Kahlan hooked some hair behind her ear. "I heard that myself."

She checked the doorway again and, seeing the hanging still in place and hearing no voices close, turned back to Nicci. "I'm afraid that I don't know what it means. I don't know very much at all about myself. As I'm sure you can probably imagine, it's pretty frustrating. Sometimes, I get so dispirited by not being able to remember anything . . ."

Kahlan's voice trailed off as Nicci's eyes closed against a pang of agony. She was having trouble breathing.

Kahlan laid a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Hold on, Nicci. Please hold on. A Sister will be in to heal you any moment. I've been hurt by them before-hurt terribly-and they healed me, so I know they can do it. You'll be all right after they get in here."

Nicci nodded slightly, but she didn't open her eyes. Kahlan wished that one of the Sisters would hurry. In the absence of anything she could do, Kahlan gave Nicci another drink, then wet the piece of cloth again and gently mopped her brow.

Kahlan was torn between staying where she'd been told to stay and rushing to the opening out of the bedchamber to demand that someone go get a Sister. She knew, though, that the collar she wore around her neck would drop her before she would be able to take two steps. It was somewhat surprising that there wasn't a Sister already outside. There was usually at least one of them at hand.

"I've never seen anyone stand up to Jagang the way you did," Kahlan said.

"It wouldn't really have mattered if I did or not." Nicci paused to get her breath. "He was going to do what he wanted to do. But I wasn't about to agree to it."

Kahlan smiled at Nicci's spirit of defiance.

"Jagang was already angry at you long before you arrived. Sister Ulicia told him how you're in love with Richard. She was going on and on about it."

Nicci's eyes were open, but she said nothing as she stared up at the ceiling.

"That's why Jagang was questioning you-because of what Sister Ulicia told him. He was jealous."

"He has no reason to be jealous. He should be more concerned that someday I'm going to kill him."

Kahlan smiled at that. Then, she wondered if Nicci meant that Jagang had no reason to be jealous because there was nothing between her and Richard, or because there was but the emperor had no right to have a claim on her heart.

"Do you think you will ever get a chance to kill him?"

In frustration, Nicci lifted a hand just a little bit, then let it drop back down to her side. "Probably not. I think I'm the one who is going to be killed."

"Maybe we can think of something before that happens," Kahlan said. "How did he manage to capture you, anyway?"

"I was in the palace."

"They found a way in?"

"Yes. Through forgotten catacombs that run underneath the Azrith Plain and under the plateau. The underground chambers and tunnels appear to have been abandoned millennia ago.

"I think it was a reconnaissance expedition that caught me. They haven't begun to invade the palace, yet, but as soon as they have what they need in place I'm sure they will."

Kahlan realized that that was what had been discovered buried in the pit. With a way in, it was only a matter of time until they stormed the palace and slaughtered everyone up there. She knew that when that happened all hope would be lost. Jagang would have defeated the last holdout against the Imperial Order. He would rule the world.

At least, he would if he could get his hands on the third box of Orden. Kahlan didn't doubt his word, though, that he would soon accomplish that as well. It seemed that time was not just running out for Richard Rahl, but for any hope of freedom surviving.

Nicci, her chin trembling, looked over at Kahlan. "Please, cover me?"

"Sorry," Kahlan said. "I should have thought of that."

Actually, she had, but she had thought that maybe it might be worse if she covered Nicci and the sheet stuck to the wounds. She could certainly understand, though, why Nicci would want to be covered.

Kahlan stretched, caught the edge of the gold bedcover and pulled it up. Ever mindful of the collar, she had to be careful not to let herself get up from the floor.

"Thanks," Nicci said as she at last was able to pull the silk cover the rest of the way over herself.

"Don't be ashamed," Kahlan said.

Nicci frowned a little. "What do you mean?"

"You should never be ashamed to be a victim. It wasn't through any fault of yours. The only thing you should feel is anger at such a violation. You didn't do anything to encourage it. It was rape, just as you said it was."

Nicci smiled a little as she touched Kahlan's cheek. "Thanks."

Kahlan took a deep breath. "Jagang has promised to do much the same to me as he did to you."

Nicci's hand tightened on Kahlan's, offering in turn some solace.

Kahlan hesitated, but then went on. "The only reason he hasn't yet is because he wants it to be worse than it would be if he did it now. He told me that he wants to wait until I know who I am. He says that when I remember my past and who I am it will be all the worse for me. He says that he wants 'him' to see it. Jagang says that he wants to destroy us both in mat way, to destroy everything."

Nicci closed her eyes, covering them with a hand as if unable to bear the thought of it.

"It seems pretty obvious that he has to be talking about someone from my past. Do you know who this 'he' is?"

Nicci's answer was a long moment in coming. "I'm sorry, but I don't remember you, or your past. All I know is the things I've heard, like your name and that you are the Mother Confessor."

Kahlan nodded. She didn't think she was getting the whole truth. She felt pretty confident that Nicci knew more than she was admitting. Kahlan thought it best, though, not to press her on the subject. At that moment, forcing her to do anything she didn't want to do seemed too cruel to contemplate. Maybe she had her own reasons for not wanting to say more. Maybe those reasons were strictly personal and none of Kahlan's business.

Kahlan smiled, determined to steer away from the gloom of such a dark subject. "I liked all the things you said about Richard Rahl. This Richard sounds like my kind of man."

Nicci smiled the slightest bit. "You are both good people."

Kahlan rubbed a thumb back and forth on the edge of the bedcover. "What's he like? I keep hearing things about him. Every time I turn around, in fact, it seems as if the phantom of Richard Rahl is somehow haunting my life." Kahlan looked up. "What's he really like?"

"I don't know. He's just. . . Richard. He's a man who cares deeply for those he loves."

"From what you told Jagang you seem to know how he feels about a great many things. You seem to be there at his side a lot. It sounds like he cares a great deal for you."

Nicci dismissed the suggestion with a flick of a hand. She looked over at Kahlan.

"There are regular soldiers outside Jagang's tent. Do you know why?"

The abrupt change of topic told Kahlan that she was probing into things Nicci didn't want to talk about. Kahlan wondered why not.

She turned her attention to Nicci's question. "The soldiers are there because they can see me. Very few people can. Sister Ulicia told Jagang that she thinks it's just an anomaly. After I killed two of his guards and Sister Cecilia."

Her expression intense, Nicci lifted her head a little. "You killed Sister Cecilia?"

"Yes."

"How did you manage to kill a Sister of the Dark?"

"It was back in Caska, the place where you and Richard saw Jillian."

"Who told you that?"

"Jillian."

Nicci's head sank back down. "Oh."

"Jillian said she helped Richard find the Chainfire book he was hunting for down in the catacombs of Caska. That's also where Jagang finally captured Sisters Ulicia, Armina, and Cecilia. They thought they were going to meet up with Sister Tovi when they got there. As it turned out, Tovi was already dead and it was Jagang who was there waiting for them. They were pretty surprised."