"Mother Confessor. The assembly of seven of Mardovia in our mother city of Renwold has charged me with the duty of the long journey to Aydindril to relay their decision. The assembly of seven has no desire or intention to relinquish rule over our beloved people to outlanders, whether they be from D'Hara or from the Imperial Order.
"Your war with the Imperial Order is not our war. The assembly of seven has ruled that Mardovia will remain sovereign and will remain neutral."her, in the silence, a soldier coughed. The sound of it echoed around the stone chamber.
"Ambassador Seldon, the land of Mardovia lies among the eastern wilds, not far from the Old World. You will be vulnerable to attack."
"Mother Confessor, the walls surrounding our mother city of Renwold have stood the test of time. As you say, we lie among the people of the wilds. Those people in the past have tried to exterminate us. None ever succeeded in so much as breaching the walls, much less overcoming our stalwart defenders. Instead, the various peoples of the wilds now trade with us, and Renwold is a center of commerce in the eastern wilds of the Midlands, respected by all who once sought to conquer us."leaned forward. "Ambassador, the Order is no tribe from the wilds. They will crush you. Doesn't the assembly of seven have the sense to realize that?"Seldon smiled indulgently. "Mother Confessor, I understand your concern, but as I have said, Renwold's walls have stood us in good stead. Be assured, Renwold will not fall to the Order." His expression hardened. "Nor will it fall to this new alliance you form with D'Hara.
"Numbers do not mean much against a knob of stone in the wilds. Would-be conquerors soon tire of breaking their teeth on so small a morsel. Our small size, our location, and our walls make us less than worth the trouble. Should we join with you, then we would be vulnerable because we would represent resistance.
"Our neutrality is not of hostile intent. We will be willing to trade with your alliance, as we will be willing to trade with the Imperial Order. We wish harm to no one, but we will defend ourselves."
"Ambassador Seldon, your wife and children are in Renwold. Don't you understand the danger to your family?"
"My beloved wife and children are safe behind the walls of Renwold, Mother Confessor. I fear not for them."
"And will your walls stand against magic? The Order uses those with magic! Or are you too drunk with the past to see the threat to your future?"face had reddened. "The decision of the assembly of seven is final. We don't fear for our safety. We have people of magic in turn to protect the walls from magic. Neutrality is not a threat. Perhaps you should pray to the good spirits for mercy, since it is you who sues for war. To live by violence is to invite it."drummed her fingernails against the desktop as everyone awaited her words. She knew that even if she could convince this man, it would do no good: the assembly of seven had made its decision, and he could not change it even if he wanted.
"Ambassador Seldon, you will leave Aydindril by the end of the day. You will return to the assembly of seven in Renwold, and tell them that D'Hara does not recognize neutrality. This is a struggle for our world-whether it is to thrive in the Light, or wither under the shadow of tyranny. Lord Rahl has decreed that there are no bystanders. I have decreed no mercy against the Order. We are of one mind in this.
"You are either with us, or you stand against us. The Imperial Order views it the same.
"Tell the assembly of seven that Mardovia now stands against us. One of us, either D'Hara or the Order, will conquer Mardovia. Direct them to pray to the good spirits, and ask that it is we who conquer you and take Renwold instead of the Order. We will impose harsh sanctions for your resistance, but your people will live. Should the Order set upon you first, they will annihilate your defenders and enslave your people. Mardovia will be ground into the dust of the past."indulgent smile widened. "Fear not. Mother Confessor. Renwold will stand against any land, even the Order."regarded him with cold ire. "I have walked among the dead inside the walls of Ebinissia. I have seen the slaughter at the hands of the Order. I have seen what they did to the living, first. I will pray for those poor people who will suffer because of the mad delusions of the assembly of seven."angrily gestured to the guards to escort the man from the chambers. She knew what would happen to the Mardovian people if the Order attacked first. She knew, too, that Richard could not risk the lives of allies simply to take Renwold in order to protect it. It was too distant a land. She would advise against it, as would any of his generals.was lost; their neutrality would draw the Order as the scent of blood drew wolves.had walked through the gates in the massive walls of Renwold. The walls were impressive. They were not invincible. The Order had wizards, like Marlin. The walls would not stand against wizard's fire, despite those of magic's talent defending Renwold.tried to put the fate of Mardovia from her mind as she called the pair from the royal house in Grennidon forward. "How does Grennidon stand?" she growled. Walter Cholbane cleared his throat. His sister spoke.
