Confessor: Chainfire Trilogy Part 3

Chapter 14

Zedd led Nicci and Cara toward an area of the Keep that Nicci knew to be a labyrinth of halfs and passageways heavily guarded by layers of shields. Glass spheres in iron brackets brightened in turn as they approached each one, then faded back into darkness as they passed. The Keep felt like a great, silent, gloomy place to Nicci. It was not only immense, but immensely complex, and she couldn’t imagine what could be the trouble with it that so concerned Zedd.

Before they had gone far, Rikka; Tom, the big blond-headed D’Haran from Lord Rahl’s elite guard; and Friedrich the old gilder emerged from a reading room to join in the quiet procession. Nicci guessed that they had all been waiting there for her to awake from her encounter with Six. That Zedd had probably asked them to stand by and wait for Nicci to wake only heightened her growing sense of concern.

“You look a lot better than you did last night,” Rikka said as they started through a cozy room hung with hundreds of paintings of every size. The paintings, each in a rich gold-leaf frame, covered every bit of the walls.

“Thanks. I’m fine now.”

Nicci noticed that the paintings hung throughout the room were all portraits, though the styles varied greatly. The subjects in some, dressed in ceremonial robes, sat in formal poses while in others the people stood casually in beautiful gardens, met in conversation among grand columns, or relaxed on benches in courtyards.

She saw that in many of the portraits the Keep, or parts of it, were visible in the background. It was a somewhat startling and sad thought to realize that all of these people had probably once lived in the Keep, a place that had been alive with life. It made the place now seem all the more deserted and empty.

Rikka cast a sidelong glance down the length of Nicci. “That nightdress was pink, before.”

“I hate pink,” Nicci said.

Rikka looked disappointed. “Really? When Cara and I put you in it I thought that it made you look even prettier.”

At first startled by such a statement coming from a Mord-Sith, Nicci suddenly grasped the whole pink nightgown thing. This was a woman trying to find her way out of the dark wasteland of madness. She was trying to throw off the shackles of emotions that had been drilled into her since she had been a girl. Everything in her life, her world, had been ugly and violent. The pink nightdress represented something innocent and lovely—the kind of thing forbidden to the likes of a Mord-Sith. By appreciating such a simple thing on Nicci, she was testing the possibility of enjoying something attractive and harmless—testing dreams. It was much the same as a young girl making a pretty dress for a doll. It was a considered examination of aesthetics and, more than that, it was practice at aspirations.

“Thank you,” Nicci said. After a moment’s consideration she added, “It is a pretty nightdress, it’s just that it’s the wrong color for me, that’s all. How about if after I’m dressed I return the color to the nightdress and you can have it.”

Rikka’s expression turned suspicious. “Me? I don’t know if—”

“It would look beautiful on you. Honest. The pink color would go well with your skin tones.”

Rikka looked a bit flustered and uncertain. “Really?”

Nicci nodded. “It would be perfect for you. I’d like you to have it.”

Rikka hesitated a moment. “Well, I’ll think about it,” she finally said.

“I’ll clean it and make sure the color is just the right shade of pink for you.”

Rikka smiled. “Thanks.”

Nicci wished that Richard could have been there to see the small smile that was such a great risk for a Mord-Sith. He would have understood that such a seemingly tentative step was really a rather big shift for such a woman. Nicci realized, too, that it warmed her own heart to see such a positive, if tiny, step back toward the simple joys of life.

She comprehended at seeing Rikka’s smile how Richard must feel at such things.

As a yet larger realization dawned on her, she almost laughed out loud. Richard would not merely have appreciated Rikka’s growth, he would also have seen Nicci—Death’s Mistress—learning herself how to connect another person with the joy of life, if only in a small matter. She hadn’t even realized that she and Rikka had just taken a step together. Nicci couldn’t imagine how Richard must have felt to have brought her back from the dark existence she had lived for her whole life.

For just an instant, she had a glimpse, a vision, of life through Richard’s eyes. It was a staggeringly joyous perspective, a view of how each person’s choices could make their own life better. It was a vision of the possible, of how things could and should be.

