Richard rode a big black gelding that carried his weight easily. By the way it danced sideways at times when they stopped told her that the horse had some spirit. Richard looked magnificent on the horse. It was good to see him on one again. In the dull light his sword gleamed against his dark outfit. It was good to see him, too, with that glint of purpose in his eyes, even if those gray eyes also carried the shadow of poison.
As they left the city behind, and as happy as she was to be out of the citadel, she was happier still to be out of the depressing city of Saavedra. It felt good to be away from all the eyes on her. She had no way of knowing if any of those people watching would have been loyal to Hannis Arc, or for that matter, to Emperor Sulachan. For all she knew, he could have minions anywhere.
As they left the shelter of the city, though, there were other concerns. There was no telling who might be watching from the leafy shadows of the vast forests carpeting the wilderness. Commander Fister had been more than concerned that they were taking so few men. He wanted more than a dozen total in case they were set upon by half people. Richard told him that their safety depended on speed and escape, not on standing and fighting a battle. To that end, they’d brought a string of extra mounts so they could trade off and give the animals a break.
Cassia had reassured the commander that with three Mord-Sith along, they didn’t need more men. His face screwed up with a sour expression, but he didn’t say anything. Men of the First File had traditionally been the first line of defense for the Lord Rahl, but then, so had the Mord-Sith.
To Kahlan’s knowledge it had never formally been settled among them who took precedence. Mord-Sith didn’t think there was any need for formality. They believed that they took precedence and were never shy about making that point.
Richard, along with the commander and other officers of the First File, never contradicted that assertion. Richard didn’t see the need. There were always plenty of enemy to go around.
Once they were clear of the city, Richard took the lead and set a pace that would make it difficult for anyone to stop them. The sight of the men with Richard at the lead reminded her of cavalry on the move. Any half people on foot would be at a distinct disadvantage. Still, they had numbers that might even be able to overwhelm a column of horses moving at speed. If any appeared, though, they would move into a gallop. Stepping out in front of a pack of horses in a thundering gallop would be the last mistake they ever made.
Richard pulled his horse to a halt as they reached a place where the road divided. Two of the men who had grown up in the Dark Lands drew their horses alongside him.
“Which way?” Richard asked. “Left or right?”
“The right is the shortest route,” one of the men said.
“The left may be a little longer, but it’s easier traveling,” the other man said.
Richard turned in his saddle to look back at Nicci. “Do you sense anything ahead on either road?”
Nicci rested her wrists atop one another on the horn of her saddle as she looked off into the distance down each road.
“No,” she finally said. “I don’t sense anyone. But that doesn’t mean anything, really, with them able to mask their presence with occult powers. If they did that, I wouldn’t be able to sense them.”
Richard tapped the side of his thumb on the horn of his saddle as he gazed down both roads, considering. Kahlan knew that he was worried about something other than half people. He was concerned about Samantha trying to catch them out in the open with few men to protect them. Of course, soldiers would not really be much of an obstacle to the young sorceress.
Kahlan suspected that the Mord-Sith would not have any better of a chance to stop her. Mord-Sith had the ability to capture a person’s magic if it was used against them, but exactly what abilities Samantha had, they didn’t know for sure, so it was hard to tell if a Mord-Sith’s abilities would work the same with Samantha. About the only thing they did know was that she was profoundly gifted and inventive in using that gift.
The worst problem for the three Mord-Sith, though, was that their Agiel didn’t work. The Agiel depended on the bond to the Lord Rahl, so as long as Richard had that poison in him the Mord-Sith were at a disadvantage. What other limitations that imposed on their ability to function, Kahlan didn’t know.
They were all rightfully concerned about traveling through dense woodlands, knowing what Samantha was capable of. Kahlan was glad that the way they were going, so far at least, was not taking them through any gorges or along the bases of any cliffs. Samantha had proven that she could bring a mountain down on their heads if she wanted to.
“Then I’d rather the shortest distance,” Richard finally said as he urged his horse onto the road to the right. “We need to make the best time we can.”
By the pace Richard was setting, it was clear that they would not have been able to make better time taking the better but longer road. She knew that Richard would make good time no matter how difficult the route. They’d brought relief mounts, so they could change horses in order to maintain a quick pace.
As the day wore on, the road began climbing in a series of switchbacks along the gentle rise of ever-higher slopes. The road was too narrow and rocky to have accommodated a cart, much less wagons. Anyone using the route would have had to use horses or pack mules.
The forest of shimmering leaves smelled of rot. Several times they had to stop so the men could push deadfalls off to the side of the road. The woodland silence was broken each time by the sound of the heavy, wet, rotted trees crashing down the side of the steep bank.
Near dark, they reached a turn in the road that went around a point of the mountain’s edge. It afforded them a view off into the distance in nearly every direction except behind. The terrain over their heads was too steep for any attack from above. Anyone who tried to come at them from over the mountain above them would surely fall and plummet to their death. No one could climb up from below, at least not in numbers and not at all quickly enough.
“This gives us a good place we can watch from,” Richard said as he stood in his saddle, checking in every direction, gazing down on the expanse of forest spreading out below. “It’s getting dark fast. Let’s stop here on the road and set up camp for the night.” He pointed behind. “There is a lot of grass for the horses growing to the sides, right there.”
“You think it best to stop out in the open where half people could spot us?” Cassia asked.
“I’d rather be in a place where we can see them coming from a long way off. They can’t get to us going cross-country through the woods, and if they use the road they can only come from ahead or behind. There is no other way to get to us, here. That makes this spot which might seem like it’s out in the open actually much easier for us to defend.” He gestured to the rock wall at the apex of the curve around the prominence in the side of the mountain. “We can put some tarps there and be protected against the weather if it starts to rain.”
“It looks like it will be a damp and miserable night,” Commander Fister said. “What about fires to keep warm?”
Richard’s mouth twisted. “I’m not liking the idea of starting fires that could be seen or smelled for miles. It wouldn’t attract anything good and might tip off anyone searching for us.”