Naked Empire

Cara restrained her with an arm around her waist that Kahlan could not pry off. "And if only the Subtractive side works and it kills him?"

Kahlan stopped struggling as she frowned at Cara. "And since when have you taken up the study of magic?"

"Since it might harm Lord Rahl." Cara pulled Kahlan back farther away from Richard. "I have a mind, too, you know. I can think things through. Are you using your head? Where is this city? Where is the antidote within the city? What will you do if using your power kills this man and you are the one who condemns Lord Rahl to death when you could have had the information we need had you not touched him.

"If you want, I will break his arms. I will make him bleed. I will make him scream in agony. But I will not kill him; I will keep him alive so that he can give us the information we need to rid Lord Rahl of this death sentence.

"Ask yourself, do you really want to do this because you believe it will gain you the answers we need, or because you want to lash out, to strike out at him? Lord Rahl's life may hang on you being truthful with yourself."

Kahlan panted from the effort of the struggle, but more from her rage.

She wanted to lash out, to strike back, just as Cara said-to do whatever she could to save Richard and to punish his attacker.

"I've had it with this game," Kahlan said. "I want to hear the story- the whole story."

"So do I," Richard said. He lifted the man by his shirt and slammed him down atop the crate. "All right, Owen, no more excuses for why you did this or that. Start at the beginning and tell us what happened, and what you and your people did about it."

Owen sat trembling like a leaf. Jennsen urged Richard back.

"You're frightening him," she whispered to Richard. "Give him some room or he will never be able to get it out."

Richard took a purging breath as he acknowledged Jennsen's words with a hand on her shoulder. He walked off a few paces, standing with his hands clasped behind his back as he stared off in the direction of the sunrise, toward the mountains Kahlan had so often seen him studying. It had been on the other side of the range of the smaller, closer mountains, tight in the shadows of those massive peaks thrusting up through the iron gray clouds, where they had found the warning beacon and first encountered the black-tipped races.

The clouds that capped the sky all the way to the wall of those distant peaks hung heavy and dark. For the first time since Kahlan could remember, it looked like a storm might be upon them. The expectant smell of rain quickened the air.

"Where are you from?" Richard asked in a calm voice.

Owen cleared his throat as he straightened his shirt and light coat, as if rearranging his dignity. He remained seated atop the crate.

"I lived in a place of enlightenment, in a civilization of advanced culture… a great empire."

"Where is this noble empire?" Richard asked, still staring off into the distance.

Owen stretched his neck up, looking east. He pointed at the far wall of towering peaks where Richard was looking.

"There. Do you see that notch in the high mountains? I lived past there, in the empire beyond those mountains."

Kahlan remembered asking Richard if he thought they could make it over those mountains. Richard had been doubtful about it.

He looked back over his shoulder. "What's the name of this empire?"

"Bandakar," Owen said in a reverent murmur. He smoothed his blond hair to the side, as if to make himself a respectable representative of his homeland. "I was a citizen of Bandakar, of the Bandakaran Empire."

Richard had turned and was staring at Owen in a most peculiar manner.

"Bandakar. Do you know what that name, Bandakar, means?"

Owen nodded. "Yes. Bandakar is an ancient word from a time long forgotten. It means 'the chosen'-as in, the chosen empire."

Richard seemed to have lost a little of his color. When his eyes met Kahlan's, she could see that he knew very well what the word meant, and Owen had it wrong.

Richard seemed to suddenly remember himself. He rubbed his brow in thought. "Do you-do any of your people-know the language that this ancient word, bandakar, is from?"

Owen gestured dismissively. "We don't know of the language; it's long forgotten. Only the meaning of this word has been passed down, because it is so important to our people to hold on to the heritage of its meaning: chosen empire. We are the chosen people."

Richard's demeanor had changed. His anger seemed to have faded away. He stepped closer to Owen and spoke softly.

"The Bandakaran Empire-why isn't it known? Why does no one know of your people?"

Owen looked away, toward the east, seeing his distant homeland through wet eyes. "It is said that the ancient ones, the ones who gave us this name, wanted to protect us-because we are a special people. They took us to a place where no one could go, because of the mountains all around. Such mountains as only the Creator could impose to close off the land beyond, so that we are protected."