"Grennidon, a land of great importance, a land of vast fields which produce-" Kahlan cut her off. "I asked how Grennidon stands,"dry-washed her hands as she considered the resolve in Kahlan's eyes. "The royal house offers its surrender. Mother Confessor." "Thank you, Leonora. We are gladdened for you and for your people. Please see to it that my officers here are granted any information they need so that your army can be brought under coordination of our central command."
"Yes, Mother Confessor," she stammered. "Mother Confessor, are our forces to be bled against the walls of Renwold to bring them down?"was north of Mardovia, and in the best position to attack, but Kahlan knew that Grennidon would not relish attacking a trading partner. Moreover, some of the family of the assembly of seven had married into the royal house of Cholbane.
"No. Renwold is a city of the walking dead. The vultures will pick it clean. In the meantime, trade with Mardovia is forbidden. We trade only with those who join us."
"Yes, Mother Confessor."
"Mother Confessor," Walter, her brother, interjected, "we wish to discuss some of the terms with Lord Rahl. We have things of value to offer, and matters of interest to us that we wish to bring to his attention,"
''Surrender is unconditional. There is nothing to discuss. Lord Rahl has instructed me to remind you that there will be no negotiations. Either you are with us, or you are against us. Now, do you wish to withdraw your offer of surrender before you sign the documents and instead cast your fate with Mardovia?" He pressed his lips together as he took a deep breath. "No, Mother Confessor." "Thank you. When Lord Rahl has the time, soon, I hope, he would very much like to hear what you have to say, as a valued member of the D'Haran empire. Just. remember that you are now part of D'Hara, and he is the Master of D'Hara, the master of that empire."had treated them with less respect than the two small lands who had offered their surrender; not to do so would have resulted in emboldening them, and inviting trouble. These two were among those who always requested red rooms.and Leonora seemed to relax, now that Kahlan had their acquiescence. The Cholbanes could be tenacious and stubborn to the end, but once an agreement was reached and their word given, they never looked back, never second-guessed what might have been. It was a quality that made dealings with them bearable. "We understand, Mother Confessor," Walter said.
"Yes," his sister added. "And we look forward to the day that the Imperial Order no longer threatens all our people."
"Thank you. both of you. I know this must seem harsh to you. but know that we rejoice to count you and your people among us."they moved off to sign the papers and talk with the officers, Kahlan turned her attention to Tristan Bashkar. of Jara. "Minister Bashkar, how stands Jara?"Bashkar was a member of the royal family of Jara. In Jara, the position of minister was one of high rank and trust. Of those gathered, he was the only one with the authority to change his land's commitment without returning home for consultation. If he thought there was reason enough, he could alter the royal family's instructions, and thus. Jara's stand.out of his thirties, he wore his age well. He also used his looks to distract people from his quick mind. After people had been disarmed by his likable smile, bright brown eyes, and smooth-spoken flattery, he would extract concessions before they realized they had parted with them.brushed a thick lock of dark hair back from his forehead-a compulsive habit. Or possibly a way to draw interest to his eyes. where people were often distracted.spread his hands apologetically. "Mother Confessor, I'm afraid it's not as easy as a simple yes or no, although I wish to assure you that we are in harmony with the great empire of D'Hara, and admire the wisdom of both Lord Rahl. and of course, yourself. We have always put the advice of the Mother Confessor above all others."sighed. "Tristan, I'm in no mood for your usual games. You and I have sparred in these chambers more times than I can remember. Don't test me today. I'll not have it."a member of the royal family, he was well trained in all the arts of war, and had fought with distinction in the past. Broad-shouldered and tall. he cut a handsome figure. His easy smile always carried a playful twist that cloaked any threat, were there one. and there sometimes was. Kahlan never turned her back, so to speak, on Tristan Bashkar.casually unbuttoned his dark blue coat and rested a hand on his hip. The ploy revealed an ornate knife sheathed at his belt. Kahlan had heard it whispered that, going into battle, Tristan Bashkar preferred to draw his knife rather than his sword. It was whispered, too, that he got sadistic pleasure from slicing the enemy.
