Confessor: Chainfire Trilogy Part 3

"You what?" the old woman demanded in a venomous tone of displea­sure. This woman was a commanding presence who feared nothing, least of all Six.

Six cowered back a step. "I don't understand . . ."

Kahlan's jaw dropped as she saw the tight, pale flesh of Six's face and hands begin to move, as if bubbling from beneath.

Six started screaming in pain, her bony hands groping the crawling flesh of her face.

"Mother, what do you want!"

"It's quite simple," the old woman said, stepping closer yet to the witch woman as she shrank away. "I want you to die."

At that, Six's whole body jerked about violently as her skin convulsed and churned, looking like it was separating from the turbulent muscle and sinew beneath. She almost looked like she was boiling from within.

The old woman grabbed the suddenly slack skin at the back of Six's neck. As Six began to crumple downward the old woman gave a mighty pull.

The skin, mostly in one piece, pulled right off the stricken witch woman. She collapsed, a bloody, unrecognizable mess barely contained by the sack of a black dress, to the stone floor. It was about as sickening a sight as Kahlan could imagine.

The old woman, holding the sagging remains of Six's skin, smiled at them.

They all stood frozen in shock as the old woman seemed to shimmer, her appearance wavering and flickering. Kahlan stared in astonishment. The old woman was no longer old, but young and beautiful, with long, wavy, auburn hair. Her variegated gray dress did little to conceal her sensuous figure. Points of the airy fabric floated as if in a gentle breeze.

"Shota . . ." Richard said, a grin splitting his face.

She dropped the bloody hide in a sloppy pile, then smiled a coy, teasing smile as she stepped forward and tenderly cupped his cheek with her other hand. Kahlan could feel her own face going red.

"Shota, what are you doing here?" Richard asked.

"Saving your hide, obviously." She smiled even wider as she glanced down to the remains in the black dress. "I guess it cost Six hers."

"But, but I don't understand."

"Neither did Six," Shota said. "She expected me to scurry away with my tail between my legs to forever hide in trembling fear that she might find me, so she never expected a visit from her mother. Such a thing was not among her otherwise considerable talents, or her limited imagination, since she had no comprehension of the value of a mother and no empathy with those who do. She could not imagine the power and meaning of such a bond, so such a thing blinded her. Her connection to her mother was loathing schooled by fear."

Kahlan could feel her face heating even more as she watched Shota run a long lacquered fingernail down the front of Richard's shirt.

"I don't like it when someone takes what I have worked for and created," Shota said to Richard in an intimate voice. "She had no right to what is mine. It took me a great deal of time and effort to reverse all that she had done to sink her treacherous tentacles into my domain, but I did."

"I think there was more to it, Shota. I think you wanted to help us all."

Shota stepped away, flicking a hand in acknowledgment as she turned her back on Richard. "The boxes are in play. If the Sisters of the Dark open them a great many people who have done no wrong will die. I, too, will be cast to the Keeper like a scrap of meat."

Richard could only nod at the truth of that. He bent and picked up his sword. He held the hilt out. "Here."

"My dear boy, I've no need for a sword."

Kahlan didn't know how anyone could have such a beautiful, silken voice. Shota didn't act like she even knew that there was anyone else in the room. Except when she cast a brief, warning glare at Zedd, her almond eyes rarely left Richard.

"Just humor me and touch it."

Her whole face softened with a flirtatious smile. "If you say so."

Her graceful fingers curled around the hilt. Her eyes suddenly turned to see Kahlan standing right there beside him.

"The sword interrupts the ongoing effect of the Chainfire spell," Richard explained. "It doesn't reverse it, but it enables you to now see what is before you."

Her gaze lingered a moment before returning to Richard. "So it does." Her voice turned serious. "Right now, though, all of us in this room are about to be taken by the power of Orden and given over for all eternity to the Keeper of the dead in the underworld." Her fingers touched the side of Richard's face. "As I've told you before, you need to stop that from happening."

"And how am I to do that?"

Shota gave him a scolding look. "We've had this discussion before, Richard. You are the player. It is up to you to put the boxes in play."

Richard heaved a sigh. "We're a long way from the boxes. Jagang will have them in play long before we can get back."

Shota smiled at him. "I have a way for you to get back."

"How?"

Shota pointed a finger skyward. "You can fly."

Richard cocked his head. "Fly?"

"The dragon that Six had bewitched and was using is up on the rampart."