Stone of Tears (29 page)

“Richard, what is it? What do you see?”

He stopped pacing. The expression on his face was agitated. “Trouble.” He resumed his pacing. She asked what sort of trouble, but he didn’t seem to even notice the question.

At last the hunter returned with Chandalen and his men.

“
What would make Richard With The Temper ask for me?
”

Richard shoved the piece of meat at him. “Eat this. Tell me what you see.”

Chandalen watched Richard’s eyes as he ate the strip of dried meat. Richard went back to his impatient pacing, pulling off another bite with his teeth. He chewed and paced.

Finally he could wait no longer. “Well? What do you see?”

Chandalen watched warily. “
An enemy.
”

Richard let out an exasperated breath. “Who was this man? From what people?”

“
He was Bantak, from the east.
”

Kahlan jumped up. “
Bantak!
” She hopped down off the platform and stood next to Richard. “
Bantak are peaceful. They would never attack anyone. It is against their way.
”

“
He was a Bantak,
” Chandalen repeated. “
He had black painted on his eyes. He attacked us.
” He redirected his gaze to Richard. “
At least, that is what Richard With The Temper claims.
”

Richard went back to pacing. “They’re coming,” he muttered. He stopped and grabbed Chandalen by the shoulders. “They’re coming! They’re coming to attack the Mud People!”

Chandalen frowned. “
The Bantak are not fighters. It is as the Mother Confessor says, they are peaceful. They plant crops, herd goats and sheep. We trade with them. This one that attacked us must have been sick in the head. The Bantak know the Mud People are stronger than they. They would not attack us.
”

Richard hardly heard the translation. “Get your men together. Get more men. We have to go stop them.”

Chandalen studied him. “
We have nothing to fear from the Bantak. They would not attack us.
”

Richard nearly exploded. “Chandalen, you are charged with protecting our people! I am telling you there is a threat to them! You must not ignore me in this!”

He ran his fingers through his hair, calming himself. “Chandalen, don’t you think it a little strange that one man would have attacked all of us? Would you, as brave as you are, have come into the open and attacked that many men, by yourself? You, with only a spear, and they with bows?”

Chandalen only glared. The Bird Man led the other elders off the platform and stood next to Chandalen, facing Richard. “
Tell us what our enemy has revealed to you. Tell us what you have seen.
”

“This man …” Richard held the piece of meat up in front of the Bird Man’s face. “This man, was the son of their spirit guide.”

The elders broke into worried whispers. The Bird Man didn’t move his eyes from Richard. “
Are you sure of this? Killing the son of a spirit guide is a grave offense. Even in self-defense. It would be the same if someone killed my offspring, had I one.
” He lifted an eyebrow. “
Grave enough to start a war.
”

Richard nodded hurriedly. “I know. That’s what they had planned. For some reason, they thought the Mud People were suddenly dangerous to them. To be sure, they sent the son of their spirit guide, knowing that if we killed him, it would be a sign of our hostile intent. They were planning on watching for his head on a pole, to see if they were right. If he didn’t return, and they found the head, they were going to attack.”

He waved the meat in front of the elders’ faces again. “This man, for some reason, had bitterness in his heart. He wanted there to be a war. He attacked us, knowing he would be killed, wanting it, so it would start the war, and his people could kill all the Mud People. Don’t you see? With the banquet going on, they will hear the sounds of it far out onto the plain. They will know we are not prepared to defend ourselves, that we are diverted. They are coming! Now!”

The elders all leaned back a little. The Bird Man turned to Chandalen.

“
Richard With The Temper has had a vision from our enemy. Have each of your men gather ten others. We must not allow the Bantak to harm our people. You will stop them before they reach the village.
”

Chandalen’s eyes flashed to Richard, and then back to the Bird Man. “
We will see if his vision is true. I will lead our men east. If they are coming, we will stop them.
”

“No!” Richard screamed when Kahlan translated. “They will come from the north!”

“
North!
” Chandalen glared at him. “
The Bantak live to the east, not the north. They will come from the east.
”

“They will expect you to defend to the east. They think the Mud people want to kill them. They expect it. They will flank you and come from the north!”

