TITLE: Deception

AUTHOR: LOTSlove®

CHARACTERS: Richard / Kahlan / Cara / Zedd / Nicci / Original Characters

RATING: R / M

WARNINGS: Author Chooses Not to Use Warnings

TIMELINE: Anything up through S2 season finale (Tears)

DISCLAIMER: I'm completely obsessed with the show Legend of the Seeker and all things Richard and Kahlan. I love to write about them even though they cancelled my show and now I'm fighting to get it back!

SUMMARY: Sequel to me fic Revelation, Richard and Kahlan fight to solidify the D'Haran Empire when a new threat rises threatening to destroy all that they have worked for.

Chapter 8

Walking through the corridor, Richard couldn't help the smile that refused to leave his face. Kahlan was always the one that put it there. He quickly captured her hand in his, entwining their fingers. To him, it mirrored their hearts.

Casting a side-long glance, he noticed the way that her forehead furrowed, the endearing way that she chewed her bottom lip when something was on her mind. He brought their joined hands to his lips, softly kissing her knuckles in an attempt to draw her back to him.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Are you worried someone might have seen us?"

"What? No," she softly shook her head with a sudden shy smile, her cheeks warming at the thought. "There was just something off in that deliberation room, something that wasn't quite right."

"Besides the fact that Ambassador Dorst is up to something?" he asked, his annoyance rising with the reminder.

"Yes, I noticed that too," she absentmindedly replied. "But there was something wrong with how it all went."

"One more word about you from Gorrim and I was set to remove him with my sword," he scowled, tightening his hold on her hand.

He knew what kind of a life that Kahlan had led before meeting him; the loneliness, the fear, the atrocities that she had learned from taking confessions from the scum of the earth. He shuddered to think of the vile things that she had heard confessed to her, the horrifying nightmares that had no doubt followed her deep into her sleep each night.

Despite being the strongest woman he'd ever met, it made him all the more protective of her, desperate to shield her from any more hurt or heartache. He knew that she had long ago grown accustomed to the derisive comments and the lack of respect shown to Confessors by some, but he hadn't and he never would.

"I know and I love you for it, but I believe I made my point without resorting to that," she smirked.

"Yes, you most certainly did," he lightly chuckled. "What bothered you most about it?"

"Representatives Backus and Frinhill," she muttered, her mind still trying to process the things that had happened. "I've known them for several years. They have always been very honorable men, soft spoken, gentle demeanors. I have never known them to react like they did in there. There were almost out of control."

"It's probably just because their regions are about to be invaded by D'Haran troops."

"Could be, but there was still something wrong with them," she murmured, still unconvinced. "I've always had a good relationship with the both of them. Something is not right with all of this."

"What do you think it could be?"

Kahlan shook her head with a sigh. "I wish I knew."

"There you two are! Where have you been?"

Richard and Kahlan looked up to find Mistress Rachel marching towards them, a look of agitation veiling her face.

"We just finished with our meeting," Richard simply said, coming to a stop before her.

"I checked," she frowned. "The meeting was over a while ago. What have you two been up to?"

Kahlan felt her cheeks warming with the Mord'Sith's inquisitive narrowed gaze. "We were just…talking…"

"Right," she harrumphed in obvious disbelief.

"What happened to the Mord'Sith fearing their Lord Rahl? Don't I instill any fear around here anymore?" Richard asked with sudden curiosity, looking to Kahlan and noticing the pink flush that colored her cheeks. It only served to awaken his arousal again.

"What do you need, Rachel?" Kahlan asked, desperate to change the subject.

"Received a message from Mina," Rachel scowled. "She is asking for you to come to her right away. She's fallen ill and desperately needs to talk to you."

Richard looked from Rachel to Kahlan in confusion. "Who's Mina?"

"She's some witch who sees visions," Rachel replied before Kahlan could even open her mouth. "She thinks she feels some special connection to Lady Kahlan, sees visions that pertain to her."

"I met her in the market place once with my father," Kahlan told him. "She approached me with a vision that she'd had, telling me about Sister Deryn and reassuring me that it would all work out. She then warned me that more trouble was going to come."

