Chapter 17

Walking around Caelinus's cottage, Deryn was struck by how large it actually was on the inside. From the outside, it had appeared to be so small, nothing more than a shack, but now being inside she was shocked by its enormity.

She was also struck by the overwhelming sense of loneliness and heartache that seemed to pervade the entire house. Despite the fire crackling in the hearth, there was still a biting chill to the air that no amount of warmth could ever hope to erase.

Looking about the main room, Deryn thoughtfully untied her cloak, slipping it off and draping it over her arm. There was little to this place that would actually make it feel like a real home, a place that anyone would want to settle down in or raise a family. All there was inside was the barest of necessities, nothing personal or heart-warming to speak of.

She couldn't begin to imagine all the horrible things that could've happened to this man that would have driven him from a prestigious life as a wizard in Aydindril to a desolate life like this. It was the loneliest of existences, his only companionship a red dragon.

"Don't even bothering sitting down because you won't be staying here long enough to get comfortable," Caelinus spat out, crossing his bony arms against his chest as if challenging any one of them to try and defy him.

"Caelinus, I know you weren't expecting us, but you could be a little more cordial," Zedd snapped at him, having reached the end of his patience after meeting the pet dragon. "I didn't come all this way for no good reason."

"Why did you come here at all? It's not like you were invited!" he scowled, a menacing glower firmly planted on his face. "Never thought I'd see you again this side of the Underworld."

"I know," Zedd released a heavy sigh, ignoring his ire. "I didn't think so either, but sometimes you have to put aside your own personal injustices for the wellbeing of others. Some things in life are far more important than ancient quarrels, Caelinus."

Caelinus sized up the taller wizard standing before him, all the painful wrongs of the past that seemed like a lifetime ago suddenly resurfacing in his mind like a massive tidal wave threatening to crash over him. He didn't want to ever be reminded of that other life that he had led. That was why he had come here, to hide away from the world that had turned its back on him. Unfortunately, that previous life was facing him here now.

"I did care about the wellbeing of others once," Caelinus coldly responded, his mind still replaying events of the past. "And it ended up costing me more than I was willing to pay."

"You weren't the only one who paid that price," Zedd heatedly replied, pointing a finger at him, his voice thick with emotion. "Erilyn was my life."

"And she was my sister," he hissed, refusing to back down. "She never should've died. You should have been able to save her."

Both men stared each other down for a long moment before Zedd finally responded, his voice suddenly gentle as tears filled his eyes. "Caelinus, neither of us could have saved her. Creator knows I tried and deep down you know I did too."

Caelinus saw the tears surfacing in his oldest friend's eyes, knew his deep pain because he felt it himself, carried it with him daily. Erilyn had been his beloved sister, the only family he'd had left. Their parents had died when he was young, Erilyn practically raising him all alone. She had not only been his sister, but his father, his mother, his best friend. She had been his caretaker, his protector, his reassurance and his home. She had been his everything…and he had lost her.

She had been so brutally taken from them by a quad sent by Panis Rahl to get revenge on Zedd. And Zedd had tried everything to save her. Her death lay squarely on the shoulders of the former Lord of D'Hara and deep down he knew it. Despite the pain of her loss, time had actually managed to heal some of his wounds.

"I know," he softly admitted much to Zedd's surprise, his bottom lip beginning to quiver with the tears that threatened to form as all the fire suddenly sputtered out of him.

Zedd made his way to his brother-in-law. Coming to stand before him, he placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Caelinus, I didn't come here to bring you more pain," he quietly said. "I know you still blame me for Erilyn's death. I wouldn't have come here at all unless it was vitally important. I only came because I needed my old friend's help."

Caelinus's eyes fell closed with his words, the pain of his loss still as fresh and raw as the day that he had lost her. He knew in his heart that it wasn't Zedd's fault, but it had been easier blaming him than accepting that they were all to blame for it at the time.

If they hadn't been working so hard in an effort to stop the war and Panis Rahl, he never would've come after Erilyn. They shared equal blame in this, drawing the wrath for the D'Haran ruler and Erilyn paying the price.

After several long moments, Caelinus drew a shuddering breath. "What is it that you need?" he whispered as his shoulders slumped in defeat, knowing deep down that Erilyn would've wanted him to help Zedd.

"Two friends are dying and I am at a loss at being able to help either one," Zedd admitted, his hand slipping from the man's shoulder and falling to his side. "I don't know what to do to save them, but I knew you would be able to help us."

"Zedd, I haven't been practicing much magic since moving here all those years ago," Caelinus slowly shook his head in regret. "I'm afraid when I left Aydindril, I left all of that behind as well."

Deryn's throat suddenly constricted tightly with the strangled sob that stuck there, her world falling apart around her. She didn't come all this way to hear the wizard say these words, to tell her there was nothing he could do to help her son.

"You mean to tell me you've been doing absolutely nothing up here in these mountains all these years?" Zedd grumbled. "Is making friends with a red dragon the only thing you've managed to accomplish?"

"Well, not exactly!" Caelinus scowled, the fiery spark suddenly returning to his dark eyes, replacing the sorrow that had just been there.

