Still, since leaving the Hartland woods, he had learned a lot about magic, and he knew the danger of those books. He had read many of them, as well as many other books of magic in other libraries both at the People’s Palace, and in other places. At times, such books had proved useful to him. They had explained much, and unlocked many secrets.
On the way to the library, they had picked up a fair number of men of the First File. With the new danger from the goddess and her kind, the officers wanted to make sure Richard and Kahlan were always well protected. Although it was at times awkward to be surrounded by soldiers, Richard, a loner by nature, knew it was necessary. While half a dozen Mord-Sith in red leather trailed right behind, one group of armed men checked the way ahead as another group marched along in the rear. Richard felt a bit like a prized pig being taken to a fair.
He understood that as the Lord Rahl he didn’t have the right to needlessly put himself in harm’s way, so he had grown somewhat used to being constantly protected. He was at least gratified to have Kahlan under that protection as well. As a Confessor, she had grown up with others rightly concerned about her safety, so it wasn’t odd to her.
The corridor they were in had a thick carpet with a pattern of leaves in various shades of browns. The carpeting and sizable wall hangings gave the corridor a muted, calm feel. The carpet also quieted all the footsteps, which in turn only served to highlight the jangle of weapons and chain mail.
Along the way there were graceful wooden tables and comfortable chairs with studded metalwork on them. Most of the tables held vases, many with flowers. Some of the colorful blown-glass vases were quite elaborate and were there simply for their own beauty. Paintings along the walls showed forest scenes, lakes, and mountains. They reminded Richard of how much he missed being alone in the quiet of his woods. He missed those peaceful times when there was no one, and nothing, trying to kill everyone in the world.
It was a troubling concept to grasp, and it occurred to him that the calm beauty of the restricted areas was a way for the Lord Rahl to have his mind quieted in order for him to ponder unfathomable threats to the world.
It was amazing that in such a short time, they had gone from lower levels with horrific sights, to such a beautiful and peaceful area. All in the same palace.
14
As they quickly made their way down the elegant corridor, Richard spotted the group of people assembled in the distance. Most were sitting on the ugly orange-striped chairs outside the library. There was a group of soldiers there as well, to watch over the guests in the restricted area.
As they got close enough for the group to see that it was Lord Rahl approaching, in his war-wizard outfit, gold cape and all, along with the Mother Confessor in her white dress, the guests all shot to their feet.
When Richard and his group were close enough, all the people, except the soldiers, went on to a knee, bowing forward, as was the old tradition when meeting the Mother Confessor. Richard saw a number of those people trembling. He didn’t know if it was out of fear of him, or the Mother Confessor. He remembered after he had first met Kahlan, when they crossed the boundary into the Midlands, he saw people of every kind, including kings and queens, fall to their knees before Kahlan. Many of those, too, had trembled. Many people believed that a Confessor could steal their minds if she chose. In a way, that was true, but not in the way many people feared.
Kahlan came to a halt before the bowed, silent people.
“Rise, my children.”
Everyone returned to their feet, but none of them looked any more at ease. None of them would look up into either Richard’s or Kahlan’s eyes.
“I want to thank you all for coming,” Richard said in as friendly a tone as he could muster. Below the surface he was boiling with rage over the murders of so many people down in the dark recesses of the palace, but he knew he couldn’t show that anger to these people. “It’s an honor for me to finally get the chance to meet the gifted living here at the People’s Palace.”
One woman, with frizzy faded brown hair and in a plain, straight tan dress with no belt, held up a hand. When Richard nodded to her, she spoke in a meek voice.
“I am gifted, Lord Rahl.” Her other hand settled on the shoulder of a girl with her back up against the woman. “But my daughter, Dori, is not. Also, we don’t live here. We are merely visitors to the palace, come to watch the audiences you granted in the great hall the other day.”
Richard supposed she wanted to make that clear just in case the Lord Rahl suddenly took on the disposition of Richard’s father and decided to imprison the gifted who lived at the palace, or at least restrict their lives in some way.
Richard smiled at the woman. “I’m sure your daughter is no less of a handful, and no less of a joy, for being ungifted. The Mother Confessor and I are grateful that you came to visit the People’s Palace.”
That brought a smile to the woman. The smile looked to have surprised her at its unexpected arrival, causing her to blush.
The daughter, Dori, seemed to be even more shy than her mother. She wore a faded blue dress dotted with little white flowers and cinched at the waist by a thin woven cord belt tied at her hip. Her straight brown hair, parted in the middle, hung just short of her bony shoulders. She seemed too fearful to be able to bring herself to look up at the Lord Rahl towering above her. Richard studied her a moment as she turned her head, looking away to the side to avoid eye contact.
He finally clasped his hands behind his back as he strolled before the rest of the group, getting a good look at them all, and they at him. There were two older men with white hair and beards, one very old woman with short, wavy white hair, half a dozen young men and women still in their teens, and all the rest in a variety of years in between.
“You all are gifted in some way?” Richard asked.
Many of their eyes shifted to the half-dozen Mord-Sith standing off behind him before looking back and nodding, some slowly, some enthusiastically. Some even smiled with confident pride.
“Good. I’m truly honored to finally have the chance to meet all of you.” He smiled again. “Perhaps some of you have known your gift as far back as you can remember. I was shocked, myself, when I first learned that I’m gifted.”
That brought broader smiles to most of them and seemed to at least put others at ease to know he was human.
“Are there any among you who have been formally trained in the use of your gift?”
One of the older men, and three of the middle-aged women, lifted a hand.
“Can you tell me how?” Richard asked, pointing at the man.
He cleared his throat. “I was trained in prophecy, Lord Rahl. By an uncle who has long since passed away,” he hastened to add.
“Are you gifted in any other way?”
The man winced a little, as if afraid to disappoint Richard. “No, Lord Rahl. Just with prophecy, I’m afraid.”
“Are there any others among you who are gifted in prophecy?”
Everyone shook their heads. Richard turned back to the older man.
“And have you had any prophecy recently?”
He looked abashed. “I used to be visited by prophecy regularly, Lord Rahl, but I’m afraid that since the end of the war, I’ve no longer had any prophecies.”
Richard didn’t want to tell the man that he had ended prophecy, so instead he offered a smile. “All right, thank you for coming. If prophecy returns to you, please be sure to send word to me and perhaps I will call on you again, but that’s all that I need for now.” Richard held a hand out toward nearby stairs that led down to the public area. “Sorry to have asked you up here for nothing.”