Richard stared off into a dark corner as he recalled the story. “Darken Rahl’s grandfather, Panis, the Master of D’Hara, set about joining all the lands together under his rule. He swallowed up all the lands, all the kingdoms, making it one, making it all D’Hara.”
“That’s right,” Egan said. “Not all the people who now call themselves D’Haran are descendants of the first D’Harans—those who were bonded. Some have a bit of true D’Haran blood, some have more, and in some, like Ulic and I, it is pure. Some have no true D’Haran blood; they do not feel the bond.
“Darken Rahl and his father before him gathered those to them who were of like mind—those who lusted for power. Many of those D’Harans were not pure of blood, but pure of ambition.”
“Commander General Trimack, at the palace, and the men of the First File—” Richard gestured to Ulic and Egan. “—and Master Rahl’s personal bodyguards, must be pure D’Haran?”
Ulic nodded. “Darken Rahl, like his father before him, would trust none but those of pure blood to guard him. He used those of mixed blood, or those without the bond at all, to fight the wars away from the heart of D’Hara, and to conquer other lands.”
Richard stroked his lower lip with a finger as he thought. “What of the man in charge of the D’Haran troops, here, in Aydindril. What’s his name?”
“General Reibisch,” Berdine said. “He is of mixed blood, and so it will not be as easy, but if you can make him recognize you as the Master Rahl, he has enough D’Haran blood to be bonded. When a commander is bonded, many of his men become so at the same time, because they trust in their commanders; they will believe as he. If you can bond General Reibisch, then you will have control of the forces in Aydindril. Even though some of the men have no true D’Haran blood, they are loyal to their leaders, and will still be bonded, in a manner of speaking.”
“Then I’ve got to do something to convince this General Reibisch that I’m the new Master Rahl.”
Cara grinned wickedly. “That’s why you need us. We’ve brought you something, from Commander General Trimack.” She gestured to Hally. “Show him.”
Hally unfastened the top buttons of her leather outfit and pulled a long pouch from between her breasts. With a proud smile, she handed it to Richard. He extracted the scroll inside, inspecting the symbol of a skull with crossed swords under it impressed into the gold-colored wax.
“What’s this?”
“Commander General Trimack wanted to help you,” Hally said. With the gleam of a smile still in her eyes she put a finger to the wax. “This is the personal seal of the commander general of the First File. The document is in his own hand. He wrote it while I stood waiting, and then told me to give it to you. It declares you to be the new Master Rahl, and says that the First File and all the troops and field generals in D’Hara recognize you as such, are bonded, and stand ready to defend your ascension to power with their lives. It threatens undying vengeance against any who stand against you.”
Richard’s gaze rose to her blue eyes. “Hally, I could kiss you.”
Her smile vanished in an instant. “Lord Rahl, you have declared us free. We no longer have to submit…” She snapped her mouth closed as her face went scarlet, as did the other women’s. Hally bowed her head and fixed her sight on the floor. Her voice came in a submissive whisper. “Forgive me, Lord Rahl. If you wish that of us, we of course offer ourselves willingly.”
With his fingertips, Richard lifted her chin. “Hally, it was just a figure of speech. As you told me, though you are bonded, this time you are not slaves. I am not just the Master Rahl, I am also the Seeker of Truth. I hope to have you come to follow me because the cause is just. That is what I wish you to be bound to, not me. You need never fear I will revoke your freedom.”
Hally swallowed. “Thank you, Lord Rahl.”
Richard waved the scroll. “Now, let’s go let this General Reibisch meet the new Master Rahl, so I can get on with what I need to do.”
Berdine laid a restraining hand to his arm. “Lord Rahl, the words of the commander general are meant to be an aid. They, in themselves, will not bond these troops to you.”
Richard put his fists on his hips. “You four have a bad habit of dangling something in front of my face, and then snatching it away. What else do I need to do? Some fancy magic?”
The four nodded as if he had finally guessed their plan.
“What!” Richard leaned toward them. “You mean this general will want me to perform some magic trick to prove myself?”