"Well, that part has turned out to be true," he said.

"Yes, in a way I guess," Kahlan considered as she thought back on the bizarre events. "She tried to sneak into the Palace a couple of days after that to tell me about another vision she'd experienced."

"Well, I don't like it," Rachel huffed, her fists planted firmly on her hips. "I think she wants something from you."

"She's harmless," Kahlan countered. "She's just lonely that's all. She wanted to tell me that a powerful woman had come to D'Hara, one who would be our undoing."

Richard raked his fingers back through his hair as he considered her words. "I don't like the sound of that."

Kahlan placed a reassuring hand on his arm. "It's nothing. I figured she was probably talking about the Prelate. She arrived at about the same time as Mina's vision."

"Could be," he muttered. Why don't you take Nicci with you? See if there's anything she can do for her if she's truly fallen ill."

"That's a good idea," Kahlan nodded in agreement. "She's probably just had another vision she wants to share with me. I want to freshen up and change my clothes. Then, we can go."

"I want to hear more about these visions when you get back," Richard informed her with a frown as he released her hand. "If something strange is really going on here then maybe she can help us discover what it might be."

XXX

Following Mistress Rachel, Kahlan and Nicci made their way to Mina's home on the other side of the market place. The Mord'Sith had insisted that she come along despite the fact that Nicci was the most powerful sorceress to ever walk the territories.

The cool spring air was a pleasant reprieve from the cold harsh winter they'd had, the warmth of the sun on their faces belying the fact that they would still need their cloaks for a couple more weeks.

"Any change in Michael's condition?" Kahlan asked as they turned down a narrow street.

"No, I'm afraid not," Nicci sighed heavily. "That's both good and bad. I hoped that maybe he would improve, be able to fight his magic breaking down, but I don't think that he can. His little body isn't strong enough."

"Do you really think they're going to be able to find a cure for him?" she asked, biting her bottom lip at the thought of him dying.

"I honestly don't know," Nicci replied. "I hope so, but truthfully…I'm just not sure."

"We can't give up hope," Kahlan pursed her lips.

Nicci pulled her long blond hair back over her shoulder. "I agree," she said. "And we won't."

Mistress Rachel led them down another road, the crowds of people thinning out the further away from the center of the city that they went. They began to pass a few more houses and fewer stores as they walked. Houses on this side of the city were nothing more than small shacks, their walls barely standing upright, their roofs sagging. It broke Kahlan's heart.

"What do you know about this woman?" Nicci finally asked.

"Not much," Kahlan frowned in thought. "Mina is just someone who has a small spark of magic. She sees visions."

"She's a charlatan," Rachel snorted over her shoulder.

"She's harmless, Rachel," Kahlan shot back with a shake of her head and a smile on her lips.

"And her message didn't say anything more?"

"No, just that she had fallen ill and needed me to come see her right away," Kahlan replied, her brow creasing in thought. "Something odd is going on around here, Nicci. I'm not sure what it is, but we need to keep our eyes open."

Kahlan cast a furtive glance over her shoulder, stopping suddenly at what she saw. Further back down the road stood the woman with the silver hair, her eyes locked on her. Her hair stood out among the crowds, her golden cloak practically shimmering in the sun.

The Mother Confessor quickly spun on her heel to face the woman only to find her suddenly gone. Kahlan raced back down the road in the direction they had just come, stopping in the middle of the busy street to find no trace of her.

Nicci raced after her, stopping when she finally caught up to her. "Kahlan, what is it?" Nicci breathlessly asked, placing a hand on her arm.

"That woman," Kahlan murmured under her breath, her eyes frantically scanning the area for her, but she was nowhere to be found.

"What woman?" Nicci shook her head in confusion as she too began searching the area for the unknown person.

"That silver haired woman?" Rachel asked, her agiel gripped tightly in her fist as she scanned the crowds. "You saw her again?"

"Yes, she was standing right here," Kahlan scowled. "I'm certain of it this time. She was definitely following us for some reason."

Nicci didn't like what Kahlan was telling them. "Do you think she's connected to Mina somehow?"

