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sf_fantasyGoodkindof the Windsthe red moon will come the firestorm Wielding the Sword of Truth, Richard Rahl has battled death itself and come to the defense of the D'Haran people. But now the 32 страница



"I told you of it once. The place with the bad air and the worthless metal." "Then we're north of your home?" "North, and some west."

"How long will it lake us to get back to the village?"gave his own chest a thump with a fist. "Chandalen is strong and runs fast. I left our village as the sun was going down. It takes Chandalen only a couple hours. Even in the dark."surveyed the moonlit grassland beyond the low, rocky hill on which they stood. "There is enough moon to see our way." Kahlan managed a small smile. "And you ought to know that I'm as strong as you, Chandalen."returned the smile. It was a wonderful sight to see, even under the circumstances. "Yes, I remember well your strength, Mother Confessor. We will run, then."moonlight conveyed intimately the ghostly, boxy shapes of the Mud People's village lying hidden on the dark, grass-covered plain. Few lights burned in the small windows. At this late hour not many people were out, and Kahlan was glad for that; she didn't want to see the faces of these people, see the fear and sorrow in their eyes, and know that many of them would die.took her directly to the spirit house, among the communal buildings at the north side of the village. Most of these buildings were bunched close together, but the spirit house sat apart. Moonlight reflected off the tile roof Richard had helped to make. Guards, Chandalen's hunters, ringed the windowless building.the door, on a low bench, sat the fatherly figure of the Bird Man. His silver hair hanging down around his shoulders shone in the moonlight. He was naked. Black and white mud covered his body and face in a tangle of whorls and lines: a mask all in the gathering wore so the spirits could see them.pots, one with white mud and the other holding black, sat on the ground at the Bird Man's feet. She could tell by the glazed look in his eyes that he was in a trance, and speaking would do her no good. She knew what was required.unbuckled her belt. "Chandalen, would you mind turning your back, please? And ask your men to do the same." It was the greatest concession to her modesty that circumstances would allow. Chandalen called out the order to his men in his own language. "My men and I will guard the spirit house while you and the elders are inside," Chandalen said to her over his shoulder.she had slipped off all her clothes and at last stood naked in the cool night air, the silent Bird Man began applying the gooey mud so that the spirits might see her, too. Sleepy chickens sat watching from the nearby low wall. The wall still bore a slash from Richard's sword.knew she had to do this, to go in and speak with the spirits, but she wasn't eager; speaking with the spirit ancestors was only done in times of dire need, and while the results sometimes brought the answers needed, they never brought joy. When the Bird Man had finished covering Kahlan with the black and white mud, he silently led her inside. The six elders sat in a circle around the skulls of ancestors arranged in the center. The Bird Man took his place, sitting cross-legged on the floor. Kahlan sat in the circle, opposite him. to the right of her friend Savidlin. She didn't speak to him; he. too. was in a trance, seeing the spirit in the center of the circle that she could not yet see.woven basket sat behind her. Knowing why it was there, she picked it up and reached inside. Hesitantly. she seized a squirming red spirit frog and pressed its back between her breasts-the one place she wasn't painted.slime from the frog tingled against her skin. She released the spirit frog and took up hands with the elders to either side. It wasn't long before she felt herself spiraling into a daze.

, The room began its dizzying spin. She was lifted away from the world she knew. and carried into a revolving vortex of light, shadow, aroma, and sound. The skulls spun with her.twisted, much as it did in the sliph. but not in the same comforting way. This was a disorienting experience that brought sweat to her brow. It also brought the spirit.glowing form was before her. yet she couldn't recall when it had appeared to her. It was simply there.



«Grandfather,» she whispered in the tongue of the Mud People. Chandalen had said that it was his grandfather who had come in the gathering. but she recognized him on a more visceral level; he had become her protector. She felt the connection to the bone that had been his in life.

"Child."The unearthly sound of his voice coming through the Bird Man tingled against her flesh. 'Thank you for heeding my call. ' "What does our ancestor's spirit wish of me?"Bird Man's mouth moved with the spirit's voice. "That which has been partly entrusted to us has been violated. ' "Entrusted to you? What was entrusted to you?" 'The Temple of the Winds. ' Kahlan's naked flesh prickled with goose bumps.to the spirits? The implications made her head swim. The spirit world was the underworld, the world of the dead. How could something like a temple, built mostly of inert materials like stone, be sent to the underworld? "The Temple of the Winds is in the spirit world?"