Ill at ease, Cara shrugged. “Lord Rahl, these are just words on paper. They are meant to back you, to be of help, not to perform the task for you. At the palace in D’Hara the word of the commander general is law, only you outrank him, but in the field it is not so. Here, General Reibisch is the law. You must convince him that you outrank him.
“These men will not be easily won over. The Master Rahl must be seen as a figure of awesome power and strength. They must be overwhelmed in order to invoke the bond, just as the troops at the palace were when you set the walls alive with lightning. As you said, they must believe. To believe, it will take more than words on paper. General Trimack’s letter is meant to be part of it, but it can’t be all.”
“Magic,” Richard muttered as he slumped down in the rickety chair. He scrubbed his face, trying to think through the haze of fatigue. He was the Seeker, appointed by a wizard, a position of power and responsibility; the Seeker was a law unto himself. He had planned to do this as the Seeker. He could still do it as Seeker. He knew about being the Seeker.
Still, if the D’Harans in Aydindril were loyal to him…
Through the weariness, one thought was clear: he had to make sure Kahlan was safe. He had to use his head, not just his heart. He couldn’t just run off after her, ignoring what was happening, not if he wanted to truly make sure she was safe. He needed to do this. He needed to win over the D’Harans.
Richard shot to his feet. “Did you bring your red leather outfits?” A Mord-Sith’s bloodred leather clothes were worn when they were of a mind to dispense discipline; red didn’t show blood. When a Mord-Sith wore her red leather, it was a statement that she expected there to be a lot of blood, and everyone knew it wasn’t going to be hers.
Hally smiled a sly smile as she folded her arms over her breasts. “A Mord-Sith goes nowhere without her red outfit.”
Cara batted her eyes expectantly. “You have thought of something, Lord Rahl?”
“Yes.” Richard gave her a smooth smile. “They need to see power and strength? They want a show of awesome magic? We’ll give them magic. We’ll overwhelm them.” He held up a cautious finger. “But you must do as I say. I don’t want anyone hurt. I didn’t free you just to have you get killed.”
Hally fixed him with an iron gaze. “Mord-Sith do not die in bed, old and toothless.”
In those blue eyes, Richard saw a shadow of the madness that had twisted these women into remorseless weapons. He had
endured some of what had been done to them; he knew what it was to live with that madness. He held her gaze and, with a soft voice, sought to soften the iron he saw. “If you get yourselves killed, Hally, then who will protect me?”
“If we must lay down our lives, then we do; otherwise there will be no Lord Rahl to protect.” An unexpected smile softened Hally’s eyes, bringing a little light to the shadows. “We want Lord Rahl to die in bed, old and toothless. What are we to do?”
A shadow of doubt passed across his thoughts. Was his ambition twisted by that same madness? No. He had no choice. This would save lives, not cost them.
“You four put on your red leather. We’ll wait outside while you change. When you’re done, I’ll explain.”
Hally snatched his shirt as he turned to leave. “Now that we have found you, we’re not letting you out of our sight. You will remain here while we change. You may turn your back, if you wish.”
With a sigh, Richard turned his back and folded his arms. The two men stood watching. Richard frowned and motioned for them to turn around, too. Gratch tilted his head with a puzzled look. Shrugging, he turned his back, mimicking Richard.
“We’re glad you have decided to bond these men to you, Lord Rahl,” Cara said. He could hear them pulling things out of their packs. “You will be much safer with a whole army protecting you. After you have bonded them, we will all leave at once for D’Hara, where you will be safe.”
“We’re not going to D’Hara,” Richard said over his shoulder. “I have important matters that must be attended to. I have plans.”
“Plans, Lord Rahl?” He could almost feel Raina’s breath on the back of his neck as she peeled off her brown leather. “What plans?”
“What kind of plans would the Master Rahl have? I plan to conquer the world.”
9
There was no need to force their way through the crowds; they drove a wave of panic before them the way the sight of wolves drove a herd of sheep. People screamed as they scattered. Mothers gathered up children in their arms while running, men fell face first into the snow as they scrambled to get away, peddlers abandoned their wares in a mad dash for their lives, and shop doors to each side slammed shut.