn't just stand there like a frightened maiden and be intimidated by… whatever it was that the Mord'Sith had become.
And she was going to prove as much, but then the woman appeared before her out of the blue, nose almost bumping Kahlan's as she seized the brunette's right hand and yanked it up between their bodies to place the tip of the dagger just below her own pulse point.
Kahlan's eyes widened in shock and she instinctively tried to pull her arm back, but it was a useless act. She then let the other dagger fall to the dirt, wrapped the fingers of her free hand round Cara's offending forearm and tugged it down with all her might. It didn't budge one inch. Grunting in frustration, the Confessor slammed her fisted hand against the blonde's shoulder over and over also to no avail, and then, only to put more fuel on the fire of her jumbled emotions, the blonde snaked her right hand to grab Kahlan's hip, bringing their bodies flush together. The feel of the clawed, sharp tips of Cara's fingers digging into her flesh was quite... odd, and also painful, but not enough to make Kahlan stop. Though, the most infuriating was the smirk on Cara's face when the Confessor almost split her skull open against the trunk by trying to jerk away from the Mord'Sith's firm hold.
"You better have a long-lasting stock of this strength, because when it's no longer, you'll regret having put your hands on me, Mord'Sith." She spat on Cara's face before turning her head angrily, facing away from the Mord'Sith's probing eyes.
Kahlan knew threatening Cara now was futile, if not a dangerous way to go considering the narrow set of choices she had, and she didn't think Confession was one of them. But the thing was that she needed to get rid of these strange sensations starting to consume her body. As soon as the blonde pinned her against the tree, that overwhelming heat radiating off of her and those eerie eyes sought to drain the Confessor's mind of all rational thought. It was disconcerting to say the least, so Kahlan found it better to disguise it as anger; it didn't seem quite right to be feeling such things at a moment like this and she was certain this Cara would laugh on her face if she let it show off.
"Oh but I think you just granted me that permission, Mother Confessor." Cara taunted her, searching for Kahlan's eyes. She chuckled darkly as the woman vainly kept struggling against her, a faint blush rising on her chest and cheeks as she insisted on avoiding the blonde's face. "Come on," She drawled, "I'm not going to bite you."
Kahlan scoffed at the cynical words; she was being toyed with and it made her really furious. Looking sharply at Cara, she hissed venomously, "I'm not going anywhere with… whatever is it that you are now."
That seemed to hit the mark.
Yellow eyes stared intently at blue ones for what felt like forever before the Mord'Sith's grip on her flesh hardened just that little bit more to break skin, at the same time as she forced the sharp edge of the blade against her own.
Kahlan watched in bewilderment as the deep red line erupting from Cara's neck began to heal, the scar following the slow descend of the blade on her skin.
"As you can see," Cara growled, breath hot against slightly parted lips, then drawing her face back to look into dazed blue eyes, "I'm most certainly not dead."
With that, she let go of Kahlan's hand, next releasing her clutch on the brunette's hip. Other than that, she didn't move, enduring Kahlan's gaze with a mixture of trepidation and something else in her own.
The dagger slipped from Kahlan's fingers, forgotten to the ground as she, for the first time since the Mord'Sith had found her, looked back into completely unguarded eyes.
"I'm sorry, I just…" She trailed off, unable to put into words what she felt at that moment. Because even though the woman wasn't touching her anymore, she still could feel the heat of Cara's body which made it really hard to think about anything else. Plus, that strangeness in Cara's eyes perturbed her state of mind in ways she couldn't quite begin to decipher. Not even if she wanted to.
"I understand. I'm scaring you." The Mord'Sith said bluntly, meaning to back away but Kahlan stopped her mid-step, grabbing her forearm.
"No, I, I'm not scared of you. Never of you." The Confessor breathed, somewhat confused herself but hoping she was being evocative enough for both of their sakes.
Cara eyed her for a hesitant moment, then cast her eyes down and nodded. They stayed like that for an awkward stretch of silence before Kahlan started to fidget, her fingers still loosely wrapped around the Mord'Sith's forearm.
