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Naked Empire :: Goodkind Terry
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Jennsenput herself in front of Kahlan to stop her from starting out once again. "What does the letter say?"
"Nicholas wants me in exchange for the antidote."
Jennsen put her hands against Kahlan's shoulders to stop her. "What?"
"That's what the letter says. Nicholas wants me in exchange for the lives of everyone else in this empire and the antidote to save Richard's life."
"The lives of everyone else… but how could he carry out such a threat?"
"Nicholas is a wizard. There are any number of deadly things available to such a man. If nothing else, he could use wizard's fire and incinerate the entire city."
"But his magic won't harm the people here-they're pristinely un-gifted, the same as me."
"If he uses wizard's fire to set a building ablaze, like we did to those soldiers sleeping back in Owen's town, it won't matter to the people inside how the fire started. Once the buildings catch fire, then it's just regular fire-fire that will kill anyone. If not that, Nicholas has soldiers here. He could immediately start executing people. He could have thousands beheaded in hardly any time at all. I can't even imagine what else he could do, but he put this letter where the antidote was hidden, so I know he's not bluffing."
Kahlan stepped around Jennsen and started out again. She couldn't make herself stop trembling. She tried to slow her racing heart, but that didn't work, either. Richard had to have the antidote. That was what mattered. She focused her attention ahead as she marched swiftly up the dark street.
Tom paced along beside her, opposite Jennsen. "Mother Confessor, wait.
We have to think this out."
"I already have."
"We can take a force of men to the meeting place-take the antidote by force."
Kahlan kept going. "From a wizard? I don't think so. Besides, if Nicholas were to see such a force coming he would probably pour the antidote in the river. Then what? We have to do as he demands. We have to get our hands on the antidote, get it safely away from them."
"What makes you think that after Nicholas has you he won't then pour it in the river?" Tom asked.
"We'll have to make the exchange in a way that best insures we get the antidote. We aren't going to rely on his goodwill and honesty. Owen and Jennsen are pristinely ungifted. They won't be harmed by his magic. They can help make sure we get the antidote in the exchange."
Jennsen pulled her hair away from her face as she leaned close.
"Kahlan, you can't do this. You can't. Please, Richard will go crazy- we all will.
Jennsenput herself in front of Kahlan to stop her from starting out once again. "What does the letter say?"
"Nicholas wants me in exchange for the antidote."
Jennsen put her hands against Kahlan's shoulders to stop her. "What?"
"That's what the letter says. Nicholas wants me in exchange for the lives of everyone else in this empire and the antidote to save Richard's life."
"The lives of everyone else… but how could he carry out such a threat?"
"Nicholas is a wizard. There are any number of deadly things available to such a man. If nothing else, he could use wizard's fire and incinerate the entire city."
"But his magic won't harm the people here-they're pristinely un-gifted, the same as me."
"If he uses wizard's fire to set a building ablaze, like we did to those soldiers sleeping back in Owen's town, it won't matter to the people inside how the fire started. Once the buildings catch fire, then it's just regular fire-fire that will kill anyone. If not that, Nicholas has soldiers here. He could immediately start executing people. He could have thousands beheaded in hardly any time at all. I can't even imagine what else he could do, but he put this letter where the antidote was hidden, so I know he's not bluffing."
Kahlan stepped around Jennsen and started out again. She couldn't make herself stop trembling. She tried to slow her racing heart, but that didn't work, either. Richard had to have the antidote. That was what mattered. She focused her attention ahead as she marched swiftly up the dark street.
Tom paced along beside her, opposite Jennsen. "Mother Confessor, wait.
We have to think this out."
"I already have."
"We can take a force of men to the meeting place-take the antidote by force."
Kahlan kept going. "From a wizard? I don't think so. Besides, if Nicholas were to see such a force coming he would probably pour the antidote in the river. Then what? We have to do as he demands. We have to get our hands on the antidote, get it safely away from them."
"What makes you think that after Nicholas has you he won't then pour it in the river?" Tom asked.
"We'll have to make the exchange in a way that best insures we get the antidote. We aren't going to rely on his goodwill and honesty. Owen and Jennsen are pristinely ungifted. They won't be harmed by his magic. They can help make sure we get the antidote in the exchange."
Jennsen pulled her hair away from her face as she leaned close.
"Kahlan, you can't do this. You can't. Please, Richard will go crazy- we all will.