Blood of the Fold

The woman turned to Kahlan. "This is to be your room." She displayed a brief smile. "We want you to be comfortable. You will be our guests until we are done with you.

"Try to go through the shield I leave on the door and window, and you will be on your hands and knees vomiting until your ribs feel as if they are breaking. That's just for the first infraction. After the first, you will find you have no desire to attempt such a thing again. You don't want to know about the second infraction."

She lifted a finger to Adie, but kept her dark eyes on Kahlan. "Cause me any trouble, and I will punish your friend here. Even if you think you have strong stomach, I assure you, you will find otherwise. Do you understand?"

Kahlan nodded, afraid she wasn't supposed to speak.

"I asked a question," she said in a wickedly quiet tone. Adie crumpled to the floor with a cry. "You will answer me."

"Yes! Yes, I understand! Don't hurt her, please!"

When Kahlan turned to help Adie as she gasped for breath, the woman told her to leave the "old woman" to recover on her own.

Kahlan reluctantly straightened, letting Adie come to her feet. The woman's critical gaze glided down the length of her and back up. The smirk on her face heated Kahlan's blood.

"Do you know who I am?" the woman asked.

"No."

An eyebrow arched. "Well, well, that naughty boy. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Richard didn't mention me to his future wife, considering."

"Considering what?"

"I am Merissa. Now do you know who I am?"

"No."

She let out a soft laugh, as annoyingly elegant as the rest of her. "Oh, he's so naughty, keeping such lascivious secrets from his future wife."

Kahlan wished she could keep her mouth shut, but she couldn't. "What secrets."

Merissa shrugged indifferently. "When Richard was a student here, I was one of his teachers. I spent great deal of time with him." The smirk returned. "Many a night, we spent in each other's arms. I taught him many things. Such a strong and attentive lover. If you've ever lain with him, then you would be the beneficiary of my more… tender instruction."

Merissa's soft lilting laugh returned as she strode from the room, giving Kahlan one last smiling look before she shut the door.

Kahlan stood clenching her fists so hard her nails were cutting her palms. She wanted to scream. When Richard had been taken away to the Palace of the Prophets, it had been in a collar she had made him put on. He thought it was because she didn't love him. He thought she had sent him away and never wanted to see him again.

How could he resist a woman as beautiful as Merissa? He would have had no reason to.

Adie gripped her shirt at the shoulder and pulled her around. "Don't you listen to her."

Kahlan felt her eyes filling with tears. "But…"

"Richard loves you. She only be tormenting you. She be a cruel woman, and be enjoying to make you suffer." Adie lifted a finger as she quoted an old proverb. "Never let a beautiful woman pick your path for you when there be a man in her line of sight. Merissa has Richard in her line of sight. I have seen that look of lust before. It not be a lust to have your man. It be a lust for his blood."

"But…"

Adie shook the finger. "Don't you lose your faith in Richard because of her. That be what she wants. Richard loves you."

"And I will be the death of him."

With a sob of agony, Kahlan fell into Adie's arms.

CHAPTER 46

Richard rubbed his eyes. He wished he could read faster, because the journal was becoming so engrossing, but it still took time. He had to think about many of the words, and he still had to search for the meaning for a few, but as the days passed he was getting to the point where at times it didn't seem as if he was translating, but simply reading. Whenever he realized he was reading High D'Haran without conscious effort, he would begin stumbling over the meaning of words again.

Richard was intrigued by the intermittent references to Alric Rahl. It seemed that this ancestor of his had devised a solution to the problem of the dream walkers. He was only one of many working on a way to prevent the dream walkers from taking people's minds, but he had been particularly insistent that he had the solution.

Spellbound, Richard read how Alric Rahl had sent word from D'Hara that he had already woven this protective web over his people, and in order for the others to be protected by the same web, they had to pledge undying fidelity to him, and they, too, would be safe under this bond. Richard realized that this was the origin of the D'Harans’ bond to him. Alric Rahl had created this spell to protect his people from the dream walkers, not to enslave them. Richard felt pride in his ancestor's benevolent act.