Chandalen folded his arms. “
The Bantak are not fighters. They do not know of such tactics. If they are going to attack us, as you say, they will simply come straight in. As you said, they will hear the banquet; they will know we will be unprepared. They have no reason to go all the way around and come in from the north. It would only slow them down for no reason.
”

Richard glared at him. “They are coming from the north.”

“
Was this part of your vision?
” the Bird Man asked. “
Did you see this too, from eating the meat?
”

Richard forced out a breath and looked down. “No. I didn’t see it with the rest of the vision.” His head snapped back up. “But I know it’s true. I don’t know how, but I know. They are coming from the north.”

The Bird Man turned to Chandalen. “
Perhaps you could split the men. Take some to the east, and some to the north.
”

Chandalen shook his head. “
No. If the vision proves true, we will need all our men together. One strike, with surprise, with all our men, and with luck, will end it. If there are enough of them, as he seems to think, then they might defeat a number that small, and then they would be upon our people before we could turn them back. Many women and children would be killed. The whole village could fall. It is too dangerous.
”

The Bird Man nodded. “
Chandalen, a vision has been presented to us. It is your job to keep our people safe. Since the vision did not say which way they would come, only that they would come, I leave it to you to protect us as you see best. You are the smartest fighter among us, I will trust your fighting judgment.
”

He frowned and leaned closer to the man. “
But know that it had better be a fighting judgment, and not a personal one.
”

Chandalen gave a nod. “
It is my opinion the Bantak would attack from the east.
” He glanced at Richard. “
If they really come.
”

Richard put a hand on Chandalen’s folded arm. “Chandalen, please listen to me.” His voice was quiet and worried. “I know you don’t like me. Maybe you are justified in your feelings. Maybe you are right that I have brought trouble to our people. But trouble is coming now, and it is coming from the north. Please, I beg you, believe me. The lives of all our people depend on this. Hate me all you want, but don’t let any of them die because of that hate.”

Richard drew the Sword of Truth and held out the hilt. “I will give you my sword. Go north. If they come from the east, and I am wrong, you may kill me with it.”

Chandalen looked down at the sword, and back up to Richard’s face. A small smile spread on his own. “
I will not let you trick me. I will not let our people be devastated, just for a chance to kill you. I would rather let you live among us, than let my people be killed. I go to the east.
” He turned and strode off, shouting instructions to his men.

Richard stood watching him go, then slid the sword back into its scabbard.

“That man is a fool,” Kahlan said.

Richard shook his head. “He is just doing what he thinks best. He wants to protect his people more than he wants to kill me. If I had to pick one man to fight beside me, as much as he hates me, it would be him. I am the fool, for not being able to make him see the truth.” He turned to her. “I have to go north. I have to stop them.”

Kahlan looked around. “There are some other men here. We will gather all we can and—”

He shook his head, cutting her off. “No. There wouldn’t be enough. Besides, we need every man able to hold a bow or spear here, to defend the village if I fail. The elders must go on with the banquet. We must have the gathering. That is what is most important. I will go alone. I am the Seeker. Maybe I can stop them. Maybe they will listen to one man, see that he isn’t so much of a threat.”

“All right. Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

“Why?”

“I have to put on my Confessor’s dress.”

“You’re not going!”

“I have to. You can’t speak their language.”

“Kahlan, I don’t want …”

“Richard!” She snatched a fistful of his shirt. “I am the Mother Confessor! There will be no war under my nose while I have a say in it! You will wait here!”

She released his shirt and stormed off. The Mother Confessor didn’t wait for answers to her instructions, she expected them to be carried out. She suddenly regretted yelling at Richard, but she was furious at Chandalen for not listening.

She was furious, too, at the Bantak. She had been to their village before and always found them to be a gentle people. Whatever their reasons, as long as she was around, there was going to be no war. The Mother Confessor was supposed to stop wars, not sit by and watch them start. This was her responsibility, her job, not Richard’s.

At Savidlin and Weselan’s home, in the dark with all the noise going on outside, she slipped into her white Confessor’s dress. All Confessors wore a dress cut the same, square at the neck, long, simple, free of embellishment, and satiny smooth, but of black fabric.

Only the Mother Confessor’s was white. It was a mantle of power. In the dress, she was not Kahlan Amnell; she was the Mother Confessor, a symbol of the power of truth. With all the other Confessors now dead, the weight of defending the Midlands, those without power, was upon her shoulders.

