“ ‘In your wisdom we are humbled.’ ” General Kerson quoted softly from the devotion.
Men voiced their agreement and nodded at the logic of Richard’s explanation. Kahlan was proud of him, that at least he had convinced them. She wondered if he had convinced himself.
“It’s not so much wisdom,” Richard murmured, “as it is simple common sense.
“Please be assured, all of you,” he went on, “that that doesn’t mean I have no intention of trying to find a way to end this plague. I am looking into every possible means of stopping it.” He laid a hand on Berdine’s shoulder. She glanced up. “Berdine is helping me with the old books from wizards past, to see if they left us any wisdom.
“If there is a way for magic to stop it, then I will find that way. For now, though, we must use other means at our disposal to protect people. We need to have the men split up.”
“Split up, and then what?” General Kerson asked.
“Split up and get out of Aydindril.”
General Kerson stiffened. The links of his chain mail reflected the lamplight, so that he seemed to sparkle like a vision of a spirit. “Leave Aydindril undefended?”
“No,” Richard insisted. “Not undefended. What I propose is to have our forces divide up, so there is less chance of the plague spreading among them, and move to separate positions around Aydindril. We can put detachments of our forces at all the passes, all the roads and access valleys. That way, no force can advance against us.”
“What if one does?” General Baldwin asked. “Then those smaller, separate forces may be insufficient to drive off an attack.”
“We will have sentries and scouts. We’ll have to increase them so that we don’t have any surprises. I don’t think there are any forces of the Order this far north yet, but if any attack does come, then we will have warning and can gather our forces quickly. We don’t want them too far apart to be able to defend the city if they must, but they must be far enough apart to keep from passing the plague throughout the whole of the army.
“Any ideas you men have would be valued. That’s one reason I asked you here. If you have ideas about any of this, then please feel free to speak up.”
Drefan stepped forward. “It needs to be done quickly. The sooner the men are away, the better the chance that none of them will have come in contact with the sickness.”
The officers all nodded as they pondered.
“The officers who went with us today should remain here,” Drefan said. “They may have come in contact with someone who has the plague. Make a list of any they work closely with, and have them isolated here in Aydindril, too.”
“We’ll see to it at once,” General Kerson said. “Tonight.”
Richard nodded. “Each group of our forces must communicate with the others, of course, but messages must be spoken only. No written messages passing from hand to hand. The papers could carry the plague. These men who pass commands and messages should talk at a distance. At least the way we are here, in this room, with me at this end and you at the other.”
“Isn’t that a rather extraordinary precaution?” one of the officers asked.
“I have heard,” Drefan said, “that people who have the plague, but have not yet fallen sick and therefore don’t know of their affliction, can be detected by the distinctive odor of the plague on their breath.” Men nodded with interest. “But to smell that fatal odor would infect you with the plague, and you, too, would be stricken and die.”
Mumbling spread back through the men.
“That’s why we don’t want the messengers to get too close to one another,” Richard said. “If one were to already have the plague, we don’t want him spreading it to another group of our forces. There is no use in going to all of this trouble if we aren’t scrupulous in our attention to everything.
“This is a deadly poison. If we act quickly, and act as wisely as we know how, we may spare a great many people from death. If we don’t take these precautions seriously, nearly every one of the people in this city, and every one of our men, could be dead within weeks.”
Serious, worried talk swept back through the room.
“We are giving you the worst look at it,” Drefan said, bringing their attentive gazes back. “We don’t want to pretend the danger is less than it is. But there are things in our favor. The most important is the weather. The plagues I have seen, and read about, spread worst in the high heat of summer. I don’t think it will be able to get a foothold in the cool weather of this time of year. We have that much.”
Men sighed with renewed hope. Kahlan didn’t.
“One other thing,” Richard said as he looked from eye to eye. “We are D’Harans. We are people of honor. Our men will act accordingly. I don’t want any of us lying to people about the danger, telling people that there is no risk, and on the other hand, I don’t want anyone deliberately panicking people. Everyone will be frightened enough as it is.
“You are also soldiers. This is no less a battle than if any other enemy attacked our people. This is part of our job.
“Some of the men will have to stay in the city to help. There may need to be men at arms to hold down any uprising that may be stirred up. If there are any riots, like there were with the red moon, I want them put down at once. Use whatever force is necessary, but no more. Remember, the people of this city are our people—we are their protectors, not their wardens.
“We will need men to help with digging graves. I don’t think we can be burning that many dead, if the plague gets hot among the population.”
“How many do you think could die, Lord Rahl?” one of the officers asked.
“Thousands,” Drefan answered. “Tens of thousands.” His blue-eyed gaze took them all in. “If it gets bad enough, more. I read of a plague that in three months took the life of nearly three of every four people in a city of close to half a million.”
A low whistle came from an officer in back.
“One other thing,” Richard said. “Some people will panic. They will want to run from Aydindril to remove themselves from the danger. Most will want to stay, not only because this is the only home they know, but because their livelihood is here.