"The Temple of the Winds exists partly in the world of the dead, and partly in the world of life. It exists in both places, both worlds, at once. ' "Both places, both worlds, at once? How could such a thing he possible?" The glowing form, like a shadow made of light, lifted a hand. "Is a tree a creature of the soil, like the worms, or is it a creature of the air, like the birds?"would have preferred a simple answer, but she knew better than to argue with the dead.

"Honored grandfather, I guess the tree is of neither world, yet exists in both." The spirit seemed to smile. 'So if does. child. ' the spirit said through the Bird Man. "As does the Temple of the Winds."leaned forward. "You mean, the Temple of the Winds is like the tree, with its roots in this world, and its branches in your world? " It exists in both our worlds. ' "In this world, in the world of life, where is it?"

' Where it always was, on the Mountain of the Four Winds. You know it as Mount Kyntermosst.

"Mount Kymennosst," Kahlan repeated in a flat tone. "Honored grandfather, I have been to that place. The Temple of the Winds is no longer I here. It's gone. " "You must find it."

"Find it? It looks to have been there at one time, but the rock of the mountain where the temple used to be has collapsed. The temple is gone, except for a few of its outbuildings. There is nothing to find. I'm sorry, honored grandfather, but in our world, the roots have died and crumbled. " The spirit stood silently. Kahlan feared it might become angry. "Child," the spirit said, but not through the Bird Man. The voice came from the spirit itself. The sound was so painful it was almost more than she could bear. She felt as if the flesh would burn from her bones. "Something was stolen from the winds and taken to your world. You must help Richard, or all my blood in your world, all our people, will die.swallowed. How could something be stolen from the spirit world, the world of the dead, and be brought back to the world of the living?

"Can you help me? Can you tell me anything that might help me to know how to find the Temple of the Winds?

"I have not called you here to tell you how to find the winds. The way of the winds will come with the moon. I have called you here to see the extent of what has been released, and what will become of your world should this be allowed to stand.'s spirit spread his arms. Soft light cascaded from them, like water coming over a ledge. The light spread in her vision until she saw only white light.light cleared, and she saw death. Corpses, like leaves littering the ground in the autumn, lay everywhere. They were strewn in the street where they fell. They sat on steps, slumped against railings. They lay in doorways and on dead-carts.'s vision was carried through windows, as if on the wings of a bird. Bodies lay rotting in homes. She saw them in beds, in chairs, in halls, stretched out on floors, and slumped over one another. The stench gagged her.her floating vision, Kahlan swept to towns and cities she knew, and everywhere it was the same. Death had taken nearly everyone, their bodies black and rotting even before they had died. The few still living, wherever she viewed, wept in unrelieved anguish.floating vision returned to the Mud People's village. She saw the corpses of people she knew. Beside dead cook fires lay dead mothers holding dead children in their arms. Dead husbands held dead wives. Here and there, orphaned children with tear-stained faces wailed hysterically beside the corpses of parents. Everywhere, the stench was so thick it made her eyes water.gasped back a sob as she closed her eyes. It did no good. The sight of the dead burned through to the vision in her mind.

«This,» the spirit said. "is what will come to pass if that stolen from the winds isn't flailed.

"What can I do?" Kahlan whispered through the tears.

"The winds have been violated. That which was entrusted was taken. The winds have decided that you are the path of the price. I have come to show you the results of this violation and to beg you. on behalf of my living descendants, to fulfill your part, when you are asked. ' "And what is the price?"

"I have not been shown the price, but I forewarn you that I do know that there is no way for you to circumvent or avoid it. It must he as it will lie revealed to you. or all will be lost. I ask that when the winds show you the path, you fake it. lest what I have shown you comes to be.», tears streaming down her cheeks, didn't have to consider. "I will. grandfather."

"Thank you. child. There is one other thing I would fell you. In our world, where the souls of those departed from your world now reside, there are those existing in the Light with the Creator, and those who are forever shadowed from His glory by the Keeper.»

