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Some of the men chuckled. The big man's eyes showed his suspicion. "Why? And how do we know you mean it."
"Because I'll be able to enjoy it, too, that way." Kahlan swallowed back her fear. "Untie my hands, and I'll show you I mean it."
She leaned forward as he untied her hands, another man taking the opportunity to fondle her breasts. She remained still. At last, her hands were untied. She rubbed her aching wrists and then smiled at the big man as she ran her fingers down his cheek.
He slapped her hand away. "You're running out of time. You better show us you mean what you say."
Kahlan steeled herself as she leaned back against the wall. She pulled her dress up above her waist, drew her knees up, and spread her legs. She looked to the big man. "Touch me."
Three of the other men reached for her. She slapped their hands away. "I said one at a time!" She looked the big man in the eyes, when they came up. He towered over the other men. "What's your name?"
"Tyler."
"One at a time. You first, Tyler. Touch me."
The stone walls echoed with the sound of heavy breathing. The big man reached out and stroked her. It took all her strength to keep her knees apart. She forced herself to breath. She prayed he couldn't see her shaking.
A grin spread on his hulking face as his husky hand groped her. She coyly pushed his hand away and put her knees together.
"See? Isn't that better that some delicate woman who faints at the first touch and lays on the floor like a dead fish?"
The other men agreed that it surly was. Tyler gave her a suspicious look.
"You look like one of them Confessors."
Kahlan sputtered a laugh. "Confessor!" She pulled out a short strand of hair. The feel of how short it was almost made her cry out in anguish. "Does this look like I'm a Confessor?"
"No... but that dress..."
"Well," Kahlan said, "she wasn't wearing it, so I borrowed it."
"Last I heard, they don't behead people for stealing a dress. What did you do to get yourself thrown in with us?"
She held her chin up. "I didn't do anything. I'm innocent."
The men laughed. They said that they, too, were innocent. Tyler wasn't laughing with them. He had a dangerous look in his eyes. She knew she had to do something, and quick.
With her heart thumping so hard she thought it might come right out of her chest, she took Tyler's hand in both of hers, and put it back up between her legs, pressing her thighs to it.
Tyler's leering grin swept the caution from his face. "So what is it you want us to do?" he asked.
"I'll make myself available here, and the rest of you all go over there, while I'm with each man in turn. That way I'll feel safe enough to enjoy it, and at ease enough to make sure you do, too." She looked back to the big man and licked her lips as she smiled. "And I have one other condition. I want you first. I've always wanted a really big man."
She shivered at the look in his eyes. She told herself that she was the Mother Confessor; she had to keep her head. She licked her lips again as she wiggled herself against his hand.
Tyler burst into laughter. The others all chuckled nervously with him. "You lofty ladies all act better than everyone else, but when it comes to it, you're just a whore, like all the rest."
His smile vanished in a way that made her heart skip a beat. "I rung the neck of the last whore what acted like she was better than me, and decided to change her mind. That wizard told us what he'd do if we were to kill you, but that don't mean we won't make you regret it if you go back on your word." Kahlan could only manage a smile and a nod. "Let's get to it."
A sweep of his arm scattered the others to the opposite side of the pit, while she was desperately seeking the feel of her magic. He told them they could decide among themselves who went next. And then he turned to her. He started unbuckling his pants.
Kahlan wildly searched her mind for a stall. She needed time to figure out how to find her power. "How about a kiss, first?"
"I don't need no kiss," he growled. "Open your legs, like before. I liked that."
"Well, it's just that a kiss from a big, handsome man gets a woman randy to please him."
He paused a moment, then put his right arm around her shoulders and slammed her to the floor beside him. "You better get randy real quick, before I lose my patience."
"I promise. Just kiss me a bit first."
Tyler pressed his lips to hers. She gasped when his other hand suddenly went up between her legs, but this time with forceful insistence, instead of a gentle touch like before. He thought the gasp was cooperation, and pressed his lips harder to hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck. The smell of him almost made her sick.
Kahlan tried to concentrate on finding the calm, as she always had before when she used her power. She could not find the place. She desperately sought the swell of magic, but found nothing.
Failure brought tears of frustration. Tyler's breathing was becoming emphatic. He was pressing so hard that it was hurting her lips against her teeth. She pretended to savor it.
It was almost impossible to concentrate with the terror of what his hand was doing between her legs, but she dared not stop him. Panic rose in her throat as she forced herself to hold her legs open for him. Her heels pressed harder to the floor and her feet trembled in her boots.
Kahlan reprimanded herself. She was the Mother Confessor. She had used her power countless times. She tried again, but nothing happened. Her memory of the young women in Ebinissia was keeping her from being able to focus.
And then she thought of Richard. She almost wailed with longing for him. If she was ever to have a chance of seeing Richard again, she had to use her magic. She had to be strong. She had to do it for him.
Nothing happened. She realized she was whimpering in frustration against Tyler's mouth. He took it for passion.
His face pulled back a few inches. "Spread your legs more, so they can all see how much a fancy lady wants Tyler."
She submissively drew her heels closer to herself and spread her knees wid
er. The men all hooted their approval. She could feel her ears burning. She remembered what Ranson had said about taking her dignity. Tyler pressed his lips back to hers. Tears seeped from the corners of her eyes.
It wasn't working. She couldn't find her power—if it was even there. She had no choice. She was going to have to follow through with what she had offered the men. Failure to do so now would only bring her a beating on top of it. There was no escape.
She thought about the poor women in Ebinissia. That was what was going to happen to her. It was hopeless. In her mind, she gave up. She surrendered to what was going to happen.
Something her father had told her sprang to the front of her mind—"If you ever give up, Kahlan, you are lost. Fight with every breath. With the last, if you must, but don't give up. Not ever. Don't hand them victory. Fight with what you have to the last breath." She wasn't doing that. She was giving up.
Tyler sat up. "Enough kissing. You're ready."
She had run out of time. She wondered if Richard would hate her for this. No. He would know she had no choice. He would be disappointed only if she felt shame for being a victim. He had suffered unimaginable pain before Denna had done what she wanted. He knew what it meant to be helpless. She did not blame him for what was forced on him. He would not blame her. He would comfort her.
If it didn't work with this man, she told herself, then maybe it would work with the next. She would keep trying with each. She would not give up. She would keep trying to find her power with with each.
"Keep your legs open," Tyler growled as he undid his trousers. She realized she had unconsciously put her knees together. She obediently spread them again as a tear rolled down the side of her face.
Dear spirits, she prayed, help me.
No. The good spirits had never helped her before. They had never come to her aid before, despite her efforts on their behalf, despite her pleas. They would not come now.
To the Keeper with the worthless good spirits.
Don't cry, girl, she told herself. Fight them. With your last breath if need be.
"Please," she said. "Just one more kiss?"
