Confessor: Chainfire Trilogy Part 3

Nicci noticed that the paintings hung throughout the room were all por-. traits, though the styles varied greatly. The subjects in some, dressed in ceremonial robes, sat in formal poses while in others the people stood casually in beautiful gardens, met in conversation among grand columns, or relaxed on benches in courtyards.

She saw that in many of the portraits the Keep, or parts of it, were visible in the background. It was a somewhat startling and sad thought to realize that all of these people had probably once lived in the Keep, a place that had been alive with life. It made the place now seem all the more deserted and empty.

Rikka cast a sidelong glance down the length of Nicci. "That nightdress was pink, before."

"I hate pink," Nicci said.

Rikka looked disappointed. "Really? When Cara and I put you in it I thought that it made you look even prettier."

At first startled by such a statement coming from a Mord-Sith, Nicci suddenly grasped the whole pink nightgown thing. This was a woman trying to find her way out of the dark wasteland of madness. She was trying to throw off the shackles of emotions that had been drilled into her since she had been a girl. Everything in her life, her world, had been ugly and violent. The pink nightdress represented something innocent and lovely- the kind of thing forbidden to the likes of a Mord-Sith. By appreciating such a simple thing on Nicci, she was testing the possibility of enjoying something attractive and harmless-testing dreams. It was much the same as a young girl making a pretty dress for a doll. It was a considered examination of aesthetics and, more than that, it was practice at aspirations.

"Thank you," Nicci said. After a moment's consideration she added, "It is a pretty nightdress, it's just that it's the wrong color for me, that's all. How about if after I'm dressed I return the color to the nightdress and you can have it."

Rikka's expression turned suspicious. "Me? I don't know if-"

"It would look beautiful on you. Honest. The pink color would go well with your skin tones."

Rikka looked a bit flustered and uncertain. "Really?"

Nicci nodded. "It would be perfect for you. I'd like you to have it."

Rikka hesitated a moment. "Well, I'll think about it," she finally said.

"I'll clean it and make sure the color is just the right shade of pink for you."

Rikka smiled. "Thanks."

Nicci wished that Richard could have been there to see the small smile that was such a great risk for a Mord-Sith. He would have understood that such a seemingly tentative step was really a rather big shift for such a woman. Nicci realized, too, that it warmed her own heart to see such a positive, if tiny, step back toward the simple joys of life.

She comprehended at seeing Rikka's smile how Richard must feel at such things.

As a yet larger realization dawned on her, she almost laughed out loud. Richard would not merely have appreciated Rikka's growth, he would also have seen Nicci-Death's Mistress-learning herself how to connect another person with the joy of life, if only in a small matter. She hadn't even realized that she and Rikka had just taken a step together. Nicci couldn't imagine how Richard must have felt to have brought her back from the dark existence she had lived for her whole life.

For just an instant, she had a glimpse, a vision, of life through Richard's eyes. It was a staggeringly joyous perspective, a view of how each person's choices could make their own life better. It was a vision of the possible, of how things could and should be.

How she missed trim. She would have given anything at that moment just to see his smile, that smile that seemed to reflect all that was good and decent. She missed him so much that she thought she might burst into tears.

Rikka cast Nicci a sidelong glance. "Are you all right? The witch woman didn't do you any lasting harm, did she? You look a little, I don't know . . . distressed."

Nicci dismissed the concern with a flick of a hand and changed the subject. "Did you find Rachel?"

As they emerged from a stone room lined with tapestries of country scenes and into a broad hall with wood-paneled walls, the Mord-Sith gave Nicci an unreadable look. "No. Early this morning Chase came back and told us that he found her tracks outside the Keep. He went off looking for her."

Rachel was another of those connections back to the simple joys of life for Rikka. Nicci knew that Rikka was quite fond of the girl, even though she never came close to admitting it.

"I don't know what in the world could have gotten into her," Zedd said back over his shoulder as he led them around a corner and into a narrower hallway. "It's just not like her to run off."

"Do you think it could have anything to do with Six being here?" Nicci suggested. "Maybe she's responsible."

Rikka shook her head. "Chase said that Rachel's tracks are all alone. He said that he didn't see any of Six's tracks."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Cara asked Nicci.