Chainfire: Chainfire Trilogy Part 1

"Life is too short for you two to pretend you don't care for each other," Richard said, his anger surfacing. "You ought to realize that every moment you have together is precious and there is nothing wrong with holding someone in high regard. That's the kind of freedom we're fighting for. Well, isn't it?"

"Yes, Lord Rahl," General Meiffert said, somewhat taken aback.

"We're here because of a report you sent about a woman who was stabbed. Is she still alive?"

The young general nodded. "I haven't checked in the last hour or so, but she was, earlier. My field surgeons attended to her, but there are wounds well beyond their ability. This is one of those. She was stabbed in the gut. It's a slow and painful way to die. She's lived longer than I expected."

"Do you know her name?" Nicci asked.

"She wouldn't tell us when she was wide awake, but when she was in a fevered state, we asked again and she said her name was Tovi."

Richard glanced at Nicci before asking, "What does she look like?"

"Heavy set, older woman."

"Sounds like her," Richard said as he wiped a hand across his face. "We need to see her. Right away."

The general nodded. "Follow me, then."

"Wait," Nicci said.

Richard turned back to her. "What is it?"

"If you go in to see her, she won't tell you anything. Tovi hasn't seen me for ages. The last she knew, I was still a slave to Jagang and she had escaped. I might be able to talk to her in a way that will get the truth out of her."

Nicci could see how impatient Richard was to get his hands on one of the women that he believed was responsible for taking the woman he loved.

Nicci still didn't know what she believed. She wondered if she still believed that he was only dreaming up this other woman simply because of her own feelings.

"Richard," she said as she stepped close to him so that she could talk confidentially, "let me do this. If you go in there it will spoil what I can do. I think I can get her to talk, but if she sees you, the game will be over."

"And how do you plan to accomplish getting her to talk?"

"Look, do you want to know what happened to Kahlan, or do you want to argue about how I'm going to get that information?"

He pressed his lips tight for a moment. "I don't care if you pull her intestines out an inch at a time, just get her to talk."

Nicci briefly put a hand on his shoulder on her way by as she followed after the general. Once they were away, she moved up and walked beside him as they marched through the nearly dark camp. She could see why Cara found the man attractive. He had one of those handsome faces that just didn't look like it could wear a lie well at all.

"By the way," he said, glancing over at her, "I'm General Meiffert."

Nicci nodded. "Benjamin."

He paused in the dark pathway through the camp. "How do you know that?"

Nicci smiled. "Cara told me about you." Still, he stared at her. She took his arm and started him moving again. "And for a Mord-Sith to speak so highly of a man is quite unusual."

"Cara spoke highly of me?"

"Of course. She likes you. But you know that."

He clasped his hands behind his back as they walked. "I guess, then, that you must know that I think a lot of her."

"Of course."

"And who are you, anyway, might I ask? I'm sorry, but Lord Rahl didn't introduce us."

Nicci gave him a sidelong glance. "You may have heard of me as Death's Mistress."

General Meiffert stumbled to a stop, choking on spit from gasping. He coughed until his face was red.

"Death's Mistress?" he finally managed. "People are more afraid of you than Jagang himself."

"For good reason."

"You're the one who captured Lord Rahl, and took him to the Old World."

"That's right," she said as she started out again.

He walked along beside her, thinking it over. "Well, I'd guess that you must have changed your ways, or Lord Rahl wouldn't have you with him."

She simply smiled at him, a smooth, sly smile. It made him uneasy. He gestured to the right.

"Down here. The tent where we put her is over here."

Nicci grasped his forearm to hold him in place. She didn't want Tovi hearing her, yet.

"This is going to take a goodly amount of time. Why don't you tell Richard that I said he should get some rest. I think Cara ought to get some rest, too. Why don't you see to that, as well?"

"Ah, I guess I could do that."

"And General, if my friend Cara doesn't leave here in the morning with a giddy grin, I'll gut you alive."

His eyes widened. Nicci couldn't help but to smile.

"Figure of speech, Benjamin." She arched an eyebrow. "You have the night with her. Don't waste it."

He smiled at last. "Thank you.»

"Nicci."

"Thank you, Nicci. I think about her all the time. You don't know how much I've missed her-how much I've worried about her"

"I think I do. But you should tell her that, not me. Now, where is Tovi?"

He lifted an arm and pointed. "Down there, on the right. The last tent in the line."

Nicci nodded. "Do me a favor. See to it that no one disturbs us. Including the surgeons. I need to be alone with her."