Chapter 6

Mina pulled a stray wisp of white hair out of her face as she carefully studied the vast selection of dried herbs spread out before her. She thoughtfully tapped her bottom lip, trying to decide which ones she needed most. Money was not something in abundance to her despite the fact that unusual kind woman had given her that gold coin.

Mina had decided to stash it away, saving it for when she desperately needed it. She wasn't quite there yet, but she was close. She had refused to give into the desire to spend it, fearing she would waste it foolishly. She needed to be wise about this, choosing carefully where that money went.

It wasn't every day in a person's life that one received a gold coin.

"What can I get for you today, Mina?"

The old woman looked up with a small smile. "Just looking for a couple of things."

"It's a beautiful day out. I'm so glad that spring is finally here," the merchant casually chatted with her.

"I was tired of the cold and the snow," Mina admitted with a frown. "My house isn't in the best shape you know. I don't know if it will survive another winter."

"It's so exciting to have the birthday celebration of the Lord and Lady Rahl's twin daughters to look forward to, isn't it?" the woman babbled on. "It's so wonderful to have something to celebrate for once. Their girls are just so beautiful."

"I agree," Mina nodded in concurrence. "It's a very joyous occasion for D'Hara and the House of Rahl for a change. I think I'll take these two."

The woman took the herbs, carefully wrapping them up in a brown paper package for Mina. "Take care of yourself, Mina."

"Thank you, Anisa," Mina replied before turning to leave, adjusting her ragged shawl around her shoulders.

She only took a couple of steps before coming to a complete stop again. Coming towards her was that mysterious woman who had given her the gold coin a few days ago. Her gold cloak fluttered about her as she walked towards her, a light breeze lifting the ends of her silver hair. Her piercing auburn eyes were locked on her, causing Mina to internally shudder.

There was something about the woman that left her feeling very on edge, something that wasn't good. Unfortunately, she didn't know why.

Mina immediately turned to go the opposite direction, not wanting another encounter with…what was her name? Sangria?

The last encounter, while profitable, had left her feeling lightheaded and more than a little confused for several hours after, an uneasy foreboding settling over her like the tattered shawl she wore. She had seen something when she had traced the woman's hand, something significant and possibly deadly but she couldn't remember for the life of her what it was.

That woman possessed powerful magic of some sort. She just didn't know what kind or for what sort of purpose. She had a feeling it wasn't good, but couldn't recall why she felt that way.

"Mina!"

Cringing, Mina froze at the sound of her name, hoping she could have just been swallowed up by the crowds that pushed in around her. Unfortunately, Sangria had seen her and wanted to talk to her for some reason.

The old woman slowly turned around, shoving her boney hands into the pockets of her worn dress. She didn't want to chance another experience like the last one even if it did garner another gold coin to add to the other. There was something suspicious about this woman, a siren blaring in her head warning Mina to quickly walk the other way.

For some odd reason, she found that she couldn't.

She felt paralyzed where she stood as she watched the beautiful woman slink towards her, her almond eyes seeming to bore straight through her. She was slowly painfully peeling back each layer of skin and muscle, ligaments and tissue to find the very core of her being, to expose what only she could see.

Mina tried to swallow, but her throat was suddenly so dry. She watched Sangria as she came to a stop before her, her chest constricting making it difficult to draw air. Her eyes widened, the wrinkles lining her face deepening as she stared at the woman.

"Good to see you again, Mina," Sangria pleasantly greeted her.

"Yes, good to see you too," she muttered as she lowered her head, finally averting her eyes to avoid the probing stare that unnerved her like nothing she'd ever experienced before.

"Have you had any more interesting visions since I last saw you?" she asked, running her fingers through her hair.

"Some," Mina simply said with a shrug, not wishing to elaborate more than that. She had a terrible feeling that Sangria wasn't going to let it go at that.

"Please…tell me," she brightly replied with an interested smile.

"I…I don't rightly remember at the moment," Mina lied, suddenly feeling unwell. "It wasn't really anything important if I remember correctly."

"Who did it involve?" Sangria probed as if catching up on the latest Palace gossip. "Anyone important?"

Mina gently wiped her forehead with the back of her hand as she tried to think of something to tell this woman, something that would make her go away. Her mind was growing fuzzy, her body hot despite the cool spring air.

"Are you alright, dear?" Sangria asked, lightly placing a hand on the woman's arm.

"I'm afraid I ain't feeling well today," she mumbled, a sudden spark shooting through her like a bolt of lightning. "I need to go home and lie down."

"I hope you're feeling better soon," Sangria frowned as she let her hand fall limply to her side again. "Maybe I'll see you tomorrow, have you tell me what my future holds."

"Yes, that be fine," Mina muttered as she turned and quickly disappeared into the thick swarm of people.