"You mean that there are both good and evil spirits in this?" "That is an oversimplification that nearly obscures the truth, but it is as near as you, in your world, would be able to come to comprehending this world. In this, our world, ail make it what if is. The winds must allow all to mark out the path. " "Can you tell me how the magic was stolen from the winds?" "The path was betrayal. " "Betrayal? Who did they betray?" 'The Keeper.'s jaw dropped. She immediately thought of the Sister of the Dark who had been in Aydindril: Sister Amelia. It had to be her. "The Sister of the Dark has betrayed her master?"

"This soul's path was to enter the Temple of the Winds through the Hall of the Betrayer. That is the only way to achieve the initial breach. It was created as a precaution.

' To tread the Hall of the Betrayer, a person must betray completely and irrecoverably that in which they believe. Since they have irreparably betrayed their cause. they would no longer have reason to enter.

"The dream walker found a prophecy that could be used to defeat his foe, but to ignite if, he needed magic from the winds.

"The dream walker found a way to force this soul to betray her master, the Keeper, yet still carry out the dream walker's wishes. He did this by at first allowing her to maintain her oath to the Keeper and by relegating himself to the role of her secondary master, her master in your world alone. Then. with the use of a double bind, he forced her to betray her primary master. She was able to tread Betrayer's Hall, with her charge from the dream walker, and her obligation to if. intact. In this way. the dream walker violated the winds and obtained what he wanted.

"Those who sent the temple into the winds did, however, make contingency' plans, should such a thing happen. The red moon was the ignition of these plans.»very word «betray» had made Kahlan's heart pound. "Is this the way we must gain entrance to the winds?"spirit considered her. as if weighing her soul. "Once the Temple of the Winds has been violated, that path is closed, and another must be used. But this is not your concern: the winds will issue their requirements in conjunction with the precepts of balance. The five spirits guarding the winds will dictate the path accordingly.

"Honored grandfather, how can a place issue instructions? You make it seem as if the winds are alive.»

"I no longer exist in the world of life, yet, when called, I can pass information through the veil.'s head hurt from trying to understand. She wished Richard were here to ask questions. She feared to miss the important one.

"But, honored grandfather, you can do this because you are a spirit. You lived once. You have a soul. " The spirit began fading.

"The boundary, the veil, was damaged by this event in the winds. I can remain no longer. The skrin, the guardians of the boundary between worlds, pull me hack. Because the violation in the winds altered the balance, we cannot return again in a gathering unless the balance is restored. ' The spirit faded until she could hardly see it.

"Grandfather, I must know more. Is the plague itself magic?" The voice came from a great distance. "The magic sent into the winds is of vast power. To use it fully requires vast knowledge. It was used without understanding what was released, or how to control it. The plague was begun by this magic, much as a bolt of lightning from a wizard is magic, but if the lightning strikes a tinder grassland, the resulting firestorm is not magic. The plague is like this. It was begun with magic, but it is now simply a plague, as others before-random and unpredictable-yet heated by magic.

"The plague is in Aydindril, and here. Will it stay confined?" "No."didn't realize what he had done. This could end up killing him, too, if allowed to burn out of control.

"Is it. as you showed me, already in other places? Has it already been started in these oilier places, too?"light of the spirit extinguished like the weak flame of a lamp gone out. «Yes,» came the distant, echoing whisper.had hoped that they could confine the plague to Aydindril. That was hope lost. The whole of the Midlands, the whole of the New World, was about to be consumed in the firestorm started by that spark of magic from the Temple of the Winds.the center of the circle, where the spirit had been, the air swirled as the spirit vanished back into the underworld.the distance, in the underworld, Kahlan heard the soft echo of laughter from a different spirit. The malevolent chuckle made her skin crawl.Kahlan came out of the trance of the gathering, the elders were there, standing around her. They were more used to this altered state than she; her head still spun sickeningly. Elder Breginderin reached down, offering her his hand to help her up.she took his hand. under the covering of black and white mud, she saw the tokens on his legs. She gazed up into his face, at his kindly smile of assurance. He would be dead within the day.friend, Savidlin, was there, holding out her clothes. Kahlan, despite the mud, suddenly felt very naked. She started pulling on her clothes, trying not to betray her embarrassment, and at the same time chiding herself for such mundane concerns in the face of the impending catastrophe. The gathering was about calling the spirits of the dead, not about being man or woman. Still, she was the only one of the latter, and they were all the former.

"Thank you for coming, Mother Confessor, " the Bird Man said. "We know this homecoming is not the one of joy we all wished.

