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Kahlan thought a minute, and then frowned. "Yesterday at the Peoples' Palace, you didn't like the cheese there either. And Zedd said there was nothing wrong with it."
"Nothing wrong with it! It tasted rotten! I ought to know, I love cheese. I eat it all the time. I know bad cheese when I eat it."
"Well, I hate cheese. Maybe you're just picking up my habits."
He rolled a roasted pepper in a piece of tava bread and grinned. "I could think of a worse fate."
As she returned the smile, she saw two hunters approaching. Her back stiffened. Richard noticed her reaction and sat up straighter. "These are two of Chandalen's men. I don't know what they want." She gave him a wink. "Be a good boy? Let's not have an adventure."
Without smiling or answering, he turned and watched the two come. The hunters stopped in front of her at the edge of the platform. They planted the butts of their spears firmly in the ground, leaning on them with both hands. They both assessed her with slightly narrowed eyes and small, tight smiles that weren't entirely unfriendly. The one closest pushed his bow a little further up on his shoulder and then extended an open hand to her, palm up.
She looked down at the hand. She knew what it meant—an open hand offered without a weapon in it. She glanced up at him in confusion. "Does Chandalen approve of this?"
"We are Chandalen's men. Not his children." He kept the hand out.
Kahlan looked at it a moment and then stroked her palm over his. His smile widened a little and he gave her a gentle slap.
"Strength to Confessor Kahlan. I am Prindin. This is my brother, Tossidin."
She gave Prindin a slap and wished him strength. Tossidin held his palm open to her. She stroked it with hers. He gave her a slap and added his wish of strength. He had a handsome smile that matched his brother's. Surprised by his friendliness, she returned his slap and greeting. Kahlan glanced to Richard. The brothers noticed the look and in response both gave Richard a slap and greeting.
"We wanted to tell you that you spoke with strength and honor today," Prindin said. "Chandalen is a hard man, and a hard man to get to know. But he is not a bad man. He cares deeply for our people and wants only to protect them from harm. That is what we do—protect our people."
Kahlan nodded. "Richard and I are Mud People, too."
The brothers gave twin grins. "The elders have proclaimed it for all to know. We will protect you both, the same as any other of our people."
"Will Chandalen?"
Both grinned, but neither answered. They pulled their spears up, readying to leave.
"Tell them I said they have fine bows," Richard said.
She glanced sideways to see him watching the two. She turned to Prindin. "Richard says he admires your bows."
They smiled as they nodded. "We are very good with them."
Richard's expressionless gaze stayed on the two brothers. "Tell them I think their arrows look to be well made. Ask if I may see one."
Kahlan frowned at him before looking to the hunters. "He says your arrows look to be well made, and would like to know if he may see one."
The brothers beamed with pride. Prindin pulled an arrow from his quiver and handed it to Richard. Kahlan noticed the elders were all quiet. Richard rolled the arrow in his fingers. Betraying no emotion, he looked at the nock and then turned it around and looked at the flat, metal point.
He handed the arrow back. "Very fine work."
Kahlan told Prindin what Richard said as he replaced the arrow in his quiver. He slid a hand part way up his spear and leaned a little of his weight on it. "If you know how to shoot a bow, we would invite you to come with us tomorrow."
Before she could translate, Savidlin spoke to her. "Richard told me before, when you were here last, that he had to leave his bow behind in Westland, and that he missed it. As a surprise, I made him one, for when you both came back. It is a gift to him for teaching me how to make roofs that do not leak. It is at my home. I was going to give it to him tomorrow. Tell him, and tell him that if he agrees, I would like to take some of my hunters and go with him tomorrow." He smiled. "We can see who is the best shot. We will see if he is as good as our hunters."
The two brothers grinned and nodded their enthusiasm. They looked to be confident of the results of the contest. Kahlan told Richard what Savidlin had said.
