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Savidlin turned to her and lifted an eyebrow. ‘You would make a good elder, Mother Confessor. You could give lessons in honor, and leadership.’
‘I would prefer the lessons weren’t necessary.’ Savidlin grunted his agreement. Dust and wind kicked up by the dragon’s wings fluttered past in fits that billowed her cloak. Kahlan was buttoning her cuff when the two men slid off Scarlet.
The Bird Man looked a little green, but he was grinning from ear to ear. He stroked a red scale respectfully and beamed at the yellow eye that watched him. Kahlan approached, and the Bird Man asked her to translate a message to Scarlet.
She 【创建和谐家园】iled and looked up at the dragon’s huge head, at its ears, which were now turning toward her. The Bird Man would like you to know that this has been one of the greatest honors of his life. He says you have given him the gift of a new vision. He says that from this day forward, if you or your young one ever need refuge, you will always be welcome and safe in this land.’
Scarlet’s snout twisted into a sort of dragon grin. Thank you, Bird Man. I am pleased.’ She lowered her head to speak to Richard. ‘I must leave now. My young one has been alone long enough, and will be hungry.’
Richard 【创建和谐家园】iled as he stroked a red scale. ‘Thank you, Scarlet. For everything. Thank you for showing us your little one. It is even more beautiful than you. Take care of the both of you. Live free.’
Scarlet spread her jaws wide and reached into the back of her mouth. There was a snap, and she brought a tooth point out, held in her black-tipped talons. It was only a point, but a good six inches long.
‘Dragons have magic,’ she told him. ‘Hold out your hand.’ She dropped the tooth point in Richard’s palm. ‘You seem to have a knack for getting yourself in trouble. Keep this safe. If you ever have great need, call me with it, and I will come. Be certain, as it will only work once.’
‘But how can I call you with it?’
Her head floated closer to him. ‘You have the gift, Richard Cypher. Just hold it in your hand and call to me. I will hear. Remember, great need.’
‘Thank you Scarlet, but I don’t have the gift.’
Scarlet threw her head back and rumbled in laughter. The ground shook. The scales on her throat vibrated. When her fit of laughter died out in spurts, she tilted her head to look at him with one yellow eye. ‘If you don’t have the gift, then no one does. Live free, Richard Cypher.’
Everyone in the village watched in silence as the red dragon grew 【创建和谐家园】aller in the golden sky. Richard put his arm around Kahlan’s waist, pulling her close against him.
‘I hope that I’ve finally heard the last of this nonsense about me having the gift,’ he muttered half to himself. ‘I saw you from up in the air.’ He pointed with his chin across the clearing. ‘You want to tell me what that was all about with our friend over there?’
Chandalen was making a point of not looking at her. ‘No It’s not important.’
----------
‘Are we ever going to get to be alone?’ Kahlan asked with a coy 【创建和谐家园】ile. ‘Pretty soon I’m going to have to start kissing you in front of all of these people.’
Dusk was bringing a cozy, fading light to the impromptu feast. Richard glanced around the grass-roofed shelter at the elders in their coyote hides. They were all 【创建和谐家园】iles and chatter. Their wives and a few children had joined the group. People were stopping by the shelter to welcome the two of them back, 【创建和谐家园】iling and exchanging gentle slaps.
Little children across the way were chasing brown chickens that wanted nothing more than to find a place to roost for the night. The chickens squawked as they made flapping escapes. She couldn’t understand how the children could stand to be naked, as cold as it was. Women in bright dresses were bringing woven trays of tava bread and glazed pottery bowls of roasted peppers, rice cakes, long boiled beans, cheese, and roasted meats.
‘You really think they’re going to let us get away before we tell them the whole story of our great adventure?’
‘What great adventure? All I remember is being scared to death all the time and being in more trouble than I knew how to get out of Her insides twisted in pain at the memory of learning he had been captured by a Mord-Sith. And thinking you were dead.’
He 【创建和谐家园】iled. ‘Didn’t you know? That’s what an adventure is: being in trouble.’
‘I’ve had enough of adventure to last me the rest of my life.’
Richard’s gray eyes looked distant. ‘Me, too.’ Her gaze went to the red leather rod, the Agiel, which hung on a gold chain around his neck. She reached back and took a piece of cheese from a platter. Her face brightened. She put the cheese to his mouth. ‘Maybe we can just make up a story that sounds like a proper adventure. A short adventure.’
‘Suits me,’ he said, and then bit off a chunk of the cheese as she held it to his mouth.
Immediately, he spit the cheese into his hand and made a sour face. This is awful!’ he whispered.
‘Really?’ She sniffed the piece she still held. She took a tiny bite. ‘Well, I don’t like cheese, but it doesn’t taste any worse than usual to me. I don’t think it has gone bad.’ He was still making the face. Tastes like it has to me.’ Kahlan thought a minute, and then frowned. ‘Yesterday at the People’s Palace, you didn’t like the cheese there either. And Zedd said there was nothing wrong with it.’
‘Nothing wrong with it! It tasted rotten! I ought to know, I love cheese. I eat it all the time. I know bad cheese when I eat it.’
