Confessor: Chainfire Trilogy Part 3

Nicci hesitated. "I'm sorry, Nathan. I thought you knew."

His frown darkened. "Knew what?"

She clasped her hands loosely before herself. Her gaze dropped away. "Ann was killed."

Nathan stared for a moment. Richard hadn't known about Ann's death, either. He felt terrible for Nathan, for the shock of Nicci's news. Richard knew how close the prophet was to the prelate. It almost seemed impossible that Ann was actually gone.

"How?" was all Nathan could ask.

"The last time I was here-when Ann and I came down here. We were surprised by three Sisters. They had linked their gift so that they would be able to use their power in here. Ann was killed before we even realized they were there. Jagang wanted me captured alive, or I'm sure they would have been only too happy to kill me, too."

Nicci laid a hand lightly on the prophet's arm. "She didn't suffer, Nathan. I don't think she was even aware of it as it happened. She died in an instant. She didn't suffer."

Nathan, staring off into distant memories, nodded.

Richard put a hand on Nathan's shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

Nathan's brow drew down with what looked to be dark thoughts. By the iron edge in his glare, Richard didn't have any trouble imagining the kinds of things the prophet was contemplating. Richard thought they must be the same sorts of things he often contemplated.

In the awkward silence, Richard gestured down inside the exposed stairwell. "I think we need to insure that there are none of them hiding down there."

"Gladly," Nathan said.

Wizard's fire ignited between his inward-turned palms. The angry ball of liquid flame began turning, throwing hot light around the room as it slowly rotated, waiting to do his bidding.

Nathan leaned over the dark opening and released the deadly inferno. It dropped away into the darkness, howling with fury as it went, lighting the carved stone walls along its swift flight.

"After it does its work," Nathan said, "I'll go down there and collapse the tunnel where they got in to make sure that at least they can't get in that same place again."

"I'll help put up some shields of Subtractive Magic to insure they don't just dig it out again," Nicci offered.

Nathan nodded absently, lost in his own thoughts.

"Lord Rahl," Cara asked in a low voice, "what is Benjamin doing here?"

Richard looked out into the corridor where the general stood, patiently waiting. "I don't know. He hasn't had time to tell me yet."

Leaving Nathan to his private thoughts as he stared down into the catacombs, Richard, with Cara and Nicci at his side, stepped out of the room to a waiting General Meiffert.

"What are you doing here, Benjamin?" Cara asked before Richard had the chance. "I thought you were supposed to be in the Old World laying waste to the Order."

"That's right," Richard said. "Not that I don't appreciate the help, but why are you here? You said before that you needed to find me to give me a report about some kind of trouble you've run into."

He pressed his lips tightly together for a moment. "That's right, Lord Rahl. We've run into a big problem."

"A big problem? What sort of big problem?"

"A red one. With wings. Ridden by a witch woman."

CHAPTER 47

Richard, elbows resting on the mahogany tabletop, ran his fingers back into his hair. He was so tired that the book in front of him was starting to swim in his vision. He had read so many books recently that he had long ago lost track of how many days it had been since returning to the People's Palace.

The Ja'La match, the riots, Kahlan escaping with Samuel, getting back into the palace, and the ensuing battle already seemed a lifetime ago. With the help of Verna and several other Sisters, Nathan had been able to heal Adie. After she had rested, though, she insisted on once again setting out on her solitary journey. Because the place diminished her power, she was virtually blind inside the palace.

Richard could understand why she would want to leave, but he wondered if, through her powers as a sorceress, she saw no future in staying in the palace. Richard wasn't sure that there would be a future anywhere to worry about.

After what General Meiffert had told him about a witch woman on a huge red dragon hunting down D'Haran troops in the Old World, things were suddenly looking very grim. With men who had been sent to destroy the ability of the Order to support their army in the New World now themselves under such withering attack, Richard didn't know how much time they had left before the Order was finally going to be able to crush all resistance to their new vision for mankind.