It made her feel different now to wear the dress. Before, it had seemed the normal thing to do. Now, since she had met Richard, it seemed a heavier responsibility. Before, she had always felt alone in her job, but now, with him, she felt more of a connection to the people of the Midlands, more one of them, more responsible to them. She knew now what it was to love someone, and to fear for him. She was not going to allow anyone to start a war, not as long as she was the Mother Confessor. She grabbed their heavy cloaks and went back through the passageways to the festivities.

The elders were standing in front of their platform, where she had left them. Richard was still waiting. She tossed his cloak to him and addressed the elders.

“
Tomorrow night is the gathering. It must go on. We will be back well before then.
” She turned to the wives. “
Weselan, we wish to be married the next day. I’m sorry there isn’t more time to prepare, but we must leave as soon as it is done. We must go to Aydindril. We must stop the threat to the Mud People and everyone else.
”

Weselan smiled. “
Your dress will be ready. I wish we could give you a big wedding feast, but we understand.
”

The Bird Man put a hand on her shoulder. “
If Chandalen is wrong … Be careful. The Bantak are peaceful, but maybe things have changed. Tell them we wish their people no harm. We do not want war with them.
”

Kahlan nodded and flung her cloak around her shoulders as she started off. “Let’s go.”

He fell in beside her without objection. Without speaking, they left the village and went north out onto the flat, open grasslands. As they walked, the sounds of the people and boldas and drums faded steadily into a night. The moon wasn’t near full, but it gave them enough light to see by as they walked through the waist high, dry grass. Hopefully, it was dark enough to make them poor targets.

Richard finally glanced over. “Kahlan, I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For forgetting who you are. That you are the Mother Confessor, and that this is your job. I was just worried for you.”

She was surprised by his apology. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. I shouldn’t have done that. I just don’t want there to be any fighting. I’m supposed to keep the people of the Midlands from fighting. It makes me angry when they insist on killing one another. Richard, I’m so tired of seeing people killed. I thought it was over. I can’t bear it anymore. I swear I can’t.”

He put an arm around her. “I know. Me, too.” He gave her shoulder a squeeze as they walked. “The Mother Confessor will put a stop to it.” He looked over. She thought he was frowning, but it was too dark to be sure. “With my help.”

She grinned. “With your help.” She leaned her head against him a moment. “From now on, always with your help.”

They walked a long way from the village without seeing anything but the black ground and starlit sky. Richard would stop once in awhile to watch the surrounding grassland, and take out a few of Nissel’s leaves to chew. Sometime past the middle of the night they came to a slight depression in the landscape. He looked around again and then decided they should wait where they were. It would be better for the Bantak to come upon them, he said, than for the two of them to walk into a surprise.

Richard flattened out a small patch of grass and they sat down to wait. They each took turns taking little naps while the other watched to the north. With her hand over his, she watched him sleep and scanned the horizon, and thought about all the times they had done this before, one standing watch, the other sleeping. She longed for the day they could just sleep, and not have to watch. Sleep together. It would happen, she decided, soon enough. Richard would figure out how to close the veil and then it would be over. They could be at peace.

Kahlan slept nuzzled against him with her cloak wrapped tight against the cold. His warmth made her all the more sleepy. She began to wonder if he were right, if the Bantak would come from the north. If they came from the east, there would be a lot of killing. Chandalen would show no mercy. She didn’t want the Mud People to be hurt, but she didn’t want the Bantak hurt either. They, too, were her people. She drifted into worried sleep, her last thoughts of Richard.

He brought her awake, pressing his arm around her and his hand over her mouth. The sky was just beginning to lighten to their right, to the east. Thin wisps of dark purple clouds bunched near the horizon, as if trying to mask the sunrise with their dark hue. Richard was watching to the north. She was lower than he, and couldn’t see anything, but she knew by the tenseness of his muscles that someone was coming.

They lay still, close to the ground, waiting. Gentle breezes rustled the dry grass around them. Kahlan quietly, slowly, slid the cloak from her shoulders. She didn’t want there to be any mistake about who she was. The Bantak would recognize her long hair, but she wanted them to see her Confessor’s dress, too. She didn’t want there to be any doubt who she was and that she was here as the Mother Confessor. Richard shrugged his cloak off his shoulders. Shadows slid through the grass around them.