"Mother Confessor, I admit that in the past I've been reticent to reveal our exact position in order to best protect our people from the avarice of other lands; but it isn't like that this time. You see, the way we view the situation-"
"I'm not interested. I want only to know if you stand with us or against us. If you stand against us, Tristan, I give you my word that by morning we will have troops riding for the royal palace in Sandilar, and they will return with either unconditional surrender, or the heads of the royal family.
"General Baldwin is here in Aydindril with a sizable Keltish force. I'll send him-Keltans never let down their queen, nor rest until she is satisfied. I am now the queen of Kelton. Do you wish a fight with General Baldwin?"
"Of course not. Mother Confessor. We wish no fight, but if you will hear me out-"slapped a hand to the desk, silencing him. "When the Imperial Order held Aydindril, before Richard liberated it, Jara sat on the council, allied with the Order."
"As was D'Hara, at the time," he gently reminded her.glared at him. "I was brought before the council, and convicted of the very crimes committed by the Order. Wizard Ranson, from the Order, called for a death sentence. The councilor from Jara sat at this desk and voted to have me beheaded." "Mother Confessor…"turned a finger to her right. "He sat right there and called for me to be put to death."looked back to Tristan's brown eyes. "If you look closely, I think you will still be able to pick out a stain down the front of the desk over there. When Richard liberated Aydindril, he executed those traitorous councilors. The stain was left by the Jarian councilor. I heard that Richard cleaved the man nearly in two, he was so angered by the betrayal to me, and to the people of the Midlands."stood politely, showing nothing of his emotions. "Mother Confessor, it was not by the choice of the royal family that that councilor spoke for Jara. He was a puppet of the Order." "Then join with us."
"We want to, and we intended to. In fact, I was sent with authorization to make it so."
"Whatever it is you want, Tristan, you'll not get it. We make the same offer to all, and no special terms for any."
"Mother Confessor, would it be considered a special term to hear me out?" Kahlan sighed. "Make it short, and keep in mind, Tristan, that your smile has no effect on me."smiled anyway. "As a member of the royal family, I have the authority, and authorization, to surrender Jara and join with you. Given a choice, that is what we wish." "Then do it."
"The red moon interrupts those plans."sat up straighter. "What does that have to do with it?" "Mother Confessor, Javas Kedar, our star guide, holds great sway with the royal family. He has read the stars in the matter of our surrender, and has given his opinion that the stars hold this action with favor.
"Before I left home, Javas Kedar told me that the stars would give sign if circumstances changed, and to heed any sign. The red moon has given me pause in our plans." "The moon is not the stars."
"The moon is in the sky. Mother Confessor. Javas Kedar councils on the meaning of moon symbols, also."pinched the bridge of her nose between a thumb and finger as she sighed. "Tristan, are you going to allow harm to visit your people on the basis of such superstition?"
"No, Mother Confessor. But I am bound by my honor to give heed to the beliefs of our people. Lord Rahl said that surrender would not mean that we had to give up our customs and beliefs."
"Tristan, you have an annoying habit of leaving out things you wish to ignore. Richard said that a land wouldn't have to give up its customs as long as they brought harm to no one, and broke no laws common to all. You are stepping over a dangerous line."
"Mother Confessor, we in no way wish to circumvent his words or to step over any line. I wish only some time." "Time. Time for what?"
"Time, Mother Confessor, to assure myself that the red moon isn't a sign that we have reason to fear joining with D'Hara. Now, I can either travel back to Jara and consul', with Javas Kedar, or I can simply wait here for a while, if you would prefer, to assure myself that the red moon is not a sign of danger."knew that the Jarians. and the royal family in particular, were fervent believers in guidance from the stars. As much effort as Tristan devoted to chasing skirts, Kahlan knew that were a beautiful woman to offer him her charms, he would flee from her if he believed the stars were against it.would take him at least a month to return to Jara, consult the star guide, and return to Aydindril.
"How long would you have to wait in Aydindril before you felt comfortable and could in good conscience surrender?"frowned thoughtfully for a moment. "If Aydindril remained safe for a couple of weeks after such a significant sign, then I would feel safe in knowing that the sign was not a bad portent." Kahlan drummed her fingers. "You have two weeks, Tristan. Not one day more."
