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He coughed up blood, trying to speak.
"That is not the way you talk to me! On your knees! Now!"
He tried to get to his knees, but with his arms behind his back, he was unable to. De
She pushed him away from her with the tip of the Agiel against his forehead. That brought his eyes open. He looked up at her, to answer.
De
Richard coughed up more blood; it ran down his chin, and he had to struggle to keep from vomiting. "Because, Mistress De
He strove to balance himself on his knees. There was a long silence. Richard stared at her boots, and coughed a little, struggling to breathe with the pain in his shoulders. The silence seemed as if it would never end. He didn't know what she was going to do to him next.
"I don't understand you, Richard Cypher," she said softly, at last, the anger gone from her voice. "The spirits take me, I don't understand you." She walked behind him, unhooked the device that held his arms, and walked out of the room without another word. He couldn't straighten out his arms properly, and fell on his face. He didn't try to get up, he only cried against the bloody floor.
After a time, he heard the bell, calling them to the evening devotion. De
"We are not allowed to miss a devotion," she explained in a quiet voice, hooking the chain to her belt.
The sight of his blood all over the white lather was shocking. There were strings of it across her face and in her hair. As they walked to the devotion, people who usually spoke to her averted their eyes and gave her wide passage. Kneeling with his head to the floor hurt his ribs, making it hard to breathe, much less chant. He didn't know if he was getting the words right, but De
When the bell rang twice, De
"My, my, De
"Yes, Mistress Constance."
"Very bad, it would appear. How delightful." Her hungry eyes turned to De
"No, not tonight, Constance."
"No? What do you mean, no?"
De
Richard shrank back. So that was what she had pla
People in white robes-missionaries, De
"Of course not, De
I didn't know. I will leave you to it." She gave Richard a smirk. "You look to be in enough trouble already, my boy. I_ hope you are up to' your duties."
She gave him a jab in the stomach with her Agiel, and walked off. Dizzy, Richard put his hand across himself with a moan. De
When they were back in De
Her voice was quiet. "Go and get one bucket of hot water."
Richard could have died with relief, knowing that he didn't have to fill a tub. He retrieved the water, a little confused. She seemed to be angry, but Wasn't directing her anger at him. After he set the bucket on the floor, he waited with his eyes cast downward. De
"Sit down." She went to the table by her bed and came back with a pear. She looked at it in her hand a moment, turning it around and around, rubbing it a little with her thumb, then held it out to him. "I brought this back from di
Richard looked at the pear in her hand as she held it toward him. "No, Mistress De
"I know whose it is, Richard." Her voice was still quiet, "Do as I say."
He took the pear, eating it all, even the seeds. De
De
"I'm sorry, Mistress De
"Be quiet," she said gently. "I want to sleep on something hard, for my back. I will sleep on the floor. Since I will sleep on the floor, you will have to sleep in my bed, and I don't want your blood in it."
Richard was a little perplexed. The floor was certainly big enough for the two of them, and she had certainly gotten his blood in her bed before. It had never bothered her in the past. He decided it was not his place to question, and so didn't.
"All right," she said when she had finished, "get in the bed."
He lay down while she watched him. With resignation, he picked up the Agiel from the side table and held it out to her, the pain from it hurting his arm. He wished she weren't going to do this to him tonight.
De
He heard her lie on the floor, whispering a curse to herself. He was too exhausted to think, and was asleep in a short time.
When the peal of the bell woke him, De
"We're not going that way," she said.
"Yes, Mistress De
She walked awhile, down halls that stretched forever, then gave him an impatient look. "Walk next.to me. We're going for a walk. It's something I enjoy doing occasionally. When my back hurts. It helps me."
"I'm sorry, Mistress De
She glanced at him, then looked back to where she was going. "Well, it's not. So we will go for a walk."
Richard had never been this far from De
People were everywhere, most in robes of white or some other pale color. No one ever seemed in a hurry, but most seemed as if they had a place to go, although a few sat on marble benches. Richard saw few soldiers. Most people walked past De
The size of the place was astounding; the halls and passages stretched out of sight. Wide stairs led up or down to unknown parts of the great edifice. One hall had statues of naked people in proud poses. The statues were made of carved and polished stone, mostly white, some with gold veining through it, and each was twice as tall as he. Richard never saw one place that was dark, or ugly, or dirty; everything he saw was beautiful. The sound of people's footsteps echoed through the halls like reverent whispers. Richard wondered how a place as large as this could even be conceived of, much less built. It must have taken lifetimes.
De
De
He nodded, looking about. "Very much, Mistress De
"Why do you like them?"
Richard thought a moment. "It seems they are part of my past. I can dimly recall that I was a guide. A woods guide, I think. But I don't remember much about it, Mistress De
"Being broken makes you forget things from before," she said quietly. "The more I train you, the more you will forget the past, except specific questions I ask you. Soon, you will remember none of it."
"Yes, Mistress De
"It's called the People's Palace. It's the seat of power in D'Hara. IC is the home of Master Rahl."
They had lunch in a different place than they usually ate. She had him sit in a chair; he didn't know why. They went to the afternoon devotion at one of the places with water instead of sand, and after devotion, they walked some more through the vast halls, to find themselves back in familiar territory for di