Stone of Tears

The man with the knife pointed it to the wizard. “slagle’s got something for you, Confessor. Been working on it for two hours, since he realized you were coming for a visit.” He made a feeble attempt to hold back his laughter, but it came in fits through his restraint and he finally gave in to it.

Two hours. They had just told her the limits of this wizard’s power. She had left the Galeans four hours ago, but nearly an hour of that had been spent at her task up on the ridges. That meant the Galean boys weren’t yet close enough for the wizard to know of them, but were only concealed from discovery by a dangerously thin margin. Any closer, and the wizard would know of them. Long before they could bring any surprise to bear.

She waited for the D’Haran man’s laughter to sputter out before she spoke. “You have me at a disadvantage.”

“Not yet! But I will!” The men roared and hooted again.

With every beat of her heart, she became more calm. She pushed her hood back. She wore her Confessor’s face. “What is your name, soldier?”

“Soldier!” He lurched forward and stuck the knife in the table. “I’m no soldier. I’m General Riggs. I’m supreme commander of all our troops. All our men, old and new, answer to me.”

And in whose name are you fighting, General Riggs?”

He swept his hand around. “Why, the Imperial Order is fighting a war on behalf of those who join us. A war against all the oppressors. Against all who fight us. Those who don’t join us are against us, and will be crushed. We fight to bring order.

“Under the Imperial Order, all who join us will find protection, and in turn they will help protect all. All the lands will join with us, or they will be swept aside. It is a new order for which we struggle. The Imperial Order. They command all the lands, and I command them.”

Kahlan frowned, trying to make sense of what she was hearing. “I am the Mother Confessor, and I command the Midlands, not you.”

“Mother Confessor!” He clapped the wizard on the back. “You didn’t tell me she was the Mother Confessor! Well, you don’t look like any mother I’ve seen. But after tonight, you’ll be a mother sure enough. You have my word on that!” He roared with laughter.

“Darken Rahl is dead.” That brought the laughter to an end. “The new Lord Rahl has declared the war ended and called all the D’Haran troops home.”

General Riggs rose to his feet. “darken Rahl was a man of limited foresight, a man too much concerned with his ancient magic and too little concerned with order. He was too preoccupied with his own quests, his old religions. Magic, until it is eradicated, is a tool of men, not a master of them.

“Darken Rahl failed to use the opportunity he had. We will not fail. Darken Rahl himself, in the underworld, knows this, and repents. He is allied to our struggle, now. The good spirits have declared it! We no longer bow to the house of Rahl, but they, as all houses, districts, and kingdoms, to us. The new Lord Rahl will join us, too, or we’ll crush him and any heathen dogs who follow him. We will crush all the heathen dogs!”

“In other words, General, you fight for no one other than yourself. Your purpose is simply to murder people.”

“I do not fight for myself! This is a larger purpose than one man. We offer all the opportunity to join with us. If they don’t join with us, it’s because they’re aligned with our enemies, and we must kill them!” He threw his hands up. “It’s useless trying to explain such matters of state and canon to a woman. Women have no intellect for rule.”

“Men have no exclusive talent to rule, General.”

“It’s profanity for men to bow down to a woman for protection! Right men concern themselves only with getting under a woman’s skirts, not with hiding behind them! Women rule from their nipples, offering only their sympathetic pap. Men rule from their fist. They make and enforce the law. They provide and protect.

“Every king and patrician will be offered the chance to join with us, to bring his land and his people under our protection. All queens will be offered the chance to ply their wares in a brothel, or perhaps to be the humble wives of an indentured farmer, but either way make a proper use of themselves.”

He swept his mug up from the table and took a few gulps. “Can’t you see, woman? Are you that stupid, even for a woman? What has your Midland’s alliance accomplished under the rule of women?”

Accomplished? The alliance is to accomplish nothing but to let all the lands live in peace, to leave their neighbors” lands to their neighbors, and know that their own is safe from covetous hands, and that all will stand to protect each, even the weak and defenseless, so none will stand alone and naked.”

He smiled in triumph as he looked to his comrades. “Truly spoken from the teat!”