Confessor: Chainfire Trilogy Part 3

Verna thought that as long as she lived she would never get used to hearing people call Nathan "Lord Rahl."

The man bowed briefly. "There is a delegation from the Imperial Order waiting on the other side of the drawbridge."

Nathan blinked in surprise. "What do they want?"

"They want to speak to Lord Rahl."

Nathan glanced to Cara and then Verna. Both were just as surprised as he.

"It could be a trick," Adie said.

"Or a trap," Cara added.

Nathan's face bent into a sour expression. "Whatever it is, I think I'd better go look into it."

"I'm going, too." Cara said.

"As am I," Verna added.

"We'll all go," Nathan said as he started away.

Verna and the small clutch of people with her followed Nathan out of the grand entrance of the People's Palace and into the bright late-afternoon sunlight. Long shadows cast by the towering columns cascaded down the hillside of steps before them. In the distance, across the expanse of grounds, the great outer wall stood at the edge of the plateau. Men patrolled a walkway between crenellated battlements along the top of the massive wall.

It had been a long journey up from the tombs deep within the palace and they were all winded. Verna shaded her eyes with a hand as they descended the grand stairs in the wake of the long-legged prophet. Guards posted on each of the expansive landings saluted the Lord Rahl with a fist to their hearts. There were greater numbers of soldiers in the distance patrolling the broad sweep of grounds leading to the outer wall.

The stairs ended in a broad area of bluestone that took them to a roadway winding up from around the side where stables and carriages would be. Tall cypress trees lined the short road as it led toward the outer walls.

Beyond the gates through the massive wall the road was less grand as it followed the sheer walls of the plateau down in a series of switchbacks. Each turn gave the silent company an unbroken view of the Imperial Order spread out far below.

The drawbridge was guarded by hundreds of troops of the First File. These were all well-trained, heavily armed soldiers committed to insuring that no one came up the road to assault the People's Palace. There was little chance of that, though. The road was too narrow to mount any kind of meaningful attack. In such tight confines a few dozen good men could hold off an entire army. More than that, though, the drawbridge was up. The sheer drop was dizzying. It was too far across for assault ladders or ropes with grappling hooks. Without the bridge down no one could cross the chasm and approach the palace.

Beyond the drawbridge a small delegation waited. By their simple dress they looked to be messengers. Verna did see a few dozen lightly armed soldiers, but they remained well back from the messengers so as not to appear threatening.

Nathan, his cloak buttoned back on one shoulder even though it was a cold day, came to a halt at the edge of the chasm, feet spread, fists on his hips, looking imposing and commanding. "I am Lord Rahl," he announced to the party across the drop. "What do you want?"

One of the men, a slender fellow wearing a simple tunic of darkly dyed fabric, shared a look with his comrades and then stepped a little closer to his side of the brink. "His Excellency, Emperor Jagang, has sent me with a message for the D'Haran people."

Nathan glanced around at the others behind him. "Well, I'm Lord Rahl, " so I speak for the D'Haran people. What is the message?"

Verna eased up beside the prophet.

The messenger was looking more displeased by the moment. "You are not the Lord Rahl."

Nathan eyed the man with a Rahl scowl. "Would you like me to use a bit of conjured wind and blow you off that road? Would that settle the matter to your satisfaction?"

The men across the way stole glances down the drop. "It's just that we were expecting someone else," the messenger said.

"Well, I'm Lord Rahl so I'm what you get. If you have something to say, then say it, otherwise I'm busy. We have a banquet to attend."

The man finally bowed slightly. "Emperor Jagang is prepared to make a generous offer to those in the People's Palace."

"What sort of offer?"

"His Excellency has no desire to destroy the palace or its inhabitants. Surrender peacefully, and you will be allowed to live. Fail to surrender and each of them will die a slow and agonizing death. Their bodies will be thrown off the walls to the plain below, where they will feed the vultures."

"Wizard's fire," Cara said under her breath.

Nathan frowned back over his shoulder. "What?"

"Your power works here. Theirs, if they are gifted, wouldn't work as well up here, so their shields would be less effective. You can incinerate the lot of them from here."

Nathan waved his arm in a grand gesture to those across the way. "Will you excuse me for a moment?"

The man bowed his head indulgently.

Nathan led Cara and Verna back up the road to where Adie, several other Mord-Sith, and the escort of soldiers waited.