Naked Empire

Richard held his breath, kept his abdominal muscles tight, as he went to one knee, not because he intended to, but because he couldn't remain standing under the weight of pain as he held his arm up for Cara as she pressed the Agiel to it. The men gasped as they watched, shocked at the blood, the obvious pain. They whispered their astonishment.

Cara withdrew the weapon. Richard released the rigid tension in his muscles, bending forward as he panted, trying to catch his breath, trying to remain upright. Blood dripped off his fingers.

Kahlan was there beside him with a small scarf Jennsen pulled from a pocket. "Are you out of your mind?" she hissed heatedly as she wrapped his bleeding arm.

"Thanks," he said in response to her care, not wanting to address her question.

He couldn't make his fingers stop trembling. Cara had held little back.

He was sure that she hadn't broken any bones, but it felt as if she had. He could feel tears of pain running down his face.

When Kahlan finished, Cara put a hand under his arm and helped him to his feet. "The Mother Confessor is right," she growled under her breath.

"You are out of your mind."

Richard didn't argue the need of what he'd had her do, but instead turned to the men. He held his arm out. A wet crimson stain slowly grew along the length of the scarf bandage.

"There is powerful magic for you. You can't see the magic, but you can see the results. That magic can kill, should Cara wish it." The men cast worried glances her way, viewing her with newfound respect. "But it could not harm you men because you have no ability to interact with such magic.

Only those born with the spark of the gift can feel the touch of an Agiel."

The mood had changed. The sight of blood had sobered everyone.

Richard paced slowly before the men. "I've given you the truth in all that I've told you. I've kept nothing important or relevant from you, nor will I. I've told you who I am, who you are, and how we've come to this point. If there is anything you wish to know, I will give you my truthful answer."

When Richard paused, the men looked around at one another, seeing if anyone would ask a question. No one did.

"The time has come," Richard said, "for you men to decide your future and the future of your loved ones. Today is the day upon which that future hinges."

Richard gestured toward Owen. "I know that Owen had a woman he loved, Marilee, who was taken away by the Order. I know that each of you has suffered great loss at the hands of the men of the Imperial Order. I don't know all your names, yet, or the names of the loved ones taken from you, but please believe me when I tell you that I know such pain.

"While I understand how you came to the point where you thought you had no options but to poison me, it wasn't right for you to have done so." Many men looked away from Richard's gaze, casting their own downward. "I'm going to give you a chance to set the proper course for yourselves and your loved ones."

He let them consider this a moment before going on. "You men have passed many tests to make it this far, to have survived this long in such a brutal situation as you have all faced, but now you must make a choice."

Richard rested a hand on the hilt of his sword. "I want to know where you've hidden the antidote to the poison you've given me."

Worried looks spread through the crowd. Men glanced to the side, trying to judge the feelings of their fellows, trying to see what they would do.

Owen, too, tried to gauge the reaction of his friends, but being just as uncertain as he, they offered no firm indication of what they wanted to do. Finally he licked his lips and timidly asked a question.

"If we say that we will tell you where the antidote is, will you agree to first give us your word that you will help us?"

Richard resumed his measured pacing. The men nervously waited for his answer as they watched blood drip off his fingers, leaving a trail of crimson drops on the stone.

"No," Richard said. "I will not allow you to link two separate issues.

It was wrong to poison me. This is your chance to reverse that wrong.

Linking it to any concession perpetuates the fallacy that it can somehow be justified. Telling me where you've hidden the antidote is the only proper thing for you to do, now, and must be without condition. This is the day you must decide how you will live your future. Until you give me your decision, I will tell you nothing more."

Some of the men looked on the verge of panic, some on the verge of tears. Owen prodded them all back, away from Richard, so that they could discuss it among themselves.

"No," Richard said, his pacing coming to a halt. The men all fell silent and turned back toward him. "I don't want any of you coming to a decision because of what another says. I want each of you to give me your own personal decision."

The men stared. A number spoke up all at once, wanting to know what he meant.