Chapter 5
"My baby?" The disbelief was evident on Kahlan's face. "What are you talking about?"
The woman looked into Kahlan's eyes, walking over to her she placed a hand low on Kahlan's belly, pressing firmly. "You are with child Mother Confessor."
Kahlan took a step back, not wanting the woman's hand touching her. "You're insane. How could you possibly claim to know–"
"I know, Confessor. I know the exact moment you conceived. You have been carrying this child these last 7 days."
Kahlan's mind reeled. How could this woman possibly know? She had been with Richard then…for the first time. Could it be true? She had to admit, it was a possibility.
"You know what I speak is true Confessor."
Kahlan replied with defiance, "I know nothing of the sort. But if you do speak the truth, tell me why. How is it you know and what do you want with me and my baby?" Kahlan almost choked on the last of her words. Putting to voice that she might actually be carrying Richard's child flooded her with emotion. She caught herself and cast her face in the mask of a Confessor.
"I am Reetha. I was a sorceress of Darken Rahl before his death. Lord Rahl was not the only one to covet a Confessor child and now that he is dead, there are those wishing to one day hold dominion where he could not. A Confessor child, raised in the appropriate manner by me and my disciples would be most beneficial. You are the last of your kind, Confessor. You and only you can provide us with what we need."
Kahlan spat out a vehement reply "So you and your disciples wish to raise my child in an appropriate manner? I'm sure you would make excellent teachers in all the hideous ways of evil."
Reetha ignored Kahlan's retort and went on to tell her how it had been Giller who imbedded her with the descendants spell not long before he left the Confessors to side with Darken Rahl. He had secretly been helping the Lord Rahl for weeks. Knowing how powerful Kahlan's magic was and that she would, undoubtedly, one day be the Mother Confessor, he had implanted the spell in her so that Lord Rahl could, in time, have the Confessor child he wished for. As a sorceress of Rahl at the time, Reetha worked with Giller to devise the spell. In that way, she and Giller were both connected to it and would know the instant it was awakened. Reetha explained that Dennee had also carried this spell and Rahl's men would have soon gone for her had she not already been captured at the boundary. With Kahlan being the last of the Confessors, Reetha wanted to take no chances and came for her the moment the spell had been awakened.
Kahlan couldn't believe she had been carrying the spell inside her all of this time. Anger rose within her. In an instant, she grabbed Reetha's throat, releasing the hold on her power, her eyes flashing with its force.
The sorceress stood unaffected. "One of the benefits of working with the great wizard, Mother Confessor. Before your arrival at the Keep of Edron, I too spent time there and have the protection of Giller's potion. Your magic has no affect on me."
Winded from using her power, Kahlan's mind reeled at what to do next. She breathed heavily, "This makes no sense. It will take years for the child to be of any help to you. What good is that to you?
"We must start somewhere Confessor. We are patient. We've the rest of our lives to rule."
"So you plan to take my baby and kill me then?"
Reetha let out a small laugh. "No Confessor. Why would we stop with just one child? Young life is too fragile. Suppose something should happen to the child? Besides, it would take generations to create even the smallest band of Confessors. We desire as many children as possible. You'll be bred again as soon as you're able."
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Left alone, Kahlan paced the room. She needed to find a way out. Reetha had said they wanted to take her baby. She stopped dead her tracks. Her baby. Was it possible? Was she really carrying she and Richard's child? Her hands went to her belly. She found herself believing what Reetha had told her. She spread her fingers wide, trying desperately to feel some sign of life. She knew it would be much too soon to know; still, she couldn't help but try and make a connection.
She thought of Richard. She wanted to be with him so desperately. They'd barely had a chance to be husband and wife before she was taken away. She remembered how fiercely passionate he'd been on their wedding night. Her stomach fluttered with the memory: standing beside their bed he had held her in his arms; she could feel them around her now, feel his lips as they had brushed across the swell of her breasts rising above her dress. She remembered the feel of his hands along her back as he kissed her like that, his fingers slipping over her shoulders, caressing the length of her neck before settling on her braid. As he left a trail of soft kisses along her throat, he unwound the ribbon from her small braids, working his fingers through her thick mass of hair and setting it free. He had made love to her that night with his hands buried there in her hair.
Kahlan muffled a forlorn cry. Thinking of Richard this way only filled her with loneliness and pain. She looked down at her hands resting low on her middle as a tear slipped from her eyes and fell to her fingers.
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