Into Darkness

80

As he and Vika raced into the majesty of the Confessors’ Palace, two of the women who lived and worked there were already rushing toward them, skirts held in a hand as they ran.

“Lord Rahl! Lord Rahl!” one of them called out, waving an arm overhead to make sure they saw her.

They both ran up to meet Richard and Vika as they came into the bright, airy, grand central entryway. “Lord Rahl—”

“Yes?”

“I’m Ginny. This is Nina.”

“A runner just arrived to tell us that you were on your way,” Nina put in as if it were exciting gossip, or maybe she was just excited to see him.

Richard had been in a hurry to get there, so he was surprised to hear it. “A runner? A runner beat us here?”

“Rachel,” Ginny said with a grin. “She knows the shortcuts.”

Richard frowned. “Rachel? You mean Chase’s daughter? That Rachel?”

Ginny nodded. “Yes, she is such a big help to everyone. She has long legs, that girl. She was so excited to tell us that she had spotted you and a Mord-Sith that she had to race all the way down here as fast as she could to tell the Mother Confessor.” She pointed toward the ceiling. “She is up there with her now.”

“Where is Kahlan? Has she had the babies yet? Has—”

Ginny held her arm out, directing him. “Come. Everyone will be so excited that you have returned. To be honest, we all, well, we all thought you were dead. Everyone except the Mother Confessor. She said …”

Richard wanted to strangle the words out of her. “She said what?” He looked over at the other woman instead. “What did she say?”

“Well,” Nina stammered, “she said that you weren’t dead, that you would …”

“Would what?”

Nina blushed furiously. “She said that you would get some crazy idea and be able to come back to us. I guess she was right. Oh! I don’t mean she was right that you would have a crazy idea—I’m sure your ideas aren’t crazy—but that you would return.”

When Richard swished his hand to urge them to get them moving and show the way, Ginny immediately turned and led him and Vika up a grand stairway of white marble to a spacious balcony that ran most of the way around three sides of the palatial entryway. Around one side of that balcony they went up a second stairway to the third floor, and then turned down the central hall.

As they hurried down a wide, elaborate hallway with comfortable-looking chairs in groupings, Shale came racing around a corner out ahead. “Lord Rahl!” She rushed up and seized him by his shoulders. “Dear spirits! We thought for sure that you were lost to us!”

Vika cocked an eyebrow. “He got a crazy idea how to come back.”

Shale stared at her a moment, but had no answer. She turned back to Richard. He was surprised to see her in such a fine dress.

“The Mother Confessor will be relieved to see you. She was so worried, but she would never admit it. Whenever one of us would look at her, concerned for her and what she must be fearing, she would just smile and tell us not to worry. That you would be back.”

Richard threw up his arms. “Where is she! Bags, would one of you take me to her?”

Ginny and Nina blushed at the language.

“Come on,” Shale said, rolling a hand to urge him to follow. She started him down the hallway toward another grand stairway.

Richard was beside himself. “Has she had the babies yet? Are they all right? Is Kahlan all right?”

“Just come on and you can see for yourself.”

Shale led Richard and Vika up the stairs two at a time. Ginny and Nina hastened along behind. The palace was white and quiet and beautiful, but it was all a blur to Richard. He hardly saw any of it. He just wanted to get to Kahlan.

And then as they came to another hallway, he saw a group of people all milling around down the hall. He recognized the Mord-Sith, but they were all in white leather, which was a shock after having seen them in their red leather for so long.

Berdine spotted him coming and broke into a dead run. When she got to him, she leaped up into his arms, nearly knocking him down. She threw her legs around his waist.

“Lord Rahl! Lord Rahl! You’re back!”

Richard grabbed her by the waist and set her down. He flashed a quick smile as he turned her around and pushed her ahead as he rushed onward to the group outside a doorway.

He saw Chase there, with his wife Emma. He paused long enough to squeeze the big man’s arm in a silent greeting.

“Richard!” Rachel cried out as she suddenly hugged him. He ran a hand down the back of her head of long hair. He was surprised to see that she was now nearly as tall as him.

Richard looked around at the small group. “I need to see Kahlan.”

Shale smiled as she opened a white door with ornate carving on it. She held the door open for him and motioned him in.

Richard stared at her.

Shale grinned. “Go on, then.”