"Thank you. Mother Confessor. I pray that in two weeks we can consummate our union with D'Hara." He bowed. "Good day. Mother Confessor, and I look forward to the stars remaining fair for us."took a step away, but turned back. "By the way, would you happen to know of a place I can stay for such a length of time? Our palace was burned down in your battle with the Blood of the Fold. What with all the damage to Aydindril, I'm having difficulty in finding accommodations."knew what he was angling for-to be close so he could see if the stars struck out against D'Haran rule. The man thought too much of himself, thought himself more clever than he was.smiled. "Oh yes, I know a place. You will stay right here, where we can keep an eye on you until the two weeks are up."buttoned his blue coat. "Why, thank you, Mother Confessor, for your hospitality. It is most appreciated."
"And, Tristan, while you are a guest under my roof, if you lay a finger, or anything else, on any of the women living and working here, I will see to it that the anything else is cut off."laughed good-naturedly. "Mother Confessor, I never knew you believed the gossip about me. I'm afraid that I often have to resort to the charms of coin for company, but I'm flattered that you would think me so talented at wooing young ladies. If I should break your rules, I would expect to be put on trial and subjected to your choice of punishment." Trial.said that the people who sent the Temple of the Winds away were put on trial. In the Wizard's Keep there were records of all trials held there. She had never read any of those books, but she had been told of them. Maybe they could find out from the records of the trial what happened to the Temple of the Winds. As Kahlan watched Tristan Bashkar departing behind a pair of guards, she thought about Richard, and wondered what he would find. She wondered if he was about to lose another brother.knew most of the women working at the Confessors' Palace. The women at the palace respected Richard as a man of honor. She wouldn't like to think that they would be prey to a man who would win them by trading on their trust of Richard.felt a pang of sadness for Richard. She knew he was hoping that Drefan would be a brother he could be proud of. Kahlan hoped that Drefan didn't turn out to be trouble. She remembered his hand on Cara.turned to the Mord-Sith. "Three more with us, one lost, and one yet to decide."smiled conspiratorially. "A sister of the Agiel must be able to strike fear into people's hearts. Mother Confessor, you wear the Agiel well. I thought I could hear some of their knees knocking all the way up here."27and weapons clattered and clanged as the soldiers following behind marched up the steep cobbled street. Narrow houses, mostly three and four stories, sat cheek by jowl, with the upper floors overhanging the lower so that the topmost almost closed off the sky. It was a gloomy part of the city.throughout the city had cheered their thanks as Richard passed, wishing him good health and long life. Some had wanted to buy him a drink. Some had run up to bow before him and give the devotion: "Master Rahl guide us. Master Rahl teach us. Master Rahl protect us. In your light we thrive. In your mercy we are sheltered. In your wisdom we are humbled. We live only to serve. Our lives are yours."had hailed him as a great wizard for protecting them and healing their sickness. Richard felt more than a little uncomfortable at their acclaim: he had. after all, simply instructed them to take well-known cures for intestinal distress. He hadn't worked any magic.had tried to explain it wasn't magic; that the things they ate and drank had cured them. They would hear none of it. They had expected magic from him. and. in their eyes, they had gotten it. He had finally given up on explaining and took to waving his thanks for their praises. Had they gone to an herb seller, they would no doubt be just as healthy, and complaining about the price.had to admit, though, that it did make him feel good to know that he had helped people for a change instead of hurting them. He understood a little of what Nadine must feel when she helped people with her herbs.had been warned of a wizard's need for balance. There was balance in all things, but especially in magic. He could no longer eat meat-it made him sick- and suspected it was the gift seeking balance for the killing he sometimes had to do. He liked to think that helping people was part of the balance in being a war wizard.people, going about their business, moved to the side of the cramped street, tramping through the dirty snow still in the sheltered places in order to squeeze past the soldiers. Grim-looking groups of older boys and young men watched warily and then vanished around corners as Richard and his escort approached.absently touched the gold-worked leather pouch on his belt. It contained white sorcerer's sand that had been in the pouch when he found the belt in the Keep. Sorcerer's sand was the crystallized bones of the wizards who had given their lives into the Towers of Perdition separating the Old and New Worlds. It was a sort of distilled magic. White sorcerer's sand gave power to spells drawn