Soul of the Fire

Chapter 10

Kahlan wanted to chase the chicken away from the body, but she couldn’t seem to make herself do so. The chicken’s eye rolled to watch her as it pecked.

Thwack thwack thwack. Thwack. Thwack. That was the sound she had heard.

“Shoo!” She flicked a hand out toward the bird. “Shoo!”

It must have come for the bugs. That was why it was in there. For the bugs.

Somehow, she couldn’t make herself believe it.

“Shoo! Leave him alone!”

Hissing, hackles lifting, the chicken’s head rose.

Kahlan pulled back.

Its claws digging into stiff dead flesh, the chicken slowly turned to face her. It cocked its head, making its comb flop, its wattles sway.

“Shoo,” Kahlan heard herself whisper.

There wasn’t enough light, and besides, the side of its beak was covered with gore, so she couldn’t tell if it had the dark spot. But she didn’t need to see it.

“Dear spirits, help me,” she prayed under her breath.

The bird let out a slow chicken cackle. It sounded like a chicken, but in her heart she knew it wasn’t.

In that instant, she completely understood the concept of a chicken that was not a chicken. This looked like a chicken, like most of the Mud People’s chickens. But this was no chicken.

This was evil manifest.

She could feel it with visceral certitude. This was something as obscene as death’s own grin.

With one hand, Kahlan wrung her shirt closed at her throat. She was jammed so hard back against the platform with the baby’s body she wondered if she might topple the solid mortared mass.

Her instinct was to lash out and touch the vile thing with her Confessor’s power. Her magic destroyed forever the essence of a person, creating in the void a total and unqualified devotion to the Confessor. In that way, those condemned to death truthfully confessed their heinous crimes—or their innocence. It was an ultimate means of witnessing the veracity of justice.

There was no immunity to the touch of a Confessor. It was as absolute as it was final. Even the most, maniacal murderer had a soul and so was vulnerable.

Her power, her magic, was also a weapon of defense. But it would only work on people. It would not work on a chicken. And it would not work on wickedness incarnate.

Her gaze flicked toward the door, checking the distance. The chicken took a single hop toward her. Claws gripping Juni’s upper arm, it leaned her way. Her leg muscles tightened till they trembled.

The chicken backed a step, tensed, and spurted feces onto Juni’s face.

It let out the cackle that sounded like a laugh.

She dearly wished she could tell herself she was being silly. Imagining things.

But she knew better.

Much as her power would not work to destroy this thing, she sensed, too, that her ostensible size and strength were meaningless against it. Far better, she thought, just to get out.

More than anything, that was what she wanted: out.

A fat brown bug scurried up her arm. She let out a clipped cry as she smacked it off. She shuffled a step toward the door.

The chicken leaped off Juni, landing before the door.

Kahlan frantically tried to think as the chicken bawk-bawk-bawked. It pecked up the bug she had flicked off her arm. After downing the bug, it turned to look up at her, its head cocking this way, then that, its wattles swinging.

Kahlan eyed the door. She tried to reason how best to get out. Kick the chicken out of the way? Try to frighten it away from the door? Ignore it and try to walk past it?

She remembered what Richard said. “Juni spat at the honor of whatever killed that chicken. Not long after, Juni died. I threw a stick at the chicken in the window, and not long after, it attacked that little boy. It was my fault Ungi got clawed. I don’t want to make the same mistake again.”

She didn’t want to make that mistake. This thing could fly at her face. Scratch her eyes out. Use its spur to tear open the carotid artery at the side of her neck. Bleed her to death. Who knew how strong it really was, what it might be able to do.

Richard had been adamant about everyone being courteous to the chickens. Suddenly Kahlan’s life or death hung on Richard’s words. Only a short time before she had thought them foolish. Now, she was weighing her chances, marking her choices, by what Richard had said.

“Oh, Richard,” she implored in a whisper, “forgive me.”

She felt something on her toes. A quick glance was not enough in the dim light to see for sure, but she thought she saw bugs crawling over her feet. She felt one scurry up her ankle, up under her pant leg. She stamped her foot. The bug clung tight.

She bent to swat at the thing under her pant leg. She wanted it off. She smacked too hard, squashing it against her shin.

