Richard nodded as he climbed up onto the wall, starting to feel better. “Yes, we need to travel. We must hurry.”
Cassia reached up so he could help pull her up onto the wall.
“Master, you cannot take that object of magic. I told you before, you must not take it.”
Richard hoisted Cassia up as he addressed the sliph.
“The last time, you told me that because I have death in me, it wouldn’t kill me to travel with it. You said it would drain some of my life force, letting the sickness of death grow stronger. You didn’t say I couldn’t take it.”
The silver face took on a look of concern. “That is true, but you have little life left to give over this time while traveling.”
“Do I have enough to make it back alive?”
A reluctant silver hand extended up out of the pool to caress his face and test that inner poison.
“You have enough life left to make it back to the palace, but you will be nearly dead. Death will have grown strong in you. You will have hardly any time before you die.”
“Perfect. Let’s go.” He slipped an arm around Cassia’s waist. “Ready? We need to get back. I’m going to need you to help me once we get there.”
“Of course, Lord Rahl.”
Richard reached out and brushed a tear from her cheek. “Don’t cry for me while I’m still alive. Wait until I’m dead, will you, please?”
That made her laugh just a little.
“Chase, thank you.”
Chase nodded as Richard, with his arm around Cassia’s waist, stepped off the wall into the quicksilver waters of the sliph and inhaled her into his lungs.
CHAPTER 56
Breathe.
Richard expelled the silver fluid and gasped a breath of cold air. It stung deep down inside like a thousand needles. With a great effort, he threw his arms over the stone wall of the well. He hung on to the edge, resting, trying to recover. He ached everywhere.
He knew that the sliph had been right. What he had done had drained away much of his remaining life force. Death was spreading through him, rotting him from inside.
Cassia was already out. She grunted with the effort of helping to pull his dead weight up and over the wall. Richard helped as much as he could. Once out, he collapsed to the floor, panting, recovering his strength, hoping he still had enough to stand. Cassia sat beside him on the floor, panting, recovering her own breath and strength. After a few moments, he was finally able to stand.
“Do you wish me to wait for you, Master?”
Richard looked back at the sliph. “Until this is over, one way or another, I would appreciate it. I may need to at least get Kahlan out of the palace.”
He didn’t know what good that would really do. It wasn’t only the palace that was in danger. It was the entire world of life. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Hannis Arc and Emperor Sulachan would see to that.
Once up on wobbly legs, Richard put his hand over the hilt of his sword, making sure that it was still there with him.
“We need to get to the Garden of Life.”
“I’ll help you, Lord Rahl. Let’s go.”
Richard shook his head. “I’m all right for the moment. I can walk.”
He wasn’t, of course, but he thought he had enough strength for a little while longer. It would be considerably faster if he could make it on his own two feet.
As soon as they went out into the hallway, Richard knew that something was wrong. For one thing, the hallway was empty. For another, he smelled smoke.
“Check all the halls before we go down any of them to make sure they’re clear,” he told Cassia. “We don’t want to have to worry about being chased.”
Together they moved quickly but quietly through the deserted service halls. At each intersection, Cassia peeked around to check that it was clear. When they reached a set of double doors with a simple geometric design carved into them, Cassia put an ear to the door, listening.
She straightened in a rush. “I hear screaming.”
Richard gritted his teeth. “That’s what I was afraid of.” He pointed to a plastered hallway that led away from the public area. “That way, there. Let’s go.”
They continued working their way up back servants’ stairs and seldom-used corridors, in places backtracking because they heard the sounds of battle. Richard ached to join that battle and drive the enemy back, but he knew that this time, that was not the way, and that this time, while he still had a breath of life in him, he had a more important job to do.
It took a lot longer than he thought it would to find a way to make it up to the Garden of Life. When he finally reached the top of the stairs to the passageway that encircled the outside of the garden, the guards were shocked to see him.
Richard grabbed the nearest man. “What’s going on? Give me a report.”
Other soldiers rushed in, gathering around.
“General Zimmer told us to guard the Garden of Life at all costs, to the last man if need be. So far the enemy hasn’t made it up this far. We think they got in through the catacombs under the plains outside the plateau. I’ve heard talk of them getting in through the crypts down in the lower levels, melting their way right through solid stone.
“Since they breached the perimeter, they have been flooding in the ways I mentioned, and we’ve heard through a couple of other spots. At least I think so. The reports we get are confused and sketchy. We’ve been told that the enemy has those dead with them, the ones you told us about. Nathan and Nicci have been doing their best to help us try to hold them off.”
“How long?” Richard asked. “How long have they been in the palace?”
“Since you disappeared, Lord Rahl.”
“And how long has that been?”
The soldier pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to think. Richard saw that, like those of the rest of the men, his eyes were bloodshot and red.
“I can’t recall for sure, Lord Rahl. We’ve been fighting nonstop, day and night. A lot of people have been killed. We push them back, they break through a different way, then we get them contained again. We’ve had to fight our way in a number of times to rescue trapped men, or trapped people. It’s been so long since we’ve had any sleep, I honestly can’t think straight.”
“Several days, then?” Richard asked.
“Oh at least. It’s been days since we’ve been trying to hold them back out of certain areas of the palace, trying to control where they are.”
“Have Sulachan or Hannis Arc been seen?”
The man nodded. “Oh yes. We’ve caught sight of them a few times. They seem to be in no hurry. It’s like a show for them.”
Richard looked around at all the men gathered around him. “I’m going to need all of you to clear out of here. Very soon it’s not going to be safe up here. I need you to get all of our people away from the Garden of Life. Understand?”
“Yes, Lord Rahl. How far away?”
Richard shook his head as he sighed. “I’m not sure. Just get everyone back as far away as possible. Also, we need to clear everyone out of the main hallways of the palace.”
“The main halls? You mean the major routes, the halls that are stories high?”
“Yes. We need to clear out of those areas and let the enemy have them. Do it immediately. There’s no time to waste.”
The man clapped a fist to his heart. “Right away, Lord Rahl.”
“I need you to get a message to General Zimmer. When the time is right, I want him to stop holding back the horde of half people. When the time comes, get out of their way, defend yourselves, wall yourselves in rooms and defensive positions, whatever you need to do to try to stay safe, but stop holding them out of the palace. Let them flood through the major public corridors through the palace.
“They’re going to get in anyway. When the time comes, stop fighting a losing battle and wasting lives. Let them have the main halls, do you hear me?”