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Authors: Terry Goodkind
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being allowed to “keep” Kahlan in a new light; it was the kindest thing she could think to do for him: allowing him to have the one he loved, despite her concern for the danger to his heart.
“ You’ll have to wait in line,” Kahlan said.
Cara at last grinned. “Let us pray to the good spirits that we never have to fight over first rights.”
“ I have a better idea: let’s keep harm from reaching him in the first place. But remember, when we get up there, that we don’t know for sure who this Nadine is. If she is a Sister of the Dark, she is a very dangerous woman. But we don’t know for sure that she is. She might be a dignitary: a woman of rank and importance. It could even be that she’s nothing more than a rich nobleman’s daughter. Maybe he banished her poor, farmboy lover, and she’s simply looking for him. I don’t want you harming an innocent person. Let’s just keep our heads.”
“ I’m not a monster, Mother Confessor.”
“ I know. I didn’t mean to say that you were. I just don’t want our desire to protect Richard to make us lose our heads. That includes me. Now, let’s get up to Petitioners’ Hall.”
Cara frowned. “Why would we go there? Why not go to Nadine’s room?”
Kahlan started up the second flight, two steps at a time. “There are two hundred eighty-eight guest rooms in the Confessors’ Palace, divided among six separate wings at distant points. I was distracted before, and didn’t think to tell the guards where to put her, so we have to go ask.”
Cara shouldered open the door at the top of the stairs and, head swiveling, entered the hall ahead of Kahlan, as she liked to do in order to check the way for trouble.
“ Seems a poor design. Why would guest rooms be separated?”
Kahlan gestured to a corridor branching to the left. “This way is shorter.” She slowed as two guards stepped aside to make way for them, and then quickened her pace along the deep blue carpet running down the hall. “The guest rooms are separated because many diplomats visited the palace on business with the council, and if the wrong diplomats are placed too close together, they could become very undiplomatic. Keeping peace among allies was sometimes a delicate balancing game. That included accommodations.”
“ But there are all the palaces—for the representatives of the lands—on Kings Row.”
Kahlan grunted cynically. “Part of the game.”
When they entered Petitioners’ Hall, everyone went to their knees again. Kahlan had to give them the formal acknowledgment before she could speak with the captain. He told her where he had put Nadine, and she was about to leave when a boy, one of the group of Ja’La players waiting patiently in the hall, snatched the floppy wool hat from his head of blond hair and bolted toward them.
The captain caught sight of him trotting across the room. “He’s waiting to see Lord Rahl. Probably wants him to come watch another game.” The captain smiled to himself. “I told him it would be all right if he waited, but that I couldn’t promise that Lord Rahl could see him.” He shrugged self-consciously. “Least I could do. I was at the game, yesterday, with a crowd of soldiers. The boy and his team won me three silver marks.”
Hat crushed in both little fists, the boy genuflected on the other side of the marble railing from Kahlan.
“ Mother Confessor, we’d like to … well … if it’s no trouble we …” His voice trailed off as he gulped air.
Kahlan smiled encouragement. “Don’t be afraid. What’s your name?”
“ Yonick, Mother Confessor.”
“ I’m sorry, Yonick, but Richard can’t come watch another game just now. We’re busy at the moment. Perhaps tomorrow. I know we both enjoyed it, and we would very much like to come watch again, but on another day.”
He shook his head. “It’s not about that. It’s my brother, Kip.” He twisted his hat. “He’s sick. I was wondering if … well, if Lord Rahl could come do
“ You’ll have to wait in line,” Kahlan said.
Cara at last grinned. “Let us pray to the good spirits that we never have to fight over first rights.”
“ I have a better idea: let’s keep harm from reaching him in the first place. But remember, when we get up there, that we don’t know for sure who this Nadine is. If she is a Sister of the Dark, she is a very dangerous woman. But we don’t know for sure that she is. She might be a dignitary: a woman of rank and importance. It could even be that she’s nothing more than a rich nobleman’s daughter. Maybe he banished her poor, farmboy lover, and she’s simply looking for him. I don’t want you harming an innocent person. Let’s just keep our heads.”
“ I’m not a monster, Mother Confessor.”
“ I know. I didn’t mean to say that you were. I just don’t want our desire to protect Richard to make us lose our heads. That includes me. Now, let’s get up to Petitioners’ Hall.”
Cara frowned. “Why would we go there? Why not go to Nadine’s room?”
Kahlan started up the second flight, two steps at a time. “There are two hundred eighty-eight guest rooms in the Confessors’ Palace, divided among six separate wings at distant points. I was distracted before, and didn’t think to tell the guards where to put her, so we have to go ask.”
Cara shouldered open the door at the top of the stairs and, head swiveling, entered the hall ahead of Kahlan, as she liked to do in order to check the way for trouble.
“ Seems a poor design. Why would guest rooms be separated?”
Kahlan gestured to a corridor branching to the left. “This way is shorter.” She slowed as two guards stepped aside to make way for them, and then quickened her pace along the deep blue carpet running down the hall. “The guest rooms are separated because many diplomats visited the palace on business with the council, and if the wrong diplomats are placed too close together, they could become very undiplomatic. Keeping peace among allies was sometimes a delicate balancing game. That included accommodations.”
“ But there are all the palaces—for the representatives of the lands—on Kings Row.”
Kahlan grunted cynically. “Part of the game.”
When they entered Petitioners’ Hall, everyone went to their knees again. Kahlan had to give them the formal acknowledgment before she could speak with the captain. He told her where he had put Nadine, and she was about to leave when a boy, one of the group of Ja’La players waiting patiently in the hall, snatched the floppy wool hat from his head of blond hair and bolted toward them.
The captain caught sight of him trotting across the room. “He’s waiting to see Lord Rahl. Probably wants him to come watch another game.” The captain smiled to himself. “I told him it would be all right if he waited, but that I couldn’t promise that Lord Rahl could see him.” He shrugged self-consciously. “Least I could do. I was at the game, yesterday, with a crowd of soldiers. The boy and his team won me three silver marks.”
Hat crushed in both little fists, the boy genuflected on the other side of the marble railing from Kahlan.
“ Mother Confessor, we’d like to … well … if it’s no trouble we …” His voice trailed off as he gulped air.
Kahlan smiled encouragement. “Don’t be afraid. What’s your name?”
“ Yonick, Mother Confessor.”
“ I’m sorry, Yonick, but Richard can’t come watch another game just now. We’re busy at the moment. Perhaps tomorrow. I know we both enjoyed it, and we would very much like to come watch again, but on another day.”
He shook his head. “It’s not about that. It’s my brother, Kip.” He twisted his hat. “He’s sick. I was wondering if … well, if Lord Rahl could come do
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