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Naked Empire :: Goodkind Terry
Страница: 63 из 495He might smile at a person, or have them tortured to death. You never knew."
Cara stared into the low flames of the fire before her. "There was no way to reason out how he would react to anything." Her voice took on a quiet, haunted quality. "A lot of people simply decided that it was only a matter of time until he killed them, too, and so they lived their lives as the condemned would, waiting for the axe to fall, taking no pleasure in life or the thought of their future."
Tom nodded his grim agreement with Cara's assessment of life in D'Hara as he fed a crook of driftwood into the fire.
"Is that what you did, Cara?" Jennsen asked.
Cara looked up and scowled. "I am Mord-Sith. Mord-Sith are always ready to embrace death. We do not wish to die old and toothless."
Owen, nibbling his dried biscuit as if out of obligation to eat since the rest of them were, was clearly shaken by the story. "I can't imagine life with such savagery as all of you must live. Was this Darken Rahl related to you, Lord Rahl?" Owen suddenly seemed to think he might have made a mistake, and rushed to amend his question. "He has the same name… so I thought, well, I just thought-but I didn't mean to imply that I thought you were like him…."
Stepping down from the wagon, Richard handed Owen his full wa-terskins.
"He was my father."
"I didn't mean anything by the question. I would never intentionally cast aspersions on a man's father, especially a man who-"
"I killed him," Richard said.
Richard didn't feel like elaborating. He recoiled from the very thought of going into the whole dreadful tale.
Owen gaped around as if he were a fawn surrounded by wolves.
"He was a monster," Cara said, appearing to feel the need to rise to Richard's defense. "Now the people of D'Hara have a chance to look forward to a future of living their lives as they wish."
Richard sat down beside Kahlan. "At least they will if they can be free of the Imperial Order."
Head down, Owen nibbled on his biscuit as he watched the others.
When no one else spoke, Kahlan did. "Why don't you tell us your reasons for coming here, Owen."
Richard recognized her tone as that of the Mother Confessor asking a polite question meant to put a frightened petitioner at ease.
He dipped his head respectfully. "Yes, Mother Confessor."
"You know her, too?" Richard asked.
Owen nodded. "Yes, Lord Rahl."
"How?"
The man's gaze shifted from Richard to Kahlan and back again.
Cara stared into the low flames of the fire before her. "There was no way to reason out how he would react to anything." Her voice took on a quiet, haunted quality. "A lot of people simply decided that it was only a matter of time until he killed them, too, and so they lived their lives as the condemned would, waiting for the axe to fall, taking no pleasure in life or the thought of their future."
Tom nodded his grim agreement with Cara's assessment of life in D'Hara as he fed a crook of driftwood into the fire.
"Is that what you did, Cara?" Jennsen asked.
Cara looked up and scowled. "I am Mord-Sith. Mord-Sith are always ready to embrace death. We do not wish to die old and toothless."
Owen, nibbling his dried biscuit as if out of obligation to eat since the rest of them were, was clearly shaken by the story. "I can't imagine life with such savagery as all of you must live. Was this Darken Rahl related to you, Lord Rahl?" Owen suddenly seemed to think he might have made a mistake, and rushed to amend his question. "He has the same name… so I thought, well, I just thought-but I didn't mean to imply that I thought you were like him…."
Stepping down from the wagon, Richard handed Owen his full wa-terskins.
"He was my father."
"I didn't mean anything by the question. I would never intentionally cast aspersions on a man's father, especially a man who-"
"I killed him," Richard said.
Richard didn't feel like elaborating. He recoiled from the very thought of going into the whole dreadful tale.
Owen gaped around as if he were a fawn surrounded by wolves.
"He was a monster," Cara said, appearing to feel the need to rise to Richard's defense. "Now the people of D'Hara have a chance to look forward to a future of living their lives as they wish."
Richard sat down beside Kahlan. "At least they will if they can be free of the Imperial Order."
Head down, Owen nibbled on his biscuit as he watched the others.
When no one else spoke, Kahlan did. "Why don't you tell us your reasons for coming here, Owen."
Richard recognized her tone as that of the Mother Confessor asking a polite question meant to put a frightened petitioner at ease.
He dipped his head respectfully. "Yes, Mother Confessor."
"You know her, too?" Richard asked.
Owen nodded. "Yes, Lord Rahl."
"How?"
The man's gaze shifted from Richard to Kahlan and back again.