“We can’t allow people to flee Aydindril and spread the plague to other places in the Midlands, or even beyond, to D’Hara. It must be confined here. If people want to rush away from the city and go to the surrounding hills, separating themselves from their neighbors who they fear have the plague upon them, we must be understanding of their fears.
“They are to be allowed to run to the countryside if they wish, but they must remain in the area. I want our soldiers who will be in these separate units to ring the city and surrounding country, protecting all routes to and from Aydindril. The people must stay within these limits.
“Any person fleeing could be infected with the plague and not know it, thus endangering people in other places. As a last resort, force must be used to prevent them from taking the plague abroad. Please keep in mind that these are not malevolent people, but simply people frightened for the lives of their families.
“The ones who flee the city to wait out the plague will soon be short of food and succumb to starvation. Remind people to take food, as they are not likely to find it in the countryside. They will be no less dead if they die of hunger rather than plague. Remind them of this, and that looting of farms will not be tolerated. We will not allow anarchy.
“Well, I guess that’s about all I have to say. What are your questions?”
“Will you be leaving tonight, my queen, Lord Rahl, or in the morning?” General Baldwin asked. “And where will you be staying?”
“Richard and I won’t be leaving Aydindril,” Kahlan said.
“What? But you must get away,” General Baldwin insisted. “Please, both of you must escape this. We need you to lead us.”
“We didn’t know what we were dealing with until it was too late,” Kahlan said. “We may have already been exposed to the plague.”
; “We don’t think that likely,” Richard said, wanting to assuage their fears. “But I must stay to see if there is any magic that will stop this plague. I will need to be going up to the Keep. If we’re up in the hills we can’t be of any use, and I might miss a chance of finding a solution. We will remain here and oversee the command of the city.
“Drefan is the High Priest of the Raug’Moss healers, from D’Hara. The Mother Confessor and I could be in no better hands. He and Nadine will be staying, too, to see what relief can be brought to people.”
As the men asked questions and discussed matters of food and supplies, Kahlan moved to the window, watching the snow and wind build in the spring storm. Richard was speaking to his men the way a commander spoke on the eve of a battle, to instill in them a sense of purpose, to harden them to the battle ahead. As in any battle, death would run rampant.
Despite what Drefan believed about the plague not being able to build to full strength in the cold weather, Kahlan knew that it wasn’t true in this case.
This was no ordinary plague. This was a plague started by magic, by a man who wanted to kill them all.
Down in the pit, Jagang had called it Ja’La dh Jin—The Game of Life. Jagang was incensed that Richard had changed the ball to a lighter one so that all the children could enjoy playing, instead of just the strongest, the most brutal. Jagang started the killing with those children. It was no accident; it was a message. It was the game of life. This would be Jagang’s world, ruled by such savagery, if he won.
Chapter 33
For the next hour, the men asked questions, mostly of Drefan. The two generals offered suggestions to Richard regarding command and logistics. Options were briefly discussed, plans were made, and officers were assigned duties. The army was to begin moving that very night. There were a great many Blood of the Fold who had surrendered, and although they had since sworn loyalty to Richard, it was still thought wise to divide them, too, sending some with each unit, rather than letting them remain together. Richard concurred with the suggestion.
When at last they had all departed to begin the work, Richard dropped heavily into his chair. He had come a long way from being a woods guide. Kahlan was proud of him.
She opened her mouth to say so, but Nadine spoke the words in her stead.
Richard mumbled a flat “Thanks.”
Nadine tentatively touched her fingertips to the back of his shoulder. “Richard, you were always . . . I don’t know . . . Richard, to me. A boy from home. A woods guide.
“Today, and especially tonight, with all those important men, I think I saw you differently for the first time. You really are this Lord Rahl.”
Richard put his elbows on the table before him and his face in his hands. “I think I’d rather be at the bottom of the cliff, buried with the Temple of the Winds.”
“Don’t be silly,” she whispered.
Bristling, Kahlan moved to his side. Nadine glided away.
“Richard,” Kahlan said, “you have to get some sleep. Now. You promised. We need you strong. If you don’t get some sleep—”
“I know.” He pushed away from the table and stood. He turned to Drefan and Nadine. “Do either of you have anything to make a person go to sleep? I’ve tried . . . Lately, I just lie there. My mind won’t be quiet.”
“A Feng San disharmony,” Drefan announced at once. “You bring it on yourself with the way you push past the limits of your body. There are bounds to what we can do, and if—”
“Drefan,” Richard said, cutting him off with a gentle voice, “I know what you mean, but I do what I must. You just have to understand that. Jagang is trying to kill us all. It will do me no good to be as high-spirited as a squirrel in spring if it means we all end up dead.”
Drefan grunted. “I understand, but that doesn’t get you strong.”
“So, I’ll try to be good later. What about going to sleep tonight?”
“Meditation,” Drefan said. “That will calm your energy flows, and begin bringing them into harmony.”
Richard rubbed his brow. “Drefan, hundreds of thousands of people are in danger of dying because Jagang wants to put the whole of the world under his boot. He’s shown us that he has no bounds to his determination.
“He’s starting the killing with children.” Richard’s knuckles turned white as his hands fisted. “Just to send me a message! Children!
