Chapter Fourteen

Rahl was looking down into Kahlan's eyes like she was the most precious thing in the world. It frightened her even more to know that he seemed to be a completely different person than before the so-called 'Agiel Malfunction.' Kahlan knew that the Agiels relied on Rahl being alive to work, even if he had never felt the pain they bring. Something else scared her more than the way he looked into her eyes though. His eyes were gray.

Kahlan was torn away from his eyes when she heard the crack of bones breaking. She turned just in time to she Berdine hit the floor. Denna was already moving towards her again. Kahlan could hear her silken voice saying something, but didn't know what she was saying.

In the next second, Kahlan was thrown against the wall, and she was scared that Rahl had decided to have her punished like Berdine, but he didn't hold her against the wall, like he sometimes did. Rahl was in front of Denna before Kahlan had fully registered what happened.

In his fist was her Agiel.

His face was vaguely scrunched up from the pain, but he had obviously held an Agiel before. Kahlan didn't think one before had ever touched him. Denna didn't seem to remember him with an Agiel either.

"Lord Rahl, your . . . " She trailed off. Her hand let go of the Agiel and she back up two paces to the wall. With Rahl in the room, it was even harder to get around it than if their was one more person in it. Kahlan wanted to run to Berdine, to see if she was all right, but didn't think she would be able to get Rahl to move.

Berdine moaned and the stand off between Rahl and Denna ended.

"Kahlan, do you think you can help Berdine?" His voice was low and tight. He was controlling his anger.

"Yes, but you have to move so I can get to her." Kahlan didn't know why she said that. It seemed like the right thing to say when he was in this state. The old Rahl would have blown up and started hitting her if she had said that to him, this man, Richard, just nodded.

"Lord Rahl, your eyes." Denna whispered. Richard didn't seem to understand what she was talking about, or he didn't care to explain to Denna at the moment.

"Move." He ordered in the same voice that he had spoken in before. She moved before he had even finished saying the word. Kahlan didn't know what was going to happen to Denna, but as much as she wanted Denna to be punished, she didn't want her newfound Richard to do it.

As soon as they were gone, Kahlan rushed over to Berdine. There was a large amount of swelling in her face and one of the biggest blackest bruises she had ever seen. Kahlan thought that Berdine's cheekbone was broken on the right side. She didn't know how to help that.

Richard and Denna hadn't gone very far. She could hear them start to talk outside the room. Kahlan really need to go get a nurse.

"If she dies," Kahlan heard Richard say, still trying to control his anger. "Bad things are going to happen, and I will be very upset." She could imagine him, his knuckles on her Agiel, his gray eyes burning with the mix of pain and anger. She had to admit that he had never looked more handsome than those thirty seconds that Denna and Richard had faced off.

"Lord Rahl," Denna's silken voice didn't sound as much like silk anymore. "I was just doing what I thought you would want. I thought that the prisoners had escaped, and I needed to stop them."

"Denna," Richard's voice lost its anger in that one word, and he sighed. It sounded like he had almost called her 'mistress.' However his next sentence was just as intense. "You wrongly accused Cara of trying to kill, and with no evidence incarcerated Kahlan as well."

"They conspirer together, Lord Rahl. You told me if I ever arrested one of them to arrest both." Kahlan couldn't believe Denna was arguing with Richard.

"You need more proof. The last time I saw Cara she looked like a walking bruise." Kahlan heard Denna try to say something, but Richard cut her off. "Do not tell me that I told you to do that to Cara. I was unconscious while this was happening. You left me in Berdine's care, and now you attack her. Maybe you are the conspirator, Denna." The whole time Richard had kept his voice low, while Denna's voice had increasingly gotten louder.

"Lord Rahl, I have served you faithfully, even when it came at great harm to myself. If you wish to kill me then at least do it honorably." Denna had suddenly regained her composure.

"I'm not going to kill you, Denna." Richard said, and he was suddenly in the room with Kahlan again. "How is she?"

He walked over to her and saw her face. "She needs a healer. Denna." He said quietly, and she was at the doorway. "Go get a healer, and bring them here." Kahlan thought Denna would argue, but she ran off without a second thought.

Richard slumped against the wall and closed his eyes. Kahlan wanted him to open his eyes, so she could see the beautiful gray color that they had never been before. He opened them suddenly and looked directly into her eyes, and for once she didn't fell the necessity to turn them away.

"What's wrong with my eyes?" He asked her quietly. The anger was gone from his voice and he looked tired. She noticed that Denna's Agiel was on the floor next to him.

Kahlan almost answered nothing, but thought better of it at the last minute. That was probably not the answer he was looking for. "They're gray."

He gave her a small smile. "Everyone's worried because my eyes are gray. People should be more worried about Berdine, and Cara . . . and you." He added softly.

He slowly moved his hand to touch her, and she didn't flinch back. His hand moved on her jaw and he leaned forward. Kahlan knew that he wanted to kiss her. Kiss her romantically, and softly. She didn't think she was ready for that, but she found herself leaning towards him too.

However they didn't kiss. Their moment was interrupted by a plaintive call of "Berdine."