Phantom: Chainfire Trilogy Part 2

In part, that was

pulled up and not hook over the shank where she needed

the time cutting

e wall and tried to get some sleep.

He found it impossible to sleep thinking about what Six had promised him for the next day. Fear gnawed at him, making his mind race. He knew he needed to get some rest, but he just couldn’t calm himself.

He did feel a sense of relief to be away from Six. He’d lost all track of time since he had been with the wisps and Six had been there as he left the ancient trees. He couldn’t think when he was with her, couldn’t do anything. She consumed his entire mind.

His entire mind.

He remembered being in this room before, with Denna. She had told him that he was to be her pet, and that he would be broken to her will. He remembered telling himself that he would let her do what she would, but that he would save a piece of himself, put it away, and not allow anyone into that part, not even himself, until he needed to unlock that safe place and be himself again.

He had to do that again. He couldn’t allow Six to have all of his mind, the way she had since she had captured him. He could still feel the weight of her influence, the pull of her will, but now that he wasn’t in her immediate presence it seemed so much less by comparison that he felt free of her and able to think. Able to decide, to a degree, what he wanted.

What he wanted was to be free of the witch woman.

He created a place in his mind, as he had done so long ago in this very room, and he locked a part of himself away, a part of his strength, the core of his will, in much the same way he had hidden his pack away in a hidden corner where no one would find it.

With his new ability to think, and a plan, he felt a sense of relief. Even though he could still feel the witch woman’s fangs in him, he felt that she no longer had the control she thought she did. He at last was able to relax a little.

He thought then of Kahlan. Her memory brought a sad smile. He made himself think of happy times with her. He thought about what it felt like to hold her, to kiss her, to be alone in the night with her whispering to him how much he meant to her.

Thinking about Kahlan, he drifted off to sleep.

Tonight some of those teams play for ranking. They

Several women entered with pitchers and poured red wine in mugs set out on the table. Serving boys began spilling into the room carrying platters and trays filled with a variety of steaming-hot food. Jagang paced, paying the slaves little attention as they went about their work.

When the table was finally filled, Jagang took a seat at the carved chair behind the table. He brooded as he watched the two Sisters. The slaves all silently lined up behind him, ready to do his bidding or bring him anything he requested.

He finally turned his attention to dinner and dug his fingers into the ham. He squeezed off a fistful of the hot meat. With his other hand he tore long strips off the large chunk and ate them as he watched the Sisters and Kahlan, as if judging whether they should live or die.

When he had finished the ham, he pulled the knife from his belt and used it to slice off a piece of roast beef. He stabbed the red slab of meat and held it up, waiting. Blood ran down the blade and down the length of his arm to his elbow resting on the tabletop.

He paused and smiled up at Kahlan. “A better use for my knife than the use you had for it, don’t you think?”

Kahlan considered keeping silent, but she couldn’t resist speaking. “I liked my use better. I only wish my aim had been true. Had it been, we would not be having this conversation.”

He smiled to himself. “Maybe.” He took a gulp of wine from a mug before using his teeth to pull a chunk of the beef off the slab stuck on the knife.

As he watched Kahlan, and while he chewed, he said, “Take off your clothes.”

Kahlan blinked. “What?”

“Take off your clothes.” He gestured with the knife. “All of them.”

Kahlan clenched her jaw. “No. If you want them off, you will have to rip them off me.”

He shrugged. “I will do that later, just for the satisfaction of it, but for now, take them off.”

“Why?”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Because I said so.”

“No,” she repeated.

The gaze of his nightmare eyes glided to Sister Ulicia. “Tell Kahlan about the torture tents.”

“Excellency?”

“Tell her about the extensive experience we have in convincing people to do as we wish. Tell her what tortures we employ.”

Before Sister Ulicia could speak, Kahlan spoke first. “Just get on with it and torture me. No one is interested in hearing you gossip about it like an old hen. I’m sure that you’d rather make me suffer—so get on with it.”

“Oh, the torture isn’t for you, darlin.” He twisted a leg off a roasted goose and used it to gesture to a young woman behind him. “The torture is for her.”

Kahlan glanced at the suddenly panicked woman and then frowned at Jagang. “What?”

He bit off some of the dark goose meat. Grease ran down his fingers. He sucked the grease off the rings.

Richard blinked in confusion. “I don’t understand. I’ve traveled many times before.”

“Before you had what was required.”

can act, then we have a chance to help him.”

“If he’s still alive,” Rikka said.

Nicci gritted her teeth as she turned a glare on the woman. “He’s alive.”

Rikka swallowed. “I was just saying…”

“Nicci is right,” Cara

When Violet eventually tired of hurting her, Rachel suspected that she would be put to death. She’d heard Violet ordering the deaths of prisoners accused of “high crimes.” If someone displeased her enough, or if Six told her that

of Jebra telling her story Shota simply up and vanished.”

“Vanished,” Richard repeated, cautiously.

Nicci nodded. “We thought she would stick around and have something to say after Jebra finished.”

“Maybe she had to go find someone to intimidate,” Cara said.

Ann sighed. “Maybe she wanted to be on her way after that other witch woman.”

“Maybe, being a witch woman, she isn’t much for good-byes,” Nathan suggested.

Richard didn’t say anything. He had seen Shota do this before, like when she had shown up at his and Kahlan’s wedding and given Kahlan the necklace. No one had heard her then, either, when she had spoken to Richard and Kahlan. No one had seen her leave.

Everyone went back to their conversation, except for his grandfather. Zedd looked distant and distracted.

“What is it?” Richard asked.

Zedd shook his head as he laid his arm around Richard’s shoulders, leaning closer as he spoke intimately. “For some reason, I find my mind wandering to thoughts of your mother.”

“My mother.”

Zedd nodded. “I really miss her.”

“Me too,” Richard said. “Now that you mention it, I guess I’ve had her on my mind as well.”

Zedd stared off into the distance. “Part of me died with her that day.”

It took Richard a moment to find his voice. “Do you have any idea why she went back into the burning house? Do you think there was anything important in there? Maybe someone we didn’t know about?”

Zedd shook his head insistently. “I felt sure that there had to have been some good reason, but I went through the ashes myself.” His eyes welled up with tears. “There was nothing in there but her bones.”

Richard glanced out the door and saw the spectral shadow of Shota atop her horse start down the road without looking ba