Stone of Tears (11 page)

“
We are Chandalen’s men. Not his children.
” He kept the hand out.

Kahlan looked at it a moment and then stroked her palm over his. His smile widened a little and he gave her a gentle slap.

“
Strength to Confessor Kahlan. I am Prindin. This is my brother, Tossidin.
”

She gave Prindin a slap and wished him strength. Tossidin held his palm open to her. She stroked it with hers. He gave her a slap and added his wish of strength. He had a handsome smile that matched his brother’s. Surprised by his friendliness, she returned his slap and greeting. Kahlan glanced to Richard. The brothers noticed the look and in response both gave Richard a slap and greeting.

“
We wanted to tell you that you spoke with strength and honor today,
” Prindin said. “
Chandalen is a hard man, and a hard man to get to know. But he is not a bad man. He cares deeply for our people and wants only to protect them from harm. That is what we do—protect our people.
”

Kahlan nodded. “
Richard and I are Mud People, too.
”

The brothers gave twin grins. “
The elders have proclaimed it for all to know. We will protect you both, the same as any other of our people.
”

“
Will Chandalen?
”

Both grinned, but neither answered. They pulled their spears up, readying to leave.

“Tell them I said they have fine bows,” Richard said.

She glanced sideways to see him watching the two. She turned to Prindin. “
Richard says he admires your bows.
”

They smiled as they nodded. “
We are very good with them.
”

Richard’s expressionless gaze stayed on the two brothers. “Tell them I think their arrows look to be well made. Ask if I may see one.”

Kahlan frowned at him before looking to the hunters. “
He says your arrows look to be well made, and would like to know if he may see one.
”

The brothers beamed with pride. Prindin pulled an arrow from his quiver and handed it to Richard. Kahlan noticed the elders were all quiet. Richard rolled the arrow in his fingers. Betraying no emotion, he looked at the nock and then turned it around and looked at the flat, metal point.

He handed the arrow back. “Very fine work.”

Kahlan told Prindin what Richard said as he replaced the arrow in his quiver. He slid a hand part way up his spear and leaned a little of his weight on it. “
If you know how to shoot a bow, we would invite you to come with us tomorrow.
”

Before she could translate, Savidlin spoke to her. “
Richard told me before, when you were here last, that he had to leave his bow behind in Westland, and that he missed it. As a surprise, I made him one, for when you both came back. It is a gift to him for teaching me how to make roofs that do not leak. It is at my home. I was going to give it to him tomorrow. Tell him, and tell him that if he agrees, I would like to take some of my hunters and go with him tomorrow.
” He smiled. “
We can see who is the best shot. We will see if he is as good as our hunters.
”

The two brothers grinned and nodded their enthusiasm. They looked to be confident of the results of the contest. Kahlan told Richard what Savidlin had said.

Richard was surprised, and seemed to be moved by what Savidlin had done. “The Mud People make some of the finest bows I have ever seen. I am honored, Savidlin. That is generous of you. I would like very much to have you there with me.” He grinned. “We can show these two how to shoot.”

The Brothers laughed at the last part of the translation. “
Tomorrow then,
” Prindin said as they left.

Richard seemed to have a dark look on his face as he watched the two walking away.

“What was that all about with the arrows?” she asked.

He finally looked over at her. “Ask Savidlin if I could have a look at his arrows, and I’ll show you.”

Savidlin handed over his quiver. Richard pulled out a handful of arrows, sorting through the ones with thin, hardened wooden points. Kahlan knew them to be poisoned. Richard took an arrow with a flat, metal point and put the rest back.

He handed the arrow to her. “Tell me what you see.”

She rolled it in her fingers as he had done with the other. She didn’t know what that was supposed to tell her, so she looked at the point and the nock.

She shrugged. “It looks just like an ordinary arrow to me. Just like any other.”

Richard smiled. “Just like any other?” He plucked an arrow out of the quiver by the nock end, holding the small round point up for her to see. He raised an eyebrow. “Does it look like this one?”