But then, when Cara finally looked back into her eyes, Kahlan's fingers clutched the firm muscle, as the air caught in her throat.
She was looking into that rich, dark green again.
So thrown off the Confessor was by the sight that she didn't immediately realize Cara lowering herself to one knee in front of her and, even when she did, words didn't seem to find their way to her lips. So, Kahlan just watched in quiet puzzlement as the woman took her daggers off the dirt and proceeded to reverently put one, then the other, back into the sheathes on her boots.
The Mord'Sith then placed her hands lightly on the outer sides of Kahlan's thighs, just where the boots ended, gazing up at her.
Cara knew it was dangerous to stay here any longer, but the more she told it to herself, the more the look in Kahlan's eyes conspired with the quietness to undermine all her certainties. Among all the strange things this woman made her feel along this last year, just one prevailed in this moment; the one that caused her heart to beat faster and her insides to ache, that moved that long forgotten part of her soul in ways nothing else ever did. Because she feared it, she had been fighting it. Yet, it remained there all the same, intact and laid perfectly bare before her eyes, clear and pure as the sparkling blue of these irises staring down at her now. Cara loved this woman, this Confessor. And in this space of time in which the night was no more, and the dark was giving birth to a new light, she knew that Kahlan loved her, too.
"Cara?"
"Yes."
"What are you doing?"
She was pressing her lips again to a particular scar on Kahlan's right thigh. She remembered it quite vividly now, the burning of skin, the locking of eyes. She didn't want to forget.
"I don't want to forget." Cara voiced her wish, closing her eyes as she kissed the mended skin over and over.
The act would've remained as innocent as that, if not for the hand slipping up between her legs, beneath the leathered flap of her skirt, the scraping of razor-sharp fingernails down her inner thigh with sufficient force to elicit a gasp from the Confessor.
Cara vaguely felt as a tentative hand touched her shoulder and a breathy voice said something, but she couldn't discern it from this hunger twisting her insides.
She would never purposely hurt Kahlan, but something was changing within her. Cara knew it; she'd known something was different since the moment she woke up in Kahlan's arms back in the cave.
It just wouldn't stop. But she had to. She couldn't lose control.
The Mord'Sith rose in a blur and violently sank her clawed fingers into the rough bark of the tree at each side of the Confessor's head. Her irises were back to that sickening yellow when Kahlan looked up into them and for a moment she thought she saw small fangs flashing between Cara's parted lips.
The blonde was breathing raggedly, seeking in the calming blue of Kahlan's eyes that one thing words wouldn't grant her with. Kahlan seemed to understand it and did nothing more than just look into Cara's eyes as the woman exerted herself out of it.
When the Mord'Sith's chest finally stopped shuddering with spasms, her breathing becoming quiet and easier, Kahlan simply wrapped her arms around Cara's waist and pulled the woman into her arms.
"How do you do this?" Cara husked after a while, face buried into the Confessor's neck.
"Do what?" Came the quiet question.
"Your scent." She clarified, chuckling against Kahlan's skin, "The barest hint of it set me on fire."
"Oh…" Kahlan breathed a nervous laugh, her arms loosening their hold on Cara's back the slightest, "Should I let you go… now?"
These words seemed to provoke an unexpected reaction from the Mord'Sith, for she noticed the woman's body tensing up against her own. Yet, a moment later, Kahlan felt warm hands touching the sides of her neck, Cara's breath caressing the aching side of her face as she whispered close to the Confessor's ear, "Is that what you want?"
Kahlan couldn't even begin to name the things she wanted to do with Cara right now. But there it was all the same; the question under the question. Her heart and her head were fated to battle eternally it seemed.
"Do you think I have a choice in the matter?"
It's only fair, Cara told to herself as she squeezed her eyes shut and laid her forehead onto the Confessor's temple, feeling Kahlan's arms leaving her body as she whispered against the corner of her mouth, "I would never hurt you." Then, she placed a hard kiss to Kahlan's bruised cheek and Kahlan's arms were empty.
