Parallel Affinity

Part 12.

"Where are the horses?" Kahlan asked the five women who followed her around the Shrine like puppies.

"Lord R— I mean, Rahl, had us leave them in the second passage that leads out of the Shrine to the other side of the mountain, Mistress," replied the woman Kahlan assumed was the Mord'Sith's leader.

"What about the army he raised with the confession spell?" Cara asked.

"The army should be waiting on the other side of the mountain," the same woman replied.

"What did he intend to do with the army?" Cara asked again.

"He planned to conquer the Midlands village by village, town by town. After that, he wanted to re-take D'Hara and eventually, Westland too."

"I shudder to think he got as close as he did..." Kahlan whispered, perturbed. She turned to look at Cara, apprehension in her eyes. "If the confession spell is anything like confession from a true-born Confessor, then Rahl's death should have released all the soldiers men from the spell."

Cara turned towards the Mord'Sith once again.

"See whether the army is still out there," she ordered.

"I take orders only from the Mother Confessor," the woman replied curtly.

"You will take orders from Cara too, from now on," Kahlan replied.

Cara raised a smug eyebrow at the woman, who now bowed her head before her.

"Yes, Mistress," she replied, humbled.

"See whether Rahl's army is still there and also, try to find the horses," Kahlan added.

"Yes, Mistress," the woman obediently replied but did not move from the spot. "However... I believe that I should inform you... Once we leave the Shrine, there will be no way back for us inside the mountain. The entrance is shrouded by magic we do not have the power to undo. And also... Once we step outside of the mountain... Its life-enhancing properties will no longer protect us against confession..."

Kahlan and Cara exchanged glances.

"You will... Die of confession, as Mord'Sith usually do..." Kahlan realised. "The Shrine's powers will no longer be able to counteract the effects of true confession..."

"Yes, Mistress," the woman replied uniformly. "I will now fulfill your order," she added and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Kahlan stopped her with a hand to the shoulder.

The woman turned and looked at her mistress with adoration in her eyes.

"Go as far as the edge of the cave," Kahlan ordered again, "But go no further. See what you can spot beyond the mountain, whether the army is still out there, and bring the horses here if they are still inside the passage. Then return to report back to me. Take the others with you."

"Yes, Mistress," the woman bowed her head. The remaining four Mord'Sith followed suit. Turning on their heels, they walked towards the passage that lay in the opposite direction to the trail that had led Zedd, Kahlan and Cara to the centre of the Shrine.

"If I am not mistaken," Kahlan said in a low voice, once the Mord'Sith had walked off the altar, "Zedd's brother, Thaddicus, lives only a few days' journey from here. I think we owe it to Zedd to return his ashes to his family."

Cara looked at Kahlan with a somber look on her face. It will not be the first time she will have to face someone whose family member she has killed. She nodded in agreement.

"I will gather what I can of his ashes," she replied.

Cara turned and walked away from Kahlan, who remained at the altar with Rahl's, or rather Richard's, body at her feet. She walked to the spot where Zedd's ashes spread thinly over the Shrine's stone ground. Realising that she had no easy task ahead of her, Cara considered how to best go about collecting and preserving the greyish powder. The undertaking seemed a little pointless, considering that it was unlikely she would be able to collect much of the ash, but it was the least she could do, she concluded, feeling profound remorse knowing that it was ultimately she who had brought about Zedd's death.