5 Soul of the Fire

by Goodkind, Terry

  Kahlan sighed and studied the cliff for a time. She looked around at the mountains, especially the nearest to the left a little, the one rising up so prominently from the water's edge.

  "Well," she said at last, "it's darker than the rock of the mountains around here."

  "Good. What else strikes you about it?"

  She studied the wall a while longer. "It's an unusual color. I've seen it before."

  She suddenly looked up at him. "The Dominie Dirtch."

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  Richard smiled. "That's what I think, too. The Dominie Dirtch have that same shade of color as that rock over there, but none of the mountains around have it."

  Her face screwed up in an incredulous frown. "Are you saying that the Dominie Dirtch were cut from this stone- way up here in the mountains-and hauled all the way down to where they are today?"

  Richard shrugged. "Could be, I guess, although I don't know much about moving stonework on such a large scale. I studied the Dominie Dirtch; they looked to be carved of one piece of rock. They weren't assembled. At least the one we saw."

  "Then... what?"

  "Joseph Ander was a wizard, and the wizards of his time were able to do things even Zedd would find astounding. Perhaps Joseph simply used this rock as a starting place."

  "What do you mean? How?"

  "I don't know. I don't know as much about magic as you-maybe you could tell me. But what if he simply took a small rock from here for each Dominie Dirtch and then when he got to where they are today, made them big."

  "Made them big?"

  Richard opened his hands in a helpless gesture. "I don't know. Used magic to make the rock grow, or even used the structure of the grain in the rock as a sort of guide to reproduce it with Additive Magic into the Dominie Dirtch."

  "I was thinking you were going to come up with something silly," Kahlan said. "That actually makes sense, as far as I know about magic."

  Richard was relieved not to have embarrassed himself. "I think I'll take a swim over to the cave, and see what's there."

  "Nothing, from what I learned. Just a hot cave. It doesn't go in far-maybe twenty feet."

  "Well, I don't particularly like caves, but I guess it can't hurt to go have a look."

  Richard pulled off his shirt. He turned to the water.

  "Aren't you going to take off your pants?"

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  Richard glanced back to see her sly grin.

  "I thought I'd wash the smell of horse off them."

  "Oh," Kahlan said in exaggerated disappointment.

  Smiling, Richard turned back to the water to jump in. Just before he could, a raven came screeching down at him. Richard had to leap back lest the big black bird hit him.

  Arm extended behind him, Richard backed Kahlan off the rock.

  The bird cawed. The loud cry echoed off the mountains. The raven swooped down before them again, narrowly missing Richard's head. Gaining height, the bird circled. The air whistled through its feathers as it dove at them, driving them back from the water.

  "Is that bird crazy?" Kahlan asked. "Maybe it's protecting a nest? Or do all ravens behave like that?"

  Richard had a grip on her arm, ushering her back to the trees. "Ravens are intelligent birds, and they will protect their nest, but they can be odd, too. I fear this one is more than a raven."

  "More? What do you mean?"

  The bird settled on a branch and ruffled its glossy black feathers, looking pleased with itself, as ravens were wont to do.

  Richard took his shirt when she held it out. "I'd say it's a chime."

  Even at the distance, the bird seemed to hear him. It flapped its wings, hopping back and forth on the branch, looking quite agitated.

  "Remember at the library? The raven outside the window, making such a fuss?"

  "Dear spirits," she breathed in worry. "Do you think this could be the same one? You think it followed us all this way?"

  Richard glanced back at her. "What if it's a chime, and heard us, and came up here to wait for us?"

  Kahlan now looked genuinely frightened. "What should we do?" They reached their horses. Richard yanked his bow off

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  the saddle. He pulled a steel-tipped arrow from the quiver.

  "I think I should kill it."

  The instant Richard came out from behind the horse, the bird spotted the bow and leaped-almost flinched-into the air with a loud squawk, as if it hadn't expected him to resort to a weapon.

  When Richard nocked the arrow, the bird took wing, fleeing with frantic calls and screeches.

  "Well," Richard murmured, "wasn't that weird."

  "At least we now know it was a chime. The one you shot back at the Mud People's village-the chicken that wasn't a chicken-must have let the other chimes know."

  Perplexed, Richard shook his head. "I guess."

  "Richard, I don't want you swimming that lake. There could be chimes waiting in it. It would be foolish to swim when the chimes are loose."

  "But they seem afraid of me."

  She put her hand on the side of his neck to keep his gaze.

  "What if they're just lulling you into overconfidence, and want to get you out into the middle of deep water? Can you imagine? Zedd told us to stay away from water."

  She rubbed her arms, looking suddenly chilled.

  "Richard, please, let's get out of here? There's something about this place ..."

