Parallel Affinity

Part 14.

Struggling to fall asleep, Cara turned and turned on the cold, hard ground, trying to make herself comfortable. It had been two days since she'd slept in a bed, if you could call the mattress at Thaddicus' house that... And according to her estimations, they were another four weeks journey away from Aydindril. With some luck, they might pass through a few villages on their way, although the fastest way would be to cut straight through the forests once again. The thought of this made her even more uncomfortable in her current position.

Since when am I unable to fall asleep on the ground?! Damned be all the prophecies and pregnancies and power-hungry Rahls when this is what a Mord'Sith gets reduced to!

Finally, she gave up trying to fall asleep and sat up. She turned to face the small flames of the campfire Kahlan had built. Kahlan, herself, was already heavily asleep, positioned on the other side of the fire, her back turned towards it, towards Cara. The blonde had grown accustomed to this sight of the Confessor's back turned at her. She had trouble remembering a time when Kahlan hadn't been so withdrawn, when her eyes were not haunted and her lips so deathly pale. She resented herself for not being the company Kahlan needed.

A flash of light flitted across Cara's mind. It was the memory of Kahlan's smile the morning after Cara had been struck by the arrow, and Kahlan had spent hours nursing her wound. Cara recalled that the Confessor had insisted on sleeping next to her that night, to make sure she was warm enough while her wound was still critical. And the following morning, Cara had awoken to the sight of Kahlan's beautiful face, all aglow in the morning light, looking down at her, smiling, and her eyes, so bright. It was the most glorious sight Cara had ever seen and most likely would ever see, she thought to herself despondently while staring at Kahlan's sleeping figure and the minute light that were the fire's flames in the midst of a pitch black forest. What a far cry their reality had turned out to be compared to that moment of pure magic, she thought, head bowed. It might as well have been a dream, so distant and far-removed it appeared to Cara at present, as if it had happened years ago and not only a month prior. What she wouldn't give to see Kahlan happy again, to see her smile, to hear her laugh, or withstand those tormenting instances when the Confessor had tried to befriend her, acting all chummy, much to Cara's chagrin. Cara now missed such moments with all of her aching heart, not for the sake of her feelings for Kahlan, but because of the sad tale that had turned out to be the Mother Confessor's life, when she deserved so infinitely better. It was unbearable seeing Kahlan shrink into a shadow of her former self, and Cara wished that it was she, herself that had died at the Shrine of the Zoria instead of Richard. She only hoped that some of Kahlan's old spirit might recover once they return to Aydindril and she is, once again, among her own people, where she belongs.

Cara shut her eyes.

Darkness.

Silence.

When she opened her eyes next, she saw that the fire had died out. Only the glow of embers survived in the dark of the night. She was about to move forward, to reach with her hand and drop a handful of twigs over the dying embers when a violent flame erupted from the spot, causing her to flinch back, then scramble backwards further as the flames leapt larger than life so close in front of her. Amidst the flames, Shota's features appeared. Cara stared as the witch stared directly back at her. Kahlan didn't stir.

"Cara..." the witch's voice called out to her in a drawn out, unnatural tone.

"What do you want?" Cara replied, shielding her face from the fire's overpowering heat.

"To remind you..." the woman's voice echoed, while her mouth never opened. "You have forgotten the prophecy, and now curse us all to death..."

"What do you mean?" Cara frowned. "I remember the prophecy."