"I don't know how," Kahlan replied. "I've never seen them together."

"I doubt it. I saw this woman and she definitely doesn't look the type who would be seen with someone like Mina," Rachel informed the sorceress.

"Come, we better go check on Mina," Kahlan finally said, worry beginning to grow.

XXX

Kahlan quickened her pace as she hurried down the road, needing to know what was going on. It caused panic to rise in her heart to think that someone could have come to the People's Palace to cause them more trouble than they already had.

She cringed at the thought of another threat coming after Richard and her family, lurking in the shadows ready to strike. She would not allow anyone to hurt them or her friends. They'd had enough trouble lately without any more interference in their lives.

"How much further?" Kahlan asked, anxious to get to Mina.

"It's just up ahead at the end of this next road," Rachel said.

They hurried up the road, the afternoon sun beginning to diminish as evening began its approach. Kahlan's eyes darted about her, trying to catch a glimpse of any trouble in the haunting shadows that seemed to follow them everywhere they went.

Mina had called for her to come for a reason, one that remained a mystery. The mysterious silver haired woman was obviously involved with this somehow. Kahlan didn't like how she kept popping up, appearing and then suddenly disappearing, following her like she obviously was doing.

There were strange things going on around here. She just couldn't figure out how it all fit together just yet.

Finally reaching a small shack of a house, Kahlan tentatively knocked at the door. Hearing no response, she knocked again, more insistent this time.

"Mina?" Kahlan called her name, her anxiety rising. Her pulse was beginning to race the longer time slipped by without a response. "It's Kahlan."

She gently pushed on the door, surprised to find it not even locked. The old door squeaked stubbornly on its aged hinges as Kahlan pushed it further open. She could feel Nicci and Rachel pressing in behind her as she entered, allowing her eyes to adjust to the dim light in the small shack.

"Be careful," Rachel hissed under her breath from behind the Mother Confessor.

Ignoring her, Kahlan slowly looked around her, taking in all of the tiny treasures that the old woman had collected, special objects on display that obviously meant everything to her staring at her from their privileged positions on shelves and tables all around the small room.

"Mina," Kahlan called again, a little more urgency in her voice. "It's Kahlan. I came to see you."

A soft low moan, barely audible, drifted from another room. Kahlan quickly made her way to a room in the back of the small home. Mina lay on a bed, a ragged quilt covering her small frame. Her face was ghostly pale, her white wispy hair disheveled, so unlike the usual smoothed back style that she typically wore.

Kahlan knelt down beside the old woman's bed, her hand finding Mina's wrinkled one lying on her stomach on top of the quilt. "Mina, what happened?" Kahlan asked her, sadden by the declining state in which she had found her in.

"I don't…know…" she weakly gasped, her voice hoarse. "I don't rightly…remember…"

"Rachel, get a glass of water," Kahlan instructed her before turning her attention back to the woman. "I'm here now, Mina."

"That's good…good…" she murmured. "I have to tell her."

"Tell who?" Kahlan shook her head in confusion.

"Lady Kahlan," Mina weakly gasped again. "I have to warn her…"

"I'm right here, Mina," Kahlan told her, squeezing the elderly woman's hand in reassurance. "What do you need to tell me?"

"Yes, I must tell her…" she rambled on incoherently.

"Nicci," Kahlan turned to her.

Without a word, Nicci moved in beside the Mother Confessor, stretching out her hands as she examined the elderly woman. The sorceress had a grim expression on her face as she worked, allowing her powerful magic to flow through her and into the woman's body.

Nicci suddenly sat back on her heels, shaking her head with a solemn expression on her face as she looked into Kahlan's sad eyes. "I'm so sorry, Kahlan," she softly whispered.

Rachel entered with a glass of water, handing it to Kahlan. Kahlan reached beneath Mina's frail body, holding her up as she helped her take a drink of water. Mina thirstily drank it down, weakly collapsing back into the Mother Confessor's arms. Kahlan gently laid her back down in the bed, pulling the quilt up around her shoulders.

"I have…to tell her…warn her…" Mina moaned as tears suddenly leaked from her closed eyes.

