Temple of the Winds

Kahlan froze in her tracks as a sword blade appeared in front of her face. A darting glance revealed a sword to each side. Another man rested a lance on her back, at the base of her neck. So much for stealth.

"Who goes there?" came a gruff voice from the man in front of her. Kahlan had to think of a new plan, and fast. She quickly settled on a bit of truth, mixed in with their fear of magic.

"Captain, you nearly scared me to death. It's me. the Mother Confessor." "Show yourself."

Kahlan pushed back her hood. "I thought I'd be able to get past you unnoticed. I guess D'Haran sentries are even better than I thought."

The men lowered their weapons. Kahlan was the most relieved to feel the lance lift from the back of her neck. That was the killing weapon in a challenge.

"Mother Confessor! You gave us a fright, you did. What are you doing up here again tonight? And on foot, no less?"

Kahlan sighed in resignation. "Get all your men together and I'll explain." The captain tilted his head. "Over here. We have a shelter to get you out of the wind."

Kahlan let them lead her to the other side of the road. where stood a simple three-sided structure meant to give some relief from wind and wet weather. It wasn't big enough for her and all six men. They insisted she take the driest spot. farthest inside.

She was torn between satisfaction that even in a snowstorm no one got past D'Haran guards, and wishing she had. It would have made it much easier. Now, she was going to have to talk her way out of it.

"All of you, listen carefully," she began. "I don't have a lot of time. I'm on an important mission. I need your confidence. All of you. You all know about the plague?"

The men grunted and nodded that they did, shifting their weight uncomfortably. "Richard. Lord Rahl, is trying to find a way to stop it. We don't know if there is a way, but he won't give up, you know that. He would do anything it takes to save his people."

The men were nodding again. "What's that got to do with-" "I'm in a hurry. Lord Rahl is sleeping right now. He's exhausted from trying to find a cure for the plague. A cure that involves magic."

The men straightened a bit. The captain rubbed his chin. "We know that Lord Rahl won't let us down. He cured me a few days back."

Kahlan looked to all the eyes watching her. "Well, what if Lord Rahl comes down with the plague himself? Before he can find an answer? Then what? We're all dead, that's what."

The anxiety on their faces was clear. For D'Harans to lose a Lord Rahl was a calamitous event. It cast all their futures into doubt. "What can be done to protect him?" the captain asked. "What can be done is up to you men, here, tonight." "What can we do?"

"Lord Rahl loves me. You men all know how he protects me. He has those Mord-Sith shadowing me all the time. He sends guards with me wherever I go. He won't let danger come within miles of me. He won't let harm even get a view of me.

"Well, I don't want him harmed, either. What if he gets the plague? Then we all lose him.

"I may have a way to help him stop the plague before it can touch us all- before he can get it, as surely he will." They gasped. "What can we do to help?" the captain asked. "What I'm doing involves magic-very dangerous magic. If I'm successful, I may be able to protect Richard from the plague. Protect all of us from the plague. But, like I said, it's dangerous.

"I need to go away for a few days, with the aid of magic, to see if I might be able to help Lord Rahl stop the plague. You men know how he guards me. He would never let me go. He would rather die than let me be exposed to danger. He can't be reasoned with when it comes to my being in danger.

"That's why I tricked the Mord-Sith and my other guards. No one knows where I'm going. If anyone finds out, then Richard will come after me, and be in the same danger as me. What good will that do? If I'm killed, then he would be killed, too. If I'm successful, there's no reason to expose him to the danger.

"I intended for no one to find out where I went tonight, but you men are better than I gave you credit for. Now, it's up to you. I'm risking my life to protect Lord Rahl. If you want to protect him, too, then you must swear to secrecy. Even if he looks you in the eye, you must tell him that you haven't seen me, that no one came up here."

The men shuffled their feet, cleared their throats, and looked at one another. The captain's fingers fretted with his sword hilt. "Mother Confessor, if Lord Rahl looks us in the eye and asks us, we can't lie to him."

Kahlan leaned closer to the man. "Then you may as well slay him on the spot. That's what you'll be doing. Do you want to endanger your Lord Rahl's life? Do you want to be responsible for his dying?" "Of course not! We'd all lay down our lives for him!"

"I'm offering to lay down my life, too. If he finds out what I'm doing, where I went this night, then he will come after me. He can be of no help and he may die because of it."