The Third Kingdom

“The people from beyond that wall aren’t like us,” Richard said. “They’re a kind of cannibal.”

She frowned in confusion. “A kind of cannibal? What do you mean? How can there be different kinds?”

“They eat living people, eat them while they are still alive, to try to steal their souls,” Samantha said.

Ester gasped but said nothing. She looked at a complete loss for words.

“Those from beyond the wall,” Richard told the woman, “attacked my friends who were taking us back to the People’s Palace. They were also the ones who killed Samantha’s father and likely took her mother. I think that my friends and Samantha’s mother may still be alive. We’re going in there, beyond the north wall, to try to get them back out.”

Ester looked at Samantha before looking back at Richard. “Are you serious? Do you so soon forget Henrik’s story? They attacked a whole column of your elite troops, your personal guard from the palace, and overpowered them, and you think that you two can go in there alone and not be slaughtered the moment you step through the north gate?”

That same thought had occurred to Richard.

“He won’t be alone,” Samantha said. “I’ll be with him.”

“Sometimes it’s safer to be few in number,” Richard said. “We won’t be noticed the way a whole column of troops would be.”

“Lord Rahl, far be it from me to tell you your business, but you were alone when those two men attacked you, and had we not come along when we did you would be dead now.”

Richard sighed as he rose up from beside Kahlan. “I know. But there’s no choice. It’s something I have to do. This threat could kill people in numbers beyond your ability to imagine. I’m the Lord Rahl. I have to do what is necessary to protect all the people of the New World.”

Ester dipped her head. “I can’t argue with the word of the Lord Rahl.” Ester gestured at Samantha. “But why is she going?”

“Because she is stubborn,” Richard said.

For the first time, a small smile touched Ester’s lips. “I see you have gotten to know her.”

“I have the gift,” Samantha said in her own defense. “Lord Rahl and the Mother Confessor are sick with Jit’s touch of death in them and their magic doesn’t work. I can at least help Lord Rahl with my gift. And if we can get my mother out, then she can help him, too.”

Ester considered briefly. “I see. That’s very brave of you … Samantha. Well, what can we do to help, Lord Rahl?”

“You can watch over Kahlan for me and when she wakes up tell her what’s happening. I’ll be back as soon as I can get my friends out. Then we must rush back to the People’s Palace so that they can cure us of the Hedge Maid’s deadly touch. After that, I will deal with the threat from beyond the north wall.

“When she wakes, tell Kahlan what I’ve told you, and that I said it’s important for her to wait here for me. I will be back for her. I will be bringing help.

“I need to briefly explain some of what I’ve learned so that you can tell the others here about the threat that is now loose. The people of Stroyza need to stay up here as much as possible. They shouldn’t go out alone, only in large groups. Keep a watch at all times. The unholy creatures from beyond the north wall may try to get up here to attack your people.”

“You mean, to eat us alive?”

Richard took a breath. “I’m afraid so. From up here you have a better chance of holding them off. Hopefully I’ll be back before you have any trouble.

“We need to leave right away,” Richard added. “There’s still plenty of light left. We need to get as far as we can before dark.”

“It’s a pretty long way to the north wall,” Ester said. “It will take you days to get there.”

“I know. That’s all the more reason I have to hurry.”

CHAPTER

36

The climb down the side of the mountain in the damp drizzle was harder than the climb up had been. As he led the way, Richard idly wondered how many people from the village of Stroyza, over all the time the cave village had been up there, had slipped in the wet on the narrow trail and fallen to their death.

Looking up at one point, Richard saw crowds of people lining the rim of the cavern, gazing down at him and Samantha as they made the treacherous descent on the way to an even more treacherous unknown land beyond the mysterious barrier they knew as the north wall. They were probably wondering if the two would ever be seen again.

Richard dared not entertain such doubts. Kahlan was up there and he needed to bring help back for her. If he failed, he was failing her and she would die.

As Richard and Samantha had swiftly put together their supplies, he had briefly explained the dangers from the barrier failing to those gathered around helping. With no time to explain things to all the people of Stroyza, Richard told Ester and those gathered around that they would have to be the ones to let all the rest of the people know what had happened with what they called the north wall and fill them in with more of the details of the new dangers.