«No,» she whispered, "it's not. My heart sings lo see my people again, but the song is tempered by sadness. You know, honored elders, that Richard and I will do what we must. We will not rest until this is stopped. ' "Do you think you can stop such a thing as a fever?" Sunn asked. Savidlin placed a hand on her shoulder as she buttoned her shirt. "The Mother Confessor and Richard with the Temper have helped us before. We know their hearts. Our ancestor said that this is a fever caused by magic. The Mother Confessor and the Seeker have great magic. They will do what they must. " "Savidlin is right. We will do what we must."smiled at her. "And then, when you have finished, you will come home to your people and be wedded, as you planned? My wife, Weselan. wishes to see her friend, the Mother Confessor, wedded in the dress she made for you.»swallowed back a cry. "There is nothing I could wish that would bring me greater joy, except to see all our people well.

"You are a great friend to all our people, child, " the Bird Man said. "We look forward to the wedding, when you have finished with these matters of the spirits and magic.glanced at all the eyes watching her. She didn't think these men had witnessed the visions of death she had been shown, or the true nature or dimensions of the epidemic they faced. They had all seen fevers come before, but never one like the plague.

"Honored elders, if we fail.. if we.." Her voice faltered. The Bird Man came to her rescue.

' If you should fail, child, we know it will not be because you didn't do everything you could. If there is a path, we know you will do all you can to find if. We trust in you. ' "Thank you," she murmured.were watering her vision. She forced herself to hold her chin up. She would only frighten these people if she showed her fear.

"Kahlan, you must wed Richard with the Temper." The Bird Man chuckled softly as if trying to cheer her. "He escaped wedding a Mud Woman before, as I had planned for him. He will not escape wedding you, if I have any say. He must marry a Mud Woman." She felt too numb to return the smile.

"Will you stay the rest of the night?" Savidlin asked. "Weselan would find joy in seeing you.»

"Forgive me, honored elders, but if I am to save our people. I must return at once. I must go to Richard and tell him what I have learned with your help.44woman stepped out of a doorway into the narrow, deserted alleyway. He had to stop, or collide with her. Under her shawl she wore a thin dress, and he could tell by the way her nipples stood out with the cold that she wore nothing underneath the dress.thought his smile was for her; it wasn't. It was amusement at the way opportunity sometimes stepped into his path when he least expected it. He guessed it was his extraordinary nature that drew such events to him. Expecting it or not, he was never unprepared to bend events to his advantage. She returned the smile as she ran her hand up his chest and with a single finger stroked the bottom of his chin. "There, there, love. Care for a bit of pleasure?"wasn't attractive; nonetheless, the nature of the chance opportunity instantly ignited his need. He knew what this was about. By the way she stood close, commanding his attention, he knew. He had had this kind of encounter before. In fact, he sometimes sought it out. It was more of a challenge. With challenge came a rare form of fulfillment.wasn't an ideal situation-there were distinct disadvantages, such as not being able to allow her screams to bring attention, yet there were still pleasures to be had, even like this. His senses opened to it. Already, he was taking in the details, like dry earth took in a soaking rain. He let the lust take him.

"Well," he said, drawing the word out, "do you have a room?" He knew she wouldn't have one. He knew what this was about. She rested a wrist over his shoulder. "Don't need no room, love. Just a half silver."as possible, he swept his gaze over the close buildings. The windows were all dark. Only a few lights in the distance reflected off the wet stone. This was a warehouse district; no one lived in these buildings. There weren't likely to be many people about, except passersby, like himself. Still, he knew he had to temper his lust with prudence.

"A little cold to be undressing out here on the cobblestones, isn't it?" She put one hand on the side of his face to keep his attention focused on her. Her other hand touched him between his legs. She purred with satisfaction at what she found.

"Not to worry, love. For a half silver I'll have someplace warm for you to put it."was enjoying the game. It had been too long. He put on his most innocent, inexperienced expression for her.

"Well, I don't know. This seems somewhat crude to me. I usually like it best when there's time for the young lady to enjoy it, too."

"Oh, I do enjoy it, love. You don't think I do this just for the half silver, do you? 'Course not. I enjoy it. It's my pleasure."was backing toward the doorway she had come from. He let her fingers, curled behind his neck. guide him with her.

"I don't carry any money that small." He could almost see her eyes light with her luck. She had yet to learn that her luck this night was going to be bad.

