His ribs still hurt from what Denna had done to him. It was still hard to lie down, and still hurt to breathe. His sleep brought the nightmares he had had every night since leaving the People's Palace, the nightmares of the things Denna had done to him, the nightmares he had promised her he would have. He dreamed of hanging helpless while Denna hurt him, of being powerless to stop her, of never being able to escape. He dreamed of Michael standing there, watching. He dreamed of seeing Kahlan being tortured, and Michael watching that, too.
He came awake drenched in sweat, shaking with fear, heard himself whimpering with the terror of the dreams. Sunlight was slanting sideways under the overhang of the rock. The orange sun was just breaking above the horizon to the east.
Richard stood and stretched the cramps from his muscles, surveying the dawn of the first day of winter. He was high on a mountain. The surrounding peaks thrust themselves above a blanket of clouds below that stretched off before him, to the eastern horizon, like a sea of gray tinged in orange.
The sea of clouds was unbroken except for one thing-the People's Palace. Touched by the sunlight, in the far distance, it rose proud on its plateau, standing above the clouds, waiting for him. A cold feeling ran through his gut; it was a long way off. He had misjudged how far he was from it; it was a lot farther than he had thought. He had no time to waste. When the sun was at its zenith, the boxes could be opened.
As he turned, movement caught his eye. The horse let out a terrified neigh. Howls split the morning silence. Heart hounds.
Richard drew his sword as they poured over the rock. Before he could start for the horse, the hounds took it down. In a dead run, more came for him. Frozen in shock for only an instant, he leapt up onto the rock he had slept under. The hounds, teeth snapping, bounded up the rock toward him. He cut down the first wave, then retreated farther up the rock as more hounds came for him. Richard swung the sword, cutting through them as they advanced, snarling and howling.
It was like a sea of tan fur, coming for him in waves. Frantically, he slashed and stabbed at them, trying to back away at the same time. Hounds came over the rock behind. He jumped to the side as the two groups crashed together, tearing at each other for the chance to be the first to get at his heart.
Richard climbed higher, fighting the beasts back, killing any that got close enough. It was a futile effort, he knew; there were more than he would be able to hold back. He released himself into the anger of the sword's magic, fighting with fury as he advanced into their ranks. He couldn't fail Kahlan, not now. The air seemed filled with yellow teeth, all coming for him. Blood from the killing was everywhere. The world turned to red.
And then it turned to flame.
Fire erupted all about. Hounds howled in mortal pain. The dragon roared in anger. Scarlet's shadow swept over him. Richard's sword cut through the hounds that came close enough. The air smelled of blood and burning fur.
Scarlet's claw gripped him around the middle, lifting him away from the leaping, snapping beasts. Richard panted in exhaustion from the fierce fight as the dragon flew to a clearing on another mountain. She set him gently on the ground and landed.
Richard, nearly in tears, threw his arms against her red scales, stroking them, and laid his head against her "Thank you, my friend. You have saved my life. You have saved many lives. You are a dragon of honor."
"I made a bargain, that is all." She snorted a puff of smoke. "Besides, someone has to help you; you can't seem to stay out of trouble on your own."
Richard smiled. "You are the most beautiful beast I have ever seen." Still panting as he tried to catch his breath, he pointed to the plateau. "Scarlet, I need to get to the People's Palace. Will you take me? Please?"
"You didn't find your friends? Your brother?"
He swallowed the lump in his throat. "My brother has betrayed me. Betrayed me, and everyone, to Darken Rahl. I wish people had half the honor of dragons."
Scarlet gave a grumble, vibrating the scales on her throat. "I'm sorry, Richard Cypher. Climb on. I will take you."
The dragon made slow, steady strokes of her wings, lifting him above the sea of clouds that covered the Azrith Plains, carrying him to the last place in the world he would wish to go, had he a choice. The journey, which would have taken him a good part of the day on a horse, took less than an hour on the dragon. She folded her wings back, diving toward the plateau. The wind tore at his clothes as she plunged downward. From the air, Richard could see how big the People's Palace really was. It was hard to believe it had been made by men; it seemed beyond even a dream. It was like the biggest of cities, all melted together into one complex.
Scarlet flew once around the plateau, past towers, walls, and roofs. They flashed past in endless variety, making him dizzy. She lifted over the outer wall, and swooped down into a vast courtyard, fluttering her wings to stop their descent. There were no guards, no people, to be seen.
Richard slid down her red scales, landing on his feet with a thump. She swept her head about, then tilted it down, gazing at him. Her ears swiveled forward.
"Are you sure you want me to leave you here?" Richard nodded, casting his eyes to the ground. Scarlet snorted. "Then the six days are at an end. Our bargain is at an end. The next time
I see you, you will be fair game."
Richard smiled up at her. "Fair enough, my friend. But you'll not get the chance. Today, I am going to die."
Scarlet watched him with one yellow eye. "Try not to let that happen, Richard Cypher. I would still like to eat you."
Richard's smile widened as he rubbed a glossy scale. "Take care of your little dragon, when it hatches. I wish I had had a chance to see it. It will be beautiful too, I know. I realize you hate flying men about, because it's against your will, but thanks for letting me know the joy of flying. I considered it a privilege."
She nodded. "I like flying too." She let out a puff of smoke. "You are a rare man, Richard Cypher. I have never seen one the match of you:"
"I am the Seeker. The last Seeker."
She gave another nod of her big head. "Take care, Seeker. You have the gift. Use it. Use everything you have to fight. Don't give in. Don't let him rule you. If you are to die, die fighting with everything you have, everything you know. That is the way of a dragon."
"If it were only that easy." Richard looked up at the red dragon. "Scarlet, before the boundary came down, did you carry Darken Rahl into Westland?"
She gave a nod. "A number of times."
"Where did you take him?"
"To a house, bigger than the other houses. It was made of white stone, with slate roofs. One time, I took him to another. A simple house. He killed a man there. I heard the screams. And once to another simple house."
Michael's house. And his father's. And his own.
With the pain of hearing it, Richard looked down at his feet, nodding. "Thanks, Scarlet." He fought back the lump in his throat, and looked back up. "If Darken Rahl ever tries to rule you again, I hope your little dragon will be safe, and you will be able to fight to the death. You are too noble to be ruled."
Scarlet gave a dragon's grin and lifted into the air. Richard watched as she circled overhead, looking down at him. Her head turned to the west and the rest of her followed. Richard watched a few minutes as she became smaller in the distance. He turned to the palace.
Richard eyed the guards at an entrance, prepared for a fight, but they only gave a polite nod. A guest returning. The vast halls swallowed him.