Blood of the Fold

"I can't do it, Kahlan. I can't. If we kill them all, then others of the Order will never surrender, knowing it would mean death. If I show them that we will take them prisoner instead of killing them, then they'll be more willing to quit. If they are more willing to quit, we win without losing the lives of so many of our men, and that makes us stronger. Then, we win."

Richard started shouting orders. They were carried through the ranks of his men, and the din of battle slowly began subsiding. The eyes of thousands began turning to him.

"Let them through," he told a commander.

Richard went back to the fountain and stood on the wall, watching the commanders of the Blood of the Fold lead their men to him. All around, D'Harans, bristling steel, stood guard. A corridor opened, and the crimson-caped men stepped forward, glancing from side to side as they came.

An officer halted at their lead before Richard. His voice was hoarse, and subdued, "Will you accept our surrender?"

Richard folded his arms. "Depends. Are you willing to tell me the truth?"

The man glanced about at his quiet, bloody men. "Yes, Lord Rahl."

"Who told you to attack the city?"

"The mriswith gave us instructions, and many of us were instructed in our dreams, by the dream walker."

"Do you wish to be free of him?"

They all nodded or spoke up in weak voices. They also readily agreed to telling everything they knew about any plans that they knew of that the dream walker and the Imperial Order had.

Richard was so exhausted, and in such pain, that he could hardly stand. He drew anger from the sword to sustain himself.

"If you wish to surrender and be subjects of D'Haran rule, then go to you knees, and swear loyalty."

In the fading light, accompanied by the groans of the wounded, the remaining Blood of the Fold went to their knees and gave the devotion as they were instructed by the D'Harans who joined in.

In one mass voice that carried through the city, they all bowed heads to the ground and took the oath.

"Master Rahl guide us. Master Rahl teach us. Master Rahl protect us. In you; light we thrive. In your mercy we are sheltered. In your wisdom we are humbled. We live only to serve. Our lives are yours."

As the men all tore off their crimson capes, casting them in fires as they were led away to be guarded for now, Kahlan turned to him.

"You have just changed the rules of the war, Richard." She looked out over the carnage. "So many have died already."

"Too many," he whispered as he watched the empty-handed Blood of the Fold marching off into the night, surrounded by the men they had tried to kill. He wondered if he was crazy.

'“In your mercy we are sheltered, '' Kahlan quoted from the devotion. “Perhaps it is meant to be this way." She put a comforting hand to his back. "I know it somehow feels right."

Not far off, Mistress Sanderholt, holding a bloody meat cleaver, smiled her agreement.

Glowing green eyes gathered in the square. Richard's black mood brightened when he saw Gratch's gruesome grin. He and Kahlan hopped down and hurried to the gar.

It had never felt so good to be enfolded by those furry arms. Richard laughed with tears in his eyes as he was lifted from the ground.

"I love you, Gratch. I love you so much."

"Gnratch luuug Raaaach aaarg."

Kahlan joined the hug, and then received her own, separate embrace. "I love you, too, Gratch. You saved Richard's life. I owe you everything."

Gratch gurgled with satisfaction as he stroked a claw down her hair.

Richard swished at a fly. "Gratch! You have blood flies!"

Gratch's self-satisfied grin widened. Gars used the flies to help flush out their quarry, but Gratch had never had any before. Richard didn't want to swat Gratch's blood flies, but they were becoming more than annoying. They were stinging his neck.

Gratch bent, scooped a claw through the gore of a dead mriswith, and smeared it across the taut, pink skin of his abdomen. The flies obediently returned to feast. Richard was astonished.

He peered around at all the glowing green eyes watching him. "Gratch, you look like you've had quite an adventure. You gathered all these gars together?" Gratch nodded with a clear look of gar pride. "And they did what you asked?"

Gralch thumped his chest with authority. He turned and grunted. The rest of the gars returned the odd grunt. Gratch smiled, showing his fangs.

"Gratch, where's Zedd?"

The leathery smile withered. The hulking gar sagged a bit as he looked over his shoulder, up at the keep. He turned back, his glowing green eyes dimming a bit as he shook his head sorrowfully.

Richard swallowed back the anguish. "I understand," he whispered. "Did you see him killed?"