Severed Souls(160)

A devious smile spread on Nicci’s face. “I have some ideas.”

Richard was sure she did. Nicci was experienced at this sort of thing, at using her head rather than brawn. She also knew better than to try to use what they knew wouldn’t work.

“We need to act with surprise, swiftness, and violence,” Richard told all of them. “Capturing Dreier is the priority.”

Kahlan’s expression suddenly took an angry set. “Capture him! Richard, we can’t risk capturing him! And what would be the point? The best thing to do is what you said. Surprise, swiftness, and violence. We need to kill the bastard before he has a chance to strike back. With his abilities he could kill us all. We wouldn’t stand a chance of stopping him. We need to kill him, not capture him. Now we have the chance to surprise him and end the threat.”

“The threat from Dreier,” Richard said, “but what about the rest of it?”

“What about it?” Kahlan lifted her hands and let them flop down at her sides. “What can we do, Richard? We’re going to be dead from Jit’s poison before we have a chance to do anything else. We can at least kill Ludwig Dreier before we die. To be able to do anything else we would have to be cured.”

“Exactly.”

Richard smiled as he drew his sword. The ring of steel echoed around the stone dungeon.

Everyone looked puzzled as he turned. With a mighty swing, he struck the chain holding the collar that had been around his neck. As it cleaved the chain away at the wall, the blade sent hot fragments of steel flying through the room, some skittering along the floor, some rebounding off walls.

When the collar clattered to the floor, Richard picked it up by its short length of chain and held it up before the others. “This is a collar meant to contain the powers of the gifted.”

“Dreier has occult powers,” Kahlan pointed out. “Those are even more powerful than his gifted abilities.”

A grin spread on Nicci’s face. “But this place was made specifically to confine those with occult powers, not merely the gifted.”

“Right,” Richard said. “With this, we can capture Ludwig Dreier and keep him from using his power against us.”

Kahlan folded her arms, interested, but not yet convinced. “Why? It would be easier to kill him. What’s the point of going to the trouble of capturing him?”

“What kind of poison do we have in us?” he asked her.

Kahlan shrugged. “The call of death, from Jit.”

“Which is…?” Richard prompted.

Her eyes widened with understanding. “Caused by an occult power.”

“That’s right. Jit had occult powers. That’s what is infecting us.”

Nicci was smiling. “And Ludwig Dreier has occult powers. So, if we can capture him alive and hold him in that collar, maybe we can find out if there is a way to cure you two of that occult poison without a containment field.”

“It’s our only chance,” Richard said. “We have to try.”

“Even if you somehow get him in the collar,” Kahlan said, “how are you going to get him to cooperate?”

Cassia leaned in as she smiled in the chilling way that only Mord-Sith could smile. “You leave that part to us, Mother Confessor. We are Lord Rahl’s Mord-Sith now. We will get Dreier to cooperate.”

“With this sickness in me, my bond doesn’t work to power your Agiel,” Richard reminded them.

“No,” she agreed, the smile still in place, “but Dreier said that his occult abilities power our Agiel now, and the bond that powers them can’t be broken as long as he’s alive.”

“So,” Vale said, “we can use his own ability against him.”

“We’re going to do whatever it takes to protect Lord Rahl’s life,” Laurin added. “That is what Mord-Sith do. We will get him to talk. If there is a cure, he will tell us what he knows.”

Kahlan looked at the determination in their eyes. “Just leave him alive when you’re done so I can kill him.”

“You’ve got it, Mother Confessor,” Laurin said.

“He’s yours to kill,” Cassia agreed.

“But until then, he is ours,” Vale said with a gleam of menace in her eyes.

“Do any of you know where he sleeps?” Richard asked the three Mord-Sith.

They all shared a look.

“Oh yes, we know,” Cassia said. “It’s up on the third floor.”

“Lead the way,” Richard told her. “I’ll explain the plan on the way.”

“Gladly.”

“Is there a back way up to his bedroom?” he asked.

“Yes,” Cassia said. “Some of the doors are kept locked, though.”