the way theywere fanned out suggested to me that they were searching the woods. That made hiding risky. As long as there was any possibility that Kahlan might be close and maybe hurt, I couldn’t run. If I hid and waited until the soldiers had a chance to find me then I would lose the element of surprise. Worse yet, dawn was approaching. Darkness and surprise worked to my advantage. With Kahlan missing I didn’t have a moment to lose. If they had her, I had to stop them.”
No one commented.
Richard turned to Cara, next. “And where were you?”
Cara blinked in surprise. She had to think a moment before she could answer. “I…I’m not exactly sure.”
Richard frowned. “You’re not sure? What do you remember?”
“I was on watch. I was checking some distance out from our camp. I guess something must have aroused my concern and so I was making sure the area was clear. I caught a whiff of smoke and was starting to investigate that when I heard battle cries.”
“So you rushed back?”
Cara idly pulled her braid forward over her shoulder. She looked to be having difficulty remembering clearly. “No…” She frowned in recollection. “No, I knew what was happening—that you were being attacked—because I heard the clash of steel and men dying. I had only just realized that it was Victor and his men camped off in that direction, that it was the smoke from their campfire I smelled. I knew that I was much closer to them than you, so I thought that the smartest thing to do would be to rouse them and bring their help with me.”
“That makes sense,” Richard said. He wearily wiped beads of rain from his face.
“That’s right,” Victor said. “Cara was right there close when I heard the clash of steel as well. I remember because I was lying awake in the quiet.”
Richard’s brow drew together. He looked up. “You were awake?”
“Yes. The howl of a wolf woke me.”
Chapter 5
With sudden intensity Richard leaned in a little toward the blacksmith. “You heard wolves howl?”
“No,” Victor said as he frowned in recollection, “there was just one.”
The three of them waited in silence as Richard stared off into the distance, as if he were mentally trying to fit together the pieces of some great puzzle. Nicci glanced over her shoulder at the men back near the maple tree. Some yawned as they waited. Some had found seats on a fallen log. A few were engaged in hushed conversation. Others, arms folded, leaned against the trunks of trees and watched the surrounding woods as they waited.
“It didn’t happen this morning,” Richard whispered to himself. “When I was waking up this morning, when I was still half asleep, I was really remembering what had happened the morning Kahlan disappeared.”
“The morning of the battle,” Nicci said softly in correction.
Lost in thought, Richard didn’t appear to hear her correction. “I must have been remembering, for some reason, what happened back when I woke that morning.” He turned suddenly and seized her arm. “A rooster crowed when I was being carried back to the farmhouse.”
Surprised by his abrupt change of subject, and not knowing what he was getting at, Nicci shrugged. “I suppose it could have. I don’t remember. Why?”
“There was no wind. I remember hearing the rooster crow and looking up and seeing motionless tree limbs above me. There was no wind at all. I remember how dead still it was.”
“You’re right, Lord Rahl,” Cara said. “I remember when I ran into Victor’s camp seeing the smoke from the fire going straight up because the air was dead calm. I think that was why we could hear the clash of steel and the cries from so far away—because there wasn’t even a breath of breeze to cut the sound from carrying.”
“If it helps,” the blacksmith said, “there were a few chickens roamingaround when we brought you to the farm. And you’re right, there was a rooster and it did crow. Matter of fact, we were trying not
No one commented.
Richard turned to Cara, next. “And where were you?”
Cara blinked in surprise. She had to think a moment before she could answer. “I…I’m not exactly sure.”
Richard frowned. “You’re not sure? What do you remember?”
“I was on watch. I was checking some distance out from our camp. I guess something must have aroused my concern and so I was making sure the area was clear. I caught a whiff of smoke and was starting to investigate that when I heard battle cries.”
“So you rushed back?”
Cara idly pulled her braid forward over her shoulder. She looked to be having difficulty remembering clearly. “No…” She frowned in recollection. “No, I knew what was happening—that you were being attacked—because I heard the clash of steel and men dying. I had only just realized that it was Victor and his men camped off in that direction, that it was the smoke from their campfire I smelled. I knew that I was much closer to them than you, so I thought that the smartest thing to do would be to rouse them and bring their help with me.”
“That makes sense,” Richard said. He wearily wiped beads of rain from his face.
“That’s right,” Victor said. “Cara was right there close when I heard the clash of steel as well. I remember because I was lying awake in the quiet.”
Richard’s brow drew together. He looked up. “You were awake?”
“Yes. The howl of a wolf woke me.”
Chapter 5
With sudden intensity Richard leaned in a little toward the blacksmith. “You heard wolves howl?”
“No,” Victor said as he frowned in recollection, “there was just one.”
The three of them waited in silence as Richard stared off into the distance, as if he were mentally trying to fit together the pieces of some great puzzle. Nicci glanced over her shoulder at the men back near the maple tree. Some yawned as they waited. Some had found seats on a fallen log. A few were engaged in hushed conversation. Others, arms folded, leaned against the trunks of trees and watched the surrounding woods as they waited.
“It didn’t happen this morning,” Richard whispered to himself. “When I was waking up this morning, when I was still half asleep, I was really remembering what had happened the morning Kahlan disappeared.”
“The morning of the battle,” Nicci said softly in correction.
Lost in thought, Richard didn’t appear to hear her correction. “I must have been remembering, for some reason, what happened back when I woke that morning.” He turned suddenly and seized her arm. “A rooster crowed when I was being carried back to the farmhouse.”
Surprised by his abrupt change of subject, and not knowing what he was getting at, Nicci shrugged. “I suppose it could have. I don’t remember. Why?”
“There was no wind. I remember hearing the rooster crow and looking up and seeing motionless tree limbs above me. There was no wind at all. I remember how dead still it was.”
“You’re right, Lord Rahl,” Cara said. “I remember when I ran into Victor’s camp seeing the smoke from the fire going straight up because the air was dead calm. I think that was why we could hear the clash of steel and the cries from so far away—because there wasn’t even a breath of breeze to cut the sound from carrying.”
“If it helps,” the blacksmith said, “there were a few chickens roamingaround when we brought you to the farm. And you’re right, there was a rooster and it did crow. Matter of fact, we were trying not
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