truth. I couldn’t even get them to listen fairly. All the death and suffering I’ve seen is ultimately because of men like this—men who refuse to see.
“Their willful ignorance does not entitle them to my blood or life. They picked their own path. For once, they paid the price.”
He didn’t sound to her like a man who was quitting the fight. He still held the sword, was still in the grip of its rage. Kahlan caressed his arm, letting him know that she understood. It was clear to her that even though he’d been justly defending himself, and though he was still filled with the sword’s rage, he keenly regretted what he’d had to do. The men, had they been able to kill Richard instead, would have regretted nothing. They would have celebrated his death as a great victory.
“That was still perilous—making them all chase after you.”
“No, it wasn’t. It drew them out of the open and into the trees. They had to dismount. It’s rocky and the footing is poor, so they couldn’t rush me together or with speed, like they could out here on the road.
“The light is failing; they thought that was to their advantage. It wasn’t. In the trees it was even darker. I’m wearing mostly black. It’s warm, so I’d left my gold cape behind, here in the carriage. The little bit of gold on the rest of the outfit only serves to break up the shape of a man’s figure in the near-dark, so they had an even harder time seeing me.
“Once I took down Albert, they stopped thinking and fought with pure anger—until they started seeing blood and death. Those men are used to brawls, not battles. They had expected an easy time murdering us—they weren’t mentally prepared to fight for their own lives. Once they saw the true nature of what was happening, they ran for their lives. The ones left, anyway. These are my woods. In their panic, they became confused and lost their way in the trees. I cut them off and ended it.”
“Did you get them all?” Cara asked, worried about any who might escape and bring more men after them.
“Yes. I knew most of them, and besides, I had their number in my head. I counted the bodies to make sure I got them all.”
“How many?” Cara asked.
Richard turned to take up the reins. “Not enough for their purpose.” He clicked his tongue and started the horses moving.
Chapter 5
Richard rose up and drew his sword. This time, when its distinctive sound rang out in the night, Kahlan was awake. Her first instinct was to sit up. Before she even had time to think better of it, Richard had crouched and gently restrained her with a reassuring hand. She lifted her head just enough to see that it was Cara, leading a man into the harsh, flickering light of the campfire. Richard sheathed his sword when he saw who Cara had with her: Captain Meiffert, the D’Haran officer who had been with them back in Anderith.
Before any other greeting, the man dropped to his knees and bent forward, touching his forehead to the soft ground strewn with pine needles.
“Master Rahl guide us. Master Rahl teach us. Master Rahl protect us,” Captain Meiffert beseeched in sincere reverence. “In your light we thrive. In your mercy we are sheltered. In your wisdom we are humbled. We live only to serve. Our lives are yours.”
When he had gone to his knees to recite the devotion, as it was called, Kahlan saw Cara almost reflexively go to her knees with him, so ingrained was the ritual. The supplication to their Lord Rahl was something all D’Harans did. In the field they commonly recited it once or, on occasion, three times. At the People’s Palace in D’Hara, most people gathered twice a day to chant the devotion at length.
When he’d been a captive of Darken Rahl, Richard, often in much the same condition as Tommy Lancaster just before he died, had himself been forced to his knees by Mord-Sith and made to perform the devotion for hours at a time. Now, the Mord-Sith, like all D’Harans, paid that same homage to
“Their willful ignorance does not entitle them to my blood or life. They picked their own path. For once, they paid the price.”
He didn’t sound to her like a man who was quitting the fight. He still held the sword, was still in the grip of its rage. Kahlan caressed his arm, letting him know that she understood. It was clear to her that even though he’d been justly defending himself, and though he was still filled with the sword’s rage, he keenly regretted what he’d had to do. The men, had they been able to kill Richard instead, would have regretted nothing. They would have celebrated his death as a great victory.
“That was still perilous—making them all chase after you.”
“No, it wasn’t. It drew them out of the open and into the trees. They had to dismount. It’s rocky and the footing is poor, so they couldn’t rush me together or with speed, like they could out here on the road.
“The light is failing; they thought that was to their advantage. It wasn’t. In the trees it was even darker. I’m wearing mostly black. It’s warm, so I’d left my gold cape behind, here in the carriage. The little bit of gold on the rest of the outfit only serves to break up the shape of a man’s figure in the near-dark, so they had an even harder time seeing me.
“Once I took down Albert, they stopped thinking and fought with pure anger—until they started seeing blood and death. Those men are used to brawls, not battles. They had expected an easy time murdering us—they weren’t mentally prepared to fight for their own lives. Once they saw the true nature of what was happening, they ran for their lives. The ones left, anyway. These are my woods. In their panic, they became confused and lost their way in the trees. I cut them off and ended it.”
“Did you get them all?” Cara asked, worried about any who might escape and bring more men after them.
“Yes. I knew most of them, and besides, I had their number in my head. I counted the bodies to make sure I got them all.”
“How many?” Cara asked.
Richard turned to take up the reins. “Not enough for their purpose.” He clicked his tongue and started the horses moving.
Chapter 5
Richard rose up and drew his sword. This time, when its distinctive sound rang out in the night, Kahlan was awake. Her first instinct was to sit up. Before she even had time to think better of it, Richard had crouched and gently restrained her with a reassuring hand. She lifted her head just enough to see that it was Cara, leading a man into the harsh, flickering light of the campfire. Richard sheathed his sword when he saw who Cara had with her: Captain Meiffert, the D’Haran officer who had been with them back in Anderith.
Before any other greeting, the man dropped to his knees and bent forward, touching his forehead to the soft ground strewn with pine needles.
“Master Rahl guide us. Master Rahl teach us. Master Rahl protect us,” Captain Meiffert beseeched in sincere reverence. “In your light we thrive. In your mercy we are sheltered. In your wisdom we are humbled. We live only to serve. Our lives are yours.”
When he had gone to his knees to recite the devotion, as it was called, Kahlan saw Cara almost reflexively go to her knees with him, so ingrained was the ritual. The supplication to their Lord Rahl was something all D’Harans did. In the field they commonly recited it once or, on occasion, three times. At the People’s Palace in D’Hara, most people gathered twice a day to chant the devotion at length.
When he’d been a captive of Darken Rahl, Richard, often in much the same condition as Tommy Lancaster just before he died, had himself been forced to his knees by Mord-Sith and made to perform the devotion for hours at a time. Now, the Mord-Sith, like all D’Harans, paid that same homage to
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