Severed Souls

CHAPTER 53

By the end of a long day of making their way down dangerously steep slopes, along narrow cuts between rock walls, and through areas of dense woods, they finally reached flatter ground. There, they were able to follow a brook among moss-covered rocks as it meandered through a forest of young, wispy hardwoods. The rocky brook left the forest canopy more open, helping them to see in the fading light.

Richard watched for a place where they could set up camp.

He had finally managed to put a few people between Kahlan and him, and Irena and Samantha. Kahlan was happy to be left alone with him as well. He didn’t know what it was about Samantha’s mother, but Richard found her tiresome. She tried to be perpetually cheerful and friendly.

Richard wasn’t in the mood for either. He had bigger things on his mind.

He supposed that Irena was simply trying to make the best of a bad situation. After all, she had been in charge of Stroyza when the barrier had failed. On the way to warn others of what had happened, her husband had been eaten alive by half people right before her eyes and she had been taken captive by the savages who did it. People in her village, surely people she knew well, had been murdered by walking corpses sent to kill her daughter. Now she was on a mission to save Richard’s and Kahlan’s lives. He didn’t see that she had a lot to be happy about.

He supposed that she had to be happy that her daughter was alive and well and so was trying to remain optimistic. He still thought, though, that she should be a bit more worried about the situation they were all in—out in the middle of the trackless forests of the Dark Lands, making their way through dangerous and mysterious woods. They had all nearly been killed by the attack of the Shun-tuk, and there was no telling if legions more of the flesh eaters would show up at any moment.

In Samantha’s case, though, he knew her exuberance was the innocence of youth. She was worried about their situation, wanted to be helpful, and she was clearly afraid at times, but she was also excited be on an “adventure.” She was rightly proud of herself for being able to help them when they had been in an impossible spot. Richard was proud of her, too. It was the second time she had done such a thing.

Nicci thought Samantha had a dangerous temper. Richard, for one, was happy that she had gotten angry enough to do what she’d done, or they would all be dead. There were times when anger was a useful tool, and he was glad that Samantha had been able to call on it.

As Richard carefully picked his way over the spongy ground among the moss-covered rocks, he kept an eye to the woods all around. Kahlan, following close behind, held his hand to help balance herself as she crossed the brook with him. They used rocks as stepping-stones to get over to the other side where the ground was more open, less rocky, and made for easier walking. The light mist made for slick footing, though.

Occasionally Richard checked behind to make sure everyone was keeping up. In the gathering darkness, Zedd smiled and leaned close to Samantha from time to time, pointing out different useful plants. She soaked it all up.

It reminded Richard of when he had been young, and Zedd had taken him on walks in the woods to show him where particular things grew and told him of their use. Richard missed that so much. He missed those times he’d had with his grandfather.

He couldn’t stop thinking about Zedd’s advice to quit, to give everything up, and take Kahlan away to some distant place where they could enjoy a life together. He tried to think of other things, but Zedd’s words kept echoing around in his mind.

If there was one person in the world whose advice he took seriously, it was Zedd. And yet, this time …

Richard stepped on exposed roots to stay out of the marshy spots where there could be hidden holes. He kept a continuous watch on the shadows to see if they moved. He watched spots of light to see if they vanished beneath shadows. Sometimes both things happened. It was usually a bird, flitting from branch to branch. Once, it had been a squirrel. Both sometimes moved a branch in the still air and made the leaves drop their load of collected mist in a shower of fat drops.

Richard had been watching, but he hadn’t seen Kahlan’s little friend, Hunter. Whatever the animal with the big green eyes was, it didn’t act aggressive. It seemed interested only in watching Kahlan. He shared the feeling, but he didn’t necessarily appreciate it in a wild animal. Just because it hadn’t acted aggressively yet, that didn’t mean it wouldn’t at some point.

Still, something about the creature put him at ease. He just didn’t think it was dangerous. Whatever it was, he hadn’t seen it all day, so it had probably stayed in its home area once they had moved on.