How she missed trim. She would have given anything at that moment just to see his smile, that smile that seemed to reflect all that was good and decent. She missed him so much that she thought she might burst into tears.

Rikka cast Nicci a sidelong glance. “Are you all right? The witch woman didn’t do you any lasting harm, did she? You look a little, I don’t know . . . distressed.”

Nicci dismissed the concern with a flick of a hand and changed the subject. “Did you find Rachel?”

As they emerged from a stone room lined with tapestries of country scenes and into a broad hall with wood-paneled walls, the Mord-Sith gave Nicci an unreadable look. “No. Early this morning Chase came back and told us that he found her tracks outside the Keep. He went off looking for her.”

Rachel was another of those connections back to the simple joys of life for Rikka. Nicci knew that Rikka was quite fond of the girl, even though she never came close to admitting it.

“I don’t know what in the world could have gotten into her,” Zedd said back over his shoulder as he led them around a corner and into a narrower hallway. “It’s just not like her to run off.”

“Do you think it could have anything to do with Six being here?” Nicci suggested. “Maybe she’s responsible.”

Rikka shook her head. “Chase said that Rachel’s tracks are all alone. He said that he didn’t see any of Six’s tracks.”

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Cara asked Nicci.

“You mean about the lesson Richard gave us one time about tracks?”

Cara nodded. “He talked about magic being able to hide tracks.”

“True enough,” Zedd put in. “But Rachel disappeared before Six showed up. If Six were trying to hide her tracks with some sort of magic, what would be the point of hiding her own tracks if she didn’t hide Rachel’s as well?”

Nicci halted abruptly. She turned back to the opening they had just passed through. A gilded pillar stood to each side of the small portal in the passageway. The pillars held up a stout beam with symbols carved in it.

She frowned at the pillars. “Wasn’t there a shield there, before?”

Zedd’s dark look told her that she was right. As he started away again they all rushed to catch up. At the end of the hall, he turned down a short passageway to the right that led to a spiral stairway.

Compared with some of the grand staircases in the Keep, the spiral stairs were small, but compared with typical spiral stairs, these were remarkable. They were wide enough for two people to walk side by side in the center of the tread, where its run was comfortable and a proper relation to the rise. The stairwell was so large, though, that the outer end of each wedge of tread would have required a person to take several steps before reaching each leading edge. The stairs also wandered with an odd twist, winding downward in an oblong corkscrew. The whole thing was disorienting and required her to pay attention lest she trip and fall on the unconventional configuration. As they descended she was able at last to see that the stairs were designed so as to make their way around and then under a formation of rock veined with sparkling minerals.

At the bottom of the stairs a short passageway spilled into the familiar split in the mountain that separated the rooms of the containment field from the bedrock of the mountain itself. This was very near the place where the witch woman had caught them unexpectedly. Nicci thought that the halls felt especially quiet after the violation of the witch woman roaming unfettered through them. Knowing as much as she did about shields, she didn’t think that such a thing should have been possible. The wizards who had created this place and its defenses would certainly have made provisions to protect against all forms of magic, including that of a witch woman.

“Here,” Zedd announced as he came to a halt. “This is where it first appeared.”

He gestured up at the precisely fit stone blocks of the wall opposite the raw, carved-out, natural granite wall of the mountain itself.

Nicci looked along the length of the wall and noticed dark stains that didn’t look natural. She scanned dozens of feet up along the rise of stone, picking out here and there the same dark patches. It seemed as if something might be weeping out of the stone itself.

“What is it?” She asked.

Zedd swiped a finger through one of the dark places. He held the finger up before her.

“Blood.”

Nicci blinked. She stared at the thick, wet, red substance on his finger. She looked back at the wizard’s eyes.

“Blood?”

He nodded solemnly. “Blood.”

“Real blood?”

“Real blood,” he confirmed.

“Blood from some kind of animals?” Nicci remembered all the bats that had fled through these very halls, driven before the witch woman. “Maybe the bats?”

“Human blood,” the wizard said.

