Terry Goodkind - The Third Kingdom

Ester quickly dipped her head. “The consideration would be very much appreciated, Abbot.”

His deliberate gaze turned to Kahlan.

“What are you doing here, Dreier?” Kahlan asked in a cold tone to bring the phony chitchat to a halt.

He shrugged with a smile. “Why, seeking help with prophecy, Mother Confessor, that’s all. I am but a humble servant of Bishop Hannis Arc. I provide him with prophecy so that it might help guide him in his rule of Fajin Province. And, I suppose, the rule of other lands that have so recently come to him for such guidance as he may be able to provide.”

Ester inched forward, still fumbling with the button. She gestured toward Kahlan.

“Abbot Dreier, I’m afraid that the Mother Confessor is quite ill. She has been through a terrible ordeal herself. I was just tending to her. She is very weak and needs rest.

“I know that you would want her to get that crucial rest so that she might get well as soon as possible.” She tilted her head forward just a bit. “I’m sure that Lord Rahl would appreciate your understanding about his wife’s recent ordeal, and be grateful to you for leaving her to her rest.”

Dreier stared at the woman for a moment with that frozen smile of his and then made a show of glancing around. “Lord Rahl—is he about, then? He hacked those dead men to pieces, so he must be around. I would like to congratulate him, personally, on behalf of the people of not only Stroyza, but all of Fajin Province for his brave assistance in stopping such a dire threat. He has once again proven himself the protector of innocent people. I would personally like to thank him.”

Ester cleared her throat. “I’m afraid that he had to leave—briefly. He should be back anytime, I’m sure. Anytime.”

“I see.” The abbot smoothed the front of his coat.”Well, in the meantime, I myself have a bit of talent with healing. I should lend a hand, as it were, to assist our Mother Confessor.”

“But Samantha already…” Ester’s voice trailed off when he turned an icy glare on her.

After the look had backed Ester a step, he turned back to Kahlan and went to one knee beside her. He reached out to touch her forehead. She pulled her head back, out of his reach as she put her arm up to to block his hand.

“That won’t be necessary. I only need rest, now.”

Before she could stop him, he pushed her arm away. “Now, now, Mother Confessor, don’t be shy about accepting my small offer of help. Won’t take but a moment to see if there is anything more that I might be able to do.”

His first two fingers touched her forehead. He bowed his head in concentration. “Let me just check to see…”

The oddest look came over his face. His eyes abruptly turned up to meet her gaze.

And then the slightest hint of a smile turned up the corners of his mouth as he leaned back.

“Well,” he said, “it seems that you have had a healing recently. A fine one at that. I can feel it. I can sense the residual effects of the gift used to heal you.”

Ester stole a quick glance at Kahlan. “As I said, Sammie worked some healing on her. She said that the Mother Confessor now only needs to rest.”

The abbot stood, giving the Mord-Sith a meaningful look.

“I think she is well enough to travel. I can be of invaluable assistance with her recovery once we get her back to the abbey.”

“No,” Ester said, more firmly in spite of her fear of the man. “No, she needs to rest right now, right here. Lord Rahl will want her to rest. He won’t want her moved.”

The abbot casually lifted a finger toward Ester. The woman shuddered. Her fingers trembled as she blinked in confusion. Panting as if in pain, she backed away a few steps. Kahlan wasn’t sure exactly what the man had done, but it was now clear that he was powerfully gifted and that he was hurting Ester.

In all his time at the palace, Abbot Dreier had keep that relevant fact hidden, never revealing that he was gifted.

“Now,” he said down to Kahlan, “I think you should come along with us. We will be better able to see to your needs at the abbey.”

“I’m afraid that I must decline your kind offer,” Kahlan said in a chilling tone.

Abbot Dreier stared for a moment without showing any emotion and then turned to the Mord-Sith. “Please bring the Mother Confessor along. I will wait out front.”

He seized Ester’s arm and pushed her out of the room ahead of him. He paused and from the doorway looked back at Kahlan.

“Mord-Sith can be quite persuasive. I advise you to cooperate as she helps escort you out to our waiting coach.”

With that he left, pulling the door closed behind himself.

CHAPTER

56

After Dreier closed the door, the Mord-Sith smiled that way Mord-Sith smiled that could make you forget to breathe.

“We weren’t introduced. I am Erika. Mistress Erika to you.”

Kahlan glared.

Erika heaved an impatient sigh. “So, it’s going to be like that, is it?”

“Get out,” Kahlan said.

Erika spread her hands with mock decorum. “I’m afraid that the abbot has invited you to come along. He asked me to assist you. He would be very disappointed in me if I didn’t do as he asked. Believe me, I have no wish to disappoint the abbot.”

“We all are bound to disappoint someone now and again,” Kahlan said.

The Mord-Sith dispensed with the smile. She rolled her fingers in a commanding gesture.

“Get up.”

“I can’t. I’m rather weak from my recent injuries that have only just been healed.”

“Perhaps you misunderstood me. You must have thought that I was asking you.” The smile reappeared. “I wasn’t. I was telling you. Now, get up.”

Kahlan thought the wordplay was childish. She was not about to be intimidated by a Mord-Sith, of all people. This one, by all rights, shouldn’t even exist. If she even was a real Mord-Sith.

It occurred to Kahlan once again that the woman might simply be window dressing for an arrogant man, a woman who had convinced herself she could play the part of a real Mord-Sith. She appeared to be a woman who enjoyed pretending to be important and powerful so she could intimidate people and watch them cower.

Kahlan was not about to cower before this woman.

She rocked forward enough to get her feet under her. After being unconscious for so long, she found that the effort made her heart pound. She hadn’t been on her feet for a quite a while and she felt incredibly weak.

She crouched a moment, getting her balance, trying to summon enough strength to not show this haughty woman any weakness. Kahlan was, after all, the Mother Confessor.

With effort, she stood, if not to her full height, then at least most of the way. She couldn’t stretch the last little bit at her waist. It felt like all of her abdominal muscles had shrunk, keeping her from straightening to her full height, which would have probably been an inch or two taller than the Mord-Sith if Kahlan could have stood fully upright.

“Now,” Kahlan said through gritted teeth as she looked the woman in the eye, “get out. I will not ask you again.”

An eyebrow lifted over one cold blue eye. “Or what?”

“I don’t know where you came from, but you appear not to know much about anything.”

Erika shrugged. “I know that Abbot Dreier asked me to bring you along. That is enough. What else is there to know, Mother Confessor?”

“‘Confessor’ is the operative word.”

The Mord-Sith frowned a little. “Really? In what way?”

“You are apparently unaware of the danger a Confessor poses to a Mord-Sith—or a woman posing as a Mord-Sith.”

“Danger? From you?” She smiled again, this time with what appeared to be genuine amusement. “I don’t think so.”