Something was wrong, something dangerous about this woman. She couldn't ignore the terrible feeling gnawing inside of her, telling her that this was connected to something that she had already talked to Lady Kahlan about.

She rubbed her forehead as she fought to connect her thoughts. Her memories were becoming more jumbled, her past visions becoming cloudy for some reason. All she knew was that she needed to see Lady Kahlan again, to warn her about this woman before something horrible happened.

The problem was she suddenly couldn't remember why.

XXX

A low rumble like rolling thunder permeated the air, growing louder and more intense despite the blue sky above. The ground shuddered as they all looked about them for the source of the sudden intrusion. Snowflakes shook free from branches of nearby trees, cracks suddenly splitting through the snow and ice that surrounded them.

Frederick's heart was suddenly racing as the icy hand of realization slithered over him. "Move! Now!" he shouted over the deep rumbling din, immediately urging his horse on.

Zedd and Sister Deryn didn't hesitate as they spurred their horses on to follow Frederick. Rocks and bits of snow and gravel suddenly began to rain down upon them from higher up the mountain causing them to duck their heads to avoid the unexpected onslaught.

Enormous boulders began crashing down the side of the mountain, crushing everything in its path and creating an ever growing landslide of rocks, snow, ice, and trees. The ground shook violently from the sudden rush as the trio fought to escape the vicious assault.

"That way!" Zedd yelled as he pointed, trying to be heard above the avalanche.

Frederick and Deryn suddenly pulled on the reins of their horses, turning them to the side to follow Zedd who had taken the lead. The avalanche was clearing a swath of landscape wider than they could possibly clear in time to escape it.

Deryn quickly pulled the hood of her cloak up in a futile attempt to protect herself from the bits of rock and gravel that rained down upon them. She gritted her teeth against the stones and sharp pieces of ice that bombarded her, some large enough to almost knock her from her horse.

Her hands were quickly becoming scratched and bloody from the onslaught as they forced their frightened horses out of the deadly path of the landslide.

"We're not going to make it!" she shouted, fear battling the adrenaline pumping through her system.

She swallowed back the tears that suddenly rose to the surface as thoughts of her son forced its way to the forefront of her mind. She couldn't bear the thought of never seeing him again, of not being able to return to him, to Richard. The three of them had a destiny together that had yet to be realized.

She leaned further into her mare, fighting to stay upright in her saddle as a stone crashed into her, hitting her head and momentarily dazing her. She could feel warm blood begin to ooze down the side of her neck. Dizziness caused her to tighten her hold on the reins of her horse, her vision momentarily blurring as a gaping maw suddenly ripped open before her.

Crying out, Deryn pulled back on the reins, her horse rearing back on its hind legs to avoid falling into the sudden rift that had opened up out of nowhere. She quickly looked to her left and right but there was no place she could go. Rifts were ripping through the earth all around her, fissures swallowing up some of the falling rocks and snow.

Her mare reared back on its hind legs again, nearly knocking her off. Her body trembled as she fought to stay on her horse, knowing that falling off would certainly seal her fate. Tears began to stream down her face as waves of panic crashed over her.

Snow and gravel continued to shower down upon her. She was trapped with no place to go.

Zedd quickly looked back to see Sister Deryn surrounded by fissures and crevices, some large enough to swallow the Wizard's Keep, a large river of rocks and stones rushing towards her. He immediately turned his horse back, knowing that their chances of escaping were rapidly dwindling.

Frederick quickly followed Zedd, not knowing what they were going to be able to do to save the Sister of the Light, but knowing they had to try. They couldn't let her die up here. He just prayed that the Wizard had a trick or two up his sleeve to get them out of this.

As if on cue, Zedd quickly threw his hands out before him, creating an invisible wall that blocked the deadly onslaught that was bearing down on them. "Deryn!" he shouted. "You have to jump!"

"No!" she cried as tears continued to fall. "I can't make it!"

"You have to try!" Frederick yelled.

"I can't hold this back forever," Zedd barked at her, gritting his teeth against the sheer forces building up behind the invisible barrier he had erected.

Deryn quickly looked around her, searching for the narrowest rift. Fear threatened to swallow her just as surely as the rapidly growing fissures around her were about to.

"Now, Deryn!" Frederick growled at her, his own worry for her exploding. "Just do it!"

Dark shadows loomed around them, rocks trembling to break free from the powerful hold the Wizard held on them. The ground continued to quake as Deryn frantically searched for a narrow gap, the slightest opening that could lead to her freedom.

"I can't…hold this…much longer…" Zedd panted, his rapidly fatiguing arms beginning to tremble.

Deryn dug her heels into the sides of her mare, gripping the reins tightly in her sweaty hands. She ground her teeth as she leaned into her horse, spurring the frightened mare to the right. Heading straight for a steadily expanding fissure, she forced her horse to jump, tightening her legs around its flanks as it sailed through the air.

