Blood of the Fold

It was puzzling that Kahlan, Zedd, and Gratch would be held at the palace, but he didn't doubt what Merissa had told him; she had thought she had him, and so would have had no reason to lie. He couldn't understand why the Sisters of the Dark would hide their catch in a place that could be a danger to them.

Richard halted. A small group of people was crossing the lawn in the moonlight. He couldn't see who they were, and was about to go find out, but decided that his first thought was the correct one: go see Ann. The Prelate would be able to help him. Other than Prelate Annalina and Sister Verna he didn't know which of the Sisters he could trust. He waited until the people moved off down a covered corridor before he started out again.

When he had left the palace months ago, he knew there could still be Sisters of the Dark among the sorceresses here, and they must be the ones who had hidden Kahlan away, but he didn't know who they were. He could look for Verna, but he didn't know where she would be. He did know where to find the Prelate, though, so that was where he would start.

If he had to, he would tear the Palace of the Prophets down, stone by stone, to find Kahlan and his friends, but he was wary of violating the Wizard's Third Rule again, and decided that this time he would start out, at least, with reason instead of passion.

Dear spirits, where did one end and the other begin?

At the outer gate to the Prelate's compound, Kevin Andellmere was standing guard. Richard knew Kevin, and was reasonably sure that he could be trusted. "Reasonably sure" wasn't good enough, so Richard kept the mriswith cape closed around himself and slipped past Kevin into the inner compound. In the distance, Richard could hear the raucous laughter of several men coming up a walkway, but they were a goodly distance away.

Richard knew the Prelate's former administrators. One had been killed when the other, Sister Ulicia, had attacked the Prelate. After the attack, Sister Ulicia and five other Sisters of the Dark had fled aboard the ship, the Lady Sefa. The desks outside the Prelate's office were empty, now.

No one was around out in the hall, or the outer office, and the door to the Prelate's office was open, so Richard let the mriswith cape fall open as he relaxed his concentration. He wanted Ann to recognize him.

The moonlight coming through the double doors in the rear of the dark room silhouetted her enough for Richard to tell that she was sitting in her chair at the table. He could see in the faint light that her head was tilted down. She must be napping.

"Prelate," he said gently, so as not to startle her awake. She stirred, her head coming up a bit, and her hand lifting. "I need to talk with you, Prelate. It's Richard. Richard Rahl."

A glow lit in her upturned palm.

Sister Ulicia smiled up at him. "Come to talk, have you? How very interesting. Welt, a talk would be nice."

As her wicked grin widened, Richard took a step back, his hand going for the hilt of his sword.

He had no sword.

He heard the door slam shut behind him.

He spun and saw four of his teachers: Sisters Tovi, Cecilia, Armina, and Merissa, He saw as they closed the distance that each wore a ring in her tower lip. Only Nicci was missing. They all grinned like hungry children staring at a candy reward at the end of a three-day fast.

Richard felt his need ignite within.

"Before you do anything foolish, Richard, you had better listen first, or you will die where you stand."

He paused and looked to Merissa. "How did you beat me back here?"

She arched an eyebrow over a dark, malevolent eye. "I returned on my horse."

Richard turned back to Ulicia. "This was all planned, wasn't it? You did this to trap me."

"Oh, yes, my boy, and you have done your part splendidly."

He pointed back at Merissa while he spoke to Ulicia. "How did you know I wouldn't be killed when she threw me off that tower?"

Ulicia's smile vanished as she glared up at Merissa. Richard realized by seeing that look that Merissa had been acting outside of instructions.

Ulicia brought her gaze back to Richard. "The point is, you are here. Now, I want you to calm down, or someone could get hurt; you may have been born with both sides of the gift, but we have use of both magics, too. Even if you managed to kill one or two of us, there is no way you will get us all, and then Kahlan will die."

"Kahlan.. " Richard glared down at her. "I'm listening."

Ulicia folded her hands. "You see, Richard, you have a problem. Fortunately for you, we also have a problem."

"What sort of problem?"

Her eyes hardened with distant menace. "Jagang."

The others moved around the table to stand beside Ulicia. None of them were smiling anymore. The loathing in their eyes at the name Jagang, even the kindly seeming Tovi and Cecilia, looked as if it could burn stone.

"You see, Richard, it's almost time for bed."

Richard frowned. "What?"

"You don't have any visits from Emperor Jagang in your dreams. We do. He is becoming a problem to us."