“Well, no. That point is small, long, thin, and round. But this one has a metal point. It’s just like the one Prindin had.”

Richard slowly shook his head. “No. It’s not.” He put the wooden pointed arrow back and took the one she had, holding the nock toward her. “See here? Where the string goes? It goes on the string like this, with the notch up and down. Does that tell you anything?” She frowned and shook her head. “Some arrows have spiraled feathers so the arrows rotate. Some people believe that increases their power. I don’t know if that is true or not, but it’s beside the point. All the Mud People’s arrows are fletched with straight feathers. That keeps them steady in flight. They hit in the same attitude as they are fired.”

“But I still don’t see how this arrow is different from Prindin’s.”

Richard put his thumbnail in the nock. “This is the way the arrow goes on the string. With the notch up and down like this. When the arrow is in the bow, and when it hits, it is just like this. Now, look at the blade. See how it’s up and down, too? Just like the notch. The blade and the string are in the same plane. Savidlin’s bladed arrows are all like this.

“The reason for it is that he uses these bladed arrows to hunt large animals, like wild boar, and dear. The rib bones in animals go up and down, just like the blade does. That gives the arrow a better chance of passing between the ribs, rather than being stopped by them.”

He leaned a little closer to her. “Prindin’s arrows are different. The blades are turned ninety degrees. When his arrows are nocked, the blade is horizontal. His arrows aren’t made to pass through the ribs of animals. The blades are horizontal because he hunts something different. Something with ribs that are horizontal. People.”

Kahlan felt bumps ripple up her arms. “Why would they do that?”

“The Mud People are very protective of their land; they don’t often allow outsiders in. I would guess that Chandalen and his men are the ones who guard their borders from encroachment. They are probably the fiercest hunters among the Mud People. And the best shots. Ask Savidlin if they are good with their bows.”

“Richard wants to know if Chandalen’s men are good shots.”

Savidlin chuckled. “
None of us ever beats Chandalen’s men. Even if Richard With The temper is good, he is going to lose. But those men are always careful not to humiliate us too badly. They will be gracious winners. Richard should not worry, he will enjoy the day. They will teach him to shoot better. That is why I wish to take my men: Chandalen’s men always teach us to be better. Among the Mud People, being the best, winning, means you have a responsibility to those you have beaten. You must teach them to be better. But tell him he cannot back out now, that he has accepted the challenge.
”

“I always thought it did people good to learn something,” Richard said. “I won’t back out.”

Richard’s intense gaze made her smile until her jaws hurt. Smiling himself, he turned, pulled his pack across the plank floor and took out an apple. He cut the apple in half, took out the seeds, and handed half to her.

The elders fidgeted nervously. In the Midlands, red fruit was poison, the result of an evil magic. They didn’t know that in Westland, where Richard was from, you could eat red things like apples. They had seen him eat an apple before, when he had tricked them into not making him take a wife from their village because they thought eating it might make his seed poisonous to his bride, but they sweated as they watched the two of them doing it again.

“What are you doing?” Kahlan asked him.

“Just eat your apple and then translate for me.”

When they finished, Richard stood, motioning her up next to him. “Honored elders, I have returned from stopping the threat against our people. Now that it is over, I would like to ask your permission for something. I hope you find me worthy. I would like to ask your permission to have a Mud Woman as my wife. As you can see, I have taught Kahlan to eat these things as I do. She will not be harmed by it, or by me, and in the same way, though she is a Confessor, I will not be harmed by her. We would like to be together, and we would like to be wedded by our people.”

Kahlan could hardly get the last of the words out past the tightness in her throat, and she could hardly keep from throwing her arms around him. She could feel her eyes burning and filling with tears, and had to clear her throat to finish the words. She put her arm around Richard’s waist to steady herself.

The elders suddenly beamed with surprise. The Bird Man wore a wide grin. “
I think you are finally learning to be Mud People,” he said. “Nothing could please us more than for you two to be wed.
”

Richard didn’t wait for the translation, but gave her a kiss that took her breath away. The elders and their wives applauded.