Cara strode away from her, bent down to grab the pack from the ground and turned back to offer it to Kahlan, her face blank.
"Want to go for a ride?" She asked as the Confessor approached her with a strange look in her eyes that Cara didn't want to see. So, she threw the pack for Kahlan to catch it mid-air and turned her back to the woman.
She waited until Kahlan had the pack strapped to her back, then looked over her shoulder expectantly. To her consternation, the woman was staring fixedly at the boulder, thumbs hooked on the straps of the pack like she was deciding whether to keep it or not.
"Are you sure?" Kahlan asked quietly, still facing away from Cara.
The Mord'Sith gave the brunette a last glare before looking back to the trees ahead. "It will be much faster this way."
A moment later she heard steps, then arms were gingerly encircling her neck.
"Don't let me fall, because I'll bring you down with me." Kahlan grumbled into her ear, then she took one of Cara's hands and placed it lightly on the outer side of her right thigh.
Cara smirked, understanding.
She bent forward a little and Kahlan jumped onto her back, wrapping her long legs around Cara's hips. Well, it was by far the most undignified way a Mother Confessor ever traveled, but since she was currently in a remote dark forest infested by murderous creatures…
"You're quite a comfortable mount." She quipped.
Cara rolled her eyes, turning her head to get a peek at the Confessor's face. She liked what she found over her shoulder and promised herself to make that shy smile appear more times.
"Hold tight, Confessor." And with that, the Mord'Sith sped off into the awaking woods.
While he walked between the wooden benches that lined the outer hall of the Monastery, the first timid shafts of sunlight coming from the small dormers sited high on the arched ceiling guided his way toward an ebony door at the bottom of the austere room.
The Wizard let his gaze scan the tiled floor while he strode warily, noticing as its dichromatic decorative motifs were dulled by a thick layer of dust, dry leaves and encrusted blood.
The place was of considerable size, having the likeness of a military fortress with enough quarters to house over a two hundred people, counting with the accommodations of the second floor.
Though, it was the picture of desolation now.
A couple of paces more and he was facing the door, reaching for its ringed handle, but the Wizard faltered momentarily as his thoughts reeled back to the last evening.
As was to be expected, Richard had valiantly tried to focus on solving their newest mischance, but when Zedd left him, knowing that his grandson's heart was heavy with disillusion as well as with concern for Kahlan, his throat had felt awfully tight. Then again, there hadn't been so much to say, more so because Zedd had a fair guess about what or, rather, who might be the target of the repressed anger he saw in Richard's eyes. Though, leaving him, as dangerous a decision as it seemed at that moment, had been required after all. He needed to gather answers and, the soon he got them, the soon he could go back to his little makeshift family to try and make sure that those three stubborn heads wouldn't end up hurting one another even more than it was likely bound to happen.
With a weary sigh, the Wizard forced these distressing thoughts to the back of his mind, then gripped the iron ring and pushed the heavy door open.
As it was, the last year had taught him well the feel of this kind of dark magic, the one that he had been tracking and now sensed, if still eerily faint, coming from the middle of the smaller room. He remembered enough of the past to not discard the possibility of such trouble being unleashed from a place like this; though, since he left this side of the boundaries carrying a tiny Richard with him, that knowledge had been put aside along with his old life here in the Midlands. For all he knew then, the Monastery of L'aeb had always inspired wraithlike tales since its foundation forty-five years ago, and not only because its walls sheltered a mysterious brotherhood of ascetic monks known for their severe regime of labor – in fact, the Order was respected for that, if mostly out of fear – but because of the rumors that the monks were involved with the forbidden sorcery buried under its foundations. Still, Zedd had hoped that the survivors' nonsensical rambles about the monks and a reopened rift were just a coincidence.
But, unfortunately this time, his intuition proved to be literally in the right place.
Stepping past the doorway, the Wizard's eyes zeroed in on the tall cloaked figure standing in front of an altar in the middle of the torch-lit chamber, hooded head bowed as if in silent prayer.
