"Faith of the Fallen(6)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Goodkind Terry)

"But this involves magic." She picked at the frayed edge of the blue blanket. "Lord Rahl said it's a vision. If it is magic, then it's something he would know about and must handle in the way he sees it must be done."

"We need to be a little understanding of what he's been through-the loss we've all suffered to the Order-and remember, too, that Richard didn't grow up around magic, much less ruling armies."

Cara squatted and rinsed her cloth in the pail. After wringing it out, she went back to cleaning the wound in Kahlan's side. "He is the Lord Rahl, though. Hasn't he already proven himself to be a master of magic a number of times?"

Kahlan couldn't dispute that much of it, but he still didn't have much experience, and experience was valuable. Cara not only feared magic but was easily impressed by any act of wizardry. Like most people, she couldn't distinguish between a simple conjuring and the kind of magic that could alter the very nature of the world. Kahlan realized now that this wasn't a vision, as such, but a conclusion Richard had arrived at.

Much of what he'd said made sense, but Kahlan believed that emotion was clouding his thinking.

Cara looked up from her work. Her voice bore an undertone of uncertainty, if not despairing bewilderment. "Mother Confessor, how will the people ever be able to prove themselves to Lord Rahl?"

"I've no idea."

Cara set down the cloth and looked Kahlan in the eye. It was a long, uncomfortable moment before she finally decided to speak.

"Mother Confessor, I think maybe Lord Rahl has lost his mind."

Kahlan's immediate thought was to wonder if General Reibisch might believe the same thing.

"I thought D'Harans do not expect to understand their Lord Rahl and would not question his behavior."

"Lord Rahl also says he wants me to think for myself."

Kahlan put her hand over Cara's. "How many times have we doubted him before? Remember the chicken that-wasn't-a-chicken? We both thought he was crazy. He wasn't."

"This is not some monster chasing us. This is something much bigger."

"Care, do you always follow Richard's orders?"

"Of course not. He must be protected and I can't allow his foolishness to interfere with my duty. I only follow his orders if they do not endanger him, or if they tell me to do what I would have done anyway, or if it involves his male pride."

"Did you always follow Darken Rahl's orders?"

Cara stiffened at the unexpected encounter with the name, as if speaking it might summon him back from the world of the dead. "You followed Darken Rahl's orders, no matter how foolish they were, or you were tortured to death."

"Which Lord Rahl do you respect?"

"I would lay down my life for any Lord Rahl." Cara hesitated, and then touched her fingertips to the red leather over her heart. "But I could never feel this way for any other. I . . . love Lord Rahl. Not like you love him, not like a woman loves a man, but it is still love. Sometimes I have dreams of how proud I am to serve and defend him, and sometimes I have nightmares that I will fail him."

Cara's brow drew down with sudden dread. "You won't tell him that I said I love '; him, will you? He must not know."

30

Kahlan smiled. "Cara, I think he already knows, because he has similar feelings about you, but if you don't wish it, I won't say anything."

Cara let out a sigh of relief. "Good."

"And what made you come to feel that way about him?"