"This is, after all, about truth and illusion, a battle over which of those concepts mankind will serve. They preach an illusion of beliefs in things that are not real, of faith and fantasy, of kingdoms in other worlds, of punishments and rewards after we no longer exist. They kill to force people to bow to that faith.
"The counter to that is the reality of our promise of the consequence of harming us. That promise must be kept. That promise must be true. If we fail in this struggle, then mankind will slip into a long, dark age."
Richard looked out over the silent men and spoke quietly, but in a tone that every man heard. "I am counting on the experience and judgment of you men to accomplish what we must. If you see something you think is useful to them, destroy it. If anyone tries to get in your way, kill them. I want their crops, homes, towns, and cities burned to the ground. I want to see the Old World burning all the way from here. I don't want one brick left standing atop another. I want the Old World to suffer such ruin that they no longer possess the ability to extend their murderous intent to others. I want their will to fight broken. I want their spirits crushed.
"I trust that you men will be able to come up with ways to accomplish all this. Don't be limited by what I tell you. Think about what is a valuable resource to them and what would make it a good target for us. Think of how best to carry out your new orders."
He watched the eyes of men who were being called upon to do what they had never expected would be their job. "There will be no final battle with the army of the Order. We will not face them in the way they wish. Instead, we will haunt them into their graves."
The gathered officers all clapped fists to their hearts.
Richard turned again to Captain Zimmer. "You have my orders as to your specific objective. Be ruthless. There is to be no alternative allowed for these men. Their death is the only result that is acceptable. Make it swift, sure, and without mercy."
Captain Zimmer stood tall. "Thank you, Lord Rahl, for allowing me and my men to rid the world of those who preach this poison."
"There's one other thing I'd like you and your men to do for me."
"Yes, Lord Rahl?"
"Bring me their ears."
Captain Zimmer smiled as he put a fist to his heart. "There will be no escape or mercy for them, Lord Rahl. I will bring you proof."
As they put their minds to their new goal, the officers all began coming forward with suggestions for both targets and methods of destroying them. Their enthusiasm enlivened their faces, as if they had gotten so used to the idea that there was no choice but to be worn down by an implacable enemy, that their faces had taken on creases as they sagged with the burden. Now Richard could see a new vigor in them, an excitement that there was a solution, an end in sight.
Men offered ideas of salting fields, poisoning water supplies with rotting, infected carcasses and corpses, destroying dams, cutting down orchards, slaughtering livestock, and torching mills. Nicci discouraged some suggestions, explaining why they wouldn't work or would involve too much effort, and offered alternatives in their place. She refined other ideas to make them more devastating.
To a degree, Richard was sickened by the things he heard and the knowledge that he was the architect of such mayhem, but then he thought about the vision Shota had given him of Kahlan, of how those very horrors and more were real for uncounted innocent people, and he was gratified that they were at last striking back in a way that had a chance to end such horrors. The Order, after all, had brought this on themselves.
"Time is of the essence," Richard told the officers and gathered Sisters. "Every day that passes the Order captures more places, subjugates, tortures, rapes, and murders yet more people."
"I agree," General Meiffert said. "This can't be a march south."
"No, it can't," Richard said. "I want you to ride fast and strike hard. The Order has a huge army and everywhere they go in the New World falls to their swords. But, because of their size, they are ponderous. It takes them a long time to move across the land. Jagang uses his slow speed as a tactic; it makes each city that lies in his path suffer the agony of waiting, imagining what will become of them. It gives fear time to build until it is unendurable.
"We actually have an advantage in that if we use cavalry and keep the units small and nimble, we can strike like lightning in one place after another. They seek to roll in on cities, envelop, and occupy them. We must not be drawn into that kind of drain on manpower and effort. We must simply lay waste to everything we can and then immediately move on to the next target. We must make everyone in the Old World feel fear, feel that there is no safety from our vengeance."
A bearded officer gestured out at the camp. "There's not nearly enough horses to turn the whole army into cavalry."
"Then you need to quickly find horses for all the men," Cara said. "Get them wherever you can."
The officer scratched his beard as he considered. He smiled at Cara. "Don't you worry, we'll find a way to do just that."
Another man spoke up. "I know of a number of places in D'Hara where horses are raised. I think we can gather what we'll need in relatively short order." When Richard nodded his approval, he tapped a fist to his heart. "I'll see to it immediately," he said before making his way out into the rain.
"The army needs to be broken into smaller units," Richard said to General Meiffert after the officer hurried past. "We don't want them to stay together in a large force."
The general stared off as he considered. "We'll form them into a number of strike-forces and send them south immediately. They will have to depend on their own resources, make do for themselves. They can't rely on command to direct all the details of their actions or supply them with anything."
"We'll need to set up some communication," one of the older officers said, "but you're right, I don't think that it will be possible to coordinate everyone. We need to give everyone clear instructions and then let them do their job. There is plenty of Old World to attack."
