Phantom: Chainfire Trilogy Part 2

He wanted to tell her that she didn't know the first thing about the woman he loved, the woman so dear to him. He wanted to tell her how much Kahlan meant to him, how afraid he was for her, how much he missed her, how his dread of what was being done to her kept him from being able to sleep.

He wanted to tell her that right then the Imperial Order was only one of their dire problems. But, seeing Jebra standing there trembling under the comforting shelter of Zedd's arm, he thought that there would be a better time to bring up all of those other matters.

Richard held out a hand, beckoning Jebra to come forward. Her sky blue eyes brimmed with tears. She finally, hesitantly, descended the steps toward him. He didn't know the specifics of the frightening things she had been through, but the strain of them was written all too clearly on her gaunt face. The lines there bore silent testimony to the hardships she had endured.

When she took his hand he gently covered it with his other in a small gesture of reassurance. "You've traveled a great distance and we value your help in our efforts. Please tell us what you know."

Her short sandy hair fell forward around her tear-stained face as she nodded. "I will do my best, Lord Rahl."

Under Shota's watchful eye, Richard led Jebra across the floor toward the fountain. He had her sit on the short marble wall containing the stilled water.

"You went with Queen Cyrilla back to her home," he prompted. "You were taking care of her because she was sick — driven insane by her time in the pit with all those terrible men. You were to help her to recover if she could and advise her if she did."

Jebra nodded.

"So… when she returned to her home did she begin to get better?" Richard asked, even though he knew that much of it from Kahlan.

"Yes. She was in a stupor for so long that we thought she would never get better, but after she was home for a while she finally did start to come round. At first she was only aware of those around her for brief periods. The more she recognized familiar surroundings, though, the longer those periods of clarity grew. Slowly, to everyone's joy, she seemed to come back to life. She eventually emerged from her long lethargy — like an animal coming out of hibernation. She seemed to shake off her long sleep and return to normal. She was full of energy, full of excitement to be home again."

"Queen Cyrilla was the queen of Galea," Shota said to Richard. "She inherited the crown, rather than — "

"Prince Harold," Richard finished as he looked up at the witch woman. "Cyrilla's brother was Harold. Harold declined the crown, preferring to lead the Galean army."

Shota arched an eyebrow. "You seem to know a lot about the monarchy of Galea."

"Their father was King Wyborn," Richard said. "King Wyborn was also Kahlan's father. Kahlan is half sister to Cyrilla. That is the reason I know so much about the monarchy of Galea."

If Shota was surprised to hear it, or if she didn't believe him because Kahlan was involved, she didn't betray either. She finally broke eye contact with him and went back to her pacing, allowing Jebra to continue her story.

"Cyrilla resumed her place on the thrown as if she had never left. The city seemed exhilarated to have her back. Galea had been struggling in its recovery from the horrifying time that the advance army of the Imperial Order had sacked the crown city. That attack had been a massive tragedy with tremendous loss of life.

"But with those invaders long gone the repairs of the destruction had been under way for quite some time. Even the burned buildings were being rebuilt. Businesses had started up again. Commerce had returned. People once again came to the city from all over Galea to make a better life for themselves. Families had begun to grow and knit together again. With hard work, prosperity had begun to return. With the queen back, it seemed to invigorate the spirit of the city all the more, and make the world seem right again.

"People said that lessons had been learned and such a tragedy would never happen again. To that end, new defenses were built, along with a much larger army. Cyrilla, like many of the people of Galea, put that appalling time behind her and was eager to be about the business of her land. She accepted audiences and kept her hand in many of the matters of state. She kept herself immersed in every sort of activity, from mediating trade disputes to attending formal balls where she danced with dignitaries.