with it- good and evil. The proper spell drawn in white sorcerer's sand could invoke the Keeper. He touched the other gold-worked pouch on his belt. A little leather purse tied securely inside contained black sorcerer's sand. He had gathered that sorcerer's sand himself from one of the towers. No wizard since the towers were built had been able to gather any black sorcerer's sand; it could only be taken from a tower by one with Subtractive Magic.sorcerer's sand was the counter to the white. They nullified each other. Even one grain of the black would contaminate a spell drawn with the white, even one drawn to invoke the Keeper. He had used it to defeat Darken Rahl's spirit and send him back to the underworld.Annalina had told him to guard the black sand with his life-that a spoonful of it was worth kingdoms. He possessed several kingdoms' worth. He never let the little leather purse containing the black sand out of his sight or his reach., layered with ragged clothes for warmth against the cold spring day, played catch-the-fox in the tightly hemmed street, running from doorway to doorway, giggling with glee at the prospect of finding the fox, and more so at seeing the impressive procession coming up their very own street. Even seeing happy children didn't bring a smile to Richard's face. "This one. Lord Rahl," General Kerson said.general lifted a thumb to a door on the right, set back a few feet into the clapboard face of a building. The faded red paint was flaking off the bottom of the door where the weather worked on it the most. A small sign said: "Latherton Rooming House.big, stocky man inside didn't look up from a chair behind a rickety table set with dry biscuits and a bottle. He stared at nothing with red-rimmed eyes. His hair was disheveled and his clothes rumpled. He seemed in a daze. Beyond him was a stairway, and beside that a narrow hall that ran back into darkness. "Closed," he murmured.
"Are you Silas Latherton?" Richard asked, his gaze sweeping the clutter of dirty clothes and bed sheets awaiting washing. A half dozen empty ewers sat against the wall, along with a stack of washrags.man peered up from behind a puzzled frown. "Yeah. Who are you? You look familiar."
"I'm Richard Rahl. Perhaps you see a resemblance to my brother, Drefan." "Drefan." The man's eyes widened. "Lord Rahl." His chair rasped noisily against the floor as he shoved it back and stood to bow. "Forgive me. I didn't recognize you. I've never seen you before. I didn't know that the healer was your brother. I beg the Lord Rahl's forgiveness…"the first time, Silas noticed the dark-haired Mord-Sith at Richard's side, the muscled general at the other side, Richard's two huge bodyguards towering behind him, and the phalanx of soldiers spilling out the doorway and into the street. He raked his greasy hair back and stood up straighter.
"Show me the room where the.. where the woman was murdered," Richard said.Latherton bowed twice before hurrying to the stairs, tucking in his shirt as he went. Checking over his shoulder to make sure Richard was following, he climbed the stairs two at a time. They objected to his weight with creaks and groans.finally came to a halt before a door partway down a narrow hall. With the walls painted red, the candles at either end of the hall provided little illumination. The place stank.
"In here. Lord Rahl." Silas said.he moved to open the door. Raina snatched his collar and pulled him back out of the way. She planted him in place with a sinister look. A look like that from Raina was enough to give an angry cloud pause.opened the door and, Agiel in hand, stepped into the room before Richard. Richard waited a moment while Raina checked the room for threat; it was easier than objecting. Silas stared at the floor while Richard and General Kerson went into the little room. Ulic and Egan took up posts beside the door and folded their massive arms.wasn't much to see: a bed, a small pine chest beside it, and a washstand. A dark stain discolored the unfinished spruce floorboards. The bloodstain ran under the bed and covered nearly the entire floor.size of it didn't surprise him. The general had told him what had been done to the woman.water in the washbasin looked to be at least half blood. The rag hanging over its side was red with it. The killer had washed the blood from himself before he left. He must either be neat or, more likely, didn't want to walk out past Silas Latherton dripping blood.opened the pine chest. It contained orderly stacks of clothes, and nothing else. He let the lid drop back down.leaned a hand against the doorway. "No one heard anything?" Silas shook his head. "A woman is mutilated like that, has her breasts cut off. and is stabbed hundreds of times, and no one heard a thing?"realized that his exhaustion was putting an edge to his voice. His mood wasn't helping, either, he guessed.swallowed. "She'd been gagged, Lord Rahl. Her hands were tied, too." Richard scowled. "She must have kicked her feet. No one heard her kicking? If someone was slicing me up, and I was gagged and my hands were tied. I'd have kicked the washstand over at least. She must have kicked her feet trying to get someone's attention."
