Blood of the Fold

Richard had tried to convince them to give up their Agiel, but they would not. He could order it, he supposed, but to do so would be to withdraw the freedom he had granted them, and he was loath to do that. If they were to give up their Agiel, it was for them to do. Somehow, he didn't think they would. Having carried the Sword of Truth as long as he had, Richard could understand how wishes could be at variance with principles; he hated the sword, and wanted to be rid of it, of the things he did with it, of what it did to him; but at every turn, he had fought to keep it.

A good fifty or sixty troops milled about outside the square, two-story building occupied by the D'Haran command. Only six, up on the entrance landing, appeared to be formally posted. Without slowing, Richard and his small company cut a straight line through the knot of men and toward the steps. The men all stumbled back out of the way, shock registering on their faces as they took in the odd sight.

They didn't panic the way the people in the market had, but most moved back to make way. Glares from the four women moved the rest back as efficiently as bared steel. Some of the men gripped the hilts of their swords as they took a few steps in retreat.

"Make way for Lord Rahl!" Ulic called out. In disorder, the soldiers stumbled back farther. Confused, but not willing to take a chance, a few bowed.

In a private cocoon of concentration, Richard watched it all from under the hood of his mhswith cape.

Before anyone had the presence of mind to stop or question them, they were through the crowd of soldiers and climbing the dozen steps to the simple ironbound door. At the top, one of the guards, a man about Richard's size, decided he wasn't sure they should be allowed in. He stepped in front of the door.

"You will wait — "

"Make way for Lord Rahl, you fool!" Egan growled without slowing.

The guard's eyes fixed on the armbands. "What. .?"

Still not slowing, Egan backhanded the man, knocking him aside. The guard toppled off the landing. Two of the others jumped off to get out of the way, and the other three opened the door, backing through.

Richard winced. He had told them all, even Gratch, that he didn't want anyone hurt unless it was necessary. He worried about what each of them might imagine was necessary.

Inside, soldiers, having heard the commotion outside, rushed toward them from halls dimly lit with a few lamps. Seeing Ulic and Egan, and the gold bands above their elbows, they didn't draw weapons, but they didn't look to be far from doing so. A menacing growl from Gratch slowed them. The sight of the Mord-Sith in their red leather stopped them.

"General Reibisch" was all Ulic said.

A few of the men moved forward.

"Lord Rahl to see General Reibisch," Egan said with quiet authority. "Where is he?"

Suspicious, the men stared, but didn't speak. A husky officer on the right, fists on his hips and a glare on his pockmarked face, pushed through his men.

"What's this about?"

He took an aggressive step forward, one too many, and lifted a threatening finger toward them. In a blink, Raina had her Agiel on his shoulder, dropping him to his knees. She canted it up, pressing the tip into the nerve at the side of his neck. His shriek echoed through the halls. The rest of the men flinched back.

"You answer questions," Raina said in the unmistakable, smoldering tone of a Mord-Sith in complete control, "you don't ask them." The man's whole body convulsed as he screamed. Raina leaned toward him, her red leather creaking. "I grant you but one more chance. Where is General Reibisch?"

His arm jerked up, waggling uncontrollably, but still managing to point in the general direction of the central of three halls, "Door. . end. . hall."

Raina withdrew her Agiel. "Thank you." The man collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Richard didn't spare any of his concentration to wince in sympathy. As much pain as an Agiel could give, Raina hadn't used it to kill; he would recover, but the other men stared wide-eyed as he writhed in the lingering agony. "Bow to the Master Rahl," she hissed. "All of you."

"Master Rahl?" one panicked voice asked.

Hally lifted a hand toward Richard, "Master Rahl."

The men stared in consternation. Raina snapped her fingers and pointed at the floor. They dropped to their knees. Before they had time to think, Richard and his company were off down the hall, their boot strikes on the wide-planked wood floor reverberating off the walls. Some of the men, drawing swords, followed.

At the end of the hall, Ulic flung open the door to a large high-ceilinged room that had been stripped of decoration. Here and there, hints of the former blue color scheme showed through the utilitarian whitewash. Gratch, bringing up the rear, had to bend to fit through the doorway. Richard ignored the worry in his gut that they were sliding down into a viper pit.