"It would be best if they didn't keep in communication," Nicci said. When a number of men stared at her she went on. "Any messengers who are captured will be tortured. The Order has experts in torture. Any man who is captured will tell what he knows. If all the units keep in communication, then they can be betrayed. If anyone captured doesn't know where other units are, then they can't betray that information."
"Sounds like wise advice," Richard said.
"Lord Rahl," General Meiffert said in a cautious tone, "our entire army unleashed on the Old World, without an opposing force to check them, will wreak unprecedented devastation. Set loose with such a goal, all of them cavalry, well, they will lay waste to the Old World on a scale never previously known."
The man was giving Richard one last chance to change his mind, and a last chance to make it clear that he would not lose his sense of purpose at their expense. Richard didn't shy away from the implied question. He instead took a deep breath as he clasped his hands behind his back.
"You know, Benjamin, I remember a time when the mere mention of D'Haran soldiers struck fear into my heart."
The men nearby nodded in regret for an edge lost.
"By drawing us into a final battle that we can't possibly win," Richard told them, "Jagang has succeeded in making D'Haran soldiers look weak and vulnerable. We are no longer feared. Because they now see us as weak, they think they can do as they will with us.
"I believe that this is our last chance to win the war. If we let it slip away, we are lost.
"I don't want this chance wasted. Nothing is to be spared. I want Jagang to receive word from messenger after messenger that all of the Old World is burning. I want them to think that the underworld itself has opened up to swallow them.
"I want to again make people tremble in paralyzing fear at the very idea of avenging D'Haran soldiers coming after them. I want every man, woman, and child from the Old World to fear the phantom legions of D'Harans from the north. I want everyone in the Old World to come to hate the Order for bri
nging such suffering down upon them. I want a howl to raise from the Old World to end the war.
"That's all I have to say, gentlemen. I don't think we have a moment to lose, so let's get to it."
Men filled with a new resolve saluted as they filed past Richard, thanking him and saying that they would get the job done. Richard watched them dashing out into the steady rain toward their troops.
"Lord Rahl," General Meiffert said as he stepped closer, "I just want you to know that even if you aren't with us, you have led us in the coming battle. While it may not be one big battle like everyone was expecting, you have given the men something they would not have had without you. If this works, then your leadership is what will have reversed the course of the war."
Richard watched the rain dripping off the edge of the canvas awning in a curtain of beaded water. The ground was turning muddy beneath the boots of the soldiers as they dashed in every direction. The sight reminded Richard of the vision of kneeling in the mud, his wrists bound behind his back, a knife at his throat. In his mind he could hear Kahlan screaming his name. He remembered his helplessness, his sense of his world ending. He had to swallow back the unbidden, rising terror. The sound of Kahlan's screams made his very marrow ache.
Verna stepped up beside the general. "He's right, Richard. I don't like the idea of pulling people other than soldiers into the fight, but everything you said is true. They are the ones who brought this about. This is about survival of civilization itself and in that, they have made themselves part of the battle. There is no other way. The Sisters will do as you have asked, you have my word as Prelate."
Richard had feared that she would hold out against the plan. He was too grateful for words that she had not. He embraced her tightly and whispered, "Thank you."
He had always believed that those on his side had to not only understand the reasons they were fighting, but to do so with or without him, do so for themselves. He now believed that they did grasp the truth of everything at stake, and would fight not just because it was their duty, but for themselves.
Verna held Richard out at arm's length and peered into his eyes. "What's wrong?"
Richard shook his head. "I'm just so sick of the terrible things that are happening to people. I just want this nightmare to end."
Verna showed him a small smile. "You have shown us the way to make that come about, Richard."
"What part do you plan to play in this, Lord Rahl?" the general asked when Richard turned away from Verna. "If I might ask, that is."
Richard sighed as he put his mind back to the matter at hand. As he did, the terrible vision faded. "I'm afraid that there is serious trouble with magic. The Imperial Order army is only one of the threats that must be dealt with."
General Meiffert frowned. "What sort of trouble?"
Richard didn't think he could explain the whole story again, so he kept it short and to the point. "The woman who made you a general is missing. She is in the hands of some of the Sisters of the Dark."
The man looked completely puzzled. "Made me general?" He squinted off into the haze of his memory. "I can't recall…"
"It's all wrapped up in the trouble that has developed with magic."
The general and Verna shared a look.
"It was Lord Rahl's wife, Kahlan," Cara said. "She's the one, Benjamin, who named you general." His expression turned to astonishment. Cara shrugged. "It's a long story for another time," she added as she laid a hand on his shoulder. "None of us but Lord Rahl remembers her. It was a spell called Chainfire."
"Chainfire?" Verna grew yet more suspicious. "What Sisters?"
"Sister Ulicia and her other teachers," Nicci said. "They found an ancient spell called Chainfire and initiated it."
Verna regarded Nicci rather coolly. "I guess you would know what kind of trouble those women are, since you were one of them."
"Yes," Nicci said, wearily, "and you captured Richard and took him to the Palace of the Prophets. Had you not, he would not have destroyed the great barrier and the Imperial Order would be back in the Old World right now, not the New. If you want to start assigning blame, the Sisters of the Dark would never have encountered Richard had you not captured him in the first place and taken him back across the barrier to the Old World."
