Cara stiffened at the unexpected encounter with the name, as if speaking it might summon him back from the world of the dead. "You followed Darken Rahl's orders, no matter how foolish they were, or you were tortured to death."

"Which Lord Rahl do you respect?"

"I would lay down my life for any Lord Rahl." Cara hesitated, and then touched her fingertips to the red leather over her heart. "But I could never feel this way for any other. I. . love Lord Rahl. Not like you love him, not like a woman loves a man, but it is still love. Sometimes I have dreams of how proud I am to serve and defend him, and sometimes I have nightmares that I will fail him."

Cara's brow drew down with sudden dread. "You won't tell him that I said I love ; him, will you? He must not know."

Kahlan smiled. "Cara, I think he already knows, because he has similar feelings about you, but if you don't wish it, I won't say anything."

Cara let out a sigh of relief. "Good."

"And what made you come to feel that way about him?"

"Many things…. He wishes us to think for ourselves. He allows us to serve him by choice. No Lord Rahl has ever done that before. I know that if I said I wished to quit him, he would let me go. He would not have me tortured to death for it. He would wish me a good life."

"That, and more, is what you value about him: he never pretended any claim to your lives. He believes no such claim can ever rightfully exist.

It's the first time since you were captured and trained to be Mord-Sith, that you have felt the reality of freedom.

"That, Cara, is what Richard wants for everyone."

She swished a hand, as if dismissing the seriousness of the whole thing. "He would be foolish to grant me my freedom if I asked for it. He needs me too much."

"You wouldn't need to ask for your freedom, Cara, and you know it. You already have your freedom, and because of him you know that, too. That's what makes him a leader you are honored to follow. That's why you feel the way you do about him. He has earned your loyalty."

Cara mulled it over.

"I still think he has lost his mind."

In the past, Richard had more than once expressed his faith that, given a chance, people would do the right thing. That was what he had done with the Mord-Sith. That was also what he had done with the people of Anderith.

Now. .

Kahlan swallowed back her emotion. "Not his mind, Cara, but maybe his heart."

Cara, seeing the look on Kahlan's face, dismissed the seriousness of the matter with a shrug and a smile. "I guess we will simply have to bring him around to the way things are going to be-talk some sense into him."

Cara dabbed away the remnant of a tear as it rolled down Kahlan's cheek.

"Before he comes back, how about getting that stupid wooden bowl for me?"

Cara nodded and bent to retrieve it. Kahlan was already fretting, knowing how much it was going to hurt, but there was no avoiding it.

Cara came up with the shallow bowl. "Before those men came, I was planning on making a fire and warming some water. I was going to give you a bed bath-you know, with a soapy cloth and a bucket of warm water. I guess I can do it when we get where we are going."

Kahlan half closed her eyes with the dreamy thought of being at least somewhat clean and fresh. She thought she needed a bath even more than she needed the wooden bowl to relieve herself.

"Cara, if you would do that for me, I would kiss your feet when I get better, and name you to the most important post I can think of."

"I am Mord-Sith." Cara looked nonplussed. She finally drew the blanket down. "That is the most important post there is-except perhaps wife to the Lord Rahl. Since he already has a wife, and I am already Mord-Sith, I will have to be content with having my feet kissed."

Kahlan chuckled, but a stab of pain through her abdomen and ribs brought it to an abrupt halt.

Richard was a long time in returning. Cara had made Kahlan drink two cups of cold tea heavily laced with herbs to dull the pain. It wouldn't be long before she was in a stupor, if not exactly asleep. Kahlan had been just about to yield to Cara's desire to go look for Richard, when he called from a distance to let them know it was him.

"Did you see any of the men?" Cara asked when he appeared in the doorway.

With a straight finger, Richard swiped glistening beads of sweat off his forehead. His damp hair was plastered to his neck. "No. They're no doubt off to Hartland to do some drinking and complaining. By the time they come back we'll be long gone."

"I still say we should lie in wait and end the threat," Cara muttered.

Richard ignored her.

"I cut and stripped some stout saplings and used some canvas to make a litter." He came closer and with a knuckle nudged Kahlan's chin, as if to playfully buck up her courage. "From now on we'll just let you stay on the litter, and then we can move you in and out of the carriage without. ." He had that look in his eyes-that look that hurt her to see. He showed her a smile. "It will make it easier on Cara and me."

Kahlan tried to face the thought with composure. "We're ready then?"

His gaze dropped as he nodded.

"Good," Kahlan said, cheerfully. "I'm in the mood for a nice ride. I'd like to see some of the countryside."

He smiled, more convincingly this time, she thought. "You shall have it. And we'll end up at a beautiful place. It's going to take a while to get there, traveling as slow as we must, but it will be worth the journey, you'll see."

Kahlan tried to keep her breathing even. She said his name over and over in her head, telling herself that she would not forget it this time, that she would not forget her own name. She hated forgetting things; it made her feel a fool to learn things she should have remembered but had forgotten. She was going to remember this time.

"Well, do I have to get up and walk? Or are you going to be a gentleman and carry me?"

He bent and kissed her forehead-the one part on her face that the soft touch of his lips would not hurt. He glanced at Cara and tilted his head to signal her to get Kahlan's legs.

"Will those men be drinking a long time?" Kahlan asked.

"It's still midday. Don't worry, we'll be long gone before they ever get back', here."

"I'm sorry, Richard. I know you thought these people from your homeland-"

"They're people, just like everyone else."

She nodded as she fondly stroked the back of his big hand. "Cara gave me some of your herbs. I'll sleep for a long time, so don't go slow on my account-I won't feel it. I don't want you to have to fight all those men."

"I won't be doing any fighting just traveling my forests."

"That's good." Kahlan felt daggers twist in her ribs as her breathing started getting too fast. "I love you, you know. In case I forgot to say it, I love you."

Despite the pain in his gray eyes, he smiled. "I love you, too. Just try to relax. Cara and I will be as gentle as we can. We'll go easy. There's no rush. Don't try to help us. Just relax. You're getting better, so it won't be so hard."

She had been hurt before and knew that it was always better to move yourself because you knew exactly how to do it. But she couldn't move herself this time.

She had come to know that the worst thing when you were hurt was to have someone else move you.

As he leaned over, she slipped her right arm around his neck while he carefully slid his left arm under her shoulders. Being lifted even that much ignited a shock of pain. Kahlan tried to ignore the burning stitch and attempted to relax as she said his name over and over in her mind.

She suddenly remembered something important. It was her last chance to remind him.

"Richard," she whispered urgently just before he pushed his right arm under her bottom to lift her. "Please. . remember to be careful not to hurt the baby."