Kahlan looked over her shoulder, past Nadine, and up the long ladder to the light coming through the doorway. She could see the tops of soldiers' heads, but none were so bold as to stare down into the pit, where there were apt to be deeds of magic.

Nadine stuck her head between them. 'Maybe it's a spell. Magic, of some sort." She straightened, pulling her head back, when she received only glares in answer. More out of curiosity than an attempt to wake him, Cara lightly jabbed Marlin's shoulder. She pushed her finger into his chest, and his stomach. "Hard as a rock. His muscles are all locked rigid."

"That must be how he's able to stand there like that. Maybe it's some sort of trick he learned as a wizard." Cara didn't seem convinced. With a twitch of her hand so slight Kahlan almost missed it, Cara spun her Agiel up into her fist. The pain Kahlan knew it caused her to hold her Agiel didn't show on her face. It never did. Kahlan snatched Cara's wrist. "You don't need to do that. Just wake him. And don't use your link with his mind, his magic, to give him pain, unless it's absolutely necessary. Unless I tell you so."

Displeasure registered on Cara's face "I think it's necessary. I can't have this. I can't hesitate to exert my control."

"Cara, there is a great gulf between prudence and hesitation. This whole thing with Marlin has been more than odd from the first. Let's just take it one step at a time. You've said that you have control over him; let's not be impetuous. You do have control, don't you?"

A slow smile spread on Cara's lips. "Oh, I have control, no doubt of that. But if you insist, I will wake him the way we sometimes wake our pets, then."

Cara bent forward at the waist, slipped her left arm around his neck, tilted her head, and gently gave Marlin a long kiss on the mouth. Kahlan felt her face go red. She knew that Denna sometimes awakened Richard like that, before torturing him again.

With a satisfied smirk, Cara drew back. Like a cat coming awake from a nap, Marlin's lids slid open. His eyes had that quality in them again-that quality that made Kahlan's very soul want to shrink back.

This time, she saw more than she had before. These eyes were not merely those of great age. These were eyes unvisited by fear.

As he regarded the three of them with slow, unflinching, calculating deliberation, he bent his fisted hands back at the wrists and arched his back in a feline stretch. A depraved grin spread onto his face, a taint of wickedness expanding like blood seeping through white linen.

"So. My two darlins have returned." His disquieting eyes seemed to see more than they should, to know more than they should. "And they've brought a new bitch with 'em."

Marlin's voice had been almost boyish, before. Now, it was deep and gravelly, as if coming from a muscled man weighing twice as much-a voice steeped with unquestioned power and authority. It exuded invincibility. Kahlan had never heard such a dangerous voice.

She retreated a step, clutching Cara's arm and pulling her back with her. Though Marlin didn't move, she felt the coiling of menace. 'Cara' — Kahlan put a hand behind, forcing Nadine back as she withdrew another step-"Cara, tell me you've got him. Tell me you have control." Cara was staring, mouth agape, at Marlin. "What. .?" She abruptly unleashed a powerful strike. Her armored fist only snapped his head a few inches to the side. It should have taken him from his feet. Marlin regarded her with a bloody smile. He spit out broken teeth. "Nice try, darlin," Marlin said in a rough voice. "But I've got control of your link with Marlin."

Cara rammed her Agiel in his gut. His body flinched with the jolt, his arms flopping ineffectually. His eyes, though, never lost the deadly look. The smile didn't falter as he watched her. Cara took two steps back on her own.

"What's going on?" Nadine whispered. "What's wrong? I thought you said he was helpless."

"Get out," Cara whispered urgently to Kahlan. "Now." She glanced up the ladder. "I'll hold him off. Lock the door."

"Wanting to leave?" Marlin asked in the grating voice as they moved toward the ladder. "So soon? And before we've had a little talk. I've enjoyed listening to the talks you two have had. I've learned so much. I never knew about Mord-Sith. But I do, now."

Kahlan halted. "What are you talking about?"

His predatory gaze moved from Cara to Kahlan. "I learned of your touching love for Richard Rahl. It was so thoughtful of you to reveal the limits of his gift. I suspected much of it, but you confirmed the extent. You also confirmed my suspicion that he would be able to recognize another with the gift, and that it would raise his suspicions. Even you were able to see something wrong in Marlin's eyes."

"Who are you?" Kahlan asked as she pushed Nadine back with her toward the ladder.

Marlin shook with a belly laugh. "Why, none other than your worst nightmare, my little darlins."

"Jagang?" Kahlan whispered incredulously. "Is that it? Are you Jagang?" The belly laugh boomed around the stone walls of the pit. "You have me cornered. I confess. It is I, the dream walker himself. I've borrowed this poor fellow's mind, just so I could pay you a little visit."

Cara slammed her Agiel against the side of his neck. A puppet arm swept her aside.

Cara returned almost instantly, crashing into his kidneys, trying to take him down. He didn't budge. With jerky movements, he reached down, caught her braid, and flung her back against the wall behind him as if she were a stick doll. Kahlan winced at the sound of Cara smacking the stone. She rolled facedown on the floor, blood soaking into her blond hair. Kahlan shoved Nadine toward the ladder. "Get out! ' Nadine seized a rung on the ladder. "What are you going to do?" "I've seen enough. This ends now."

Kahlan went for Marlin, or Jagang, or whoever it was. She had to end it with her power.

Screaming, Nadine shot past Kahlan and across the floor as if she were sliding across ice. Marlin caught the flailing woman, spun her around, and gripped her by the throat in one hand. Nadine, her eyes wide, choked for air.

Kahlan skidded to a halt as Marlin twitched up a cautionary finger. "Tut-tut. I'll crush her throat.

Kahlan retreated a step. Nadine gulped air when he released the pressure. 'One life, for all those you will otherwise kill? Do you think the Mother Confessor would be unwilling to make such a choice?"

At Kahlan's words, Nadine, in renewed panic, writhed in his grip, her fingers digging frantically at his hands. Even if Marlin didn't crush her throat, he was touching her, and if Kahlan took him with her power, Nadine would be lost, too.

"Perhaps you would, but don't you want to know what I'm doing here, darlin? Don't you want to know my plans for your love, the great Lord Rahl?"

Kahlan turned and screamed up the shaft of light. "Collins! Shut the door! Lock it!"

Above, the door slammed shut. Only the spitting torches remained to light the pit. The sound of the door clanging shut added its echo to the hissing torches.

Kahlan turned back to Marlin. Keeping her eyes on him, she began slowly edging around the room. "What are you? Who are you?"

"Well, actually, that's a difficult philosophical question to answer in terms you would understand. A dream walker is able to slip into the infinite spaces of time between thoughts, when a person, who they are, their very essence, doesn't exist, and inhabit that person's mind. What you see before you is Marlin, a loyal little lapdog of mine. I'm the flea on his back that he brought into your house with him. He is a host, which I thought to use for. . certain things."

Nadine thrashed against her captor, causing him to squeeze tighter to maintain his grip. Kahlan pursed her lips and urged her to shush. If she continued fighting him, she would get herself strangled. As if snatching the lifeline of Kahlan's command, Nadine stilled in his grip, and was able at last to pull breaths. "Your host will shortly be a dead best," Kahlan said.