The Third Kingdom

Richard slumped back against the wall, resting his forearms over his knees. He was exhausted from the captivity, the pain of the Agiel, and with worry. He was weak from lack of food.

Worse, he was getting weaker from the inner poison.

“Lord Rahl?”

Richard’s head came up. He thought he heard a voice call his name. It was distant, and rather muffled coming through the wavering, greenish underworld wall, but he thought that it sounded like Samantha’s voice.

CHAPTER

73

“Lord Rahl?”

It was closer the second time. He was sure that it was Samantha’s voice.

Richard stood in a rush.

“Lord Rahl?”

That time the voice was right outside his prison cell door.

“Samantha? Samantha, is that you?”

“Lord Rahl! Lord Rahl! Are you all right?”

“Yes! I’m trapped in here. I can’t get out. They stuck me in here behind a veil to the underworld.”

“I know.”

“How in the world did you find me?”

“A woman in red leather saw me hiding in the rocks just outside the caves where they took you.”

“Red leather? And she didn’t take you captive?”

“I thought she was going to snatch me for sure and give me to all those half people. Most of them had already passed by near where I was hiding. She was coming from the caves to catch up with the men leading the half people.

“But when she spotted me, she instead signaled for me to stay where I was, to stay out of sight, and wait. I couldn’t imagine why. I was afraid and didn’t know if I could trust her, but I didn’t know what else to do. If I came out, then the others would snatch me for sure.

“But then, after a time, when everyone had moved on, she came back.”

“And she didn’t capture you?”

Samantha was quiet for a moment. “No. I don’t know why not. She stared at me for a long time, thinking about something, I guess. I stood there trembling, imagining she was going to feed me to the half people I’d just seen go by. Then, the strangest thing happened. She bent down and told me where you were.”

Richard was stunned. “So, she’s with you, then? She helped you get down here?”

“No, she only told me where you were being held. It looked like she had a hard time of deciding to do that much. After that, she went to catch up with the others.”

“Do you know where the others were going?”

“Most of them seem to be headed south, back toward the gates we came through. They had so many Shun-tuk with them that it looked like the ground was moving. I couldn’t see all of them, or tell if they were all moving south. I watched for what seemed like all day as they kept coming past. But I do know that some of the half people stayed behind.”

“So, there are still half people here, in the caves?”

“Yes. Lots of them. It took me a long time to work my way down here,” she said, sounding frantic. “There’re all over in these caves. Sometimes I had to wait hours for them to leave.”

“Where are they now?”

“I don’t know for sure. I know that they patrol the passageways. Lord Rahl, you have to get out of there! The half people will come back through here soon. They haunt these caves like ghosts. I can’t stay here—they’ll get me. You have to get out! You have to get out now!”

Richard threw his hands up in frustration. “I can’t, Samantha. The half people have the ability to banish the green veil, but I don’t. I don’t have a way out or I would already be out. I’m trapped in here.”

“Lord Rahl, I can’t stay here. The caves are full of half people. If I stay I’ll be caught and—”

“Listen to me, Samantha, you need to run. You’re right. You can’t stay out there or you’ll be caught. Get out of here. Get out now.”

“I need you to come with me.”

Richard raked his fingers back through his hair as he growled in anger. “Samantha—”

“I found some of the others.”

“What?”

“When I was looking for you, I found some of the soldiers. I talked to them like I’m talking to you. They’re trapped, too, on the other side of greenish underworld veils.” There was a long pause. “Lord Rahl,” she said, her voice starting to choke with tears, “I talked to my mother.”

Richard froze. “Dear spirits,” he whispered, not wanting her to hear him.

“Lord Rahl, please, I need you to help me get her out. I can’t do it. I need you.”

Richard’s hands fisted as his jaw clenched. He told himself to stay calm, to think. He had to tell her the brutal truth.

“Samantha, you need to get away. I’m stuck. I can’t get out. Save yourself. Your mother would want you to save yourself, to live.”

“I know. That’s what she told me. But I can’t just give up.”

Richard leaned his hands on the wall beside the wavering green light. When he came close, the spirits of the dead on the other side became more agitated and pressed against the green wall, trying to get out, trying to get at him.

Richard stared at them for a moment. He was one of them, in a way. He had death inside him. He was of the third kingdom. He was both life and death together. And yet, he was trapped by death in the world of life.

“Lord Rahl…”

He could hear her weeping softly.

He was her only hope.

“I’m sorry, Samantha, but I don’t have a way to get out.”

“But you have to. You’re the one.”