Blood of the Fold

Before the wizard could lift his arms to try to hold the gar back, Gratch had again scooped him up and was hugging him like a rag doll, Zedd's feet swinging to and frow. Gratch at last set the gasping wizard to the floor.

Adie held out a hand, to shake. "I be Adie, Gratch. I be pleased to meet you."

Gratch ignored the hand and threw his furry arms around her, too. Kahlan had often seen Adie smile, but she rarely let out her raspy laugh. She was laughing now. Gratch laughed with her, in his own, rumbling way.

When order was restored to the room, and everyone had caught their breath, Kahlan saw Jebra's wide eyes peeking out from a slit in the bedroom door. "It's all right, Jebra. It's Gratch, a friend of ours." Kahlan clamped a restraining grip to the fur of Gratch's arm. "You can hug her later."

Gratch shrugged with a nod. Kahlan turned him toward her and took up one of his claws in both of her hands. She looked up into his glowing green eyes.

"Gratch, did Richard send you on ahead to tell us he will be here soon?" Gratch shook his head. Kahlan swallowed. "But he's on is way? He's left Aydindril, and he's on his way to catch up with us?"

Gratch studied her face. His claw came up and stroked her hair. Kahlan saw that he had a lock of her hair on a leather thong at his throat, along with the dragon's tooth. He slowly shook his head again.

Kahlan's heart sank like a rock in a well. "He's not on his way? But he sent you to me?"

Gratch nodded, adding a small flap of his wings.

"Why? Do you know why?"

Gratch nodded. He reached over his shoulder and caught hold of something hanging on his back by another thong. He pulled a long red object over his shoulder and held it out to her at the end of the thong.

"What is it?" Zedd asked.

Kahtan started working the knot free. "It's a document case. Maybe it's a letter from Richard."

Gratch nodded at the guess. When she had freed the knot, she asked Gratch to sit down. He squatted contentedly to the side as Kahlan drew the rolled and flattened letter from the pouch.

Zedd sat beside Adie next to the fire. "Let's hear the boy's excuses, and they had better be good ones, or he is in a lot of trouble."

"I agree with you about that," she said under her breath. "There's enough wax on this thing for two dozen letters. We need to teach Richard how to seal a document." She turned it in the light. "It's the sword. He's pressed the hilt of the Sword of Truth into the wax."

"So we will know it's truly from him," Zedd observed as he fed a piece of wood into the fire.

When she had finished breaking all the wax, Kahlan unfurled the letter and turned her back to the fire so she could read it.

"My Dearest Queen, " she read aloud, " 'I pray to ihe good spirits that this letter reaches your hands. ."*

Zedd shot to his feet. "That's a message."

Kahlan frowned at him. "Well of course it is. It's his letter."

He waved his thin hand. "No, no. I mean he's telling us something. I know Richard — I know the way he thinks. He's telling us he fears that if someone were to get their hands on this letter, it might betray us… or him, so he's warning us that he can't say everything he might like to."

Kahlan pulled her lower lip through her teeth. "Yes, that would make sense. Richard usually thinks things through."

Zedd gestured as he turned to make sure his bony bottom would hit the chair as he sat. "Go on."

" 'My Dearest Queen, I pray to the good spirits that this letter reaches your hands, and it finds you and your friends well and safe. Much has happened, and I must beg your understanding.

" "The alliance of the Midlands is ended. Overhead, Magda Searus, the first Mother Confessor, and her wizard, Merritt, glare down upon me, because they have witnessed its end, and because it is I who has ended it.

" 'Realize that I know full well the weight of thousands of years of history staring down upon me from overheard, but please try to understand that if I had not acted, then our only future would be as slaves to the Imperial Order, and then that history would be forgotten. »

Kahlan put a hand to her chest over her thumping heart, and paused to gulp air before she went on.

" 'Months ago, the Imperial Order began the undoing of the alliance, winning converts to their side, and unraveling the unity that was the Midlands. As we fought the Keeper, they fought to steal the security of our home. Perhaps there would have been a chance to bring unity once more, had we the luxury of time, but the Order presses their plans, and denies us that luxury. With the Mother Confessor dead, I was forced to do what must be done to forge unity. »

"What? What has he done?" Zedd croaked.

Kahlan shot him a silencing glare over the top of the trembling letter, and then went on.