Severed Souls(137)

Red straightened. “Wise is the witch woman who knows when not to interfere with events in the flow of time.”

“That’s an easy excuse. You are already interfering with events in the flow of time. You brought me here and now you are asking me to do your killing for you. It’s the same thing.”

“No, it’s not. This is different. This is a matter between you and Richard and Nicci, between the three of you and fate. You three are caught up in that tangled flow of time. I can’t interfere. That fate is yours and in your hands alone.

“The hard reality is that I know for certain that if she is still alive when the time comes, Nicci is going to kill Richard Rahl. I also know for certain that she will do so because she loves him.

“That is why you must kill her first.”

In frustration, Kahlan ran her fingers back through her hair, gripping it in her fists. “Red, I’m telling you, I know the woman. I know that she is in love with Richard. But I also know that Nicci wouldn’t do that to him. She wouldn’t do that to me.”

“To you?” The witch woman gave Kahlan a somber look as she slowly shook her head. “I am sorry, Mother Confessor, but I can see in the flow of time that she will. If she is not killed first, she will kill him.”

Kahlan couldn’t make any sense of it. She could tell that Red was absolutely convinced of it, but Kahlan couldn’t make it make any sense in her own mind. She got the feeling that there was something the witch woman was holding back.

“When?” she finally asked. “When do you see Nicci doing such a thing?”

For a long moment the woman regarded Kahlan with the kind of chilling look that could only be summoned by a witch woman.

“That is a question you really should not ask, Mother Confessor. Please take my word for it, and do not ask that question. You will not like the answer.”

Kahlan’s blood ran cold at the look in Red’s eyes. “I’m in the middle of this. I don’t like any of this, but you told me that the context is vital. I need the complete context.

“So I’m asking. When will Nicci kill Richard?”

Red was silent for a long time as she stared into Kahlan’s eyes. She finally spoke in a soft, but unwavering voice.

“I can’t say when, for certain. I can only tell you that it will be after you have already been murdered.”

Kahlan blinked, then frowned, not certain that she had heard correctly. “What?”

“When Nicci kills Richard, it will be sometime after you have been murdered.”

“After I’ve been murdered? As in dead?”

“Yes. You have very little time left before that happens. That is why you must kill the sorceress as soon as possible. You cannot afford to delay. It must be done today, or tomorrow when you arrive at the citadel, or the following day at the very latest. I don’t see you having any more time than that before you are murdered.”

“And who is it that is going to murder me?”

“Please believe me, if I knew, I would tell you. I have sought that answer, but the flow of time hides it from me. There must be some reason.

“It is the same with the old wizard. I tried to find out who murdered him so that I could tell you, because his murder and yours are connected, but I wasn’t able to pull an answer from that river of time.”

“His murder is connected to … to what will happen to me? How? How are the two connected?”

Red folded her arms in frustration as she looked away. “I wish I knew, but I don’t. I can only see that there is a connection of some kind. It could be that the same person who murdered Zedd will murder you, or it could be some form of interconnected cause and effect. I only know that the two are connected.”

Red’s gaze returned to meet Kahlan’s. “What I do know is that you must kill Nicci, now, before you are murdered, or it will be too late and the rest will come to pass. Nicci will kill Richard Rahl, and with him the only hope for the world of life.”

Kahlan could feel a tear running down her cheek as she stared at the witch woman. The thought of Richard being killed was too much for her. The thought of her being murdered was crushing, terrifying. It was all too overwhelming to take in.

“There must be a chance that you could be wrong.”

“I am sorry, Mother Confessor,” she said softly as she reached up, gently cupped her hand under Kahlan’s chin, and brushed the tear away with a thumb. “The truth is, either way, whether you kill Nicci or not, every possible branch in the flow of time shows that you are soon going to be murdered.

“I have seen you pass through on occasion as I have looked into the river of time. I saw your integrity, your virtue, your commitment to truth. I saw in the choices you made that you were brave, courageous, compassionate, and cared about others. I have admired you.