Soul of the Fire

Kahlan clutched at Richard's shut. He was still out of his senses with pain. She couldn't get him out of the ball he had rolled into. She didn't know what exactly was going on, but she feared she knew.

He was obviously in mortal danger of some sort.

She'd heard him cry out. She saw him tumble off his horse and hit the ground. She just didn't know why.

Her first thought was that it was an arrow. She had been terrified it was an arrow from an assassin and it had killed him. But she could see no blood. Her emotions walled off, she had searched for blood, but on her rapid initial inspection had found none.

Kahlan glanced up as a thousand D'Haran soldiers spread out around them. The first instant, when Richard screamed and fell from his horse, without orders from her, they had gone into action. Swords cleared scabbards in a blink. Axes came off belt hangers into ready fists. Lances were leveled.

In the perimeter around them, men had flipped a leg over their horses' necks and leaped to the ground, ready to fight, weapons already to hand. Other men, closing ranks, forming the next circle of protection, turned their horses outward, ready to charge. Still more, the outer fringe of crack troops, had rushed off to find the assailants and clear the area of any enemy.

Kahlan had been around armies her entire life, and knew about fighting troops. She knew by the way they reacted that these men were as good as they came. She hadn't needed to issue any orders; they executed every defensive maneuver she would have expected, and did them faster than she could have shouted the commands.

Above her and Richard, the Baka Tau Mana blade masters formed a tight circle, swords out and at the ready. Whatever the attack was, arrow or dart or something else, Kahlan couldn't imagine the people protecting them allowing another chance at their Lord Rahl. If nothing else, there were now too many men suddenly layered around them for an arrow to make it through.

Kahlan, somewhat stunned by the sudden confusion, felt a flutter of worry that Cara would be angry they let harm come to Richard. Kahlan, after all, had promised to let no harm come to him-as if a promise to Cara were required.

Du Chaillu pushed her way between her blade masters to squat down on the other side of Richard. She had a water-skin and cloth to dress a wound.

"Have you found the injury?"

"No," Kahlan said as she picked around on him.

She pressed a hand to the side of Richard's face. It reminded her of when he'd had the plague, out of his mind with fever and not knowing where he was. He couldn't have been stricken with sickness, not the way he cried out and fell from his horse, but he did feel as if he was burning up with fever.

Du Chaillu dabbed a wet cloth against Richard's face. Kahlan saw that Du Chaillu's own face was creased in worry.

Kahlan continued her examination of Richard, trying to see if he had been hit by some sort of dart, or perhaps a bolt from a crossbow. He was trembling, almost in convulsions. She searched frantically, pulling him onto his side to check his-back, trying to find what was hurting him. She concentrated on her job, and tried not to think of how worried she was, lest shock take her.

Du Chaillu stroked Richard's face when Kahlan eased him onto his back, seeming to discount the need to look for a wound. The spirit woman bent forward, cooing softly in a chant with words Kahlan didn't understand.

"I can't find anything," Kahlan said at last in exasperation.

"You won't," Du Chaillu answered, distantly.

"Why's that?"

The Baka Tau Mana spirit woman murmured fond words to Richard. Even if Kahlan couldn't understand their literal meaning, she understood the emotion behind them.

"It is not a wound of this world," Du Chaillu said.

Kahlan glanced about at the soldiers ringing them. She put her hands protectively on Richard's chest.

"What does that mean?"

Du Chaillu pushed Kahlan's hands gently away.

"It is a wound of the spirit. The soul. Let me tend to him."

Kahlan pressed her own hand tenderly to Richard's face. "How do you know that? You don't know that. How could you know?"

"I am a spirit woman. I recognize such things."

"Just because-"

"Did you find a wound?"

Kahlan remained silent for a moment, reconsidering her own feelings. "Do you know what we can do to help him?"

"This is something beyond your ability to help." Du Chaillu bowed her head of dark hair as she pressed her hands to Richard's chest.

"Leave me to it," Du Chaillu murmured, "or our husband will die."

Kahlan sat back on her heels and watched as the Baka Tau Mana spirit woman, head bowed and hands on Richard, closed her eyes as if going into a trance of some sort. Words whispered forth, meant for herself perhaps, but not for others. She trembled. Her arms shook.

Du Chaillu's face contorted in pain.

Suddenly, she fell back, breaking the connection. Kahlan caught her arm, lest she topple. - "Are you all right?"

Du Chaillu nodded. "My power. It worked. It was back."

Kahlan looked from the woman to Richard. He seemed calmer.