Blood of the Fold (72 page)

“
We forgive you, Lord Rahl,” Cara said. Raina nodded her agreement. “Thank you.”

“
What happened down there, Lord Rahl?” Raina asked.

“
We had a talk about friendship,” Berdine answered.

At the base of the Keep road, where the city of Aydindril started and other roads joined to come into the city, stood a small market, nothing like the one on Stentor Street, but it looked to serve those arriving with a variety of goods.

As Richard was moving past, with his five bodyguards around him and his escort of troops marching behind, something caught his eye in the fading light and he came to a halt before a small, rickety table.

“
Would you like one of your honey cakes, Lord Rahl?” a small, familiar voice asked.

Richard smiled down at the little girl. “How many do you still owe me?”

The girl turned. “Grandmamma?”

The old woman rose to her feet, clutching the tattered blanket to herself as her faded blue eyes fixed on Richard.

“
My, my,” she said with a grin, showing the gaps from missing teeth. “Lord Rahl can have as many as he wants, dear.” She bowed her head. “So good to see you well, my Lord Rahl.”

“
You, too …” He waited for her name.

“
Valdora,” she said. She stroked a hand down the little girl’s light brown hair. “And this is Holly.”

“
Pleased to see you again, Valdora and Holly. What are you doing here instead of Stentor Street?”

Valdora shrugged under her blanket. “With the new Lord Rahl making the city safe, more people are coming all the time, and perhaps there will even be activity at the Wizard’s Keep once again. We hope to catch some of these new people.”

“
Well, I don’t think I’d put my hopes in the Keep thriving again any time soon, but you will certainly have first chance at those come new to Aydindril.” Richard surveyed the cakes on her table. “How many do I still have coming?”

Valdora chuckled. “I would have a lot of baking to do to catch up with what we owe you, Lord Rahl.”

Richard winked at her. “Tell you what. If I could have one for these five friends of mine, and one for myself, we will bargain it as even.”

Valdora’s gaze passed over his five guards. She bowed her head again. “Done, Lord Rahl. You have brought me more satisfaction than you could know.”

As Verna hurried toward the gate to the Prelate’s compound, she noticed Kevin Andellmere standing guard in the darkness. She was impatient to get to the sanctuary, to tell Ann that she had at last figured it out, and she now knew almost every one of the Sisters loyal to the Light, but she hadn’t seen Kevin in weeks. Despite her heart-pounding rush, she stopped.

“
Kevin, is that you?”

The young soldier bowed. “Yes, Prelate.”

“
I haven’t seen you around for quite a time, have I?”

“
No, Prelate. Bollesdun, Walsh, and I were called back to our command.”

“
Why?”

Kevin shifted his weight. “I’m not sure, exactly. My commander was curious about the spell over the palace, I think. I’ve known him for near to fifteen years, and he’s aged. He wanted to see with his own eyes if it were true that we hadn’t. He said Bollesdun, Walsh, and I look the same as we did when he first saw us, fifteen years ago. He said he had doubted it when he heard it said, but he believed it, now. He had his commanders who knew us come look for themselves.”

Verna felt her forehead break out with beads of perspiration. With a cold wash of understanding, she knew why the emperor was coming to the Palace of the Prophets. She had to tell the Prelate. There was no time to lose.

“
Kevin, are you a loyal soldier of the Empire, of the Imperial Order?”

Kevin slid his hand up on his pike. His voice hesitated. “Yes, Prelate. I mean, when the Order conquered my homeland, I had little choice; I was made a soldier in the Order. I fought for a time up north, near the wilds. Then, when the Order took over our kingdom, I was told I was a soldier for the Order, and assigned to the palace.

“
Can’t get a better guard job than this. I’m glad to be back guarding your compound. Bollesdun and Walsh are glad to be back, too, to their posts at the Prophet’s compound.

“
My officers have always treated me decent, at least, and I always get paid. It’s not much, but it always comes, and I see plenty of people who have no work, and have a hard time eating.”

Verna put a gentle hand to his arm. “Kevin, what do you think of Richard?”

“
Richard?” A grin came over his face. “I liked Richard. He bought me expensive chocolates for me to give my lady.”

“
Is that all he means to you? Chocolates?”

He scratched his eyebrow. “No … I didn’t mean it that way. Richard was … a good man.”

“
Do you know why he bought you those chocolates?”

“
Because he was nice. He cared about people.”

Verna nodded. “Yes, he did. He hoped that by giving you chocolates, when the time came for him to escape, it would make you see him as a friend and keep you from fighting him so he wouldn’t have to kill you. He didn’t want you as an enemy trying to kill him.”

“
Kill him? Prelate, I would never have—”

“
If he hadn’t been kind to you, you might have been loyal to the palace first, and tried to stop him.”

He glanced to the ground. “I’ve seen him use his sword. I guess the gift was more than chocolates.”

“
That it was. Kevin, if a times comes, and you have to choose—Richard, or the Order—which would you choose?”

His face twisted in discomfort. “Prelate, I’m a soldier.” He let out a groan. “But Richard is a friend. I guess that if I had to, I’d be hard-pressed to raise a weapon against a friend. Any of the palace guard would be. They all like him.”

