When Darken lifted his hand to strike her, Kahlan used the little momentum she had to thrust the dagger at him. She shrieked when he grabbed her wrist, turning it and causing tears to form in Kahlan's eyes. She heard the dagger drop to the ground.
"Not so fast, Mother Confessor." He hissed, using his pull on her wrist to bring her forward as he twisted her arm behind her back. Rahl used the opposing hand to wipe hair from her face. "Such a beautiful, deadly creature." Kahlan's clenched her eyes shut, her wrist throbbing, his hold still firm. The softness of his voice made her cringe. The one opportunity she had and she had wasted it. Kahlan sighed in defeat. She could sense he was smiling.
Kahlan tried to move her body, but it was pressed against Darken's. Every time she tried to squirm out of his embrace, his hold on her wrist would tighten. She wouldn't be surprised if he became frustrated and broke it. She finally submitted, allowing her body to give up just as her mind had. There was no escaping this. The only one who could help was being tortured rooms away. Kahlan sobbed when she heard the familiar voice of Richard, his yells filling the hallway.
"Do not feel sorry for him, Kahlan. Soon, you two will be able to be together." Darken whispered. Kahlan felt hot tears come to her eyes, feeling suffocated by Rahl. She was forced to breathe into the skin of his neck. He even smelled like evil.
"Rape," she corrected. Being together and being raped were two entirely different things to her. She hoped Rahl would just kill her now. Kahlan no longer cared. She didn't try to stifle the tears when she heard Richard yell again. All hope was lost.
"Not if you comply. It can be quite pleasurable. I'll order him to make love to you, rather than simply take you," Rahl's voice turned cold. "Like I will." Kahlan stiffened. The offer was more tempting than she wanted it to be. She had always wanted to be with Richard, but not like this, not under these circumstances - not when he wasn't himself. "Tempting, isn't it?" Rahl taunted.
Kahlan managed to pull her head away from his neck, her face only a breath away from his. "Perhaps," she croaked, her eyes filling with tears. All Kahlan wanted to do was curl up in a ball and die. Rahl laughed and his hold on her wrist loosened. She thanked the spirits.
"Behave?" Rahl asked, his eyes mischievous. Kahlan caught the implied meaning and wanted to vomit.
"Fine." She growled through gritted teeth. Darken let go of her and stood up, returning to his stool. Kahlan gingerly rolled her hand around, testing how injured her wrist was. She cringed. At least he hadn't broken it. She glared at him as her face heated.
Rahl hadn't retrieved the dagger. Kahlan knew exactly where it was and didn't cast her glance towards it's direction. She cursed, her injured hand the hand she predominately used when fighting. Kahlan's thoughts became muddled when she heard Richard yell again, higher pitched and a longer duration. His screams of torment seemed to never end. Rahl seemed annoyed, pushing himself off of his chair and storming towards the cellar door, yelling through the iron bars.
Kahlan hastily got on her feet, scrambling across the floor. The two men yelling drowned out her footsteps and her approaching arrival. She stayed a few steps back, making sure to keep a small distance between the two so that he wouldn't feel her close. When Rahl turned around, Kahlan leapt forward and struck at him with her right hand, he caught it, only putting her injured wrist in more pain. Before Rahl could do any more damage, Kahlan used her left hand and plunged her dagger deep into his underbelly, his eyes growing wide with shock as he slumped against her, slowly releasing her wrist. Kahlan stepped back and let his body fall to the ground.
Kahlan tilted her head as she looked at the blood pool around his body, her mind unconvinced that he was actually dead. She leaned down and grabbed him by the hair, lifting his head and slicing his neck with her dagger. Kahlan saw the final spark of life leave his eyes and felt relieved.
Her attention was brought back to reality when she heard Denna's shrill scream. Kahlan stepped over his body and fumbled with the door, surprised to find it unlocked. The Mord'Sith probably assumed that since the Lord Rahl was with her, she wouldn't be able to escape. Kahlan smirked to herself at the blonde's failure.
Kahlan didn't waste time, pulling the door open and kicking Rahl's body to remove it from the pathway. She dashed through the hallway, Denna's screams never stopping. Unlike the agonizing horror of Richard's yells, Denna's cries were music to her ears.
She ran through the corridors, surprised with how much strength she had left. Kahlan quickly eliminated the soldiers that would come out of doorways. They were all amateurs, easy to kill. She looked like a spirit, she was sure. Kahlan's skin was paler than normal, her dress adding to her ghost like effect. She had shocked many guards, making them easy targets for her dagger.
In the distance, Kahlan heard the distinct yells from Denna, no doubt ordering men to find and kill the Mother Confessor. However, Kahlan was already well ahead of the pursuing party, her body dodging through various passages. She sighed in relief when she felt the sunlight hit her face.
Without a second to spare, Kahlan darted through the city and into the woods.