his eye. “Yes, Mistress Cara.”
“ Cara, do you think it necessary that—”
“ Yes. I know my business. Let me do it. You yourself reminded me what’s at stake and how we dared not take any chances.”
Kahlan relented. “All right.”
Kahlan took hold of a rung above her head and started up the ladder. On the second rung, she paused and looked back. Frowning, she stepped back off the ladder.
“ Marlin, did you come to Aydindril alone?”
“ No, Mother Confessor.”
Cara snatched the neck of his tunic. “What! You came with others?”
“ Yes, Mistress Cara.”
“ How many!”
“ With one other, Mistress Cara. She was a Sister of the Dark.”
Kahlan’s fist joined Cara’s on his tunic. “What was her name!”
Frightened by both women, he tried to back away a bit, but their grip on his tunic wouldn’t allow it. “I don’t know her name,” he whined. “I swear.”
“ She was a Sister of the Dark, from the palace, where you lived for close to a century, and you don’t know her name?” Kahlan asked.
Marlin licked his lips, his gaze moving between the two women. “There were hundreds of Sisters at the Palace of the Prophets. There were rules. We had teachers assigned to us. There were places we didn’t go, and Sisters we never came in contact with, like those who handled administration. I didn’t know them all, I swear. I saw her before, at the palace, but I didn’t know her name, and she didn’t tell me.”
“ Where is she now!”
Marlin shook in terror. “I don’t know! I haven’t seen her for days, since I came to the city.”
Kahlan gritted her teeth. “What did she look like, then?”
Marlin licked his lips again as his gaze flicked back and forth between the two women. “I don’t know. I don’t know how to describe her. A young woman. I don’t think she was long out of being a novice. She was young-looking, like you, Mother Confessor. Pretty. I thought she was pretty. She had long hair. Long brown hair.”
Kahlan and Cara shared a look. “Nadine,” they said as one.
CHAPTER 4
“ Mistress Cara?” Marlin called from below.
Cara turned, hanging by one hand on the next rung down from Kahlan. She held the torch out in her other hand. “What!”
“ How will I sleep, Mistress Cara? If you don’t come back tonight, and if I have to stand, then how will I sleep?”
“ Sleep? That’s not my concern. I told you—you must remain on your feet, on that spot. Move, sit, or lie down, and you will be very sorry. You will be all alone with the pain. Understand?”
“ Yes, Mistress Cara,” came the weak voice from the darkness below.
Once Kahlan was up in the hall, she reached down and took the torch from Cara, freeing the Mord-Sith to use both hands to climb out. Kahlan handed the torch to a relieved-looking Sergeant Collins.
“ Collins, I’d like all of you to remain here. Keep the door locked and don’t go down there—for anything. Don’t let anyone else so much as take a peek.”
“ Yes, Mother Confessor.” Sergeant Collins hesitated. “Is it dangerous, then?”
Kahlan understood his concern. “No. Cara has control of his power. He’s incapable of using his magic.”
She took appraisal of the troops clogging the dingy stone corridor. There had to be close to a hundred.
“ I don’t know if we’ll be back tonight,” she told the sergeant. “Get the rest of your men down here. Divide them into squads. Take shifts so that there’s at least this many down here at all times. Lock all the barricade doors. Post archers at the doors and at each end of this hall.”
“ I thought you said there was no need for concern, that he couldn’t use his magic.”
Kahlan smiled. “Do you want to have to explain it to Cara, here, if someone sneaks in and rescues her charge out from under your nose in her absence?”
He scratched his stubble as he glanced at Cara. “I understand, Mother Confessor. No one will be allowed within shouting distance of this
“ Cara, do you think it necessary that—”
“ Yes. I know my business. Let me do it. You yourself reminded me what’s at stake and how we dared not take any chances.”
Kahlan relented. “All right.”
Kahlan took hold of a rung above her head and started up the ladder. On the second rung, she paused and looked back. Frowning, she stepped back off the ladder.
“ Marlin, did you come to Aydindril alone?”
“ No, Mother Confessor.”
Cara snatched the neck of his tunic. “What! You came with others?”
“ Yes, Mistress Cara.”
“ How many!”
“ With one other, Mistress Cara. She was a Sister of the Dark.”
Kahlan’s fist joined Cara’s on his tunic. “What was her name!”
Frightened by both women, he tried to back away a bit, but their grip on his tunic wouldn’t allow it. “I don’t know her name,” he whined. “I swear.”
“ She was a Sister of the Dark, from the palace, where you lived for close to a century, and you don’t know her name?” Kahlan asked.
Marlin licked his lips, his gaze moving between the two women. “There were hundreds of Sisters at the Palace of the Prophets. There were rules. We had teachers assigned to us. There were places we didn’t go, and Sisters we never came in contact with, like those who handled administration. I didn’t know them all, I swear. I saw her before, at the palace, but I didn’t know her name, and she didn’t tell me.”
“ Where is she now!”
Marlin shook in terror. “I don’t know! I haven’t seen her for days, since I came to the city.”
Kahlan gritted her teeth. “What did she look like, then?”
Marlin licked his lips again as his gaze flicked back and forth between the two women. “I don’t know. I don’t know how to describe her. A young woman. I don’t think she was long out of being a novice. She was young-looking, like you, Mother Confessor. Pretty. I thought she was pretty. She had long hair. Long brown hair.”
Kahlan and Cara shared a look. “Nadine,” they said as one.
CHAPTER 4
“ Mistress Cara?” Marlin called from below.
Cara turned, hanging by one hand on the next rung down from Kahlan. She held the torch out in her other hand. “What!”
“ How will I sleep, Mistress Cara? If you don’t come back tonight, and if I have to stand, then how will I sleep?”
“ Sleep? That’s not my concern. I told you—you must remain on your feet, on that spot. Move, sit, or lie down, and you will be very sorry. You will be all alone with the pain. Understand?”
“ Yes, Mistress Cara,” came the weak voice from the darkness below.
Once Kahlan was up in the hall, she reached down and took the torch from Cara, freeing the Mord-Sith to use both hands to climb out. Kahlan handed the torch to a relieved-looking Sergeant Collins.
“ Collins, I’d like all of you to remain here. Keep the door locked and don’t go down there—for anything. Don’t let anyone else so much as take a peek.”
“ Yes, Mother Confessor.” Sergeant Collins hesitated. “Is it dangerous, then?”
Kahlan understood his concern. “No. Cara has control of his power. He’s incapable of using his magic.”
She took appraisal of the troops clogging the dingy stone corridor. There had to be close to a hundred.
“ I don’t know if we’ll be back tonight,” she told the sergeant. “Get the rest of your men down here. Divide them into squads. Take shifts so that there’s at least this many down here at all times. Lock all the barricade doors. Post archers at the doors and at each end of this hall.”
“ I thought you said there was no need for concern, that he couldn’t use his magic.”
Kahlan smiled. “Do you want to have to explain it to Cara, here, if someone sneaks in and rescues her charge out from under your nose in her absence?”
He scratched his stubble as he glanced at Cara. “I understand, Mother Confessor. No one will be allowed within shouting distance of this
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