Blood of the Fold

Because of the death spell Zedd had cast over her to aid in their escape from Aydindril, few knew Kahlan as the Mother Confessor. Orsk only knew her as his mistress. Zedd, of course; Adie; Jebra; Ahern; Chandalen; her half brother, Prince Harold; and Captain Ryan knew her true identity, but everyone else thought the Mother Confessor was dead. The men she had fought with knew her only as their queen. Their memory of her being the Mother Confessor had been confused and muddled into remembering her as Queen Kahlan, no less their leader, but not the Mother Confessor.

After snow had been melted, Jebra and Kahlan added beans and bacon, cut up a few sweet roots to toss into the pot, and spooned in some molasses. Zedd stood rubbing his hands as he watched the ingredients being added. Kahlan grinned at his childlike eagerness and, from a pack, retrieved some hard bread for him. He was pleased, and ate the bread while the beans boiled,

While dinner cooked, Kahlan thawed leftover soup they had brought in a small pot and took it in to Cyrilla. She set a candle on a slat she stuck in a crack in the wall and sat on the edge of the bed in the quiet room. She wiped a warm cloth on her half sister's forehead for a while, and was happy to see Cyrilla's eyes open. A panicked gaze darted around the dim room. Kahlan grabbed Cyrilla's jaw and forced her to look up into her eyes.

"It's me, Kahlan, my sister. You are safe, alone with me. You are safe. Be at ease. Everything is all right."

"Kahlan?" Cyrilla clutched at Kahlan's white fur mantle. "You promised. You won't go back on your word. You mustn't."

Kahlan smiled. "I promised, and I will keep the promise. I am the queen of Galea, and will be the queen until the day you wish the crown back."

Cyrilla sagged back in relief, still clutching the fur mantle. "Thank you, my queen."

Kahlan urged her to sit up. "Come on, now. I've brought you some warm soup."

Cyrilla turned her face from the spoon. "I'm not hungry."

"If you want me to be the queen, then you must treat me as queen." A questioning frown came to Cyrilla's face. Kahlan smiled. "This is an order from your queen. You will eat the soup."

Only then would Cyrilla eat. When she had finished it all, and had started shaking and crying again, Kahlan hugged her tight until she slipped into a trancelike state, staring blindly up at nothing. Kahlan tucked the heavy blankets tight around her and kissed her forehead.

Zedd had scrounged up a couple barrels, a bench, a stool from the barn, and somewhere found another chair. He had asked Prince Harold and Captain Ryan to join Adie, Jebra, Ahern, Orsk, Kahlan, and himself for dinner. They were close to Ebinissia, and had to talk about their plans. Everyone crowded around the small table as Kahlan broke up hard bread and Jebra dished out steaming bowls of beans from the pot sitting in the fire. When the seer was finished, she sat down on the short bench beside Kahlan, all the while giving Zedd puzzled looks.

Prince Harold, a barrel-chested man with a head of long, thick, dark hair, reminded Kahlan of her father. Harold had only that day returned with his scouts from Ebinissia.

"What news have you from your home," she asked him.

He broke his bread with his thick fingers. "Well," he sighed, "it was the same as you described it. It doesn't look as if anyone else has been there, I think it'll be safe enough for us there. With the Order's army destroyed — "

"The one in this area," Kahlan corrected.

He conceded the point with a wave of his bread. "I don't think we'll have any trouble for now. We don't have many men yet, but they're good men, and we have enough to protect the city from up in the passes in the mountains all around, as long as they don't come in numbers like before. Until the Order brings more men, I think we can hold the city." He gestured toward Zedd. "And we have a wizard."

Zedd, busy spooning beans into his mouth, only slowed enough to grunt in agreement.

Captain Ryan swallowed a big mouthful of beans. "Prince Harold is right. We know these mountains. We can defend the city until they bring a large force. By then, maybe we'll have more men joining with us, and we can start to move."

Harold dunked his bread in his bowl, scooping up a chunk of bacon. "Adie, what do you judge our chances of getting help from Nicobarese?"

"My homeland be in turmoil. When Zedd and I were there, we learned that the king be dead. The Blood of the Fold has moved to seize power, but not all the people be pleased about it. The sorceresses be most displeased. If the Blood takes power, those women will be hunted down and killed. I expect them to back the forces in the army who resist the Blood."

"With civil war," Zedd said, interrupting his speedy spoon work, "it doesn't bode well for sending troops to aid the Midlands."

Adie sighed. "Zedd be right."

"Maybe some of the sorceresses could help?" Kahlan asked.

Adie stirred her spoon in her beans. "Maybe."