Zedd didn't need to see a face to know who it was.
"Why am I not surprised to find you here?"
"Raptors always follow the smell of carrion." The thinly veiled insult didn't get past the Wizard, who straightened his back as the man slowly turned to face him, a cruel smile curling his lips as he leered, "You, of all people, should know that, First Wizard."
"It was true, then. Panis made it." Zedd sobered, not giving in to the provocation as he stepped further into the room, eyes locked with the blue ones of a viper.
"Yes, he did," Rahl said at length. "And actually, this can be the only chance we'll ever get to appreciate my Father's grandest accomplishment, so you understand why I couldn't just let it pass by," He mocked, finally removing the hood off of his head.
Then Rahl took a measured step forward, the movement revealing a streak of red velour embroidered with gold underneath the long black cloak he wore. It was the formal attire of the Lord Rahl, though the naked arms gave him a more insouciant air. Even so, Zedd knew better than to think they were the only presences in the place.
"So, the great Zeddicus came for a small taste too, I imagine." Rahl mused with false innocence after a moment of studying the stern expression on the Wizard's face.
Already resigned, Zedd braced himself for the battle to come and walked toward the center of the chamber.
"I needed to see the scope of the damage first." He came to stand beside Rahl and in front of the altar, seeing by the corner of the eye as Rahl turned toward the structure once more.
The Wizard could still feel icy eyes scrutinizing him, searching for the smallest crack on his façade. Well, it wasn't going to be that easy.
"First, indeed." Rahl conceded after yet another calculated silence, smirking as his gaze drifted to the squared object at which the Wizard was wordlessly staring.
The altar was the heart of the Monastery. It reminded Zedd of a pulpit, though the solid form looked strikingly more like an overgrown red tiger eye stone, and it was ornate with a lone silver chalice that was placed on top of the polished surface. He figured that such enormous thing could've only been conjured in this room with the aid of powerful magic, since this kind of rock was hardly found by these parts of the Midlands, let alone this big and with such impeccable aspect. Though, now, it was stained with blood and scarred by two long, vertical cracks that split the massive block in three uneven parts. A well-known green glow could be seen flickering through the clefts; it would fade out completely for a few seconds, and then slowly enkindle again like the beating of an agonizing heart.
"It's beautiful, don't you think?" Rahl commented idly, peering at the empty chalice. It had likely been filled with blood or something akin, judging by the dark crimson fouling its fund.
Zedd sighed irritably. "I'm assuming you already know that those demons escaped from the Underworld," He paused, glaring at Rahl as he added, "Using this!" while pointing a bony finger at the cleaved altar.
"Now, why should I worry about that?" Rahl smiled unkindly, without sparing him a look.
Zedd could only stare at the man in bafflement. He knew Darken Rahl was a cold blooded tyrant, but he would never be prepared to see how much of an empty shell the fallen sovereign of D'Hara had become. Part of him actually pitied this man, for he never had the chance to escape the stigma of the House of Rahl, like Richard had. No. Darken was never meant to escape, and because of that he was like that deviant child, always circling the rim of the well, thirsty, but never daring to touch the waters, for it would deface the semblance of life reflected there, a life he could only dream of. If he dreamed at all.
Shaking these thoughts off, Zedd sighed, this time in resignation as his gaze followed Rahl's to the chalice.
"I'll talk to Shota, I believe my and her powers combined will be sufficient to seal these ones," He theorized, and then saw as the green glow shimmered wildly through the clefts, as if contesting his words. "And once the veil is ultimately restored, we will blast those demons right back to their pit," Zedd finished and turned to leave the room, but faltered at hearing Rahl clacking his tongue, clearly defying his logic.
"Do you really think things can be so predictably solved?"
Zedd did stop at that. He sighed heavily before whirling back to face Rahl, who gave him a flimsy smile as he teased, "I've heard that there have been some attacks in the forests of Domar. Somebody's missing?"
