Kahlan had gone pale, making him suddenly wish he hadn’t yelled at her. He hadn’t really been yelling at her, but rather the recklessness of such a suggestion.
“But Richard—” she said in a small voice, almost a plea.
“Someday, Kahlan,” he said, leaning down toward her, softening his voice. “Someday. But right now that is the one thing that could seal our fate and the fate of our world. It would be the single thing that would ensure our total annihilation. Such a thing would cause them to cease being cautious and unleash a full-scale, worldwide invasion. We would be overrun and slaughtered.
“Right now, their attention is on you and me as they probe our powers. Once we can learn more, discover ways to kill them and get control of the situation and hopefully stop them from coming to our world at will, then yes, that’s what I want more than anything. But right now we have to use our heads, or we will all lose them like those people down below.”
Kahlan nodded as she glanced at Shale. The sorceress had gone silent and red-faced. Richard didn’t know what was wrong with the woman to even suggest such a thing right in the middle of such a crisis.
“Kahlan being pregnant would mean that the Golden Goddess could no longer afford to wait us out,” he concluded. “Without a way to stop these predators, it would mean the end of us all.”
Kahlan turned a look on Shale as she gritted her teeth. “What’s the matter with you? Can’t you see that Richard is trying his best to figure out how to stop this threat? We don’t need to make his job any harder than it already is.”
Shale looked a bit sheepish as she abandoned her argument. “I apologize.” She gestured vaguely. “I was only trying to broach a subject that one day must be addressed. But I can see that now is not the time.” Kahlan closed her eyes a moment as she took a deep breath. “One day it will be. Until then, let’s not talk of it again—all right? Richard has a job to do. He doesn’t need us to pile more worries on top of those we already have.”
Shale’s lips pressed tight for a moment. Finally, she bowed her head. “Of course, you’re right, Mother Confessor.”
Richard gripped Shale’s shoulder and gave it a jostle, along with a smile. “It’s a wonderful idea, Shale, just the wrong time, that’s all. No hard feelings?”
Shale shook her head, returning a bit of a smile.
Richard held his hand out to Kahlan. “Come on. We need to get up there to see what kind of gifted we have here in the palace. I’m hoping they are strong enough to be able to help us. I’m also hoping that at least one of them knows how to link others with the gift to make it more powerful.”
Kahlan took his hand, but stood her ground, making Richard stop and turn to her.
“Richard, I’m feeling a bit sick after what we just saw down below. I think I will go lie down.”
Richard was a bit puzzled, even though she did look awfully pale. Kahlan had seen horrific deaths before. It always made her more determined than ever. It was completely unlike her to want to go lie down.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea right now.”
Kahlan frowned. “Why not?”
“Because it’s easier for wolves to take down a deer if they can cut one from the herd. Better that we stay together. I don’t want you to become one of the missing.”
13
Without realizing it, Richard, in his distracted anger, had started taking the stairs two at a time, opening the distance back to most of the others. At a landing where he had to go around a newel post to the next flight of stairs heading up, when the others had lagged a little way behind, only Vika had kept up with him.
With all the shuffling footfalls on the stone steps echoing up and down the stairwell masking her voice, Vika leaned close to whisper to Richard as he slowed to let the others catch up.
“You’re right, Lord Rahl, about not needing the additional worry of a pregnant wife and then children in the middle of a fight to try to save all of our lives. I could see that Shale also upset the Mother Confessor. I will tell the sorceress to mind her own business in the future and I will see to it that she does.”
Richard, deep in his own thoughts, glanced back at the Mord-Sith. “That isn’t necessary.”
Vika didn’t answer. She simply straightened her back and proceeded up the stairs with him as the others hurried to catch up. Richard knew that it didn’t really matter if he told Vika not to say anything to the sorceress. She would do what she thought best to protect him so that he could do what he had to do as First Wizard. Steel against steel so that he could be the magic against magic. That consideration of the larger objective overrode whatever he might say.
Richard was certain that when she caught Shale alone, Vika would deliver a lecture at the end of an Agiel. He didn’t want her to do that, but he knew he wasn’t going to easily be able to stop that from happening. He also knew that if he tried it would end up causing more drama that he didn’t need. He had bigger worries. Besides that, Vika was right. Shale should mind her own business.
He hoped that Shale was wise enough to keep a cool head and not argue with Vika. There were no Mord-Sith in the Northern Waste and Shale had no real idea of how truly dangerous it would be to tangle with one, Vika in particular. While Vika had assigned herself as his personal guard, any of the other Mord-Sith, for that matter, would be just as much trouble to cross. Now that Vika had seen how much Shale had angered him, she had, by extension, also angered Vika.
Such volatile behavior from Vika and her sister Mord-Sith was the price Richard had to pay for having given them their freedom. To the Mord-Sith, such freedom was worthless if they weren’t able to exert it as they saw fit. In return for their independence, they protected Richard and Kahlan with their lives. He was beyond grateful for their protection, but at times it tested his patience.
At the head of the stairs, they emerged into a quiet section of the upper level. The top floor of this entire portion of the palace, where the Lord Rahl’s quarters were also located, was reserved for the exclusive use of the Lord Rahl and any of his staff he designated as needing access. It was strictly off-limits to the general public. The First File patrolled the area at all times to make certain it was free of any unauthorized visitors.
Richard knew there were ancient books on magic in the library to be found up in this area. It was only one of a number of libraries reserved for the Lord Rahl. Some were in this section, some in other restricted areas. While some were considerably larger, this one was special in other ways.
He suspected that this particular library was the reason his ancestors hadn’t wanted anyone else having unfettered access to this area of the palace. That, and they hadn’t wanted just anyone nosing around. Considering the dangerous nature of the books in that library, Richard knew that he also had to keep access restricted.
While ungifted people wouldn’t be able to understand those books or make use of them, if stolen they would bring a high price from the right people. Also, anyone gifted with even modest ability, should they try using those tomes, could accidentally invoke dangerous spells without realizing what they were doing.
Richard idly wondered if any of the spells in those ancient books could be useful to him in the present situation. He knew they contained powerful magic, but the problem was, he didn’t know how to use much of it.
Having grown up in a place without magic he’d had no training in the use of his gift. But such training would have been of no real value. Because he had been gifted as a war wizard, his powers worked differently than in anyone else and training would have been of no help to him. Unlike other gifted people, his gift as a war wizard was linked inextricably to anger. Anger was a necessary tool in combat, and thus essential in a war wizard.