Confessor: Chainfire Trilogy Part 3

Richard knew not only from his own experience but from Kahlan's as well that catching the dreamwalker in the mind of another person was impossible. She'd said that she had touched such a person possessed by Jagang with her power, but even as it took them, the emperor was effortlessly able to escape the_danger. Despite the talented people with Richard, he did not delude himself that any of them might just be able to catch the dreamwalker.

Of course, the soldier would be dead. But that was just the sacrifice the man would have to make for the cause, as far as Jagang was concerned.

No, the people Richard had with him had not been brought to try to kill Jagang through the mind of the surrogate; Richard knew better. They each had been brought for other reasons.

The bridge finally thudded down in place. Richard had already given the bridge crew and guards their instructions, so once the bridge had been lowered he gave them the signal and they all started back up the road.

Once the crew and guards were out of hearing distance, Richard started across. His entourage was quick to stay close to him. The man on the^other side stood for a moment, his thumbs hooked in his weapon belt, before casually advancing to the middle of the bridge and striking an arrogant pose.

As they came to a halt, the man's dark eyes-Jagang's dark Vision-were fixed on Nicci. While the master looking through those eyes was no doubt angry, the young man himself was quite open about his lust for what he saw. He ignored everyone else but the blond woman standing before him in a revealing black dress. The neckline at the top of the bodice was loose and open and the man was quite interested in what he was seeing.

"What is it you want?" Richard asked in a businesslike voice.

The man's eyes-Jagang's vision-turned to Richard, but then went back to Nicci.

"Well, darlin'," the deep voice said, "I see you have managed once again to betray me."

Nicci returned only an indifferent expression.

"You said that you wanted to meet with me," Richard said, keeping his voice calm. "What's so important to you?"

The contemptuous gaze slid to Richard. "Not so important to me, boy. To you."

Richard shrugged. "All right, to me, then."

"Do you care about all those people back there behind you?"

"You know I do," Richard said with a sigh. "What of it?"

"Well, I am going to give you a chance to prove it. Listen carefully, for I'm not in the mood to trade insults."

Richard wanted to ask the man-ask Jagang-if he was having trouble sleeping, but he resisted the urge for sarcasm. They were there for a purpose.

"State your offer, then."

The soldier lifted an arm, rather haltingly, Richard thought, to gesture back up at the palace towering behind them. "You have many thousands of people in there, awaiting their fate. That fate now is entirely in your hands."

"That's why they call me Lord Rahl."

"Well, Lord Rahl, while you only stand for yourself, I represent the collective wisdom of all of the people of the Order."

"Collective wisdom?" Again, Richard had to force himself not to make a flippant remark.

"Collective wisdom is what guides our people. Together, because we are many, we are wiser than the few."

Richard looked down, picking at a fingernail. "Well, I've already played the collective wisdom of your Ja'La team and beat them up one side and down the other."

The man lurched forward half a step, as if about to attack. Richard stood his ground, folding his arms as he finally looked up to stare into Jagang's eyes.

The man halted. "That was you?"

Richard nodded. "What is your offer?"

"When we get in there-and we will get in-men like my young soldier, here, the pride of the people of the Old World come to crush the heathens of the New World, will be set free in the place. I will leave to your imagination what such men will do to the fine people in the palace."

"I already know how the pride of the Order treats innocent people. I've already seen the results of their collective wisdom. No imagining is necessary."

"Well, if you would like that to be repeated here, only tenfold worse just because they're angry at your bullheaded defiance, at having to sit down there building their own way in, then you have to do nothing. They will come, they will get in, and they will extract their vengeance for all that you have done to the people of their homeland."

"I already know all that," Richard said. "It's pretty obvious, after all."

"And would you like to spare your people that pain?"

"You know I would."

The man straightened a little, taking on Jagang's smile. "And do you know that I have your sister, Jennsen?"

Richard blinked in surprise. "What?"

"I have Jennsen. She's quite nice on the eyes, actually. She was brought back after we visited a graveyard in Bandakar to pay our respects to the deceased."

Richard was losing track of what Jagang was talking about. "What deceased?"

"Why, Nathan Rahl, of course."

Richard's eyes slid closed as he remembered that grave marker. "Dear spirits," he whispered to himself.