Phantom: Chainfire Trilogy Part 2

Kahlan didn't like to see anyone suffer, but she could not work up any sympathy for these two. Were it not for them, she would not be in the clutches of a man who was only counting the moments until she recovered her memory and he could begin in earnest to make her suffer what he had promised to be insufferable agony, both physically and mentally. He had promised her, more than once, that when she had her memory back he was going to impregnate her and she was going to bear him a child — a male, he always claimed. He always added a cryptic message about how when she had her memory back, she would then truly understand just what a monster such a male child would be to her.

As far as Kahlan was concerned, whatever Jagang did to those two women was not enough.

Beyond what they had done to her, by hearing bits and pieces Kahlan had put together the nature of their plot and what those two had planned to do to everyone. That alone made it impossible to treat them too brutally. If it was Kahlan's choice, though, she would simply have put them to death. Kahlan held no favor with torture; she simply believed that they did not deserve to continue to live. They had forfeited their right to live by the harm they had already done to others, and by what they planned to do to deprive everyone of their lives. By that measure, the entire army deserved to die.

Kahlan only wished that Jagang could suffer a similar fate.

"At least their army has fled," one of the senior officers said to Jagang as the emperor's horse was led away. Another man took Kahlan's mare.

The officer was missing half his left ear. It had long since healed over in a lump, becoming a distraction that was hard to ignore. Men who didn't ignore it sometimes lost an ear.

"They have no defenders left," another officer said.

"I'm sure they have gifted up there," Jagang said, "but they shouldn't present an obstacle that can stop us."

"The reports of the scouts and spies say that the road up the side is narrow — too narrow for any kind of mass assault. There is also a drawbridge that they have raised. Bringing building materials up that road, and then defending ourselves while we tried to span the chasm, would be hard to do.

"As for the great door leading to the interior way up into the plateau, it has been closed. No one entertains any faith in breaching that door. It has stood for thousands of years against any assault. Besides, the reports from the gifted say that their powers are weakened near the palace."

Jagang smiled. "I have some ideas."

The man missing part of his ear bowed his head. "Yes, Excellency."

As Jagang and his officers talked, Kahlan noticed a small cluster of men in the distance riding at breakneck speed through the camp. They were coming up from behind, from the south. At every checkpoint, the men brought their horses to a skidding halt, spoke briefly to sentries, and were ushered through.

Jagang had noticed the riders, too. His conversation with his officers dwindled away and soon all of them were watching with the emperor as the riders made it to the inner defenses and dismounted in a cloud of dust. They waited at the final ring of steel for permission to enter the emperor's compound.

When Jagang signaled, the men were brought forward. They came with haste, despite how tired they looked.

The man at their lead was a wiry fellow, older, with a hard look in his dark eyes. He saluted.

"Well," Jagang said, "what is it that's so urgent?"

"Excellency, cities in the Old World have come under attack."

"Is that so." Jagang heaved an impatient sigh. "It's those insurrectionists, mostly from Altur'Rang. Haven't they been put down yet?"

"No, Excellency, it is not insurrectionists — although they are causing trouble as well, led by one called the blacksmith. Too many places have been attacked for it to be the doings of insurrectionists."

Jagang eyed the man suspiciously. "What places have come under attack?"

The man pulled a scroll out from inside his dusty shirt. "Here is a list we have collected, so far." «"So far?" Jagang asked, arching an eyebrow as he unfurled the scroll.

"Yes, Excellency. The information is that there is a wave of destruction sweeping across the land."

Jagang scanned the long list of places on the scroll. Kahlan tried not to appear obvious as she glanced at the report out of the corner of her eye. She saw two columns of towns and cities listed. There had to be more than thirty-five or forty places written on the scroll.

"I don't know what you mean by 'sweeping across the land, " Jagang growled. "These places are all random. They're not located in a line, or cluster, or one area of the Old World. They're all over the place."

The man cleared his throat. "Yes, Excellency. That is the report."