"If I didn't know about the current… malaise between you and the Keeper, I'd bet my powers you were behind this."
Rahl laughed, a long, rich sound that echoed forebodingly in the quiet chamber.
"I'd like to have that card up my sleeve," He said as he started to walk leisurely toward the doorway. "But, I shall ease your mind, Zeddicus. I'm just as interested in putting an end to this mess as you are." Then, coming to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Wizard, he leaned in as if to share a secret, "In fact, though not so obvious, this can have quite a simple solution. But I don't think my dear brother would be so willing to make an attempt this time."
Rahl gave him an odd look before resuming his way past Zedd, who turned to watch the man disappear through the doorway. The Wizard suddenly felt a pressing urge to follow his demoralizing interlocutor, and when he sensed the ill-omened presences coming out of the shadows as soon as Rahl exited the chamber, he did exactly that. Zedd didn't have time to worry about them now, though; if they were here to subdue him, they would have done it already, wouldn't they?
So, he concentrated his attention on Rahl, who kept walking calmly in the direction of the main gate.
"Richard overcame the Keeper's minions more than once, he will succeed again," Zedd called after him, coming to a halt after crossing the threshold. Just then, the two Mord'Sith that had been at his heels shouldered their way past him. A moment later, another surged from somewhere behind him, this one a tall brunette with piercing blue eyes that gave the Wizard an enigmatic glare after nearly toppling him over with a bump of her shoulder and continuing on toward her Sisters and Lord.
Zedd blinked, momentarily startled by the other Mord'Sith's sudden appearance, then saw as Rahl stopped as well, turning regally to stand under the streaks of multicolored sunlight that filtered through a rectangular, stained glass window on the eastern wall of the Monastery.
As the Mord'Sith approached Rahl, Zedd noted that the one who gave him that strange look stayed by his right side, while the other two blondes went to stand a little far behind, near the gateway. A good six strides separated him from Rahl and the Mord'Sith, but it was starting to feel quite overwhelming to Zedd now that the standoffish women were in full view.
"Yes, I share your faith in my brother," said the man, smiling condescendingly. "But I have a guess that Richard won't be so eager to sacrifice his humanity now that he can finally be with the woman he loves."
The Wizard narrowed his eyes at that, taking an almost involuntary step forward.
Rahl's smile grew malicious. "Don't make that face at me," He taunted, "Rumors of the Seeker and Mother Confessor's impending marriage have crossed the territories already and I'm quite sure there's a finger of a certain Wizard in the whole spreading word matter."
Zedd didn't bother to address Rahl's snide comment; he had far more pressing issues to deal with as of now.
"What do you mean 'sacrifice his humanity'?" He asked, his suspicions only increasing as Rahl just continued to look at him with that inscrutable expression on his face.
"Well, I'm just putting the pieces together." Rahl said after a moment far too long for Zedd's taste, his gooey tone getting on the Wizard's nerves as he went on, "My dear brother gave the original Stone of Tears to the Keeper and now this is happening. Personally, I think that freeing those ghastly monsters now is more proof of his desperate state than anything else," A pause, "He must be in a wrath, though." This last bit caused his eyes to sparkle with sadistic satisfaction and, as he continued to speak, the malevolently serene sound of his voice felt as if tendrils of dread were crawling up Zedd's spine.
"So, as it is, someone will have to go down there and get that stone back from my former Master. Otherwise, the blasted demon will always be tempted to use its powers to cause us more trouble," He reasoned, a forefinger tapping his lower lip as he made a pensive face. "Don't you think it just that Richard should be this someone?" Rahl mused, his head tilting forward in mock suspense.
He had but to wait a moment for the bait to be bitten.
"I will do it," Zedd declared without hesitation.
Of course the old fool would play the martyr in order to spare the skin of the little bastard. Darken Rahl took a long, deep breath, letting it out in a rough exhale; patience was never one of his strongest suits.