"Well, what have you been doing all this time besides growing skinnier than an old woman on her deathbed? You look terrible!"

"I've had a few projects here and there I've been working on," he huffed in indignation.

Zedd planted his fists on his hips. "Like what?"

"I can't remember right off the top of my head," he harrumphed, averting his eyes from Zedd's probing gaze. "Just…things…important things too! Besides it's none of your business what I do up here in the privacy of my own home."

Amused, Frederick couldn't help the small smile that tugged at the corners of his lips as he listened to these two old friends banter and argue back and forth like an old married couple. He could easily see how they must have been the closest of friends at one time, their easy manner with each other evident despite all that had transpired in their lives.

It was a relief to see them getting past their pain and differences after all these years. Hopefully, Zedd would be able to coax Caelinus into helping them find the cure they so desperately needed. Even if they couldn't save him, if they could at least save Michael then the trip would have been more than worth it.

XXX

She stood in the doorway silently watching her twin daughters as they slept, a mixture of pride and joy comingling with a sense of sadness that she couldn't seem to shake. Tomorrow her precious little girls were going to be a year old already, truly becoming Confessors.

The months since their dramatic entry into the world had flown by quicker than a heartbeat it seemed to her. So much had happened since then, so many catastrophes averted, evil threats eliminated, and lives saved.

It made Kahlan wonder if there would ever be peace for them, for the family that she and Richard were making together. No matter how hard they fought, no matter how much wicked they thwarted, there always seemed to be another ready to rise up and take its place.

Kahlan rubbed her arms in a futile attempt to stave off the shudder that suddenly rippled through her. They were in the very midst of trouble again right now. And not just one problem, but several coming at them from every direction like a ring of deadly arrows.

It was as if the Creator herself was testing them, pushing them to see just how far they could go before finally crumbling beneath the enormous strain.

But Kahlan wasn't going to crumble, refused to break. She had a husband and children who needed her, friends who were suffering their own trials, and a people who relied on their Mother Confessor to guide and lead them.

Her daughters needed her to be there to teach them the ways of the Confessor, to guide and train them. She had lost her mother at such a young age and it had devastated her. She didn't want her daughters to go through the heartache that she and Dennee had endured.

Kahlan had had other Confessors there later to teach her, but now she was the last, the only one left to guide her twins through the treacherous journey they would eventually be forced to face.

Tears threatened to rise and overwhelm her at the thought of what laid ahead for them. While it was an honor to be a Confessor, it also carried a very heavy mantle of duty and responsibility that could never be evaded. They would be needed to rebuild the prestigious line of Confessors, to ensure justice and peace was upheld throughout the D'Haran Empire.

Before she knew it, she'd have to begin their training, to mold and shape them into the powerful women that they would no doubt be. It was something that weighed heavily on her heart. The magic of confession combined with the powerful magic of their father ran through their veins. They would be a mighty force to be reckoned with, the likes of which had never been seen before.

Staring at each daughter's sleeping face, Kahlan's heart swelled with such pride and love. She could see Richard in both girls' features, his purity of heart evident in their eyes, their wonder and curiosity shining through in everything they were already learning to do.

Kahlan didn't think she could possibly be any happier than she was at that very moment despite her worries about what the future held for them. She had more than she had ever dreamed was possible.

His musky scent assaulted her just a beat before his arms snaked around her waist, his chin coming to rest on her shoulder as he enveloped her in his powerful embrace.

"And what is running through that beautiful mind of yours?" he softly asked, not wanting to wake his girls.

"Just in awe of the beautiful children you and I made," she wistfully replied. "I can hardly believe it. They'll be a year old, truly becoming Confessors tomorrow."

"What?" Richard asked incredulously. "I thought they already were Confessors."

"Well, they are, but their magic lies dormant until they turn one year old," she explained. "After a Confessor's first birthday, her powers become active. That's why it's important to start their training at a young age."

"I didn't know that," he murmured, his mind still trying to process what he had just learned.

"I'm sorry, Richard," she quickly apologized. "I forget sometimes that you didn't grow up around magic."

"Even if they aren't truly Confessors yet, they're still perfect to me in every way," he whispered as he too watched his daughters sleep, his warm breath against her skin causing a shiver to race through her. "Just like their mother."

Kahlan's hand came up to softly run her finger through his hair. "I only see their amazing father," she countered as she continued to watch them.

"That's only because I've corrupted and brainwashed you, remember?" he chuckled softly as he kissed behind her ear.

"You can corrupt me any time…day or night...Lord Rahl," she replied, her voice sultry and enticing as she suddenly turned in his arms.

Richard groaned as she pressed herself against him, reminded of the night they had made Paige and Priya. Need turned her blood to liquid flames in her veins as her tongue began to probe his mouth.

He pulled her with him as he moved back, closing the door behind Kahlan. He was going to fully enjoy all of the sweet pleasure his wife always brought him. And he planned on enjoying it a couple of times tonight.

He loved losing themselves in each other, to be lost in that passion that made his head spine and his heart ache with the depths of his love for this woman. She brought him such unbelievable pleasure, reaching heights he never dreamed possible.