  Richard threw on his shirt and then drew her close.

  "I think you're right. There's no need to push our luck, not after a run-in with that raven-that-isn't-a-raven. Besides, Du Chaillu would be so angry we got killed she'd have her baby before it was time."

  Kahlan clutched his shirt in her fists. She had a suddenly stricken look. "Richard ... do you think we could ..."

  "Could what?"

  She released his shirt and patted his chest. "Could get out of here."

  "I think we should."

  They rushed back, both now eager to be away from the lake. He helped her up onto her horse. "I think we found what we came for, anyway-the rock the Dominie Dirtch

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  was made from. I think that we need to change our plans."

  "What do you mean?"

  "I think we better get back to Fairfield and look through all those books again, in the light of what we now know."

  "But what about the vote? The places we've yet to visit?"

  "We were going to have to divide up the men anyway and send them out to watch over the voting and counting and then return the results to Fairfield. We can send them now and have the men speak to the people in each place first. There are men among them I would trust to speak for us. They've heard what we've had to say enough times.

  "We might as well divide them up here and get them on their way while we get back to the estate. Besides, we wouldn't do wrong to see to making sure we convince all the people in Fairfield to vote to join us."

  Kahlan nodded. "Our first responsibility is the chimes. It won't do us any good to win the vote if the chimes kill everyone."

  Richard's eye was caught by something. He swung down from his saddle and tossed Kahlan the reins to his horse. He crossed the grass back to the clump of spruce.

  "What is it?" Kahlan called, eager to be off.

  Richard lifted a drying bough. "A saddle. Someone's left their things here, and covered them to keep them dry."

  "Probably from that horse we saw," she said.

  "Maybe it belongs to a trapper, or something," Richard said. "But it looks to have been here for a while."

  "Well, unless you plan on stealing somebody's things, Richard, let's get out of here."

  When the raven let out a call, Richard hurried back to his horse. "Just seems strange, that's all."

  As they started down the trail, Richard looked over his shoulder. He saw several ravens circling far up in the sky. He didn't know which one was the raven-that-wasn't-a-raven. Maybe they all were.

  He took his bow from its place on the saddl
e and hooked it over his shoulder instead.

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  CHAPTER 57

  DALTON GAZED our THE window of his office as he listened to Stein reporting the number and location of Imperial Order soldiers now stationed as special Anderith guard troops inside Anderith. The Dominie Dirtch were as good as in Jagang's hands. Should Lord Rahl bring his forces-if he even had any close enough-toward Anderith, he would quickly be a leader without an army to lead,

  "The emperor also sent word that he wishes me to personally express, on his behalf, his appreciation for the efficient cooperation he has been receiving. From my men's reports, the Minister looks to have done a remarkable job of taking the teeth out of the Anderith army. They will present even less of an obstacle than we thought."

  Dalton looked back over his shoulder, but saw no smirk on the man's face. He put his boots up on Dalton's desk and leaned back in his chair to clean his fingernails with a dagger. Stein looked contented.

  Dalton reached over and picked up the useless but valuable little book the woman had brought up from the library, the book once belonging to Joseph Ander. He set it on the other side of his desk so Stein's boots wouldn't damage it.

  From what Teresa reported to him, Dalton thought Stein

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  should have every reason to be contented, what with the number of women living their daydreams by tattling to eager ears the raw excitement they had found in the bed of the foreign savage. The more outrageously he treated them, the more delighted they were to gossip about it.

  With the number of women offering themselves willingly, Dalton found it remarkable the man would so frequently still turn his lust on the unwilling. He guessed Stein found the thrill of vanquishing by force more satisfying.

  "Yes, the Anderith army looks real pretty, standing there behind the Dominie Dirtch." Stein grinned. "But their false pride will be of little use to them when they must meet the true face of war."

  "We have kept our part of the bargain."

  "Believe me, Campbell, I know the worth of you and the Minister. Farming may be less glamorous than conquest, but without food, an army grinds to a halt. None of us wishes to take up the pastime of tending the land, but we wish to continue eating. We understand your worth in knowing how to keep the system going. You will be a valuable asset to our cause.

  "And Emperor Jagang wishes me to assure you he looks forward to rewarding such good works, once he arrives."

  Dalton kept the problems to himself. "When might we expect his arrival?"

  "Soon," Stein said, dismissing further detail with a shrug. "But he is concerned about the situation with Lord Rahl. He is leery as to why you would seem to put faith in an outcome so fickle as the voice of the common people."

  "I must admit, I share his concern." Dalton heaved a sigh. He still wished Bertrand had chosen a less risky road, but as Dalton had come to learn, Bertrand Chanboor relished the risky route, much as Stein preferred unwilling partners.