It was all the more special to her that they would be wedded before the Mud People. Kahlan felt at home with them. When they had come here before, seeking help in their struggle to stop Rahl, Richard had shown the Mud People how to make roofs that didn’t leak. They had made friends. They had fought battles with them, with lives saved, and lost. In the process, the two of them had become bonded to these people. In honor of their sacrifices, the Bird Man had proclaimed them Mud People.

The Bird Man stood and gave Kahlan a fatherly hug that felt as if he were saying that he understood everything she had been through and was happy she had at last found happiness. She shed a few tears against his shoulder as he held her in his strong arms. The whole of everything that had happened had taken her from the depths of pain and despair to the heights of joy. The fight had ended only yesterday. It didn’t seem possible it could be over at last.

As they went on with the feast, Kahlan wished more than ever that it could end soon so she could be alone with Richard. He had been held prisoner for over a month, and had only rejoined her the day before. She hadn’t even really had a chance to talk with him. Or hug him nearly enough.

Children danced and played around the small fire while the adults gathered around torches, eating and talking and laughing. Weselan scooted down next to her, hugged her, and said she would make her a proper wedding dress. Savidlin kissed her cheek and slapped Richard’s back. She found it difficult to look away from Richard’s gray eyes. She didn’t want to. Ever.

The hunters who had been out on the plain the day the Bird Man had tried to teach Richard how to call specific birds with the special whistle he had given Richard as a gift, wandered by the elders’ platform. All Richard could do that day was make a sound that called all the birds at once, but not different species individually. The hunters had laughed endlessly that day.

As they listened now, Savidlin made Richard show the whistle and tell again how he had used it to call all the birds which roosted in the valley filled with gars. The thousands of hungry birds had eaten the gar’s blood flies, creating a panic. The diversion had enabled Richard to rescue Scarlet’s egg.

The Bird Man laughed, even though he had already heard the story three times by now. Savidlin laughed and slapped Richard’s back. The hunters laughed and slapped their thighs. Richard laughed as he watched them react to Kahlan’s translation.

Kahlan laughed at seeing Richard laugh. “I think we have found an adventure that satisfies them.” She thought about it and frowned. “How did Scarlet land you close enough to the egg without being seen by the gars?”

Richard looked away and was silent a moment. “She landed me on the valley on the other side of the hills around Fire Spring. I went through the cave.”

He didn’t look at her. Kahlan hooked some hair behind an ear. “And was there really a beast in the cave? A Shadrin?”

He let out a deep breath as he looked across the open area. “That there was. And more.” As she put her hand on his shoulder, he took it and kissed the back of it, still staring off. “I thought I was going to die there, alone. I thought I would never see you again.” He seemed to shake off the memory and leaned back on an elbow, gazing at her with a one-sided smile on his face. “The Shadrin left some scars that aren’t healed yet. But I would have to take off my pants to show them to you.”

“Really?” Kahlan gave a throaty laugh. “I think I better have a look … to see if everything is all right.”

As she looked deep his eyes, she abruptly realized most of the elders were watching them. Suddenly she felt her face warm. She snatched up a rice cake and took a quick bite, relieved to know they couldn’t understand their words. She hoped others couldn’t understand the look in their eyes. She chided herself to pay more attention to where she was. Richard sat up again. Kahlan reached over to a small bowl of roasted ribs that looked to be wild boar, and set it down in his lap.

“Here. Have some of these.”

She looked over at a group of the wives. She held up the rice cake and smiled. “
These are very good.
” They nodded their satisfaction. She looked back to Richard. He was staring down at the bowl of meat. His face was white.

“Take it away,” he whispered.

Kahlan frowned and lifted the bowl from his lap, setting it behind her. She scooted closer to him. “Richard, what’s wrong?”

He was still staring at his lap, as if the bowl was still there. “I don’t know. I looked down at the meat, and then I could smell it. It made me feel sick. It just seemed like a dead animal to me. Like I was about to eat some dead animal laying there in front of me. How could anyone eat some dead animal that was just laying there?”