When there seemed to be men all around, the two of them stood up. Men with spears and bows closest leapt back and screamed yells of surprise. The Bantak were spread out in a long, thin line, advancing toward the Mud People’s village. There were excited shouts.

Men swept in from the line, a few surrounding them, most bunched in front. Kahlan stood tall, her hands at her sides. She wore her Confessor’s face, a calm that showed nothing, as her mother had taught her. Richard was tight at her side, his hand on the hilt of his sword. Most of the men, in simple hide clothes trimmed with grass, leveled weapons at the two of them. They were clearly nervous about doing so.

“
You would dare to threaten the Mother Confessor?
” She called out. “
Lower your weapons. Now.
”

Eyes flicked around, looking to see if the two of them were alone. The men seemed to become less sure about pointing spears and arrows at the Mother Confessor; they were doing something unheard of, and they knew it. They looked as if they couldn’t decide to keep doing what they were doing, or drop their weapons and fall to their knees. A few of them crouched lower, in half bows.

Kahlan took an aggressive stride toward them. “
Now!
”

The men flinched, cowering back a little. The points of all the weapons moved from her—to Richard. They appeared to hope this would be an acceptable compromise. It was not what she had expected.

She stepped in front of Richard. All the weapons were once again pointing at her.

“What do you think you are doing,” he whispered to the back of her head.

“Just stay quiet. Let me try to do this. We don’t have a chance if we can’t get them to lower their weapons and talk.”

“Why are they doing this? I thought everyone was afraid of the Mother Confessor?”

“They are afraid, but they are used to seeing a wizard with me. They may be more bold because they don’t see one now. Even so, they shouldn’t be doing this.” She took another step forward. “
Who speaks for the Bantak? Who among you takes responsibility for allowing the Bantak to threaten the Mother Confessor?
”

Not being able to point their weapons at Richard with her in the way, the Bantak lost a bit of their confidence and lowered the points a little. Not all the way, but a little.

At last, an old man approached, pushing through, stopping in front of her. He wore simple hide clothes like the other men, but around his neck hung a gold medallion worked with Bantak symbols. She knew him. He was Ma Ban Grid, the Bantak’s spirit guide. His scowl made his heavily wrinkled loose skin seem even more deeply creased than she remembered. She also didn’t remember him scowling like this; she remembered only his easy smile.

“
I speak for the Bantak,
” Ma Ban Grid said. He had only two bottom teeth in front. His jaw wobbled easily with the difficult-to-pronounce Bantak words. He glanced at Richard. “
Who is this one?
”

Kahlan returned Ma Ban Grid’s scowl. “
Now Ma Ban Grid would question the Mother Confessor before she is welcomed before his eyes?
”

The Bantak men shuffled their feet uneasily. Ma Ban Grid did not. His gaze was solid and unwavering. “
These are not right times. These are not our lands. We are not here to welcome visitors before the eyes of the Bantak. We have come to kill the Mud People.
”

“
Why?
”

Ma Ban Grid peered down his nose at her. “
They have invited war, as our spirit brethren have warned us they would. They have proven it by killing one of mine. We must kill them before they can kill us all.
”

“
There will be no war! There will be no killing! I am the Mother Confessor and I will not allow it! The Bantak will suffer by my hand if they do this!
”

The band of men broke into worried whispers and moved back a pace. The spirit guide stood his ground.

“
The spirit brethren have also told me that the Mother Confessor no longer holds command over the people of the Midlands. They say that as proof, she has been stripped of the company of a wizard.
” He gave her a smug look. “
I see no wizard. As always, the spirits speak true to Ma Ban Grid.
”

Kahlan stared speechless at the old man.

Richard leaned toward her. “What are they saying?” Kahlan told him what Ma Ban Grid had said. He stepped up next to her. “I want to speak to them. Translate for me?”

Kahlan gave a nod. “They wanted to know who you are. I didn’t tell them.”

Richard’s eyes turned cold with menace. “I will let them know who I am.” His voice took on the same cold quality as his eyes. “And they aren’t going to like it.”