She squeezed his arm. “Be loyal to your friends, Kevin, and you will be all right. Be loyal to Richard, and it will save you.”

He nodded. “Thank you, Prelate. But I don’t fear I will have to choose.”

“
Kevin, listen to me. The emperor is an evil man.” Kevin didn’t say anything. “You just remember that. And keep my words to yourself, will you?”

“
Yes, Prelate.”

As Verna marched into her outer office, Phoebe came halfway out of her chair when she saw her. “Good evening, Prelate.”

“
I have to pray for guidance, Phoebe. No visitors.”

Something Kevin had said abruptly snagged in her mind. It didn’t make sense. “Guards Bollesdun and Walsh have been assigned to the Prophet’s compound. We don’t have a prophet. Find out why they’re there and who ordered it, and give me a report first thing in the morning.” Verna shook a finger. “First thing.”

“
Verna—” Phoebe sank back into her chair and looked down to her desk. Sister Dulcinia turned her white face away, putting her attention to her reports. “Verna, there are some Sisters here to see you. They wait inside.”

“
I gave no one permission to wait in my office!”

Phoebe didn’t look up. “I know, Prelate, but—”

“
I’ll see to this. Thank you, Phoebe.”

Verna was masked in a furious scowl as she stormed into her office. No one was allowed in her office without her explicit permission. She didn’t have time to waste with nonsense. She had figured out how to tell the Sisters of the Light from the Sisters of the Dark, and she knew why Emperor Jagang was coming to Tanimura, to the Palace of the Prophets. She had to send a message to Ann. She had to know what she was to do.

She saw the figures of four women in the dark room as she closed the distance. “What is the meaning of this!”

Verna recognized Sister Leoma as she stepped forward into the candlelight.

And then, in a blinding flash of pain, the world went black.

“
Do as I say, Nathan.”

He leaned down toward her, quite a distance, considering their difference in height, and gnashed his teeth. “You could at least give me access to my Han! How can I protect you?”

Ann watched in the darkness as the column of five hundred men followed the Lord Rahl up the street. “I don’t want you to protect me. We can’t take the chance. You know what to do. You must not interfere until he has rescued me, or we won’t have a chance of capturing one so dangerous.”

“
What if he doesn’t ‘rescue’ you?”

Ann tried not to think of that possibility. She tried not to think of what was going to happen even if events took the correct fork. “Must I now lecture a prophet on prophecy? You must let it happen. Afterward, I will remove the block. Now, take the horses to a stable for the night. Make sure they are well fed.”

Nathan snatched the reins from her. “Have it your way, woman.” He turned back. “You had better hope that I never get this collar off, or we are going to have a very long talk. You won’t be able to do a proper job of holding up your end of the conversation, though, because you will be bound and gagged at the time.”

Ann chuckled. “Nathan, you’re a good man. I trust in you. You must trust in me.”

He shook a finger at her. “If you get yourself killed …”

“
I know, Nathan.”

He growled. “And they say I’m the one who is mad.” He turned back to her. “At least you could get yourself something to eat. You haven’t eaten all day. There’s a market just over there. Promise me you will at least have something to eat.”

“
I’m not—”

“
Promise me!”

Ann sighed. “All right, Nathan. If it will make you happy, I will have something to eat. But I’m not very hungry.” He lifted a finger in admonition. “I said I promise. Now go on.”

After he had finally stormed off with the horses, she proceeded on toward the Keep. Her stomach churned with the fear of walking into a prophecy blind. She didn’t like the idea of going to the Keep again, but she liked it even less considering the prophecy involved. Still, she had to do this. It was the only way.

“
Honey cake, ma’am? They’re only a penny, and quite good.”

Verna looked down at a little girl in big coat standing behind a rickety table. Honey cake. Well, she hadn’t promised what she would eat. A honey cake would do.

Ann smiled at the pretty face. “All alone out here at night?”

The girl turned and pointed. “No, m’lady, my grandmamma is here with me.”

A squat woman was curled up, all covered over in a tattered blanket, apparently asleep. Verna fished around in a pocket and pulled out a coin.

“
A silver for you, my dear. You look to need it more than I.”

“
Oh, thank you, m’lady.” She pulled a honey cake from under the table. “Please take this one. It’s one of the special ones, with the most honey. I save them for the nicest people to stop at my stand.”

Ann smiled as she took the honey cake. “Well, thank you, my dear.”

As Ann started up the road to the Keep, the little girl began packing up her things.

Ann savored the sweet honey cake as she eyed the people milling about the small market, looking for one who would be trouble. She didn’t see any who looked dangerous, but she knew one was. She put her attention back to the road. What would be, would be. She wondered if it would really ease the anxiety if she knew how it would come. Probably not.

In the darkness, no one saw her take the road to the Keep, and at last she was alone. She wished Nathan were with her, but in a way, it was nice to be alone at last, if only for a brief time. It did give her time, without Nathan’s presence, to think about her life, and what changes this would mean. So many years.