Chainfire: Chainfire Trilogy Part 1

Richard shrugged self-consciously. "I'm not exactly sure of it all. I held her and I could feel that she was dying. I could feel her slipping farther and farther away. I kind of let myself-my mind-sink down into her, down into the core of who she is, down to where she needed the help. Once I reached that place of union with her, I collected her pain into myself so that she would have enough strength to take the warmth of life I offered her."

Nicci understood very well the elaborate phenomenon he was describing, but she was astounded to hear it explained in such incidental terms. It was as if she had asked him how he carved such a lifelike statue in marble and he had said of his masterwork that he just cut off all the stone that didn't belong. While accurate, such an explanation was casual to the point of absurdity.

"You took upon yourself what was killing her?"

"I had to."

Nicci pressed her fingertips to her temples. Even she, with all the powers she had at her disposal, and she had considerable power, to say nothing of her training, experience, and knowledge, could not undertake such a deed. She had to make an effort to slow her hammering heart.

"Do you have any idea at all of the danger involved in such an endeavor?"

Richard looked a little ill at ease by the heated tone of her questions. "It was the only way, Nicci," he said in simple summary.

"It was the only way," she repeated in astonishment. She could not believe what she was hearing. "Do you have any idea how much power it takes to embark on such a voyage of the soul, much less to ever come back from such a place? Or the peril in going there?"

He stuck his hands in his pockets as if he were a child being upbraided for misbehaving. "All I know is that it was the only way to get Cara back."

"And he did," Cara said, pointing a finger at Nicci not only for emphasis but to stress her defense of him. "Lord Rahl came for me."

Nicci stared at the Mord-Sith. "Richard went to the brink of the world of the dead for you — and perhaps beyond."

Cara stole a glance at Richard. "He did?"

Nicci slowly nodded. "Your spirit had already slipped into a twilight realm. You were beyond my reach. That was why I could not heal you."

"Well, Lord Rahl did it."

"Yes, he did." Nicci reached out and with a finger lifted Cara's chin. "I hope that as long as you live you never forget what this man has just done for you. I doubt there is anyone living who could have-who would have-attempted such a thing."

"He had to." Cara gave Nicci a brazen smile. "Lord Rahl can't get along without me and he knows it."

Richard turned aside as he smiled to himself.

Nicci could hardly believe such a casual attitude after such a monumental event. She took a breath in an attempt to control her voice and not give the wrong impression, an impression that she was displeased that he had healed Cara.

"You used your gift, Richard. The beast is already about and you used your gift."

"I had to or we would have lost her."

To Richard, it all seemed so simple and straightforward. At least he had the sense not to look as self-satisfied as Cara. Nicci planted her fists on her hips as she leaned closer to him.

"Don't you comprehend what you've done? You used your gift again. I warned you before that you must not do so. The beast is already somewhere close and by using your gift you just told it right where you are."

"What did you expect me to do, let Cara die?"

"Yes! She is sworn to protect you with her life. That is her job-her sworn duty. Not helping you to bring the beast closer to you. We could easily have lost you in such an attempt, to say nothing of the profound menace you have just awakened. You risked all you mean to the people of D'Hara and your value to our cause just to save one person. You should have let her go. In saving her you have only allowed her to bring death to both of you because the beast will now be able to find you. What just happened will now happen again, only this time there will be no escape. You have just saved Cara's life at the price of your own, and no doubt hers in the bargain."

Even as she spoke Nicci knew by the smoldering anger in his eyes that she was not doing a good job of making him see what she meant. Cara's eyes, on the other hand, revealed sudden alarm verging on panic. Richard placed a hand on the back of her neck and gave it a reassuring squeeze, as if to tell her to ignore such a supposition.

"That's not certain, Nicci." The muscles in his jaw flexed as he gritted his teeth. "It may be a possibility, but it's not certain-and besides, I wasn't going to let someone I care about die just because it might make me a little safer. I'm already hunted. Letting Cara die wouldn't have changed that."

Nicci let her hands flop down against her thighs. He was in no mood to hear anyone speak against saving the life of a woman he cared deeply for.