He turned his hawklike glare on the men, deliberately ignoring Ma Ban Grid, and she saw in those eyes the rage of the sword’s magic. He was calling the magic forth even as the sword sat in its scabbard. “You men are following an old fool, an old fool by the name of Ma Ban Grid, who is not wise enough to know true spirits from false spirits.” The men gasped at the insult. Richard turned his penetrating gaze to Ma Ban Grid. “Is this not true, old fool?”

Ma Ban Grid stammered with anger a moment before he could get any words out. “
Who are you to dare to insult me like this!
”

Richard glared at him. “Your false spirits told you the Mud People killed one of yours. The false spirits lied to you, and you, in your foolishness, believed them.”

“
Lie! We found his head! The mud people killed him! They want war with us! We will kill them all. Every last one! They have killed one of mine!
”

“I am growing tired of talking to one as stupid as you, old man. The Bantak are a witless people if they put one such as you in charge of talking to the spirit brethren.”

“Richard, what are you doing?” she whispered.

“Translate.”

When she did, Ma Ban Grid’s face reddened more with each word. He looked ready to burst into flames.

Richard leaned closer to him. “The Mud People didn’t kill the one that was yours. I did.”

“Richard! I can’t tell them that. They will kill us.”

He continued to glare at Ma Ban Grid as he spoke softly to her. “Something is frightening these people into doing this. They are going to kill us and then go and kill a lot of the Mud People unless I can make them even more frightened of us. Translate.”

She let out a noisy breath at him and then told the Bantak what Richard had said. The weapons came back up.

“
You! You killed one of mine!
”

Richard shrugged. “Yes.” He pointed at his forehead. “I put an arrow right here. One arrow. Right here. Right through his head, as he was about to put his spear in the back of a man. A man who had no hate in his heart for the Bantak. I killed him as I would kill a coyote sneaking up to steal one of my lambs. One who would take a life by such cowardice deserves to die. One who would listen to false spirits, and send one of his own to do such a thing, does not deserve to lead a people.”

“
We will kill you!
”

“Really? Maybe you will try, but you cannot kill me.” Richard turned his back to the old man and walked about twenty paces away, the men opening up to let him pass. He turned back. “I used one arrow to kill one of yours. Use one arrow to try to kill me, and we will see who the good spirits protect. Pick any man you wish. Have him do to me as I did to yours. Shoot me with an arrow.” He pointed angrily at his forehead again. “Right here, where I shot the coward who would kill for false spirits!”

“Richard! Have you lost your mind? I’m not going to tell them to shoot you.”

“Kahlan, I can do this. I can feel it.”

“You did it once. What if it doesn’t work this time? I’m not going to stand here and let you be killed.”

“Kahlan, if we don’t stop these people, here, now, both of us are going to be killed, and then the Keeper is going to escape. Tonight is the gathering; that is what’s important. I’m using the Wizard’s First Rule; the first step to believing is wanting to believe something is true, or being afraid it is. Up until now, they have been believing something because they wanted to. I have to make them afraid that what I am going to say is true.”

“What are you going to say?”

“Hurry up. Translate before I lose their interest and they decide to kill us and then go after the Mud People.”

She turned back to Ma Ban Grid and, reluctantly, translated. The men all started shouting that they wanted to be the one to shoot the arrow. Ma Ban Grid’s eyes moved among them as they yelled and waved their arms.

He smiled. “
All you men may shoot this evil one who has killed one of mine. Everyone! Shoot him!
”

The bows came up. Richard glared. “Coward! Do you men see how foolish this old man is? He knows he listens to false spirits! He would have you listen to them also! He knows the good spirits protect me in my challenge. He is afraid to have you see he is a fool. This proves it!”

Ma Ban Grid’s jaw tightened. He held his arm up for his men to halt. At last he turned to a man with a bow and snatched it from his hands. “
I will show you the spirits I hear are true! You will die for killing one of mine! For saying our spirit brethren are false spirits!
”

He drew a poison arrow back and in a blink shot it at Richard. A cheer rose from the men. Kahlan’s breath caught in her throat. She went cold with fear.

Richard snatched the arrow out of the air right in front of his face.

The men gasped and then fell silent as Richard marched back to the spirit guide, the arrow in his hand, and fire in his eyes. He stopped before Ma Ban Grid and snapped the arrow in front of his face to the sound of fearful murmurs.