The horse landed on the other side, its hind hooves just barely clearing the fissure as the ground broke away from beneath in a final attempt to drag them down into the gaping fracture in the earth. The mare quickly scampered to safety, Deryn holding on for dear life.

"Keep going!" Zedd growled through gritted teeth. "I'll be right behind you!"

Deryn and Frederick didn't stop to argue, urging their horses on towards safety. Frederick cast a glance over his shoulder just in time to see Zedd release his magic, allowing the mighty flood to break free as he narrowly escaped. A violent storm of snow and rocks filled the air, the deafening roar vibrating in their chests as they swiftly rode away.

Finally reaching safer ground, they pulled their horses to a stop each looking at the other as they checked for any obvious injuries. Deryn pulled the hood of her cloak back to reveal the nasty gash in the side of her head, her golden brown hair matted with blood.

"Are you alright?" Zedd asked, immediately dismounting his horse and making his way to her.

Deryn got off her horse to stand on trembling legs. She couldn't stop the shaking that emanated from deep within her core, tears continuing to course down her cheeks as she fought to regain control of her volatile emotions.

"I…I think…so…" she gasped, squeezing her eyes closed against the thundering pain in her head.

She tentatively reached for her head, afraid of what she might find. Keeping her hand on her horse to steady herself, she could feel her stomach roil as bile rose in the back of her throat.

Zedd was suddenly at her side, his reassuring hand coming to rest on her shoulder. She abruptly turned into him, burying herself in his robes. She began to sob uncontrollably, the full weight of what had just about happened to her crashing down on her.

"It's alright, my dear," the old Wizard soothed her. "You're safe now."

Frederick dismounted his horse, making his way over to the pair. He quickly grabbed her pack from the back of her horse, finding her water skin and offering it to her.

"Here, drink some water," he gently instructed her.

Turning, she took the offered water, drinking down the cool liquid. "Thank you," she murmured, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Frederick shook his head. "If it weren't for Zedd, we'd have all been lost."

"It was nothing," Zedd replied. "Here, let me take a look at your head."

"It just happened so fast," Deryn said, sucking in a shuddering breath. "I didn't know which way to go."

"We're all safe now," Frederick reassured her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder as Zedd worked to heal her wound.

"I…I can't thank you both enough," Deryn softly said. "You could have just left me, but you didn't. You risked your lives to save me."

"Why wouldn't we?" Zedd asked, his brow furrowed as he worked.

"I don't know…" she murmured, closing her eyes with a heavy sigh. "I just…thank you."

Frederick and Zedd shared a knowing look as Zedd's hands fell to his sides. "All done," he happily announced. "Good as new."

"Thank you," she whispered, fighting to find her voice again.

"Are you alright to keep moving now?" Frederick asked. "I don't think it's safe for us to stay here for too long."

"Yes, please, let's keep moving," she quickly replied as she gently ran her hand over her horse's mane in silent gratitude to the mare for also saving her life. "I don't want to stay here any longer."

"I think we can get a few more leagues in before we need to make camp," Zedd told them as he remounted his horse. "Hopefully, we won't run into any more trouble."

"I think we've had our fair share for the day," Frederick grimly agreed. "That was as close to seeing the Underworld as I care to get."

Sister Deryn pulled herself back up onto her mare, leaning forward and pressing her forehead against the horse's head. "Thank you," she whispered, scratching its ears before settling into her saddle.

She softly clicked her tongue, urging her horse on as she followed Zedd and Frederick. She was more than ready to be away from this place. It had very nearly claimed her life, leaving Michael without a mother.

She was still rattled to her core at how close she had come to being swept away with the rock and snow, being swallowed up by the fissures that surrounded her. She internally shuddered at the thought of never seeing Michael or Richard again.

Deryn still couldn't believe that Zedd and Frederick had risked their lives for her like they had. They could have so easily just left her there. After all, she had done nothing but bring them unspeakable trouble and grief, upsetting their lives and their future in a way that none of them could've ever imagined.

She felt her throat constrict with tears again, taking her breath away. Letting her die out there in that avalanche could've ended the majority of their problems, leaving Richard and Kahlan to raise her son as their own.

Why had they saved her? She had done nothing to merit their compassion and everything to deserve their anger and hatred.

Watching them as they rode side by side in front of her chatting about something, she couldn't help but feel guilty for the things that she had said and done since arriving at the People's Palace. She had been less than civil to them since leaving, making her hatred for Kahlan and her plans to steal Richard from her well known.

And yet they had risked everything to save her.

Deryn wiped a stray tear from her cheek, her mind a violent current of warring thoughts and emotions. While she appreciated what they had done by saving her life, it didn't change the fact that she loved Richard and that she would do everything in her power to get him back.