"I'm here, Mina," Kahlan gently attempted to reassure her again. "What do you need to tell me?"

"Her…"

"Her who?" Kahlan shook her head in confusion.

"Her…please be careful, Lady Kahlan," she sobbed. "You're in great…danger…"

Frustration mingled with sadness as she tightened her hold on the woman's hand. "Mina, I don't understand. Please tell me what you saw."

"You must beware," she warned her, her eyes suddenly opening wide with a gasp. "It's coming."

"What is coming?" Rachel asked, standing behind Kahlan and Nicci.

"The serpent…" Mina rasped, horror filling her voice as well as her eyes.

The old woman drew a shuddering breath, her eyes falling closed as her head rolled to the side. Kahlan stared down at her, her final words ringing in her ears. It was just like the prophecy. The deadly serpent that was prophesied would rise against the Seeker, the one who would unite regions and destroy the future.

Kahlan felt her blood turn to ice in her veins as she sank back on her heels. "Mina?" she softly called the woman's name, deep down knowing that she would never answer her again.

She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. Turning, she looked into the sorceress's eyes. "This prophecy is truly coming for us, isn't it?"

"I'm afraid so," Nicci gently confirmed.

Kahlan turned back to the woman lying still in the bed before her, fear rising like a deadly phantom. This couldn't be happening. They eliminated one evil only to have one after another repeatedly rise up against them, ready to destroy them at every turn, take away everything they held dear.

Tears suddenly burned in her eyes, frustration and anger at having to fight another unseen, unknown evil that would never leave them alone.

"Kahlan, there's more," Nicci softly said. "Mina was murdered."

"What?" Kahlan gasped, turning to look at the sorceress. "What are you talking about?"

"She was murdered," Nicci told her. "I detected a magical spell lingering in her body, a spell I wasn't able to reverse in time. Someone used magic to kill her."

"Look around, see what you can find that might help us figure out who could've done this to her," Kahlan instructed them as she gently pulled the quilt over Mina's face.

Someone had wanted to stop her, keep her from telling what she had seen in her visions. Whatever it was that Mina had experienced had just died with her. Now, they were left with little more information than they already had.

"I found this," Rachel suddenly announced reentering the small back room.

Taking it from the Mord'Sith, Kahlan held up a gold coin that Rachel had found. "Where did you find this?" Kahlan asked.

"It was in the cupboard on the shelf with her dishes," she informed her. "Odd place to hide something so valuable."

"I wonder how she got this," Kahlan murmured more to herself than the others as she fingered the gold coin. "This could've paid for her to have so much more than what she had and yet she hadn't spent it yet. Why?"

"Maybe she was waiting for the right time," Nicci suggested, taking the coin from the Mother Confessor to look at it.

"But how did she get it," Kahlan pressed. "She doesn't make enough money foretelling futures on the street to be able to come close to earning anywhere near this much. It would take her whole life to make this."

"Someone very generous gave a very gracious tip for a future that they obviously didn't want repeated to anyone," Nicci said.

"The problem is finding out who that someone is," Rachel huffed.

"I have a feeling that the silver haired woman may have some information about all of this," Kahlan wondered out loud. "She is obviously wealthy, could afford to give away a gold coin like that without needing to take it back."

"I can alert Commander Garren, have the guards on alert for her if you wish," Rachel said.

"No, not yet," Kahlan frowned as she stood to her feet. "We don't have any proof yet that she is even involved in this. We're just guessing here. There are thousands and thousands of people here. It could be anyone."

"Besides, if this woman is truly involved, we don't want to alert her that we suspect her of anything," Nicci mentioned. "I think we should keep our eyes open for anything out of the ordinary. We need to be careful. Whoever is involved possesses great magic."

Walking to the door, Kahlan paused, her hand coming to rest against the doorframe. She turned to look at the body lying so still beneath the ragged quilt. Her heart constricted at the site. She hadn't known the woman very well, but she couldn't help but be saddened by her unexpected death.

Mina had died because of her, may have lost her life because of the visions she'd had surrounding her and Richard. She couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for this in some small way.