Verna pressed her lips tight. Richard knew the look, and what was coming.
"All right," he said in a low voice before they could start going at it. "We all did what we had to at the time, what we thought best. I've made my share of mistakes as well. We can only shape the future, not the past."
Verna's mouth twisted with a look that said she would like nothing more than to continue the argument, but she knew better. "You're right."
"Of course he is," Cara said. "He is the Lord Rahl."
In spite of herself, Verna smiled. "I guess he is, Cara. He has come to fulfill prophecy even if he didn't intend to."
"No," Richard said, "I have come to try to help us save ourselves. This isn't over yet, and prophecy, in the case of what you're talking about, has a different meaning."
Verna's suspicion returned in a flash. "What meaning?"
"I don't have time to go into it right now. I need to get back and see if Zedd and the others have come up with anything."
"You mean about finding your wife, Lord Rahl?"
"Yes, General, but it gets worse. Other things are happening. There is fundamental trouble with magic."
"Such as?" Verna pressed.
Richard appraised her eyes. "You need to know that the chimes have contaminated the world of life. Magic itself has been corrupted. Parts of it have already failed. There is no telling when yet more of it will fail, or how soon. We have to get back and see what can be done—if anything. Ann is there, along with Nathan, and they are working with Zedd to find some answers."
Before Verna could launch into a barrage of questions, Richard turned his attention to the general. "One last thing. With no army here to stand in their way, I'm sure that Jagang will try to take the People's Palace."
General Meiffert scratched his head of blond hair as he thought it over. "I suppose." He looked up. "But the palace is high on a huge plateau. There are only two ways up: the small road with the drawbridge, or through the great inner doors. If the great doors were closed there's not going to be any assault up that way, and the road is pretty useless for an armed attack.
"Still," the general said, "just to be on the safe side, I would advise that we send some of our best men up to the palace as reinforcements. With all of us heading south, Commander General Trimack and the First File will be facing Jagang's entire army all alone. But still, an assault on the palace?" He shook his head skeptically. "The palace is impenetrable."
"Jagang has gifted with him," Cara reminded him. "And don't forget, Lord Rahl, those Sisters made it into the palace before, way back in the beginning. Remember?"
Before Richard could answer, Verna caught his arm and turned him back to her frown. "Why would those Sisters ignite this spell you mentioned, this Chainfire spell?"
"To make people forget that Kahlan exists."
"But why would they want to do such a thing?"
Richard sighed. "Sister Ulicia wanted to get Kahlan into the People's Palace to steal the boxes of Orden. The Chainfire spell was designed to make a person the same thing as invisible. With the Chainfire spell ignited on Kahlan, no one remembers her. No one remembers that she walked right in and took the boxes out of the garden of life."
"Took the boxes…" Verna blinked in astonishment. "What in the world for?"
"Sister Ulicia put them in play," Nicci said.
"Dear Creator," Verna said as she pressed a hand to her forehead. "I will leave some Sisters there with a stern warning."
"Maybe you ought to be one of them," Richard said as he glanced out and saw the wind come up to carry the rain sideways at times. "We can't allow the palace to fall. Causing havoc down in the Old World is relatively simple conjuring for the Sisters. Defending the palace from Jagang's h
orde and his gifted may be a much greater challenge."
"Perhaps you're right," she admitted as she pulled a lock of wind-borne, wavy hair back off her face.
"Meanwhile, I'll see what I can do to stop Ulicia and her Sisters of the Dark." Richard glanced around at Nicci and Cara, then out at all the men rushing about through the rain to carry out their new mission. "I need to get back."
General Meiffert clapped his fist over his heart. "We will be the steel against steel, Lord Rahl, so that you can be the magic against magic."
Verna touched Richard's cheek, her brown eyes welling up. "Take care, Richard. We all need you."
He nodded and gave her a warm smile, putting more than words could say into it.
General Meiffert slipped an arm around Cara's waist. "Could I escort you to your horses?"
Cara smiled up at him in a very feminine way. "I think we would like that."
Nicci pulled the hood of her cloak up as they ducked out into the downpour. She looked over at Richard and frowned suspiciously.
"Where did you get such an idea as the 'phantom legion' ?"
He put a hand on the small of her back and guided her into the downpour. "Shota gave me the thought when she said I needed to stop chasing phantoms. She implied that a phantom can't be found, can't be caught. I want these men to be phantoms."
She gently circled an arm around his shoulders as they sprinted for their horses. "You did the right thing, Richard."
She must have read the sorrow in his eyes.
* * *
CHAPTER 26
Rachel yawned. Seemingly out of nowhere, Violet spun around and clouted her hard enough to knock her off the rock she'd been sitting on.
Stunned, Rachel pushed herself up on an arm. She cradled her cheek in one hand, waiting for the stupefying pain to loosen its grip, waiting for everything around her to come back into focus. Satisfied, Violet turned back to her work.