‘Well, I hate cheese. Maybe you’re just picking up my habits.’
He rolled a roasted pepper in a piece of tava bread and grinned. ‘I could think of a worse fate.’
As she returned the 【创建和谐家园】ile, she saw two hunters approaching. Her back stiffened. Richard noticed her reaction and sat up straighter. These are two of Chandalen’s men. I don’t know what they want.’ She gave him a wink. ‘Be a good boy? Let’s not have an adventure.’
Without 【创建和谐家园】iling or answering, he turned and watched the two come. The hunters stopped in front of her at the edge of the platform. They planted the butts of their spears firmly in the ground, leaning on them with both hands. They both assessed her with slightly narrowed eyes and 【创建和谐家园】all, tight 【创建和谐家园】iles that weren’t entirely unfriendly. The one closest pushed his bow a little farther up on his shoulder and then extended an open hand to her, palm up.
She looked down at the hand. She knew what it meant -an open hand offered without a weapon in it. She glanced up at him in confusion. ‘Does Chandalen approve of this?’
‘We are Chandalen’s men. Not his children.’ He kept the hand out.
Kahlan looked at it a moment and then stroked her palm over his. His 【创建和谐家园】ile widened a little and he gave her a gentle slap.
‘Strength to Confessor Kahlan. I am Prindin. This is my brother, Tossidin.’
She gave Prindin a slap and wished him strength. Tossidin held his palm open to her. She stroked it with hers. He gave her a slap and added his wish of strength. He had a handsome 【创建和谐家园】ile that matched his brother’s. Surprised by his friendliness, she returned his slap and greeting. Kahlan glanced to Richard. The brothers noticed the look, and in response both gave Richard a slap and greeting.
‘We wanted to tell you that you spoke with strength and honor today,’ Prindin said. ‘Chandalen is a hard man, and a hard man to get to know, but he is not a bad man. He cares deeply for our people and wants only to protect them from harm. That is what we do -protect our people.’
Kahlan nodded. ‘ Richard and I are Mud People, too.’ The brothers 【创建和谐家园】iled. ‘The elders have proclaimed it for all to know. We will protect you both, the same as any other of our people.’
‘Will Chandalen?’
Both grinned, but neither answered. They pulled their spears up, readying to leave.
‘Tell them I said they have fine bows,’ Richard said. She glanced sideways to see him watching the two. She told his words to Prindin.
They 【创建和谐家园】iled as they nodded. ‘We are very good with them.’
Richard’s expressionless gaze stayed on the two brothers. ‘Tell them I think their arrows look to be well made. Ask if I may see one.’
Kahlan frowned at him before translating for the hunters. The brothers beamed with pride. Prindin pulled an arrow from his quiver and handed it to Richard. Kahlan noticed that the elders were all quiet. Richard rolled the arrow in his fingers. Betraying no emotion, he looked at the nock and then turned it around and looked at the flat, metal point. He handed the arrow back. ‘Very fine work.’ As Prindin replaced the arrow in his quiver, Kahlan told him what Richard had said. He slid a hand partway up his spear and leaned a little of his weight on it. ‘If you know how to shoot a bow, we would invite you to come with us tomorrow.’ Before she could translate, Savidlin spoke to her. ‘Richard told me before, when you were here last, that he had to leave his bow behind in Westland, and that he missed it As a surprise, I made him one, for when you both came back. It is a gift to him for teaching me how to make roofs that do not leak. It is at my home. I was going to give it to him tomorrow. Tell him, and tell him that if he agrees, I would like to take some of my hunters and go with him tomorrow’ He 【创建和谐家园】iled. ‘We will see if he is as good a shot as our hunters.’
The brothers grinned and nodded their enthusia【创建和谐家园】. They looked to be confident of the results of the contest. Kahlan told Richard what Savidlin had said.
Richard was surprised, and seemed to be moved by what Savidlin had done. ‘The Mud People make some of the finest fbows I have ever seen. I am honored, Savidlin. That is was poison, the result of an evil magic. They didn’t know that in Westland, where Richard was from, you could eat red things like apples. They had seen him eat an apple once before, when he had tricked them into not making him take a wife from their village by convincing them that his eating it might make his seed poisonous to his bride, but they sweated as they watched the two of them doing it again.
‘What are you doing?’ Kahlan asked him.
‘Just eat your apple and then translate for me.’
When they finished, Richard stood, motioning her up next to him. ‘Honored elders, I have returned from stopping the threat against our people. Now that it is over, I would like to ask your permission for something. I hope you find me worthy. I would like to ask your permission to have a Mud Woman as my wife. As you can see, I have taught Kahlan to eat these things as I do. She will not be harmed by it, or by me, and in the same way, though she is a Confessor, I will not be harmed by her. We would like to be together, and we would like to be wedded by our people.’
Kahlan could hardly get the last of the words out past the tightness in her throat, and she could hardly keep from throwing her arms around him. She could feel her eyes burning and filling with tears, and had to clear her throat to finish the words. She put her arm around Richard’s waist to steady herself.