Confessor: Chainfire Trilogy Part 3

Kahlan smiled, determined to steer away from the gloom of such a dark subject. "I liked all the things you said about Richard Rahl. This Richard sounds like my kind of man."

Nicci smiled the slightest bit. "You are both good people."

Kahlan rubbed a thumb back and forth on the edge of the bedcover. "What's he like? I keep hearing things about him. Every time I turn around, in fact, it seems as if the phantom of Richard Rahl is somehow haunting my life." Kahlan looked up. "What's he really like?"

"I don't know. He's just. . . Richard. He's a man who cares deeply for those he loves."

"From what you told Jagang you seem to know how he feels about a great many things. You seem to be there at his side a lot. It sounds like he cares a great deal for you."

Nicci dismissed the suggestion with a flick of a hand. She looked over at Kahlan.

"There are regular soldiers outside Jagang's tent. Do you know why?"

The abrupt change of topic told Kahlan that she was probing into things Nicci didn't want to talk about. Kahlan wondered why not.

She turned her attention to Nicci's question. "The soldiers are there because they can see me. Very few people can. Sister Ulicia told Jagang that she thinks it's just an anomaly. After I killed two of his guards and Sister Cecilia."

Her expression intense, Nicci lifted her head a little. "You killed Sister Cecilia?"

"Yes."

"How did you manage to kill a Sister of the Dark?"

"It was back in Caska, the place where you and Richard saw Jillian."

"Who told you that?"

"Jillian."

Nicci's head sank back down. "Oh."

"Jillian said she helped Richard find the Chainfire book he was hunting for down in the catacombs of Caska. That's also where Jagang finally captured Sisters Ulicia, Armina, and Cecilia. They thought they were going to meet up with Sister Tovi when they got there. As it turned out, Tovi was already dead and it was Jagang who was there waiting for them. They were pretty surprised."

"I bet they were," Nicci said.

"Like just about everyone else, Jagang's guards couldn't see me, so while the dream walker was busy with the Sisters, arguing over a book, I pulled the guards' knives out of their sheaths. Since they couldn't see me, they had no idea the danger they were in. As they stood silently watching over their emperor I used their own weapons to run them through.

"Before they even hit the floor I pushed Jillian out ahead of me into the maze of tunnels. As everyone came rushing out the doorway behind us I threw a knife. I'd been hoping to get Jagang with the knife but it was Sister Cecilia who came through the doorway first. They caught me after that, but it had been enough to help Jillian escape."

Kahlan let out a heavy sigh. "In the end it didn't do any good. Jagang returned to the encampment with the other two Sisters and me, but he sent men to search for Jillian. They finally found her and brought her back.

"She is Jagang's way of making me comply with his wishes. He promised me that if I make him angry by not doing as I'm told he will do terrible things to her."

"He is a ruthless man."

Kahlan nodded. "After what I did, though, Jagang realized that he needed some guards who could see me, so he searched the camp looking for men who could. He found a number of them. There are thirty-eight left."

Nicci glanced over at Kahlan. "You mean there were more at first?"

"Yes."

"Then what happened to the rest?"

Kahlan stared resolutely into Nicci's eyes. "Whenever I get the chance I kill them."

Nicci smiled broadly. "Good girl."

Kahlan smiled with her, but then the smile faded. "Now, if I kill any more, it will mean torture for Jillian."

Nicci's expression reflected her concern for Jillian. "Don't ever doubt him. He will do it without hesitation."

"I know. Do you have any idea why there are a few people who can see me when almost no one can? Do you know if it's really an anomaly, as Sister Ulicia says?"

"The Sisters used a Chainfire spell on you. It made everyone forget you. Richard discovered that there is a defect in the spell and it-"

"See what I mean? Richard again, tied up in my life." She shook her head. "Sometimes I don't know if it's a good thing or not." When Nicci said nothing, she urged her to go on. "So, how did he ever discover the defect?"

"It's a long story. Basically, we were trying to find a way to undo the Chainfire spell."

"You were trying to help me? But you said you don't remember me. Why would you be doing such a thing if no one remembers me?"

When Nicci had to lie back, laboring to breathe, Kahlan said, "Sorry. I know I ask a lot of questions, it's just that. . ."

"We're trying to stop the damage being done to everyone," Nicci finally managed after enduring a shiver of pain. "The whole problem is broader than people only forgetting you. The Chainfire spell has tangled us all up in it. If it runs free it could even end life itself."

Kahlan silently reprimanded herself for even fantasizing that Richard Rahl had actually been trying to save her, that maybe he knew her and she meant something to him.