"You don't?" she said, as if preparing to withdraw her offer now that she thought she had snared him with tempting thoughts of what she was offering. "Well. a lady has to earn a living. I guess I'll have to move along and see if I can find…"

"The smallest I have is a silver. But I'd be willing to give you the whole silver if it would mean you took your time and enjoyed it, too. I like lovely young ladies like you to enjoy it. That's what pleases me."

"What a love," she said with clumsy, exaggerated delight as she took the silver coin when he held it out.stank. Her smile brought no beauty to her face, yet he reveled in the details: coarse hair. the smell of her body. the humped nose, and small eyes. She was common, less than a man of his stature was used to, but this had its own delights to offer.listened carefully as he watched her. Other details were even more important, if he was to have his full pleasure from this.backed into the shallow doorway and sat on a stool waiting there. The doorway was just deep enough to hold them both, with his back to the alleyway as he stood before her.aggravated him that she thought him so ignorant, so foolish, so impetuous. She would learn just how wrong she was.planted a kiss on the front of his trousers as she fumbled with his belt. It wouldn't be long. She wouldn't want it to take too long. before she moved on to another place, reaping all the coin she could in the cloak of night.she undid his trousers, he gently took her wrists in one hand. It wouldn't do to have his trousers down around his knees when it started. No, that wouldn't do at all.smiled up at him, clearly puzzled, but just as clearly sure she was bewitching him with her smile. He wouldn't have to suffer it for long. It wouldn't be long.was dark enough. Too dark to see for sure what he was doing. People saw what they expected.she still smiled at him, before she had time to question, he reached down with his other hand and gripped her neck. She thought he simply wished to hold her while she performed her service. The way her head was tilted back was perfect. With a thumb, and a small grunt of effort, he crushed her windpipe. The smile transferred to his face. The choking sound wouldn't immediately raise suspicions. People heard what they expected to hear, just as they saw what they expected to see. He hunched over her, to make it look as expected, while he crushed the life out of her.

"Surprise." he whispered to her bulging eyes. He luxuriated in her startled, strangled expression. When her arms went limp, he let them drop, and held her up by a fistful of her hair. He bent her head back over his thigh to help hold her up as he waited.had to wait only seconds before he heard the careful footsteps approaching from behind. More than one man, as he had expected. He knew what this was about: robbery.seconds more, and they had closed the distance. To him, time stretched with the anticipation, with the details of sights, sounds, and smells. He was the most rare of men. He owned time. He owned life. He owned death. And now it was time for the rest of his pleasure.pushed his knee up against her spine and, with a quick yank, snapped her neck over his leg. He spun, bringing his knife up into the man right behind, slicing him open from his groin to his sternum. He spun past the man as guts slopped out into the alley.expected another man. There were two. A woman like this usually had two men to rob the man. He had never before seen three. The unexpected danger of this development made him reel with lust.second man on the right swung an arm. He saw the knife in the fist, and with a step back, escaped the sweep of the blade. As the third man advanced, he drove him back with a boot to the point at the base of the breastbone. The man smacked the wall behind and stumbled to his knees with a grunt of pain, unable to regain his breath.man on the right froze. In that instant, it was one on one. The face was that of a boy, really. Hardly a man, yet. With a boy's courage, he broke and ran.smiled. There was no more perfect target as they ran than a person's head. The head remained nearly still while the arms and legs flailed furiously. That target was a core of stability in his vision.loosed his knife. The boy ran as fast as his rapidly pumping legs would carry him. The knife was faster, hitting home with a solid thunk. The young thief went down instantly.third man was coming up from his knees. He was older, muscled, heavy, and violently angry. Good.side kick broke the man's nose. Howling in pain and rage, the man sprang forward. He saw a flash of steel and dodged to the side as he swept a leg beneath the man. taking his feet from under him. It all happened in a blink. It was a glorious event, this dangerous, raging bull charging madly.pulled in the details: the man's clothes, the small rip in the back of his coat, his bald spot reflecting the distant light, his curly, greasy hair, the nick missing out of his right ear, the way he flopped when the boot landed between his shoulders.was when he was twisting the man's arm behind his back that he saw the blood. Blood was something he kept careful track of. This blood surprised him. He hadn't cut the man-yet. Nor was this blood from the man's crushed nose. He rarely had a thrill of surprise such as this unexpected blood brought. He realized the man was screaming in pain. He screamed louder when the shoulder joint popped. He dropped onto the man's back and smacked his head with the heel of a hand, breaking the loan's teeth against the cobbles and quieting him, somewhat.gripped the greasy hair in a fist and pulled the man's head back, listening to the sound of the grunts.