Richard was surprised, and seemed to be moved by what Savidlin had done. "The Mud People make some of the finest bows I have ever seen. I am honored, Savidlin. That is generous of you. I would like very much to have you there with me." He grinned. "We can show these two how to shoot."
The Brothers laughed at the last part of the translation. "Tomorrow then," Prindin said as they left.
Richard seemed to have a dark look on his face as he watched the two walking away.
"What was that all about with the arrows?" she asked.
He finally looked over at her. "Ask Savidlin if I could have a look at his arrows, and I'll show you."
Savidlin handed over his quiver. Richard pulled out a handful of arrows, sorting through the ones with thin, hardened wooden points. Kahlan knew them to be poisoned. Richard took an arrow with a flat, metal point and put the rest back.
He handed the arrow to her. "Tell me what you see."
She rolled it in her fingers as he had done with the other. She didn't know what that was supposed to tell her, so she looked at the point and the nock.
She shrugged. "It looks just like an ordinary arrow to me. Just like any other."
Richard smiled. "Just like any other?" He plucked an arrow out of the quiver by the nock end, holding the small round point up for her to see. He raised an eyebrow. "Does it look like this one?"
"Well, no. That point is small, long, thin, and round. But this one has a metal point. It's just like the one Prindin had."
Richard slowly shook his head. "No. It's not." He put the wooden pointed arrow back and took the one she had, holding the nock toward her. "See here? Where the string goes? It goes on the string like this, with the notch up and down. Does that tell you anything?" She frowned and shook her head. "Some arrows have spiraled feathers so the arrows rotate. Some people believe that increases their power. I don't know if that is true or not, but it's beside the point. All the Mud People's arrows are fletched with straight feathers. That keeps them steady in flight. They hit in the same attitude as they are fired."
"But I still don't see how this arrow is different from Prindin's."
Richard put his thumbnail in the nock. "This is the way the arrow goes on the string. With the notch up and down like this. When the arrow is in the bow, and when it hits, it is just like this. Now, look at the blade. See how it's up and down, too
? Just like the notch. The blade and the string are in the same plane. Savidlin's bladed arrows are all like this.
"The reason for it is that he uses these bladed arrows to hunt large animals, like wild boar, and dear. The rib bones in animals go up and down, just like the blade does. That gives the arrow a better chance of passing between the ribs, rather than being stopped by them."
He leaned a little closer to her. "Prindin's arrows are different. The blades are turned ninety degrees. When his arrows are nocked, the blade is horizontal. His arrows aren't made to pass through the ribs of animals. The blades are horizontal because he hunts something different. Something with ribs that are horizontal. People."
Kahlan felt bumps ripple up her arms. "Why would they do that?"
"The Mud People are very protective of their land; they don't often allow outsiders in. I would guess that Chandalen and his men are the ones who guard their borders from encroachment. They are probably the fiercest hunters among the Mud People. And the best shots. Ask Savidlin if they are good with their bows."
"Richard wants to know if Chandalen's men are good shots."
Savidlin chuckled. "None of us ever beats Chandalen's men. Even if Richard With The temper is good, he is going to lose. But those men are always careful not to humiliate us too badly. They will be gracious winners. Richard should not worry, he will enjoy the day. They will teach him to shoot better. That is why I wish to take my men: Chandalen's men always teach us to be better. Among the Mud People, being the best, winning, means you have a responsibility to those you have beaten. You must teach them to be better. But tell him he cannot back out now, that he has accepted the challenge."
"I always thought it did people good to learn something," Richard said. "I won't back out."
Richard's intense gaze made her smile until her jaws hurt. Smiling himself, he turned, pulled his pack across the plank floor and took out an apple. He cut the apple in half, took out the seeds, and handed half to her.
The elders fidgeted nervously. In the Midlands, red fruit was poison, the result of an evil magic. They didn't know that in Westland, where Richard was from, you could eat red things like apples. They had seen him eat an apple before, when he had tricked them into not making him take a wife from their village because they thought eating it might make his seed poisonous to his bride, but they sweated as they watched the two of them doing it again.