From time to time ravens let out raucous calls to warn others of approaching people. The harsh, echoing cries were grating in the quiet woods. Richard could see some of the soldiers out ahead look up into the trees when a raven made a racket. The men behind kept a careful watch all around as well.

Something about the area they were in made Richard uneasy. The openness by the brook left the forest canopy a little too open for his liking. Through gaps in the leaves he could see the stepped stone of cliffs rising up to the sides. The scouts had said that the pass they were going through was the only practical way to make good progress.

There were hundreds of places from up high where anyone could easily mark their progress along the brook. He felt like a mouse being watched by an owl.

Making good time was always foremost in Richard’s mind, though, and this was the only real choice for a route that would get them to Saavedra and the containment field at the citadel.

Richard noticed all the little birds abruptly take to wing, darting away through the branches. Almost at the same time, three ravens lifted silently into the air and raced off together through the trees.

Richard froze an instant before he heard a clipped cry from one of the men behind.

He spun around and looked up just in time to see legs pulled upward through the trees. Something big and dark was carrying the man away. Richard saw the man’s legs kicking as he fought whatever it was that had him, and then for just an instant before it vanished beyond the trees overhead, he saw the body go slack and limp.

In the next instant he had his sword out of its scabbard. The distinctive ring of steel being drawn echoed off the stone walls. In the hush of the silent woods, that sound was terrifyingly angry.

All the men swiftly had weapons to hand. Everyone looked up, ducking as they turned, trying to see the threat.

Richard instead watched the shadows down in the darkening woods.

Something dark swooped in at them out of that darkness of the trees to the side and snatched up a man not far ahead, breaking his neck as it yanked him from his feet and up into the air. His sword clattered down on the rocks. The man never even had time to cry out.

Whatever it was, it was not half people, or any kind of occult sorcery. Richard recognized the way it had happened. It was some kind of big predator taking prey.

“Close ranks!” Commander Fister shouted back at everyone.

Men ran in from both directions, collecting Zedd, Nicci, Irena, and Samantha as they came forward. Richard pulled Kahlan close with his left arm, protecting her and himself with his sword. Zedd frowned as he looked around for an intruder he could strike down with his gift. Nicci turned slowly, searching the canopy. Irena hunched over, sheltering her daughter. Samantha’s eyes were wide in terror.

They were all vulnerable targets if they stood still.

“Move,” Richard called out to everyone. “Keep going!”

There was no saving the two men who had been taken. All they could do now was keep anyone else from being taken.

“What do you think that was?” Kahlan whispered from close beside him as they raced ahead.

“I have no idea,” he told her as he ran along the side of the brook, jumping from rock to root to rock, “but we need to get out of the open of this streambed.”

“Some kind of small woods dragon?” she asked as she worked to keep up with him.

“I didn’t get a good enough look. There isn’t enough light and they were too dark to tell much.”

“Keep moving!” Commander Fister called out to his men as he urged them on, waving his sword. “Watch your backs, boys!”

“Commander!” Richard called out as they raced down the open area beside the brook.

When the man paused to look back, Richard pointed with his sword. “Make for that split in the rocks on the side. There are heavy woods beyond. We need to get out of this more open area. Whatever those things are, we’re in the middle of their game trail.”

Commander Fister nodded and turned the rush of men toward the place that Richard had pointed to. As he ran through the opening in the huge boulders, Richard could see that the forest beyond was dense and thick. The heavy cover would make it more difficult for any airborne predators.

The only problem was that it was getting dark. They needed to set up camp, not run through the woods in the dark.

He knew they didn’t have any choice. Before they dared stop for the night, they first needed to get out of the area.

The woods they entered were populated by spruce and pine crowded in close. Growing that close left the lower trunks free of branches for quite a ways up. That meant that the ground was more open, but in among the maze of trunks was not the kind of place a big, winged creature could easily navigate.

It also meant the forest floor, shaded by the dense growth overhead, was more barren, making it easier for them to run.

And run they did, eager to get out of the area.