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Warren shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe Jagang will be content to digest Aydindril for a while, to establish firm control over the Midlands. He believes it his duty to his Creator to bring all of mankind under the Order.
Sooner or later, he will move on D'Hara."
Kahlan finally directed her attention to Captain Zimmer.
"Captain, get your men ready. While we're getting all our supplies and such on the way, you might as well go and remind Jagang that we have kept our blades sharp."
The captain gri
Kahlan swept her gaze across everyone in the room.
"I intend to make the Order shed blood for every inch they take. If that is all I can do, then I will do it until I breathe my last breath."
CHAPTER 53
The dead-still air was sweltering and reeked of stagnant sewage.
Richard wiped sweat from his brow. At least as long as his sturdy wagon was rolling through the streets he could enjoy a little breeze.
Distracted out of his concern over knowing Kahlan and Cara had to have long since left the safety of their mountain home, he noticed an unusual amount of activity for the middle of the night. Shadowy figures hurried down the dark streets to dart into dim buildings. Slashes of light briefly fell to the street until doors could be pulled shut. The moon was out, and in the darker alleys he thought he saw people watching him, waiting until he passed before they went on their way. Over the rumble of his wagon's wheels he couldn't hear anything they might be saying.
As he turned onto the road that would take him out to the charcoal maker, he had to pull his team up short as men with long pole weapons stepped out and blocked his way. A guard seized the horses' bits. Other of the city guard swept out of the side street to point lances up at him.
"What are you doing out here?" one of the voices asked from the side of the wagon.
Richard calmly yanked up on the lever to set the brake.
"I have a special pass to move goods at night. It's for the emperor's palace."
The words "emperor's palace" were usually enough to have him on his way.
The guard waggled his fingers. "If you have a special pass, then let's see it."
This night, the guards wanted more. Richard pulled a folded piece of paper from a protective leather sleeve inside his shirt and held it down to the guard. Metal squeaked as the guard slid open a tiny door on his shielded lantern, letting a narrow slit of light fall across the paper. Several heads bent in to read the words and inspect the official seals. They were all genuine. They should be-they had cost Richard a small fortune.
"Here you go." The guard handed the paper back to Richard. "Have you seen anything unusual as you have gone through the city?"
"Unusual? What do you mean?"
The guard grunted. "If you had seen anything, you wouldn't have to ask." He waved his hand. "On your way."
Richard made no effort to leave. "Should I be worried?" He made a show of looking around. "Are there highwaymen about? Am I in danger? Is it safe for a citizen to be out? I'll take the wagon back if it's dangerous."
The man chuckled derisively. "You've got nothing to be afraid of. It's just some foolish people making trouble because they've nothing better to do."
"That's all it is? Are you sure?"
"You have work to do for the palace. Get to it."
"Yes, sir." Richard clicked his tongue and flicked the reins. The heavy wagon lurched ahead.
He didn't know what was going on, but suspected the guards were out to catch some more insurgents for questioning. They probably wanted to get back to their post, so anyone they got their hands on was likely to end up being an insurgent. A man from Ishaq's place had been arrested several days before. He had been drunk on homemade liquor and left a meeting early. He never made it home. A few days later, Ishaq had received word that the man had confessed to crimes against the Order. The man's wife and daughter were arrested. The wife was released after receiving a specified number of lashes for confessing to speaking ill of the Order and having hateful thoughts about her neighbors. The daughter had not yet been released. No one even knew where she was being held.
Eventually he reached the edge of the city where it gave way to open fields. Richard took a deep breath of the agreeable aroma of freshly turned earth. Lights from occasional farms glimmered like lonely stars. In the moonlight Richard could finally see the rough skyline of forest. As he rolled into the charcoal maker's place, the charcoal maker, a nervous man named Faval, scurried up to the side of the wagon.
"Richard Cypher! There you are. I was worried about you coming."
"Why?"
The man let out a high-pitched titter. Faval frequently giggled at things that weren't fu
"I don't know, I just thought you might not come."
Faval's big eyes blinked in the moonlight. Richard's face wrinkled in a puzzlement.
"Faval, I said I was coming. Why would you think I might not?"
Faval's fingers worried at his earlobe. "No reason."
Richard climbed down. "The city guards stopped me-"
"No!" Faval's titter rippled out through the darkness. "What did they want? Did they ask you anything?"
"They wanted to know if I'd seen anything unusual."
"But you didn't." He giggled. "They let you go. You saw nothing."
"Well," Richard drawled, "I did see that fellow with the two heads."
Crickets chirped in the silence. Faval blinked in astonishment. In the moonlight, Richard could see his mouth hanging open.
"You saw a man with two heads?"
This time, it was Richard who laughed. "No, Faval, I didn't. It was just a joke."
"It was? But it wasn't fu
Richard sighed. "I suppose not. Have you got the load of charcoal ready? I've got a long night ahead of me. Victor needs a load of steel, and Priska needs charcoal or he said he would have to close down. He said you didn't send your last order."
Faval giggled. "I couldn't! I wanted to, Richard Cypher. I need the money. I owe the loggers for the trees I made into this charcoal. They told me they were going to quit bringing me wood if I didn't pay them."
Faval lived at the edge of a forest, so his source of wood was handy, but he wasn't allowed to cut the wood. All resources belonged to the Order.
Trees were cut when the loggers, who had permits, needed work, not when someone needed wood. Most of the wood lay on the ground and rotted. Anyone caught picking up wood was liable to be arrested for stealing from the Order.
Faval held his hands up as if to implore Richard's understanding. "I tried to get the charcoal transported to Priska, but the committee denied me permission to transport it. They said I don't need the money. Don't need the money! Can you imagine?" He laughed painfully. "They told me that I was a rich man, because I had a business, and that I had to wait while they saw to the needs of the common people, first. I am only trying to live."
"I know, Faval. I told Priska that it wasn't your fault. He understands-he has troubles like that of his own. He's just desperate because he needs the charcoal. You know Priska; he gets hot at those who have nothing to do with the problem. I told him I would bring a load of charcoal tonight, and another two tomorrow night. Can I count on you for two more loads tomorrow?"