"Now, that would be a tremendous stupidity, Zeddicus, not to mention a waste of your remarkable talents," Rahl chided lightly, barely avoiding rolling his eyes at his own act. "What's more, Richard would never let his beloved grandfather take on the burden of his own mistake."
Zedd's eyes flicked unconsciously between Rahl and his flanker Mord'Sith before he spoke with what, he hoped, was a confident voice, "I see where you're trying to get to, Rahl. I won't allow that to happen." With that, the Wizard took a deliberate step backwards, his fingers moving furtively by his sides under the cover of the long sleeves of his robes.
However, the Wizard had given away his intentions and the Mord'Sith, anticipating his move, took a swift step forward to stand in front of Rahl with her right hand poised to deflect.
"Berdine," The tone of his voice was soothing, in a way, and the woman lowered her hand almost immediately, stepping back to her position by her Lord's side once again.
It threw Zedd off a little to say the least, for the other Mord'Sith hadn't moved from their statuesque postures behind Rahl; they didn't seem at all fazed by the whole scene, and the one who did only did so with the intent to defend Rahl from a possible threat.
Something's not right here, Zedd thought to himself. But then Rahl began to speak again and things turned even more ambiguous.
"Only those demons can reach that deep in the Keeper's dominions. Your sacrifice would be in vain."
"I know all too well your misguiding ways," Zedd spoke in a harsh tone, taking a restrained step back. "Don't you dare think–"
"But you're not listening, Zeddicus." Rahl cut him off, his demeanor loftier, though for that alone more menacing than before, and for the first time Zedd felt true fear as the man stepped forward and smiled, his cold gaze wandering about for a brief moment in clear sign of displeasure, before boring on the Wizard's once more as he went on, "If you, or even Richard, were to try and get to the Underworld's lowest grounds, what do you think would happen next? No living soul can, not the mighty Seeker, not the most powerful Wizard. Only those wretched souls can. They came from there, after all."
Zedd blinked as understanding started to dawn on him. Rahl was right, of course. But still, it seemed too much of a fluke to find him here. However, before he could think of a way to lessen his doubts without being so apparent, Rahl continued with his speech.
"The Keeper may be, well, a little effete. But he's not a fool. He knew the Seeker would attempt to enter his dominions again to try and relieve him from his last trump, so he got the stone to the very dejected pit from where the demons were called."
"And how would you know that?" Zedd asked suspiciously. If this was a bluff, he had to know what Rahl truly intended to get by using it now.
Rahl waved a dismissive hand. "I had one of my Mord'Sith sent to the Underworld to learn it from the Keeper himself."
Zedd let out a snicker, if only for the sake of seeing the barely disguised deride on the brunette Mord'Sith's face.
"You don't expect me to believe that what you say is the truth, do you?"
Rahl shrugged, unapologetic. "You'll have to take my word for that."
The Wizard shook his head. "So, let's see if I got you right. You're saying that we have to convince one of those beasts to creep back into their cage, where they are supposed to win the stone from their own Master and still be able to return to the living world to deliver it to whom? You?" Zedd concluded before huffing an incredulous laugh as he threw his hands up. "Wherever in the Creator's name have you lost your wits?"
This time Rahl did roll his eyes at the Wizard's inappropriate manners; these were serious business they were discussing here, after all.
"Tell me, Wizard," Darken Rahl leered, "Did Richard happen to get hurt by the creatures?"
"What? No." Zedd responded, maybe a little too fast. He admonished himself before inquiring, "Why?" His eyes narrowed in suspicion as Rahl smiled wickedly at his perceived slip.
"What a pity, then. He could be the only one with the requirements to achieve such feat." Rahl looked like he was pretty much enjoying the indignant face the Wizard put on at hearing his words.
"You play games with me, Darken Rahl." Zedd accused him.
"We play our own games, Wizard. You and I," Rahl's cold tone left no doubt about what he was referring to. "This round, I have the knowledge and you wield the tool. I'll tell why Father decided to eradicate the Karmadee, as he called them. But I'm only doing so to my dear brother Richard."
To be continued...