5 Soul of the Fire

by Goodkind, Terry

"I sent her home to her people. Her task with us was done." Richard glanced over. "She had her baby. A beautiful little girl. She named it Cara, after you."

  Cara beamed. "Then I am glad it was not ugly. Some babies are ugly, you know."

  "Well, this one was beautiful."

  "Did it look like you, Lord Rahl?"

  Richard scowled at her. "No."

  Cara peered into the carriage. Her blond braid slipped forward over her shoulder.

  "What happened to the Mother Confessor?"

  "I just about got her killed."

  Cara didn't say anything.

  "I heard you were captured. Are you all right?" he asked.

  Cara pushed her braid back over her shoulder. "They were fools. They didn't take my Agiel. When you fixed the magic, I made them all curse their mothers for ever meeting their fathers."

  Richard smiled. That was the Cara he knew.

  "And then I killed them," she added.

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  She held out the broken top of a black bottle. It still had the gold filigree stopper. "Lord Rahl, I failed. I didn't bring you your sword. But... but I managed to break the black bottle from the Wizard's Keep with the sword, at least." She stopped, her blue eyes brimming with tears. "Lord Rahl, I'm sorry. I failed. I tried my best, I swear, but I failed."

  Richard stopped then. He put his arms around her. "No, you didn't fail, Cara. Because you broke that bottle with the sword, we were able to get magic back to right."

  "Really?"

  He nodded as he looked her in the eye. "Really. You did right, Cara. I'm proud of you."

  They started walking again.

  "So, Lord Rahl, how far to home?"

  He thought it over a few minutes. "I guess Kahlan is my family, so that makes it home wherever we are. As long as I'm with Kahlan, I'm home.

  "Cara, it's over. You can go home now. I release you."

  She stopped. Richard walked on.

  "But I don't have a family. They are all dead."

  He looked back at her, standing in the road, looking as forlorn as anything he had ever seen. Richard went back, put an arm around her shoulders, and started walking with her.

  "We're your family, Cara, Kahlan and me. We love you. So I guess you should come home with us."

  That seemed to suit her.

  "Will there be people at this home place who need killing?"

  Richard smiled. "I don't think so."

  "Then why would we want to go there?"

  When he only smiled, she said, "I thought you wanted to take over the world. I was looking forward to you being a tyrant. I say you should do it. The Mother Confessor would agree with me. That makes it two against one. We win."

  "The world didn't want me. They took a vote and said

  no."

  "A vote! There was your problem."

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  "I won't do it again."

  Cara limped along beside him for a time and then said, "They will all find you, you know. The D'Harans are bonded to you. You are the Lord Rahl. Everyone will find you."

  "Maybe. Maybe not."

  "Richard?" came a soft voice.

  He pulled the team up and went to the side of the carriage.

  Kahlan was awake. He took her hand.

  "Who's that?" she asked.

  Cara leaned in. "Just me. I had to come back. You see what kind of trouble you get into when I'm not watching over you?"

  Kahlan smiled a little smile. She released Richard's hand and took Cara's.

  "Glad you're home," Kahlan whispered.

  "Lord Rahl said I saved the magic. Can you imagine? What was I thinking? I had the chance to rid myself of magic, and instead I saved it."

  Kahlan smiled again.

  "How are you feeling?" Richard asked.

  "Terrible."

  "You don't look so bad," Cara told her. "I've been much worse."

  Richard gently stroked Kahlan's hand. "You'll get better. I promise. And wizards always keep their promises."

  "Cold," she said. Her teeth were beginning to chatter.

  Richard spotted the blanket Dalton Campbell had put on the side and pulled it closer.

  The Sword of Truth fell out. He stood staring at it.

  'The sword has come home, too, I guess," Cara said.

  "I guess it has."