Breaking the kiss, Kahlan began to free him of his shirt, her lips softly toying with his, teasing him with what was about to come. "Remember the night we made the girls?" she smiled against his lips.

Richard moaned as she raked her teeth along his lower lip, heated passion beginning to thrum through his veins. "How could I forget?" he gasped as her fingernails playfully scraped along his muscled chest. His stomach quivered with pounding desire especially seeing the kind of feisty mood his wife was in.

That night had been so bittersweet in his mind, passionate and magical because they had created their daughters. At the same time, it was painful to think back on because of the horror that had surrounded that night.

Kahlan had nearly been killed because of him, falling over the edge of that cliff. He could still see her lying on the rocks below, bloody and broken because of his actions. He had secretly left the next morning after making love to her, not knowing that his seed had taken root, creating not one but two beautiful daughters.

He was just thankful that he'd had that vision of Kahlan holding his girls, warning him of the terrible danger that she was in. It had brought him back to his senses, shaking him free of the terrible guilt that he had been carrying.

Kahlan felt a sudden change in him as she kissed him, his entire body tensing. Taking his face in her hands, she brushed her lips against his. "What is it?" she breathed, caressing his face in an effort to draw him back to her.

Richard's eyes fell closed, his body panting with mounting need, his heart suddenly drowning in guilty memories. "It's just that…I had already made up my mind that I was going to leave for D'Hara the next morning that night that I had made love to you," he murmured. "I never should have left you."

"You were doing what you thought you had to do at the time," she gently protested.

"No, I wasn't," he replied, opening his eyes to gaze into her azure depths dark with longing for him. "I was running, terrified of hurting you again. It was easier to run away from you than to deal with the guilt and the fear over what had happened to you."

"Richard, you found your way back to me again," she insisted. "That's all that matters."

"I'm never leaving you again, Kahlan," he swore to her, grasping her face with his hands. "Apart from you, there's nothing of me. I'll always be by your side...forever."

Kahlan brushed a lock of hair from his forehead before kissing him again, her fingers making quick work of his scabbard fastened around his waist. The sword clanked loudly as it landed on the floor, but was quickly forgotten as she unlaced his pants, her lips ghosting a trail to his ear.

"Right now, I want you…inside of me," she seductively purred, her tongue stroking his ear.

Richard drew a ragged breath in an attempt to keep from coming undone right there as Kahlan's fingers disappeared beneath the edge of his breeches. Grabbing her waist to steady himself, his hands slid to her backside, his fingers digging into her flesh as she touched him.

Every time he was with her, he found himself wondering if he'd survive the passionate encounter, believing the flames would finally consume him whole. And every time, he was left breathless, his mind and body nothing but a quivering mess of complete euphoria in the wake of her love for him.

And she no less.

He pressed his forehead against her shoulder as he began to lose himself to the pleasure she was creating, his breath hot blasts against her neck as he panted with the arousal pounding through him. Even through the blissful haze, he managed to find her neck, his lips and teeth assaulting her in a fiery response of wanton need.

He yanked at the laces of her dress, his fingers working rapidly as she moved them closer to the bed. Shoving her dress down her arms, his teeth sank into her shoulder, sucking softly and kissing away the sting. She hissed with the pleasure spiking through her, suddenly releasing her hold on him.

She tilted her head, offering more of herself to him as he kissed along her throat. She had meant to take complete control of him this time, to dominate him and drive him mad with pleasure, but she felt herself already losing that control as he pushed her onto the bed.

His perfectly muscled form was on her before she could barely draw a breath, his mouth suddenly crashing into hers, their tongues dueling for control. She gripped his arms tightly as he settled between her long legs, his hands burying deep into her thick mane.

He kissed his way down her neck, assaulting her breasts with searing kisses that elicited sharp gasps and moans from his lover. Kahlan arched her back as he suckled and nipped at her sensitive skin, her mind clouding with a thick haze of euphoria. She was desperate to regain control again, but his forceful assault was rapidly driving her crazy with need for him. Her fingernails racked across his back as he tormented her with his mouth, ecstasy already beginning to thrum wildly through her veins.

Her throaty growl of frustration pierced his ears, bringing a smirk to his lips as he kissed his way back to her lips. She suddenly gripped him tightly with her thighs before quickly rolling him onto his back and taking him by surprise. She pressed herself fully against him, skin against skin as her dark hair fell like a waterfall around his face, her nose just inches from his.

His chest heaving, he stared into her indigo eyes, a wicked grin spreading over his face. "Impatient, are we?" he panted, knowing exactly what she wanted, what he had been holding off giving her.

She leaned tantalizing close to him, her lips just a whisper away from his. "I always get what I want," she murmured, her tongue sneaking out to glide seductively along her lower lip.

Richard groaned something sinful, raising his hips to finally connect with her. Kahlan anticipated his move, shifting away before he could have what he so desperately wanted as well.

"It's my turn to torment you now," she softly purred, leaning down to kiss along his jaw before working her way down his chest.

Richard gripped at the sheets as she kissed and nipped along his abdominals, knowing that he would not be regaining control again…at least this time around.