Warheart

CHAPTER 32

“Lord Rahl, what is it?” the breathless commander asked.

“Are the men getting horses together?”

“Of course, Lord Rahl. They are being packed with supplies, now. Are we to take you and the Mother Confessor back to the palace at long last?”

Richard waved off the question as a dead issue. “No. We would never make it. Just as the guardian at Stroyza would never have made it.”

The commander frowned as he panted, catching his breath. He glanced at Kahlan and Nicci before turning a puzzled look on Richard. “Where are we headed, then?”

“We’re going to Stroyza.”

Kahlan knew that was where he wanted to go. She just didn’t know why.

“Stroyza! Back across that forsaken, trackless wilderness and over the mountain passes we crossed to get here?”

“Irena said that there were roads and trails she used to come here before. I don’t know if she really did come here, but she may have been right about there being roads.” He turned to the three men. “Is that true? Are there roads and trails we can use to get to Stroyza, rather than go back across those mountains at Saavedra’s back door?”

Without having to think about it, the three nodded.

“There is a pretty good road part of the way,” one of them said, “but partway there it starts heading off in the wrong direction. From that point, though, we can take trails used by merchants as trade routes. That will at least get us close to Stroyza. It’s not the easiest of trails, but far easier on horseback than going back over the mountains on foot and having to hack our way through uncharted wilderness.”

“All right, then, we need to leave at once.”

The commander clapped a fist to his heart. “As you wish, Lord Rahl. All the men can be ready to go before you get down to the stables.”

Richard looked over at the desk. “No, we’re not all going. I need the men to split up. I only want to take a detachment of a dozen or so men. More will only slow us down.”

The commander cleared his throat. “I beg to differ, Lord Rahl. Not one of my men would slow us down. They would sooner die of exhaustion than slow you down. Besides, you will need their numbers if we’re attacked by any more of the half people.”

Richard flashed the man a brief smile. “I understand your concern.” He gestured back at the scrolls. “But these scrolls are incredibly valuable to me–to all of us. They have already been in the wrong hands and that has resulted in all the trouble we now have. We must keep possession of those scrolls at all cost. They are to be protected with our lives. Eventually they will have to be taken back to the People’s Palace, where I will need them. Until then, they must be guarded.”

The commander scratched his scalp as he glanced over at the desk piled high with scrolls. “Do you want the men to start back with them now?”

Off behind the hulking commander, Kahlan saw the scribe, Mohler, hurrying into the room. He came up behind the soldiers and stopped, waiting to be summoned. Richard urgently motioned him forward.

“Yes, Lord Rahl? What can I do for you?”

“I need you to collect all the Cerulean scrolls, including the ones that have similar symbols on them, and get them all packed up so they are safe to travel.”

“They arrived in leather tubes that protected them from the weather,” Mohler said. “A number of scrolls will fit in each one. If they are rolled tightly together, it would not take more than maybe ten or twelve of the tubes.”

“Are they waterproof?”

Mohler glanced over at the scrolls. “Enough to protect them from rain and such, but not enough if you were to drop them in a river or plunge them under water. They are very ancient, Lord Rahl, very fragile.”

“All right,” Richard said to the man, “pack them carefully for traveling, then seal the lids with pitch and wax to better protect them. It will also keep them from being opened.”

“Then take them back to the palace?” Commander Fister asked.

Richard considered a moment. “Not yet. They would be more vulnerable when traveling. For now they would be better protected here. This place is a fortress, after all. Hannis Arc and Emperor Sulachan have no reason to come back here. For now, I want the bulk of the men to stay here and protect them.”

The commander clearly looked reluctant but didn’t argue. “As you wish, Lord Rahl.”

“And make sure that the men understand that these are incredibly valuable to stopping Sulachan and the half people. These scrolls must never again fall into enemy hands.”

The commander clapped a fist to his heart. “I will make sure they understand the importance of their mission.”

“Good,” Richard said with a nod.

“They will be guarded here, for now, but when would you like them taken to the palace?”

“When I succeed at stopping Sulachan. Then it will be safe to travel with them. If I don’t succeed, well, I guess in that case it won’t matter much.”

Commander Fister didn’t understand, but neither did he question. “Lord Rahl, if I may ask, I would like to lead the men who are to go with you. These scrolls may be valuable, but they are not as valuable as you. You and the Mother Confessor are my primary responsibility. I would ask to be at the head of the detachment you take to Stroyza. I would feel a lot better if I was there to help protect you.”

“Of course,” Richard said. He leaned to the side, looking past the commander to the three Mord-Sith. “I want you three to come with us.”

Cassia frowned. “What made you think we would have allowed you to leave us behind?”