She straightened in a rush to swipe at things crawling in her hair. She yelped when a centipede bit the back of her hand. She shook it off. As it hit the floor, the chicken plucked it up and ate it.

With a flap of wings, the chicken suddenly sprang back up on top of Juni. Claws working with luxuriant excess, it turned slowly atop the body to peer at her. One black eye watched with icy interest. Kahlan slipped one foot toward the door.

“Mother,” the chicken croaked.

Kahlan flinched with a cry.

She tried to slow her breathing. Her heart hammered so hard it felt like her neck must be bulging. Flesh scraped from her fingers as they gripped at the rough platform behind.

It must have made a sound that sounded like the word “Mother.” She was the Mother Confessor, and was used to hearing the word “Mother.” She was simply frightened and had imagined it.

She yelped again when something bit her ankle. Flailing at a bug running under her shirtsleeve, she accidentally swatted the candle off the platform behind her. It hit the dirt floor with a clink.

In an instant, the room fell pitch black.

She spun around, scraping madly at something wriggling up between her shoulder blades, under her hair. By the weight, and the squeak, it had to be a mouse. Mercifully, as she twisted and whirled about, it was flung off.

Kahlan froze. She tried to hear if the chicken had moved, if it had jumped to the floor. The room was dead silent except for the rapid whooshing of her heart in her ears.

She began shuffling toward the door. As she scuffed through the fetid straw, she dearly wished she had worn her boots. The stench was gagging. She didn’t think she would ever feel clean again. She didn’t care, though, if she could just get out alive.

In the dark, the chicken thing let out a low chicken cackle laugh.

It hadn’t come from where she expected the chicken to be. It was behind her.

“Please, I mean no harm,” she called into the darkness. “I mean no disrespect. I will leave you to your business now, if that’s all right with you.”

She took another shuffling step toward the door. She moved carefully, slowly, in case the chicken thing was in the way. She didn’t want to bump into it and make it angry. She mustn’t underestimate it.

Kahlan had on any number of occasions thrown herself with ferocity against seemingly invincible foes. She knew well the value of a resolute violent attack. But she also somehow knew beyond doubt that this adversary could, if it wanted, kill her as easily as she could wring a real chicken’s neck. If she forced a fight, this was one she would lose.

Her shoulder touched the wall. She slid a hand along the plastered mud brick, groping blindly for the door. It wasn’t there. She felt along the wall in each direction. There was no door.

That was crazy. She had come in through the door. There had to be a door. The chicken thing let out a whispering cackle.

Sniffling back tears of fright, Kahlan turned and pressed her back to the wall. She must have gotten confused when she turned around, getting the mouse off her back. She was turned around, that was all. The door hadn’t moved. She was just turned around.

Then, in which direction was the door?

Her eyes were open as wide as they would go, trying to see in the inky darkness. A new terror stabbed into her thoughts: What if the chicken-thing pecked her eyes out? What if that was what it liked to do? Peck out eyes.

She heard herself sobbing in panic. Rain leaked through the grass roof. When it dripped on her head she flinched. Lightning struck again. Kahlan saw the light come through the wall to the left. No, it was the door. Light was coming in around the edge of the door. Thunder boomed.

Frantic, she raced for the door. In the dark, she caught the edge of a platform with a hip. Her toes slammed into the brick corner. Reflexively, she grabbed at the stunning pain. Hopping on her other foot to keep her balance, she came down on something hard. Burning pain seared her foot. She grasped for a handhold, recoiling when she felt the hard little body under her hand. She went down with a crash.

Cursing under her breath, she realized she had stepped on the hot candle holder. She comforted her foot. It hadn’t really burned her; her frantic fear only made her envision the hot metal burning her. Her other foot, though, bled from smacking the brick.

Kahlan took a deep breath. She must not panic, she admonished herself, or she would not be able to help herself. No one else was going to get her out of here. She had to gather her senses and stay calm enough to escape the house of the dead.

She took another breath. All she had to do was reach the door, and then she would be able to leave. She would be safe.

She felt the floor ahead as she inched forward on her belly. The straw was damp, whether from the rain or from the foul things draining from the platforms, she didn’t know. She told herself the Mud People respected the dead. They would not leave filthy straw in there. It must be clean. Then why did it stink so?

