Temple of the Winds

The sword's rage twisted through him, trying to carry him away with it. He fought to maintain his grip of control, as he always had to do when he held the fury unleashed.

"You will look into my eyes when I kill you!"

Her eyes opened. Her brow wrinkled together, tears streaming down her cheeks. Any good she had done, any bravery in the face of danger, any sacrifice to her duty, had been stripped away in the face of her disgrace. She had been denied the honor of a death by her Agiel. For that, and that alone, she cried.

Richard pressed the razor-sharp edge to his forearm, drawing for the blade its taste of blood. He brought the Sword of truth to his forehead, touching the cold steel, the warm blood, to his flesh. He whispered his invocation. "Blade, be true this day." This was the person who, for her presumption, and but for luck, would have cost him Kahlan. Cost him everything.

She watched as the blade rose above him. She saw the fury, the righteous rage, in his eyes. She saw the magic dancing there.

She saw death, dancing there.

The knuckles of both fists were white as he gripped the hilt He knew he couldn't deny the magic its will-if he was to have a chance. He loosed his wrath at this woman for abandoning her responsibility to protect Kahlan. Her arrogance could have ended Kahlan's life, ended his future, ended his reason for living He had entrusted his dearest love to her care, and she had failed in her duty to honor his faith He could have returned to find Kahlan dead because of this woman on her knees before him. For no other reason.

Their eyes shared the madness of what they were doing, of what they each had become, of knowing that there was no other way-for either of them He committed to cleave her in two. The sword's wrath demanded it. He would accept no less. He envisioned it. He would have it. Her blood.

With a scream of rage, with all his strength, with all his fury and anger, he swung the blade down toward her face. The sword's tip whistled In every detail, he could see the light glint off the polished blade as it swept through a streamer of sunlight He could see drops of his sweat sparkle in the sunlight, as if frozen in space He could have counted them. He could see where the blade would hit her. She could see where the blade was going to hit her. His muscles screamed with the effort as his lungs screamed with rage.

Between her eyes, an inch from her flesh, the blade stopped as solidly as if it had thunked into an impenetrable wall.

Sweat rolled down his face. His arms shook. The room echoed with the lingering sound of his cry of fury. At last, he withdrew the blade from over Cara.

She stared up with big, round, unblinking eyes She was panting in rapid, short breaths through her mouth. A long, low whine came from her throat. "There will be no execution," Richard said in a hoarse voice «How» she whispered, "how. . could it do that? How could it stop like that?"

"I'm sorry, Cara, but the sword's magic has made the choice. It has chosen that you live You will have to abide by its decision»

Her eyes finally turned to look into his "You were going to do it. You were going to execute me " He slid the sword slowly into its scabbard. «Yes» "Then why am I not dead?"

"Because the magic decided otherwise. We can't question its judgment We must abide by it»

Richard had been reasonably sure that the sword's magic wouldn't harm Cara. The magic wouldn't let him harm one who was an ally. He had been counting on that But there had been doubt. Cara had brought Kahlan within danger's grasp, though not intentionally. He wasn't entirely sun that doubt wouldn't cause the blade to take her. That was the way with the Sword of Truth's magic-one wasn't always entirely sure.

Zedd had told Richard when he had given him the sword that therein lay the danger. The sword destroyed an enemy, and spared a friend, but the sword's magic worked as a result of the view of its holder, not the truth. Zedd had told him that doubt could possibly cause the death of a friend, or allow the escape of a foe.

But he did know that if it was to work, he had to commit his entire being to the effort, otherwise Cara wouldn't believe the magic had spared her, and she would have credited it to him. Then she would have been obligated to do as she had promised.

His insides felt as if they were twisted into knots. His knees trembled. He had been sucked into a world of dread; he hadn't been positive that it would work as he had planned.

Worse, he wasn't entirely sure he hadn't made a mistake by sparing her. Richard cupped Cara's chin. "The Sword of Truth has made its choice. It chose for you to live, for you to have another chance. You must accept its decision." Cara nodded in his hand. "Yes, Lord Rahl."

He reached under her arm and helped her to her feet. He could hardly stand himself, and wondered if he had been in her place if he would be able to get to his feet as steadily as she. "I will do better in the future. Lord Rahl."