Nicci was momentarily struck speechless. She looked at Cara.

“Yes, we’re sure,” the Mord-Sith said in answer to the unspoken question.

“I give up,” Nicci finally said. “What is human blood doing oozing out of the stone of this wall?”

“Not just this wall here in this hallway,” Zedd said. “It’s leaking out of stone in different places all over the Keep. There seems to be no pattern to where it appears.”

Nicci looked again at some of the thick drips of blood running down the wall. She didn’t want to touch it.

“Well,” she finally said, “this certainly qualifies as trouble. I just don’t know what kind of trouble.” She turned her attention back to Zedd. “Do you have any idea what it means?”

“It means that the Keep itself is bleeding, in a way. It means that it’s dying.”

Nicci could only blink at what she’d just heard. “Dying?”

Looking grim, Zedd nodded. “That shield back there that you asked about? It has stood in that hallway for thousands of years. Now it’s down. There are shields all over the Keep that are failing. The whole fabric of the Keep is in grave trouble.

“Six, as talented as she is, should not have been able to get in here without alarms going off, but they didn’t. The alarms have failed. That’s why we didn’t know she was in the Keep. That’s how she snuck up on us.

“If the Keep were well, and even if the alarms for some reason failed or were somehow defeated, the shields would have prevented her not only from moving freely but from getting this far into the interior of the Keep. This is a secure area. She simply should not have been able to get down here, but she was able to find ways around the working shields to go where she wanted.

“It’s only because of this disorder”—he lifted a hand toward the bleeding walls—“that she was able to enter the Keep without the alarms sounding and the shields stopping her. The Keep was too sick to prevent her entry or to stop her once inside.

“As far as I know, a violation of this nature has never happened before. People have gotten into the Keep in the past, but not because the Keep itself failed in its role. Those entries were successful because the trespasser was clever, or exceedingly talented, or because they had help from inside. Six danced in here all by herself without the alarms sounding or the defenses stopping her. She merely had to take some detours to get around shields that are still functioning.”

“The chimes . . .” Nicci breathed, suddenly understanding.

Zedd conceded with a nod. “Richard was right.”

“Can anything be done?”

“Yes,” Zedd said. “If we can find Richard we can get him to open the correct box of Orden. The Chainfire spell is also contaminated by the chimes. This is confirmation that the taint left by the chimes is corrupting all magic—not only the Chainfire spell—just as Richard told us it was. He needs to unleash Orden and hope that its power will be able to purge the world not only of Chainfire but of the taint left by the chimes having been loose in the world of life.”

Nicci cocked her head. “Zedd, Orden is designed for a specific purpose: to counter Chainfire. Orden isn’t going seek out other magic plaguing us and purge it as well. It’s not designed to do that.”

Zedd smoothed back some stray wisps of white hair as he chose his words carefully. “You yourself spoke of how Orden’s power, like any power, can be used for aims other than its narrow, intended purpose. Richard needs to use the power of Orden not only to purge us of the taint of Chainfire, but in a broader manner to eliminate the taint left by the chimes.”

Nicci didn’t know if such a profound course of action was at all wise, or even possible, but she didn’t think that this was the time or place to debate it. They were a very long way from having Richard attempt such a thing. They first had to find Richard before anything else could even be considered. After that, there were difficulties with Richard opening a box of Orden that Nicci had not even begun to reveal to Zedd because she hadn’t wanted to worry him any more than was necessary. There were, after all, enough immediate problems they had to solve.

“In the meantime,” Zedd said, “we must evacuate the Keep.”

Nicci was taken aback. “But if the Keep is weakened, then we must do just the opposite; we must defend it. There are invaluable things here that we dare not allow to fall into the wrong hands. We can’t risk Jagang and the Sisters gaining possession of the powerful things of magic in here—the ones that still work, anyway, to say nothing of the libraries.”

“That is precisely why we must leave,” Zedd insisted. “If we leave, I can put the entire Keep in a state that will keep everyone out. It’s something that as far as I know has never been activated before, but I can see no other solution.”