With great effort, Kahlan ignored the bugs skittering over her. When her concentration on remaining silent wandered, she could hear little pules escape her throat. With her face right at the floor, she saw the next lightning flash under the door. It wasn’t far.

She didn’t know where the chicken had gone. She prayed it would go back to pecking at Juni’s eyes.

With the next flash of lightning, she saw chicken feet standing between her and the crack under the door. The thing wasn’t more than a foot from her face.

Kahlan slowly moved a trembling hand to her brow to cup it over her eyes. She knew that any instant, the chicken-monster-thing was going to peck her eyes, just like it pecked Juni’s eyes. She panted in terror at the mental image of having her eyes pecked out. Of blood running from ragged, hollow sockets.

She would be blind. She would be helpless. She would never again see Richard’s gray eyes smiling at her.

A bug wriggled in her hair, trying to free itself from a tangle. Kahlan brushed at it, failing to get it off.

Suddenly, something hit her head. She cried out. The bug was gone. The chicken had pecked it off her head. Her scalp stung from the sharp hit.

“Thank you,” she forced herself to say to the chicken. “Thank you very much. I appreciate it.”

She shrieked when the beak struck out, hitting her arm. It was a bug. The chicken hadn’t pecked at her arm, but had gobbled up a bug.

“Sorry I screamed,” she said. Her voice shook. “You startled me, that’s all. Thank you again.”

The beak struck hard on the top of her head. This time, there was no bug. Kahlan didn’t know if the chicken-thing thought there was, or if it meant to peck her head. It stung fiercely.

She moved her hand back to her eyes. “Please, don’t do that. It hurts. Please don’t peck me.”

The beak pinched the vein on the back of her hand over her eyes. The chicken tugged, as if trying to pull a worm from the ground.

It was a command. It wanted her hand away from her eyes.

The beak gave a sharp tug on her skin. There was no mistaking the meaning in that insistent yank. Move the hand, now, it was saying, or you’ll be sorry.

If she made it angry, there was no telling what it was capable of doing to her. Juni lay dead above her as a reminder of the possibilities.

She told herself that if it pecked at her eyes, she would have to grab it and try to wring its neck. If she was quick, it could only get in one peck. She would have one eye left. She would have to fight it then. But only if it went for her eyes.

Her instincts screamed that such action would be the most foolish, dangerous thing she could do. Both the Bird Man and Richard said this was not a chicken. She no longer doubted them. But she might have no choice.

If she started, it would be a fight to the death. She held no illusion as to her chances. Nonetheless, she might be forced to fight it. With her last breath, if need be, as her father had taught her.

The chicken snatched a bigger beakful of her skin along with the vein and twisted. Last warning.

Kahlan carefully moved her trembling hand away. The chicken-thing cackled softly with satisfaction.

Lightning flashed again. She didn’t need the light, though. It was only inches away. Close enough to feel its breath.

“Please, don’t hurt me?”

Thunder crashed so loud it hurt. The chicken squawked and spun around.

She realized it wasn’t thunder, but the door bursting open.

“Kahlan!” It was Richard. “Where are you!”

She sprang to her feet. “Richard! Look out! It’s the chicken! It’s the chicken!”

Richard grabbed for it. The chicken shot between his legs and out the door.

Kahlan went to throw her arms around him, but he blocked her way as he snatched the bow off the shoulder of one of the hunters standing outside. Before the hunter could shy from the sudden lunge, Richard had plucked an arrow from the quiver over the man’s shoulder. In the next instant the arrow was nocked and the string drawn to cheek.

The chicken dashed madly across the mud, down the passageway. The halting flickers of lightning seemed to freeze the chicken in midstride, each flash revealing it with arresting light, and each flash showing it yet farther away.

With a twang of the bowstring, the arrow zipped away into the night.

Kahlan heard the steel tipped arrow hit with a solid thunk.

In the lightning, she saw the chicken turn to look back at them. The arrow had caught it square in the back of the head. The front half of the arrow protruded from between its parted beak. Blood ran down the shaft, dripping off the arrow’s point. It dripped in puddles and matted the bird’s hackles.

The hunter let out a low whistle of admiration for the shot.

The night went dark as thunder rolled and boomed. The next flash of lightning showed the chicken sprinting around a corner.