"I didn't hear it if she did. None of the other women heard it, either. Least, they never mentioned it, and I'd think they would have come got me if they'd heard anything like that. If there was trouble, they always came to me. They always did. They know I'm not shy about protecting them."rubbed his eyes. The prophecy wouldn't leave him be. He had a headache. "Bring the other women here. I want to talk to them." "They left me, after-" Silas gestured vaguely. "Except Bridget." He hurried to the end of the hall and knocked on the last door. A woman with rumpled red hair peered out after he spoke quietly to her. She withdrew back into her room and in a moment emerged, pulling a cream-colored robe closed. She tossed a quick knot in the tie as she followed Silas up the hall to Richard.in the belly of a stinking whorehouse, Richard was getting more angry with himself by the moment. Despite trying to be objective, he had begun to let himself be happy about having a brother. He was beginning to like Drefan. Drefan was a healer. What could be more noble?and the woman bowed. They both looked the way Richard felt: dirty, tired, and distraught.
"Did you hear anything?" Bridget shook her head. Her eyes looked haunted. "Did you know the woman who died?"
"Rose," Bridget said. "I only met her once, for a few minutes. She just came here yesterday."
"Do either of you have any idea who murdered her?" Silas and Bridget shared a look.
"We know who did it. Lord Rahl," Silas said, a smoldering tone welling in his voice. "Fat Harry."
"Fat Harry? Who's that? Where can we find him?"the first time, Silas Latherton's features twisted in anger. "I shouldn't have let him come here anymore. The women didn't like him."
"None of us girls would take him anymore," Bridget said. "He drinks, and when he drinks, he gets mean. There's no need to put up with that, not with the army.." Her words died out as she glanced to the general. She resumed with a different tack. "We have enough clients nowadays. We don't have to put up with mean drunks like fat Harry."
"The women all told me that they wouldn't see Harry no more," Silas said. "When he came last night, I knew that they would all say no. Harry was real insistent, and seemed sober enough, so I asked Rose if she'd see him, as she was new and…"
"And didn't know she was in danger," Richard finished. "It wasn't like that," Silas said defensively. "Harry didn't seem to be drunk. I knew the other women wouldn't take him, though, sober or not, so I asked Rose if she was interested. She said she could use the money. Harry was the last one with her. She was found a little while later." "Where can we find this Harry?"'s eyes narrowed. "In the underworld, where he belongs." "You killed him?"
"No one saw who slit his fat throat. I wouldn't know who done it." Richard glanced at the long knife tucked behind Silas's belt. He didn't blame the man. If they had captured fat Harry, he would get the same for his crime as had already been done. Although he would have had a trial first, and he could have confessed, just to be sure it was he who had done it.was why they used Confessors: to be sure they had convicted the guilty man. Once touched by her magic, a criminal would confess all that he had done. Richard wouldn't want Kahlan to hear what had been done to this woman. Rose. Especially not from the beast who had done it.made him sick to his stomach to think of Kahlan having to touch a man like that, a man who had killed a woman in such a brutal fashion. He feared he would have killed Harry himself to keep Kahlan from having to touch the flesh of a man like that.knew she had touched other men who were no better. He didn't want her to ever have to do that again. He knew it had to hurt her to hear such perverted crimes confessed in detail. He feared to think what terrible memories haunted her and visited her dreams.forced his mind off it and looked at Bridget. "Why did you stay when the others ran off?"shrugged. "Some of them had children, and feared for them. I don't fault them their fears, but we were always safe here. Silas has always been fair to me. I've been hurt other places, but never here. It wasn't Silas's fault that a crazy killer did this. Silas always respected our wishes when we said we wouldn't see a man again."felt his stomach tighten. "And you saw Drefan?" "Sure. All the girls saw Drefan."
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