Nicci gazed up at the blood staining the stone wall. “Well, if the Keep is sick, and its magic is failing, how can you possibly do such a thing and expect it to work?”

“The ancient books that explained the defensive design of the Keep explained about the walls bleeding. A warning in blood, being as gruesome as it is, signifies how grave the trouble with the Keep itself really is. As far is I know such a thing has never happened before. This is the first time such a drastic warning has ever been necessary. It’s just one of the things about this place that I had to learn about when I became First Wizard.

“Those same sources also described emergency procedures in the event such a thing did happen. There is a way to lock down the Keep with an elevated state of power that is not yet degraded.”

Nicci found the very thought troubling. “Elevated state of power?”

“It was in storage—took me most of the day to find it.”

“What was?”

Zedd gestured to the nearby brass doors where the box of Orden had been until Six stole it. “A bone box. It’s waiting in there. It’s about the size ot one of the boxes of Orden. While it’s bone. I don’t know what beast the bone came from. Ancient symbols are caned all over the outside.

“It contains a constructed spell said to be keyed to the Keep’s nature. It was constructed by the same wizards who invested the Keep with its many defenses. You might compare it to a small bit of starter dough you set aside so that you always have a bit of the original in order to continue to make the same kind of bread. This spell contains elements of the original magic of the Keep. Quite remarkable, when you think about it.”

“How long will such a constructed spell last, once activated, before the taint of the chimes begins to degrade it as well?”

Zedd made a face as he shook his head. “I have no idea. From the things I’ve read and the tests I’ve run, I believe that such a state will last quite a while, but there is no way to know for certain. All we can do is try.”

“What if it’s already been corrupted by the chimes?” Friedrich asked. “After all, if the Keep is infected, and this spell is part of the Keep’s original power, what’s to say it’s not corrupted as well?”

Friedrich, having been married to a sorceress most of his life, knew quite a bit about magic even though he was not himself gifted.

“I tried to run verification webs on some of the corrupted aspects of the Keep, such as the alarms. The corruption prevented the verification from functioning. The verification on the spell in the bone box worked without any difficulty. From my tests it’s still viable.”

“Why can’t we stay here and put the Keep in this protective state?” Cara asked.

“It’s too dangerous,” Zedd told her. “The emergency procedure has never been employed before. I’m not sure of its precise nature or exactly how it works, but the information I reviewed said that such a state will prevent anyone from entering. I can only assume that such an emergency condition, by necessity, would deal harshly with any intruders. It appears that it’s a form of light spell. From the limited amount that I know about the conditions of the interior of the Keep in such a state, it would be very dangerous for anyone to be in the place.

“After all, how can we know that there aren’t intruders in the Keep right now?”

Cara straightened. “Now?”

“Yes. If the Keep’s defenses are failing, and the alarms aren’t working, how would we know if there were people wandering about who don’t belong in here? For all we know, Six could still be lurking about. Chase said he didn’t find any tracks of her leaving. Sisters of the Dark could have snuck in as well. There’s no longer a dependable way for us to know.

“Even more concerning is that enemies could enter through the sliph. Richard is the only one who could put the sliph back to sleep; we can’t. The sliph isn’t designed to deny her services to anyone who asks and has the proper power. Jagang could send Sisters of the Dark in through the sliph. There aren’t enough of us to guard the sliph all the time, at least not enough of us with enough power to have a chance to defend against an attack from Sisters of the Dark.

“Without the ability to put the sliph back to sleep, or to be able to depend on alarms and shields to protect the Keep, it remains vulnerable to intrusion of all sorts. It must be assumed that such a spell, by its very nature, would eliminate anyone in the Keep. Since it’s a measure of last resort we have to assume that it could be as fatal for us to be in here as it would be for an intruder.

“Therefore, we have to leave and then ignite the protective state.”

“How will be get back in?” Cara asked.

“I will have to shut the thing down. I know the sequence necessary to inactivate the spell. Once I shut it down, though, I don’t believe it can be reactivated, so we dare not shut it down unless it’s absolutely necessary for some reason, or until the taint of the chimes can be eliminated from the world of life.”

