Chapter Thirty-Three

Cara and Meiffert returned before Kahlan did, and began making the food for the night. Cara skinned the rabbits, but not before looking at Richard asking him where Kahlan was in a glance. He shrugged his shoulders.

Kahlan did not return before their dinner was ready. "Where is the Mother Confessor?" Meiffert asked.

"I don't know. She walked out of camp, and isn't back yet." Richard said, he was actually starting to worry now.

"Why did she walk out of camp without telling you where she was going?" Cara asked with a raised eyebrow.

"She's mad at me." He said in a soft voice. No one said anything for a minute.

"Why is she mad at you Richard?" Cara asked her voice turning into the demand of a Mord – Sith of her pet. By now, Richard didn't think the Mord – Sith knew when their voice became hard like that.

He looked up at her. "I told her that I have to leave when, and go back to my world."

He tried to judge the emotions that could barely be seen behind her mask of indifference. He had know that Cara wouldn't break down like Kahlan did, but he had thought she would be angry.

"Of course." She said in a short voice. Meiffert had stood up, and was now in some sort of crouch, like he expected Richard to disappear at any moment. "I knew that you would leave us at some point, I just hadn't fully considered the implications."

Richard knew she was talking about Lord Rahl coming back. Richard was fairly sure that they had traded places, and he was worried about what was happening in his world.

"How are you going to get back!" Kahlan had returned, but she was still mad.

"Kahlan – "

"Have you even thought about the possibility of it being impossible? How do you know that you even are this other man that you say you are? Maybe you hit you're head really hard and made up some fantasy, or maybe you are Richard Rahl and are play some mind game with all of us!"

Richard tried to speak, tried to imagine that this woman wasn't Kahlan, not his Kahlan, but it was impossible. He could feel the hurt on his face. Everyone was silent, and the only thing that could be heard was Kahlan's breath.

"Mother Confessor –" Cara started.

"Look at him Cara, and tell me that is not the man that killed your son! Tell me that you don't still look at him and want to kill him when you wake up!" Kahlan pointed at him.

Cara rose suddenly. "That is not the man who killed my son." Kahlan didn't seem to notice that Cara's hand had gone to her Agiel.

Kahlan shrieked in rage. Richard could feel her anger getting a little to close to the Con Dar, but he didn't understand why this was happening. Kahlan could be mad at him, but not Con Dar mad.

"Kahlan, just calm down." Richard said in a soothing voice. He slowly stood. "It's going to be alright."

It didn't help; she was pacing back and forth. Richard could feel the rage emanating off of her in waves. She shrieked again, this time a higher pitch that hurt Richard's ears.

Richard moved closer to her. "Kahlan, please don't do this." He knew she was too far-gone to just reign the power back in though.

Richard turned his head calmly to Cara. "You may not know what's happening, but you need to leave right now." He said and turned back to Kahlan not bothering to see if Cara had complied.

Kahlan shrieked again, and then she suddenly went calm her Richard saw her eyes turn the blood red of the Con Dar and he was scared for a moment. "I will kill you." She said.

Then he was terrified.

Her hand went up and for a moment he didn't know what was happening. He felt her hand clasp his throat. "Kahlan." He let out a moan before her eyes went black.

"Richard!" He thought he heard some one yell.

"You see Shota." The man spoke from the shadows as he looked on to Kahlan confessing Richard. "Every thing is going to turn out the way I have planned."

"Maybe." Shota spoke, pouring the water out. She looked to the man that had just walked in to her palace. His burly bulk seeming to make the room smaller.

The man in the shadows spoke to him. "You have done well Chase."

Chase gave the man a hard look. "Can I see my family now?"

Shota could see the man's face but she could feel his gaze on her. She waved her hand, changing the block of gold in front of her into the key to let Chase see his family. She took it in her hand and walked deeper into the palace expecting Chase to follow.