The Third Kingdom

CHAPTER 34

His decision final that he had to go into the third kingdom to look for Zedd, Nicci, and the others, Richard turned his attention to Kahlan, checking to make sure that all of her wounds looked properly healed. Samantha lit a few more of the candles so he could see better and then watched him in silence as he touched her cheek, silently asking the good spirits to watch over her.

“I’ll need some traveling supplies,” he told her as he smoothed back Kahlan’s hair. “Maybe you could get some things together for me?”

Samantha nodded. “All right. I can get us some supplies. I’ll put together some of the things we’ll need for such a journey.”

Richard looked up. “Just supplies for me, Samantha. You’re not going.”

“Yes, I am,” she said in a calm voice laced with iron determination.

“It’s too dangerous. You said so yourself.”

“I know it’s dangerous. That’s why I have to go with you.”

“If it’s too dangerous for me, then it is definitely too dangerous for you. You don’t know anything about dealing with such dangers.”

“I was dealing just fine with those walking corpses that were after me,” she said under her breath as she went to a chest across the room and opened the lid.

Richard didn’t want to argue the point. He turned his attention once more to Kahlan, wishing she would wake before he left. He had so much to tell her. She had no idea of all the things that had happened. The last thing she probably remembered was being Jit’s captive, being bound into those thorn walls, and being bled to death. She wouldn’t know about Zedd, Nicci, and Cara coming to help get them out. She wouldn’t have any idea about the mysterious people who had attacked them and been intent on eating her alive.

He didn’t want to leave her when she was in the dark about everything that had happened. He especially didn’t want to leave her in the dark about where he was going and why. She was also defenseless against such an enemy. But waiting for her to wake up would in reality only further endanger her life. His first duty was to find a way to get the vile contamination of death out of her. To do that, he had to find Zedd and Nicci.

“Your gift doesn’t work,” Samantha said as she rummaged through the contents of the chest. “My gift works. You’ll need me to go with you.”

“I have my sword.”

“Good for you. You still don’t have the use of your gift.” She pulled out a small backpack, then gestured to the hallway at the back of the room. “You couldn’t even get past a shield without me. What are you going to do if you need some kind of simple magic like that? I may be young and inexperienced, and I admit that I have a lot yet to learn, but at least my gift works.”

Richard knew that she had no real concept of the danger she would be facing and he didn’t have time to explain it to her.

“I appreciate the concern, but it would only make it more difficult if I were to take you with me. I’ve fought a lot of battles before without my gift helping me. I’ll be fine.”

She flipped open the flap on the pack, checking the contents still inside. “There are things I can do with my ability, things my mother taught me that I know how to do, that you can’t do and may need done. After all, I healed you of those terrible bite wounds, didn’t I?”

“Indeed you did,” Richard admitted. He was grateful that Samantha had been brave enough to do what she had been so fearful of in order to save Kahlan’s life—his, too. “And I deeply appreciate it. But this is different.”

Bending over the chest, digging something out, she looked back over her shoulder at him. “I thought your plan was crazy, but you convinced me that it’s vital that you go in there to try to rescue your friends.” She pulled a knife in a sheath out of the chest, looked it over a moment, and then put it into the pack. “You convinced me that all our lives may depend on this. You were right.

“So if it’s really that vital, which it is, then I have to go along so that I can help make sure you succeed.” She glanced down into the chest. “Do you think we need to take soap?” She snatched it up and stuffed it into the pack. “Never mind, I had better take it.”

“Samantha, it’s simply too dangerous for you to come with me,” he said with calm finality. He was worried about Kahlan and wanted to be on his way to get help for her. Samantha would only slow him down.

He was not in the mood to argue, but he hoped to make Samantha at least understand that he had good reason not to let her come along on such a journey. “You could easily be killed. I could never forgive myself if I let you go with me and something terrible happened to you.”

She shot him an impatient look. “If you don’t accomplish what you are going in there to do, Lord Rahl, then you will die, and if you die, then the Mother Confessor dies, I die, we all die. You said so yourself. You’re putting my safety ahead of saving the Mother Confessor, ahead of saving everyone.

“I can help you and you may need my help. I may be able to use my gift to get you out of trouble. That may be the edge you need in order to rescue your friends and succeed.

“Even if it costs me my life, anything I do that helps you might very well be the very help needed save all the people of my village, along with everyone else. Stop worrying about one young woman and start worrying about how important it is for you to succeed. Think of all those words you read back there, and how important this is.

“You’re a pretty smart man. You should be able to see the sense in what I’m saying.”

Richard started to object. Samantha held up a finger to silence him before he could answer.

“Are you really going to turn down gifted help? That’s your plan? Do without what could make the difference?”

“My plan is to move swiftly, strike fast, and get out. You would slow me down.”

She arched an admonishing eyebrow. “And if you break a leg in a badger hole while moving swiftly, who is going to help you? I’m going with you, Lord Rahl, and that’s all there is to it.”

Richard let out a long sigh. “You make a lot of sense, Samantha, you really do, but I know a lot more about these kinds of things than you. I’ve fought for years in the war with the Old World. You’ve never had to face anything remotely like the dangers out there.”

“Those dangers came here, into my home, looking for me, remember?” She shrugged with one shoulder as she looked away from his eyes. “Not only that, but my mother may be held captive with your friends. You said so yourself. If there is any way for me to help rescue her, too, then I want to go to make sure we get her away from those unholy cannibals.”

Richard had thought that might have had something to do with it. “I know how you feel. I really do. I promise you that if she is being held captive, I will fight to get her safely out the same as I will fight to get my people out. But I’ll handle it. I can’t allow you to come along.”

She stood and faced him.

“All right. You are the Lord Rahl. You do what you think best.” She planted her small hands on her narrow hips and cocked her head with a serious look. “But you know, of course, that if you don’t let me go with you, I will simply follow you. You can’t stop me from following you. Being separated like that, each of us alone rather than traveling together, will only be more dangerous for both of us. It would be better if we were to travel together. You could do what you can to protect me that way, and in turn I could do what I can to protect you.

“But one way or another, with you, or following in your footsteps, I’m going. That’s all there is to it.”

Richard pressed his lips tight as he appraised the determination in her dark eyes.

“You are one stubborn little girl.”

“Not a girl,” she said with conviction. “Samantha, sorceress serving the Lord Rahl.”

Richard couldn’t help but to smile. “So you are. Well, I guess you give me no choice in the matter, and what you say does have some good points.” He shook his head to himself. “All right, I’ll take you with me.”

Samantha smiled. “You won’t be sorry, Lord Rahl.”

“I hope not, and I hope you won’t be sorry. Let’s hurry and get supplies together for the two of us, then. And I want someone to watch over Kahlan while we’re gone.”

“Ester will watch her.”

Richard nodded. “Why don’t you go get her. Before we leave, we need to tell Ester a little bit of what we learned so that she can warn the others and then tell Kahlan when she wakes.”