"Robbery is a dangerous business. Time you paid the price." "We wouldn't have hurt you." the man burbled. "Just robbed you. you bastard"

"Bastard, is it?", slowly, enjoying the detail of every inch. he slit open the man's throat as he thrashed.unexpected pleasure this night had brought. He lifted his hands, curling his fingers, slowly sweeping the quintessence of death from the air. capturing the silken substance of it as it lifted in the darkness, and pulled it back to himself.was the fulfillment of their lives. He was the balance. He was death. He savored seeing that awareness in their eyes. He liked it best when he could bask in that look. that knowledge.. that terror. It brought him fulfillment. It made him complete.stood, swaying in ecstasy at the cloying scent of blood. He regretted it hadn't lasted longer. He regretted not being able to enjoy prolonged screams. Screams were rapture. He craved them, needed them. lusted after them. Screams fulfilled him, made him whole. He needed the screams, not the actual sound of them-he often gagged his partners-but the attempt at them, and what they represented: terror.denied the chance to leisurely enjoy the screaming terror left him unfulfilled, his lust unsated.glided up the alley and found that his skill was as sharp as ever. as was his knife; it had found its target. The boy lay crumpled on his side. He looked delicious with the knife buried to the cross guard at the back of his head. and the point of the heavy blade jutting from his forehead, just slightly off center. Immersed in a pool of sensation, he realized he felt a new one: pain. Surprised, he inspected his arm. and discovered the source of the unexpected blood. He had a gash a good six inches long on the outside of his right forearm. It was deep. It would need to be stitched.pleasure of such an unexpected occurrence made him gasp. Danger, death, and damage-all in one night, in one chance encounter. This was nearly too much.voices had been right about coming to Aydindril., he hadn't had what he needed-the prolonged terror, the careful cutting, the slicing, the binge of blood, the giving of endless, exquisite pain, the orgy of frenzied stabbing at the end.the voices from the ethers promised him he would have those things, promised him he would have the ultimate conquest, the ultimate balance, the ultimate pairing. They promised him he would have the ultimate consummation of debauchery. They promised him he would have the Mother Confessor. His time was coming. Her time was coming. Soon. When Verna dabbed the wet cloth against Warren's forehead, his eyes opened. She let out a long breath of relief. "How are you feeling?"tried to sit up. With a firm hand on his chest, she gently pushed him back down into the hay. "Just you lay there and rest." He winced in pain and then smacked his lips. "I need a drink."twisted and lifted the dipper from the bucket. She held it to his lips. His hands cupped the dented bowl of the dipper as he greedily gulped down all the water.panted, catching his breath after the long drink. "More." Verna dragged the dipper through the bucket and let him drink his fill. She smiled down at him. "Glad to see you awake."looked to be an effort for him to return the smile. "Glad to be awake. How long have I been out. this time?" She shrugged, discounting his concern. "A few hours."glanced around the inside of the barn. Verna lifted the lamp so he could see his surroundings. Rain drummed against the roof, making it feel cozy inside.set down the lamp and rested on an elbow beside him. "Not fancy lodging, but at least it's dry."had been nearly unconscious when they found the farm. The family who owned the farm was sympathetic. Verna had refused the offer of their bed, not wanting to force them to sleep in their own barn.her journey of over twenty-odd years, Verna had often slept in such places, and found the accommodations agreeable, if a little rough. She liked the smell of hay. When she was on her journey, she had thought she hated it, but once returned to the cloistered life at the Palace of the Prophets, she changed her opinion, and found herself longing for the smell of hay, dirt, grass, and rain-clean air.laid a gentle hand over hers. "Verna, I'm sorry I'm slowing us down so."smiled. She recalled a time when her impatient nature would have had her pacing and fretting. Warren, and his love, brought out a little of her calmer nature. He was good for her. He was everything to her.pushed back his curly blond hair and kissed his forehead. "Nonsense. We had to stop for the night anyway. The rain would have made traveling slow and miserable. A good rest will result in more progress in the end. Take my word; I've had plenty of experience at such things." "But I feel so-useless."


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