Blood of the Fold

Richard reached out and stroked the long lock of hair hanging on a leather thong around Gratch's neck along with the dragon's tooth. "This is a lock of Kahlan's hair," Gratch nodded that he understood. "Gratch, she's in danger." Gratch frowned. "You and I are the only ones who can see the mriswith coming." Gratch growled and covered his eyes with his claws, peeking out between — his sign for the mriswith.

Richard nodded. "That's right, Gratch, she has no way to see them coming, like you and I do. If they go after her, she won't see them coming. They'll kill her."

An uneasy, purling whine rose from Gratch's throat. His face brightened. He held out the lock of Kahlan's hair, and then thumped his massive chest.

Richard couldn't help laughing in wonder at the gar's ability to grasp what he wanted. "You guessed what I was thinking, Gratch. I would go to her myself, to protect her, but that would take too much time, and she might be in danger right now. You're big, but you're not big enough to carry me. The only thing we can do is to have you go to her, and protect her."

Gratch nodded his willingness with a grin that bared his fangs. He seemed to suddenly realize what that meant, and threw his arms around Richard.

"Gnratch luuug Raaaach aaarg."

Richard patted the gar's back. "I love you too, Gratch." He had sent Gratch away once before in order to save the gar's life, but Gratch hadn't understood. He had told Gratch he would never do that again.

He hugged the gar tight before pushing back. "Gratch, listen to me." The glowing green eyes were watering up. "Gratch, Kahian loves you as I do. She wants you to be with us the same as I do, the same way you want me to be with you. I want all of us to be together. I'm going to wait here and I want you to go protect her and bring her back." He smiled and stroked Gratch's shoulder. "Then we'll all be together.

Gratch's prominent eyebrows drew into a dubious frown.

"Then when we're all together, you won't have just one friend, but you'll have both of us. And my grandfather, Zedd, too. He'll love having you around. You'll like him, too." Gratch was looking a bit more enthusiastic. "You'll have lots of friends to wrestle with you."

Before the gar could pounce on him, Richard held him at arm's length. TTiere was little in life that Gratch loved as much as wrestling. "Gratch, I can't have fun wrestling with you, now, when I'm worried about the people I love. You understand, don't you? Would you want to have fun wrestling with someone else if I were in danger and needed you?"

Gratch considered it a moment, and then shook his head. Richard hugged him again. When they parted, Gratch spread his wings with a spirited flap.

"Gratch, can you fly in the snow?" Gratch nodded. "At night?" The gar nodded again, showing fangs behind his smile.

"Allright, now, you listen to me, so you'll be able to find her. I taught you directions: north and south and like that. You know directions. Good. Kahlan is to the southeast." Richard pointed southeast, but Gratch beat him to it. Richard laughed. "Good. She's to the southwest. She's going away from us, on her way to a city. She thought I was going to catch up with her and go to the city with her, but I can't. I must wait here. She has to come back here.

"She's with other people. There's an old man with white hair with her; he's my friend, my grandfather, Zedd. There are other people with her, too, many of them soldiers. A lot of people. Do you understand?"

Gratch gave a sad frown.

Richard rubbed his forehead, trying to think through his weariness for a way to explain it.

"Like tonight," Cara said from across the balcony. "Like when you were talking to all the people tonight."

"Yes! Like that, Gratch." He pointed at the main floor, circling his finger around. "All the people in here tonight, when I was talking to them? About that many people will be with her."

Gratch at last grunted that he understood. Richard patted his friend's chest in relief. He held out the letter.

"You have to take her this letter so that she'll understand why she has to come back here. It explains everything to her. It's very important that she gets this letter. Do you understand?" Gratch snatched up the letter in a claw.

Richard raked back his hair. "No, that won't do. You can't carry it like that. You may need your claws, or you may drop it and lose it. Besides, it'll get all wet in the snow and she won't be able to read it." His voice trailed off as he tried to think of a way for Gratch to carry the letter.

"Lord Rahl."

He turned and Raina tossed him something through the dim light. When he caught it, he realized it was the leather pouch that had carried General Trimack' s letter all the way from the People's Palace in D'Hara.

Richard grinned. "Thanks, Raina."