Kahlan followed Richard as he bolted after the fleeing bird. The hunter handed Richard another arrow as they ran. Richard nocked it and put tension on the string, holding it at the ready as they charged around the corner.

All three slowed to a halt. There, in the mud, in the middle of the passageway, lay the bloody arrow. The chicken was nowhere to be seen.

“Richard,” Kahlan panted, “I believe you now.”

“I figured as much,” he said.

From behind, they heard a great “whoosh.”

Poking their heads back around the corner, they saw the roof of the place where the dead were prepared for burial go up in flames. Through the open door, she saw the floor of straw afire.

“I had a candle. It fell into the straw. But the flame went out,” Kahlan said. “I’m sure it was out.”

“Maybe it was lightning,” Richard said as he watched the flames claw at the sky. The harsh light made the buildings all around seem to waver and dance in synchrony with the flames. Despite the distance, Kahlan could feel the angry heat against her face. Burning grass and sparks swirled up into the night.

Their hunter guardians appeared out of the rain to gather around. The arrow’s owner passed it to his fellows, whispering to them that Richard with the Temper had shot the evil spirit, chasing it away.

Two more people emerged from the shadow around the corner of a building, taking in the leaping flames before joining them. Zedd, his unruly white hair dyed a reddish orange by the wash of firelight, held out his hand. A hunter laid the bloody arrow across his palm. Zedd inspected the arrow briefly before passing it to Ann. She rolled it in her fingers, sighing as if it confessed its story and confirmed her fears.

“It’s the chimes,” Richard said. “They’re here. Now do you believe me?”

“Zedd, I saw it,” Kahlan said. “Richard’s right. It was no chicken. It was in there pecking out Juni’s eyes. It spoke. It addressed me—by title—‘Mother Confessor.’ ”

Reflections of the flames danced in his solemn eyes. He finally nodded.

“You are in a way right, my boy. It is indeed trouble of the gravest sort, but it is not the chimes.”

“Zedd,” Kahlan insisted, pointing back toward the burning building, “I’m telling you, it was—”

She fell silent as Zedd reached out and plucked a striated-feather from her hair. He held up the feather, spinning it slowly between a finger and thumb. Before their eyes it turned to smoke, evaporating into the night air.

“It was a Lurk,” the wizard murmured.

“A Lurk?” Richard frowned. “What’s a Lurk? And how do you know?”

“Ann and I have been casting verification spells,” the old wizard said. “You’ve given us the piece of evidence we needed to be sure. The trace of magic on this arrow confirms our suspicion. We have grave trouble.”

“It was conjured by those committed to the Keeper,” Ann said. “Those who can use Subtractive Magic: Sisters of the Dark.”

“Jagang,” Richard whispered. “He has Sisters of the Dark.”

Ann nodded. “The last time Jagang sent an assassin wizard, but you survived it. He now sends something more deadly.”

Zedd put a hand on Richard’s shoulder. “You were right in your persistence, but wrong in your conclusion. Ann and I are confident we can disassemble the spell that brought it here. Try not to worry; we’ll work on it, and come up with a solution.”

“You still haven’t said what this Lurk thing is. What’s its purpose? What is it sent to do?”

Ann glanced at Zedd before she spoke. “It’s conjured from the underworld,” she said. “With Subtractive Magic. It is meant to disrupt magic in this world.”

“Just like the chimes,” Kahlan breathed with alarm.

“It is serious,” Zedd confirmed, “but nothing like the chimes. Ann and I are hardly novices and not without resources of our own.

“The Lurk is gone for now, thanks to Richard. Unmasked for what it is, it will not soon return. Go get some sleep. Fortunately, Jagang was clumsy, and his Lurk betrayed itself before it could cause any more harm.”

Richard looked back over his shoulder at the crackling fire, as if reasoning through something. “But how would Jagang—”

“Ann and I need to get some rest so we can work out precisely what Jagang has done and know how to counter it. It’s complex. Let us do what we know we must.”

At last, Richard slipped a comforting arm around Kahlan’s waist and drew her close as he nodded to his grandfather. Richard clasped Zedd’s shoulder in an affable gesture on the way by as he walked Kahlan toward the spirit house.