Nicci heaved a sigh. “I can’t think of any argument against the plan. It seems the only way to preserve the Keep for the time being.”

“Besides that,” Zedd said, “we can’t just continue to sit here.”

“No,” Nicci said, “I don’t suppose we can.”

She was already thinking of things that had to be done. There were any number of places she needed to go.

“It seems to me,” Zedd said as he looked around at those waiting for his pronouncement, “that the first thing to be done is to try to get Richard his power back. If he was reconnected with his gift perhaps it would help him.

“We have reason to believe that it was cut off by a spell drawn in the sacred caves in Tamarang. Unless anyone has a better idea, I say we go to Tamarang and help Richard by eliminating whatever is blocking him from his gift.”

Both Mord-Sith nodded. “If it would help Lord Rahl, I say let’s get going,” Cara said.

“I agree,” Tom said.

“I’m afraid that I’d slow you down,” Friedrich said. “I’m not as young as I used to be. Perhaps it would be best if I stayed in the area in case Richard shows up. He’ll need to know what’s happening. I can stay close, watch the Keep from the outside.”

“That makes sense,” Zedd told the man.

“I think I had better go to the People’s Palace,” Nicci said.

Zedd frowned. “Why?”

“Well, I can use the sliph. From the People’s Palace I can take the sliph down to the area of Tamarang and meet you there. The sliph is much faster, so I will have time at the palace to check into some things.”

“Like what?” Zedd asked.

“Well, with Richard missing and cut off from his power, Nathan is acting in the capacity of Lord Rahl. That bond is all that stands between us and the dream walker being able to enter our minds. I want to see how he’s doing.”

Zedd nodded in thought.

“There are defenses at the palace that are powered by magic, much the same as here at the Keep,” Nicci said. “Ann and Nathan need to know that the chimes are corrupting that magic. They need to know what happened here so they will be prepared if it happens there as well, and not caught unaware as we were.

“But most of all we need to get the box of Orden back. Six was from the Old World. Ann and Nathan lived there a very long time. They said they didn’t know anything about Six but maybe they’ve thought of something by now or can offer a clue. Six was secretive when she lived down there in the Old World, but maybe someone knows something about her. Ann and Nathan may be able to point me in the direction of such a person. Right now we know next to nothing about the witch woman. We need information.

“I’m at a loss to know where to look for Six. This is at least a place to start asking questions.”

Zedd sighed. “That makes sense. But if you find anything out, you come to Tamarang first—come to me first before you think to go after her yourself. We may need your help to deal with whatever is going on down there in Tamarang, and you will definitely need my help to come up with a way to deal with Six. She has already proven how dangerous she is. You’re not going to be able to sneak up on her and take back the box. If we get a lead on where she might be, we’re going to have to put our heads together and come up with a plan.”

“Agreed,” Nicci said. “What about the sliph—after I’ve gone through, I mean? Will anyone be able to sneak back into the Keep?”

“The protective spell takes special precautions at the points of entry. The sliph will draw branches of the spell, hardening that entry point just like any other. Once you leave through the sliph I’ll activate the spell.”

“I’m going with you,” Cara said to Nicci. It wasn’t a request.

“I’ll go with Zedd, then,” Rikka said. “He’ll need one of us looking after him.”

Zedd shot her a sour glare but didn’t say anything.

Cara drew her blond braid through a loose fist. “Makes sense. It’s decided, then.”

It was as if the two of them were settling how the operation would be conducted. Nicci was beginning to appreciate Richard’s remarkable forbearance.

“Let’s get our things together,” Zedd said. “It will be light soon.”

Nicci took Rikka by the elbow and pulled her aside. “As soon as I change into my clothes, I’ll fix up the nightdress for you so that you can pack it with your things.”

Rikka smiled. “All right.”

Nicci thought that the woman looked quietly excited at the prospect of having something pretty, something that had nothing to do with the outfit of a Mord-Sith.

Nicci concentrated on that happy thought, rather than on how nervous she was about again traveling in the sliph. This time, Richard would not be with her to help her.