  "But, as I've explained," Dalton went on, "by such tactics we will be able to trap Lord Rahl and the Mother Confessor. Without them to lead the enemy forces, the war will quickly fall into a rout leaving the Midlands a plum for Jagang's picking."

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  "And so the emperor is content to let you play this out."

  "But, there are risks involved."

  "Risks? Anything I can do to help?"

  Dalton took his seat, scooting his chair close to his desk.

  "I believe we must do more to discredit the cause of Lord Rahl, but in that, there is danger. Mother Confessors, after all, have ruled the Midlands for thousands of years. They have not held sway because they have nice smiles. They are women with formidable teeth, as it were.

  "The Lord Rahl, too, is said to be a wizard. We must tread with care, lest we force them into abandoning this vote in favor of action. If that were to happen, it could ruin the plans in which we all have so much invested."

  "I told you, we have troops in place. Even if they have an army anywhere close, they can't get it into Anderith, not past the Dominie Dirtch." Stein chuckled without humor. "But I would be happy to have them try."

  "As would I. The point is, the Lord Rahl and the Mother Confessor are here, and they are trouble enough."

  "I've told you before, Campbell, you shouldn't worry about magic. The emperor has clipped the claws of magic."

  Dalton carefully folded his fingers together before himself on the desk. "You say that often enough, Stein, and as much as I wish to, I find little comfort in mere words. I, too, could promise things, but you expect results that can be seen."

  Stein waved his knife. "I've told you before, the emperor intends to end magic so men of vision can lead the world into a new era. You will be part of that. Magic's time has passed. It is dying."

  "So is the Sovereign, but he's not yet dead."

  Stein went back to cleaning his nails, paying exaggerated attention to them. He seemed undaunted by Dalton's doubts and went on to try to dispel them.

  "You will be pleased to know, then, that unlike your beloved Sovereign, the bear of magic no longer has fangs-it is toothless. It is no longer a weapon to be feared."

  Stein lifted the corner of his cape made of human scalps. "Those of magic's talents will contribute to my collection.

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  I take the scalps while they are still alive, you know. I enjoy their screams while I'm cutting it off them."

  Dalton was unimpressed by the man's boasting and his attempts to shock, but wished he knew what Stein was talking about when he alluded to the end of magic. He knew from Franca's inability to use her gift that something was going on, but he didn't know what or, more important, the extent to which it was impaired. He didn't know if Stein was telling the simple truth, or an ignorant version of wishful thinking layered over some Old World superstition.

  Either way, the time had come to act. They could ill afford to let it go on as it was. The measure of how far they dared go in showing their opposition to joining Lord Rahl was the problem Dalton faced. It was necessary to take a stand in order to fire people into saying no to Lord Rahl, but a weak stand was as good as- no stand. On the other hand, it was far too dangerous to reach through the bars and twist the nose of the bear if it still had its teeth and claws.

  Dalton wondered if he might be able to press Stein into being more forthcoming. "It sounds then as if we have a serious problem."

  Stein looked up. "How so?"

  Dalton opened his hands in a gesture of befuddlement. "If magic is no longer a weapon, then the Dominie Dirtch, in which we all have invested so much faith, is of no use, and all our plans will fail. I would call that a serious problem."

  Stein took his feet from Dalton's desk and slid the knife back into its sheath. Putting an elbow on the desk, he leaned forward.

  "Not to worry. You see, the thing is, the emperor still has control of his Sisters of the Dark; their magic works for him. From what they've told us, something has happened, though. From what I gather, something of magic has gone awry and caused the power of those on Lord Rahl's side to fail.

  "Jagang has learned that Lord Rahl no longer has magic

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  backing him. His magic is going to fail. The man is, or soon will be, naked to our blades."

  Dalton was now at full attention. If it was true, that would change everything. It would mean he could implement the full extent of his plans at once. It would mean he could take the necessary action and not have to worry over the repercussions or even reprisals from Lord Rahl.

  Better yet, Lord Rahl and the Mother Confessor would have to place even more of their hope in the vote, while at the same time Dalton, without fear of their actions, insured their loss.

  If, that was, it was true about magic failing.

  Dalton knew one way he might find out.

  But first, the time had come for Dalton to pay a visit to the ailing Sovereign. The time had come to act. He would do it that very night, before the feast planned for the next
day.

  As hungry as she was, Ann was not looking forward to being fed.

  She had long since been staked to the ground and the grimy tent erected around her, so she knew it was getting to be about that time. At any moment she expected a burly Imperial Order soldier to storm in with her bread and water. She didn't know what had happened to Sister Alessandra; Ann hadn't seen the woman in well over a week.