Chainfire: Chainfire Trilogy Part 1

"Well," Nicci said, "considering what happened here tonight, I'm sure that my husband would suggest that for your own safety you continue with your journey and, considering the few reactionary types still about, it would be best if you were to do so at once. There has already been one tragedy tonight; we would not like to chance another."

The man passed a murderous glare across the assembled crowd. His gaze settled on Richard, but Richard kept his eyes turned to the ground.

"Yes, of course, madam. Please thank the mayor for trying to bring the filthy troublemakers back to the ways of the Creator."

Nicci flicked her hand toward a few of the guards. "You men, show this citizen safely out of the city. Take enough men to ensure that there will be no trouble. And I need not remind you of how displeased the mayor and the people's council would be should they discover that any harm whatsoever came to this man. He is to be allowed to go on his way."

The men bowed and mumbled that they would see to it. By the way they acted, Richard could tell that they knew how to fall back into the role of what life had been like under the Imperial Order. All the people in the stable watched in silence as the men disappeared into the night with their charge. Long after they were gone, everyone stood still in tense silence, watching the empty doorway, fearful to speak until the man was far enough away, lest he hear anything.

"Well," Nicci said at last with a sigh, "I hope that he makes it back to his fellow soldiers. If he does, then we have gone a long way toward spreading a little confusion before the battle."

"Oh, he will," Victor said. "He will be eager to report such news as you have given him tonight. Hopefully, they will be so confident that we can give them a real surprise."

"Let's hope so," Nicci said.

Some of the people still remaining in the stable broke into chatter, pleased with Nicci's apparent stratagem of confusing the enemy. Some bid a good night and went on their way. Some stood around the corpse, staring.

Nicci offered Victor a brief smile. "Sorry to have to strike you."

Victor shrugged. "Well, it was to a good purpose."

When Nicci turned to Richard, she looked uneasy, as if she feared a lecture or a reprimand.

"I want the troops coming this way to think they will have no trouble crushing us," she explained. "Overconfidence leads to mistakes."

"There was more to it," Richard said.

Nicci cast a quick glance at the people still in the stables and then eased closer to him so that others couldn't hear. "You said that I could come and join up with you once the troops coming to crush the people of Altur'Rang are destroyed."

"And?"

Her blue eyes turned as hard as iron. "And I intend to see to it."

Richard considered her for a time, finally deciding to let her do what she could to help the people of Altur'Rang and not interfere with how she planned to accomplish it. Besides, he was more than a little worried about what her plan might be. Right then, he didn't really want to know what she was up to; he already had enough to worry about.

Richard took the loose ends of the cords lacing her bodice, drew them tight, and retied them.

She stood with her hands at her side, watching his eyes the whole time he did it. "Thank you," she said when he finished. "I guess that must have come undone in all the excitement."

Richard ignored her lie and checked to the side to see Jamila there, behind some of the other people. The woman, her cheek swollen and red, was kneeling, hugging the frightened little girl.

Richard stepped closer. "How is she?"

Jamila looked up at him. "Safe. Thank you, Lord Rahl. You saved her precious life. Thank you."

As the little girl sobbed and clutched her mother, she eyed Richard with a look of terror, as if she feared he might slay her next. She had witnessed something terrible at Richard's hand.

"I'm relieved that she's safe and unharmed," he said to Jamila.

Richard smiled at the girl, but received only a hateful glare in return.

Nicci clasped his arm in empathy, but said nothing.

The people still left in the stable finally spoke up to congratulate him on saving the child. They all seemed to have guessed that Nicci's words to the man were a ruse of some sort. Many spoke up, then, to tell her that they thought her deception was clever.

"That should throw them off," one of the men said.

Richard knew that she had more planned than to simply "throw them off." He was concerned about what she intended to do.

He watched briefly as some of the men dragged away the dead spy. At Ishaq's direction, others began quickly cleaning up the gore. The smell of blood made horses nervous and the sooner they were rid of it the better.

The rest of the people bid Richard a safe journey and then departed for their homes. It wasn't long before they had all gone. The men cleaning up the remains finished and left. Only Nicci, Cara, Ishaq, and Victor remained behind. The stables became a quiet and empty place.

CHAPTER 24