“He has no conscience. He’s showing me what he’s willing to do to win. To make me surrender! He thinks it will break me!”
In contrast to his knuckles, Richard’s face had gone scarlet. “He’s wrong. I’d never give our people over to that kind of tyrant. Never! I’ll do whatever I must to stop this plague! I swear it!”
The room rang with the sudden silence. Kahlan had never seen Richard angry in quite this way. When he had the deadly fury of the Sword of Truth’s magic in his eyes, the object of his rage was usually at hand: the rage was invoked by and directed at a palpable threat.
This was frustrated anger at an invisible enemy. There was no threat he could get his hands on, now. He had no direct way to fight it. Kahlan could see in his eyes that this anger wasn’t the magic of the sword. This was purely Richard’s rage.
His face finally cooled. He took a calming breath as he wiped a hand across his face. He regained control of his voice.
“If I try to meditate, I will only see those sick and dead children again in my mind. Please, I can’t bear to see that in my sleep. I need to go to sleep and not have dreams.”
“Go to sleep and not have dreams? You are bothered by dreams?”
“Nightmares. I have them all day, too, when I’m awake, but they’re real. The dream walker can’t enter my dreams, but he has found a way to give me nightmares, nonetheless. Please, dear spirits, at least when I’m asleep, grant me some peace.”
“A sure sign of a Feng San meridian disharmony,” Drefan confirmed to himself. “I can see that you are going to be a difficult patient, but not without a cause.”
He slipped the bone pin from the loop of leather and opened the flap on one of the pouches at his belt. He pulled out a few leather purses. He put one back. “No, that will kill pain, but not be much aid to sleep.” He sniffed another. “No, that will make you vomit.” He searched his other things and finally closed the flaps on the pouches. “I’m afraid I didn’t bring anything so simple with me. I only brought rare items.”
Richard sighed. “Thanks for trying, anyway.”
Drefan turned to Nadine. She was bottled zeal, pressing her lips together with restrained delight as the others talked.
“The things you gave Yonick’s mother wouldn’t be strong enough for Richard,” Drefan said to her. “Do you have any hops?”
“Sure,” she said calmly, but obviously pleased that someone had at last asked her. “In tincture, of course.”
“Perfect,” Drefan said. He slapped Richard on the back. “You can meditate another time. Tonight, you will be asleep in no time. Nadine will fix you a preparation. I’ll go start checking with the staff and giving them my recommendations.”
“Don’t forget to meditate,” Richard muttered as Drefan departed. Berdine remained behind, studying the journal, as Nadine, Cara, Raina, Ulic, Egan, and Kahlan all followed Richard to his room, not far away. Ulic and Egan took up posts outside in the hall. The rest of them went into the room with Richard.
Inside, Richard tossed his gold cloak over a chair. He pulled the baldric over his head and laid the Sword of Truth atop it. He wearily drew his gold-trimmed tunic over his head, and removed his shirt, leaving him with a black, armless undershirt.
Nadine watched from the corner of her eye while she softly counted each drop aloud as it dripped into a glass of water.
Richard flopped down on the edge of the bed. “Cara, would you pull my boots off for me, please?”
Cara rolled her eyes. “Do I look like a valet?” She squatted to the task when Richard smiled.
He leaned back on his elbows. “Tell Berdine that
I want her to look for any reference to this Mountain of the Four Winds place. See what else she can find out about it.”
Cara looked up from his feet. “What a brilliant idea,” she said with mock enthusiasm. “I bet she would never have thought of that on her own, all-wise and knowing master.”
“All right, all right. I guess I’m not needed. How’s my magic potion coming over there?”
“Just finished,” Nadine said in a cheery voice.
Cara grunted as she yanked off his other boot. “Undo your pants, and I’ll pull them off, too.”
Richard scowled down at her. “I’ll manage, thank you.” Cara smirked to herself as he rolled off the bed and went to Nadine. She handed him the glass of water with the tincture of hops. She had put something else in the glass of water, too.
“Don’t drink it all. I put in fifty drops. That’s way more than you should need, but I wanted to leave you with extra. Drink about a third, and then if you wake in the night, you can always drink another swallow or two. I put in some valerian and skullcap, too, to help insure you go into a deep and dreamless sleep.”
Richard downed half of it. His face contorted. “As bad as this tastes, it will put me to sleep or else kill me.”
Nadine smiled at him. “You’ll sleep like a baby.”
“Babies don’t sleep all that well, from what I’ve heard.”
Nadine laughed in a soft lilt. “You’ll sleep, Richard. I promise. If you wake too early, just take a little more.”
“Thanks.” He sat down on the edge of the bed, looking from one woman to the next. “I’ll manage with my pants. I swear.”
Cara rolled her eyes and headed for the door, urging Nadine along before her.
Kahlan kissed his cheek. “Get in bed. I’ll come back in and tuck you in and kiss you good night as soon as I see to the guards.”
Raina followed Kahlan out and closed the door. Nadine was waiting, rocking back and forth on her heels. “How’s the arm? Do you need a poultice?”
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