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"Thank you, Nathan." She reached out and touched his hand. "The Creator's blessing on His child."
"No thank-you, Sister. I do not wish anything more from the Creator."
She stared at him in surprise. "Because we keep you locked in here?"
His small smile returned. "There are many different kinds of prisons, Sister. As far as I am concerned, His blessing are tainted. The only thing worse than being touched by the Creator, is being touched by the Keeper. And of that, I am not even resolved."
She took her hand back. "I will still pray for you, Nathan."
"If you care so much for me, then free me."
"I'm sorry, I can't do that."
"You mean, you won't do that."
"Look at it how you will, but you must remain here."
At last he turned away from her. She started for the door.
"Sister? Would you send a woman to visit me. To spend a night or two with me?"
The pain in his voice almost made her weep. "I thought you would be beyond that age."
He slowly turned to her. "You have a lover, Sister Margaret."
She reeled at this. How could he know? He didn't know, he was guessing. She was young, and thought attractive by some. Of course she would be interested in men. He was only guessing. But then, none of the Sisters knew what he was able to do.
He was the only wizard they couldn't trust to be truthful about his powers.
"You listen to gossip, Nathan?"
He smiled. "Tell me, Sister Margaret, do you have the day planned out in advance, when you will be to old for love, even if it is only for a time as fleeting as a night? Exactly how old, Sister, is it, when we lose the need for love?"
She stood silent, ashamed, for a time. "I will go myself, Nathan, into the city, and bring back a woman to visit you for a time. Even if I must pay her price myself. I can't pledge she will be beautiful to your eyes, as I don't know what your eyes fancy, but I can vow she will not be empty between the ears, as I think you value this more than you will admit."
She saw a single tear weep from the corner of his eye. "Thank you, Sister Margaret."
"But Nathan, you must promise me you will tell her no Prophecy."
He bowed his head slightly. "Of course, Sister. I swear it on my word as a wizard."
"I mean it, Nathan. I do not wish to have a part in being responsible for people dying. Not only men died in those battles, but women, too. I could not bear having a part in it."
His eyebrows lifted. "Not even, Sister Margaret, if one of those women would bear, had she lived, a boy child who would grow into a brutal tyrant who would go on to torture and slaughter tens of thousands upon tens of thousands of innocent people, women and children among them? Not even, Sister, if you had a chance to choke off this fork of a terrible Prophecy?"
She stood stunned, frozen. At last she made herself blink. "Nathan," she whispered, "are you saying..."
"Good night, Sister Margaret." He turned and strode off to the solitude of his small garden, pulling his black hood up as he went.
6
The wind ripped at her, tugging at her clothes and snapping the loose ends. After yesterday's tangled mess, Kahlan was at least glad she had thought to tie back her hair. She clung to Richard for dear life, pressing the side of her face against his back as she squeezed her eyes tightly shut.
It was happening again—the thick feeling of growing heavy that made the knot in the pit of her stomach sink lower of its own accord. She thought she might be sick. She was afraid to open her eyes; she knew what always happened when she felt heavy like this. Richard called back for her to look.
She opened her eyes just a little, peeking through narrow, squinting slits. As she suspected, the world was tilted at a crazy angle. Her head spun sickeningly. Why did the dragon have to tip over whenever it made a turn? She could feel herself being pressed against the red scales. She couldn't understand why she wasn't falling off.
Richard had told her he had figured out that it was just like when you swung a bucket of water around over your head and the water didn't fall out. She had never swung a bucket of water over her head and wasn't entirely sure he was telling the truth about the water not falling out. She looked longingly at the ground and saw what Richard was pointing at—the Mud Peoples' village.
Siddin squealed with glee from his place in Richard's lap as Scarlet's huge, leathery wings caught the air and pulled them into a tight spiral. As the red dragon plummeted earthward, the knot of Kahlan's stomach felt as if it were coming up in her throat. She didn't understand how they could like doing this. They enjoyed it. They actually enjoyed it! Arms stuck up in the air, they were both laughing with delight, acting like little boys. Well, one was a little boy, and she guessed he had a right.
She suddenly smiled and then laughed herself. Not at flying on a dragon, but at seeing how happy Richard was. She would fly on a dragon every day just to see him laughing and happy. She stretched up and kissed the back of his neck. He brought his hands down and rubbed one on each of her legs. She clasped them tighter around him and forgot a little about feeling sick.
Richard called forward for Scarlet to land in the open field in the center of the village. The sun was almost down, making the tan, plastered, mud bricked buildings in the circle of the village stand out brightly in the slanting light. Kahlan could smell the sweet smoke from the cooking fires. The long shadows trailed the people running for cover. Women ran from the cooking shelters and men from their weapons making, all shouting and calling out.
She hoped they wouldn't be too frightened. The last time Scarlet had come here she carried Darken Rahl, and when he didn't find Richard he had killed people. These people didn't know Scarlet had been forced to fly Rahl around after he had stolen her egg. Of course, even without Darken Rahl riding her, no one ever thought of a red dragon as anything but a deadly threat. She herself would have run for her life at seeing a red dragon. The red were the most fearsome of all the dragons, and no one would ever imagine doing anything with a red dragon except trying to kill it, or running for your life.
No one but Richard, that is. Who else but Richard would think to befriend one? He had risked his life to get her egg free from Rahl's control so she would help him, and in the process had made a friend for life, although Scarlet still professed her intent to eat him someday. Kahlan suspected it was some private joke between the two, as Richard laughed whenever she said it. At least Kahlan hoped it was only a joke—she wasn't entirely sure. Kahlan looked down at the village and hoped the hunters didn't start shooting poison arrows before they saw who was riding the red dragon.
Siddin suddenly recognized his home. He pointed excitedly, and jabbered to Richard in the Mud People's language. Richard couldn't understand a word of it but smiled and nodded and ruffled Siddin's hair. They both gripped the spikes on Scarlet's back as she pulled out of the steep descent. Dust swept up around them, lifted by the fluttering of Scarlet's huge wings as she settled on the ground.
Richard grabbed hold of Siddin and set the little boy up on his broad shoulders, then stood up on Scarlet's back. The stiff, cold breeze carried the dust away to reveal a ragged ring of hunters, their bows drawn, poison arrows pointing up at the three of them. Kahlan held her breath.
Grinning, Siddin waved both hands over his head, like Richard had told him to. Scarlet held her head down so the Mud People could get a clear view of who was riding her. Astonished, the hunters cautiously lowered their bows. Kahlan exhaled when she saw the tension come off the bowstrings.
A figure in buckskin pants and tunic stepped through the ring of hunters. Long silver hair hung down, spreading over his shoulders. It was the Bird Man, his sun browned face a picture of shock.
"It's me, Richard! I have returned! With your help, we have defeated Darken Rahl. And, we have brought Savidlin and Weselan's son back."
The bird man looked to Kahlan as she translated. A beaming grin spread on his face. "We welcome you both back to your people with open arms."
Women and children were gathering among the ring of hunters, their dark, mud-slicked hair framing amazed faces. Scarlet lowered her bulky body to the ground and Richard slid off her shoulder, landing on his boots with a thump. He held Siddin in one arm as he reached up with the other and helped her down. Kahlan was quietly joyful to have her feet on the earth again.
Weselan pushed through the throng, running to them, Savidlin right at her heels. She wailed her son's name. Siddin held his arms out gleefully and practically leapt into her arms. Weselan alternated between crying and laughing as she tried to hug her son and Richard and Kahlan all at once. Savidlin rubbed his boy's back and looked to her and Richard with wet eyes.
