Promethean Heat, Chapter 4
Disclaimer: They aren't mine, except for Anson, Raythe, Karvath and assorted redshirts. Now we're to the exciting bits for the action fans out there…
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At midnight, they set out under a waning moon toward the D'Haran camp. Kahlan smiled at Richard encouragingly as they rode, but he just glared at her, the moonlight only accenting the darkness of the look, and turned away. What did I do? she thought, remembering how he'd looked at her the night before. She shook her head. Maybe he's just worried about Zedd. Spirits know I am, she thought, shuddering at the memory of Richard in Denna's hands. We'll get him out, she told herself. We have a good plan. It'll work.
She glanced to her right, where their ersatz Seeker was riding. He smiled at her, and she had a momentary flash of all the things that could go wrong for him, and felt guilty at putting him in such danger. It'll be all right, she told herself. Just focus on what you have to do—Richard will keep them safe. She looked back at Richard, and realized he'd been watching her look at Anson. His frown seemed even deeper, and his jaw was set. And when it's all over, we'll get all this out in the open, she thought uneasily.
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There was a sound from the east side of the camp as Raythe left the wizard, and she raised her head alertly, walking a few yards down the space between the tents. There were shouts, and the sound of metal on metal. They're coming for him, she thought. But there didn't seem to be very many, judging from the sounds. A diversion, she thought. So that's not where the Seeker will be. Oh, no, indeed. She debated whether to warn the captain in charge, but thought better of it. No, we'll let their little diversion work…and then the Seeker will be mine.
She turned and walked back to where Zedd was being held. She glanced inside, where Kharvath was hovering over the wizard. "Watch him!" she said harshly to the soldiers outside the tent. "Unless you want to end up like your friend, you won't let him get away."
"Yes, Mistress," the nearest one said, terrified.
Raythe strode off into the pre-dawn darkness, but didn't go far. She stationed herself in the shadow of a nearby tent and waited for the Seeker, smiling in anticipation.
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Anson charged toward the camp, yelling wildly. A few D'Harans stumbled out of their tents, grabbing for weapons. He swung at the nearest, connecting, and yelled, "Bring me the wizard, or feel the wrath of the Seeker!"
The archers in the treeline were firing steadily, and Anson was particularly glad of it when one of their arrows took down a soldier about to take his head off. I may look like the Seeker, he thought, his eyes widening, but I sure don't fight like him. He swung at another soldier, who blocked the strike, and Anson kicked him hard in the gut. Just a few more minutes, he thought, and I'll order the withdrawal.
Kahlan had been emphatic about his not taking risks with the lives of his men. "Don't be a hero," she'd said, and he was finding it very easy advice to follow now that he was in the thick of the battle. He'd never seen so many D'Harans at once, and they seemed to be swarming out of their tents like ants from an anthill.
He looked around to make sure his men weren't straying too far into the camp. He didn't want to lose any of them in the retreat. But he needn't have worried--none of them were being too aggressive. They're all as scared as I am, he thought, fending off another D'Haran attacker. How did I get into this mess?
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Kharvath looked down at the wizard, his heart pounding. You had to be a wizard, he thought to himself. You had to do magic, but did you ever learn anything useful? No. You should have paid more attention…
"If you untie my fingers," Zedd said raggedly, "I might be able to do something for myself." And from the sound of things outside, the more I can do for myself, the better the chance I have of getting out of this pickle, he thought.
"Are you insane?" Kharvath said. "If I--"
"If you don't produce a functioning human being in the next few hours, you know what she'll do," Zedd growled, trying to ignore the pulsing pain in his head. "I couldn't do much more than a simple healing spell right now, man. But from the sweating I can hear you doing, I'll wager that's more than you can do."
Kharvath glanced back at the entry to the tent, making certain Raythe was gone, then again at the wizard. He bent down and began unlacing the ties binding Zedd's fingers. "I'll warn you, I may not be good at the healing arts, but I know some powerful magic," he blustered. "If you try anything--"
"If I try anything," Zedd said dryly, "my head will explode. Just shut up and help me." Stupid little man, he thought.
Kharvath finished untying Zedd's fingers in silence, wondering what was going on outside. It sounded like a battle. Keep watch on the wizard, he told himself. He's the thing you have to worry about right now. Don't take your eyes off of him for an instant.
Zedd wiggled his fingers tentatively, trying to restore feeling, and then wishing he hadn't as feeling returned with a vengeance. He chanted weakly, eyes closed, the drain on his energy making his head pound even harder, but as the spell progressed, the pain eased. He opened his eyes, and he could actually focus. That's a start, he thought, looking up at the worried face of the man who'd freed him. What on earth is Rahl doing employing this pathetic excuse for a sorcerer? he thought.
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Kahlan heard the attack begin, and began counting. 29…30… "Let's go," Kahlan whispered to Devlin. They crept forward from the trees, keeping an eye out for sentries, but the plan seemed to be working. There weren't any D'Harans in sight. They slipped into the first line of tents, and Kahlan peeked around the edge, looking down the wide space between them. No D'Harans. Please let our luck hold, she prayed.
They passed the second line of tents without incident, but as she began to cross the avenue beyond the third, a D'Haran came out of the tent next to her. She dove for him and was able to cut his throat before he could make a sound. She shoved his body back into the tent and waved Devlin and the other two on.
They came up on the fourth line of tents, and Kahlan crept forward, keeping low to the ground. The sentries were still in front of the tent. Kahlan looked back at Devlin, nodding, and he came up beside her. One…two…three, she mouthed, and they sprang around the edge of the tent. Kahlan knocked the first soldier away from the opening and charged toward the second, counting on Devlin to finish the first. She shoved the soldier's sword aside as he raised it and drove her dagger into his chest. She looked up and saw another group of soldiers running toward her down the avenue. She glanced back at Devlin, who'd just dealt with the first soldier, and whispered, "Get Zedd out of here! I'll deal with these."
He nodded, though with a hint of reluctance, and waved the other two men into the tent. Kahlan turned and ducked under the sword of the first soldier, driving her dagger deep into his stomach. She shoved him aside and whirled, driving her boot hard into the knee of the second soldier, who fell, clutching his leg. She blocked the attack of the third soldier, and vaulted over the dead one to give herself more room, and to draw them away from the tent she prayed had Zedd in it. The third soldier came at her again, and she grabbed his arm as he thrust his sword at her, yanking him past her and down, and she turned and plunged her dagger into the back of his neck.
She looked back toward the soldier with the shattered knee and saw Devlin finishing him off. But he was looking at something behind her, his eyes wide. "Kahlan, look out!" he yelled.