Severed Souls(111)

CHAPTER

53

By the end of a long day of making their way down dangerously steep slopes, along narrow cuts between rock walls, and through areas of dense woods, they finally reached flatter ground. There, they were able to follow a brook among moss-covered rocks as it meandered through a forest of young, wispy hardwoods. The rocky brook left the forest canopy more open, helping them to see in the fading light.

Richard watched for a place where they could set up camp.

He had finally managed to put a few people between Kahlan and him, and Irena and Samantha. Kahlan was happy to be left alone with him as well. He didn’t know what it was about Samantha’s mother, but Richard found her tiresome. She tried to be perpetually cheerful and friendly.

Richard wasn’t in the mood for either. He had bigger things on his mind.

He supposed that Irena was simply trying to make the best of a bad situation. After all, she had been in charge of Stroyza when the barrier had failed. On the way to warn others of what had happened, her husband had been eaten alive by half people right before her eyes and she had been taken captive by the savages who did it. People in her village, surely people she knew well, had been murdered by walking corpses sent to kill her daughter. Now she was on a mission to save Richard’s and Kahlan’s lives. He didn’t see that she had a lot to be happy about.

He supposed that she had to be happy that her daughter was alive and well and so was trying to remain optimistic. He still thought, though, that she should be a bit more worried about the situation they were all in—out in the middle of the trackless forests of the Dark Lands, making their way through dangerous and mysterious woods. They had all nearly been killed by the attack of the Shun-tuk, and there was no telling if legions more of the flesh eaters would show up at any moment.

In Samantha’s case, though, he knew her exuberance was the innocence of youth. She was worried about their situation, wanted to be helpful, and she was clearly afraid at times, but she was also excited be on an “adventure.” She was rightly proud of herself for being able to help them when they had been in an impossible spot. Richard was proud of her, too. It was the second time she had done such a thing.

Nicci thought Samantha had a dangerous temper. Richard, for one, was happy that she had gotten angry enough to do what she’d done, or they would all be dead. There were times when anger was a useful tool, and he was glad that Samantha had been able to call on it.

As Richard carefully picked his way over the spongy ground among the moss-covered rocks, he kept an eye to the woods all around. Kahlan, following close behind, held his hand to help balance herself as she crossed the brook with him. They used rocks as stepping-stones to get over to the other side where the ground was more open, less rocky, and made for easier walking. The light mist made for slick footing, though.

Occasionally Richard checked behind to make sure everyone was keeping up. In the gathering darkness, Zedd smiled and leaned close to Samantha from time to time, pointing out different useful plants. She soaked it all up.

It reminded Richard of when he had been young, and Zedd had taken him on walks in the woods to show him where particular things grew and told him of their use. Richard missed that so much. He missed those times he’d had with his grandfather.

He couldn’t stop thinking about Zedd’s advice to quit, to give everything up, and take Kahlan away to some distant place where they could enjoy a life together. He tried to think of other things, but Zedd’s words kept echoing around in his mind.

If there was one person in the world whose advice he took seriously, it was Zedd. And yet, this time …

Richard stepped on exposed roots to stay out of the marshy spots where there could be hidden holes. He kept a continuous watch on the shadows to see if they moved. He watched spots of light to see if they vanished beneath shadows. Sometimes both things happened. It was usually a bird, flitting from branch to branch. Once, it had been a squirrel. Both sometimes moved a branch in the still air and made the leaves drop their load of collected mist in a shower of fat drops.

Richard had been watching, but he hadn’t seen Kahlan’s little friend, Hunter. Whatever the animal with the big green eyes was, it didn’t act aggressive. It seemed interested only in watching Kahlan. He shared the feeling, but he didn’t necessarily appreciate it in a wild animal. Just because it hadn’t acted aggressively yet, that didn’t mean it wouldn’t at some point.

Still, something about the creature put him at ease. He just didn’t think it was dangerous. Whatever it was, he hadn’t seen it all day, so it had probably stayed in its home area once they had moved on.