"It doesn't cause any real harm, and you'd recover completely in a short time, but until then, you're disabled and totally helpless. I don't think immobilizing Cara in that fashion would be good, since she's already having trouble breathing. In her state, it might make her worse, instead of helping her."

"Do you know what to do, to help her? You do know what to do, don't you?" Kahlan asked, trying not to sound critical.

Nadine's hand paused on the edge of her bag. "Well, I. . I think I do. It's not so common a problem that I'm sure, but I've? heard of it. My father has mentioned it in passing."

Kahlan wasn't reassured. Nadine found a small bottle in her bag and held it up in the torchlight. She pulled the cork and turned the bottle upside down on a finger. "Hold her head up."

"What is it?" Kahlan asked as she turned Cara over. She watched Nadine rub the substance on Cara's temples. "Oil of lavender. It helps with headaches." "I think she has more than a simple headache."

"I know, but until I find something else, it might help ease the pain, and that might help calm her. I don't think I have any one thing that by itself will do it. I'll need to try to add things together.

"The problem is that with the convulsions we can't get her to drink decoctions or teas. Motherwort and linden help calm people, but we can't get her to drink a whole cup of it in water. Black horehound would help stop the vomiting, but she'd have to drink five cups a day. I don't see how we can get her to drink the first until we stop the convulsions. Maybe we could get her to swallow some feverfew. But there is one thing I'm hoping…"

Nadine's long, damp hair hung around her face as she pawed through her bag. She came up with another small, brown bottle. 'Yes! I did bring it." "What is it?"

"Tincture of maypop. It's a strong sedative and also a painkiller. I've heard my pa say that it settles people who are in a state of nervous shakes. I think he may have meant shakes like convulsions. Since it's a tincture, we can put some on the back of her tongue; she'll swallow it, that way."

Cara shuddered violently in Kahlan's arms. Kahlan embraced her tighter until she settled a bit. She didn't know if she liked the idea of having to rely on Nadine's "I think," but Kahlan had no better solution. Something had to be done.

Nadine was working her thumbnail at the wax seal on the little brown bottle of tincture of maypop when the shaft of light coming from the doorway above darkened. Nadine's hands stilled.

A motionless, silhouetted figure filled the doorway, seeming to consider them at length. With nary a flutter of his long cloak, he wheeled and started down the ladder. In the silence, but for the hissing torch, Kahlan absently stroked a protective hand over Cara's brow as she watched the man in a hooded cloak descend the ladder.

CHAPTER 13

Nadine paused at her work on the wax seal. "Who. .?"

"He's some kind of healer," Kahlan whispered as she watched the man's methodical descent. "From D'Hara. I was told he came to offer his services to Richard. I think he's an important person."

Nadine grunted dismissively. "What's he going to do without any herbs or things?" She leaned closer while watching him. "He doesn't seem to have anything with him."

Kahlan shushed her. Stone dust crunched under his boots as he turned, the sound echoing in the hush of the pit. He approached in measured strides. The torch was on the wall behind him, so Kahlan couldn't see his features in the deeply cowled hood of the voluminous, coarse flaxen cloak that hung to the floor. He was as tall as Richard, with shoulders just as wide.

"Mord-Sith," he observed in a voice hat was smooth and authoritative, some thing like Richard's, too.

He brought a hand out of his cloak and gestured. Kahlan complied, laying Cara on her back on the stone floor. With the way he seemed to study Cara's shivering, Kahlan didn't want to interrupt for introductions. She just wanted someone to help Cara.

"What happened to her?" he asked from the shadow of the cowl, in a voice just as deep and dark. "She had control of a man who-" "He had the gift? She was linked with him?"

"Yes," Kahlan said. "That's what she called it." He made a sound in his throat, as if mentally assimilating the information. "It turned out that the man was possessed by a dream walker and-" "What's a dream walker?"

"A person, as I understand it, who can invade another person's mind by slipping into the spaces between their thoughts. He gains control of them in this way. He was covertly possessing this man that she linked with." He considered a moment. "I see. Go on." "We came down here to question the man-" "To torture him."

Kahlan pulled an irritated breath. "No. I told Cara that we were simply going to question him to get answers, if we could. The man was an assassin sent to kill Lord Rahl, and if he didn't answer the questions, then Cara was prepared to do what she must to get those answers-to protect Lord Rahl. "But it never got that far. We discovered that this dream walker had control of him, control of his gift. The dream walker used the man's gift to write a prophecy in the stone behind you." The healer didn't turn to look. "Then what?"

"Then he was going to escape and start killing people. Cara tried to stop him-" "With her link?"

"Yes. She let out a scream like I've never heard before and fell to the ground holding her ears." Kahlan inclined her head. "Nadine here, and I, went after the man when he tried to escape. Fortunately, he was killed. When we got back, we found Cara on the floor, in convulsions."

"You shouldn't have left her alone. She could have choked to death on her own vomit."

Kahlan pressed her lips together and remained silent. The man just stood there, watching Cara shudder.

Finally, Kahlan could bear it no longer. "This is one of Lord Rahl's personal guards. She's important. Do you intend to help her, or you just going to stand there?"

"Quiet," he commanded in a distracted tone. "One must observe before one acts, or more harm than help can be the result."

Kahlan glowered at the shadowed form. At last he sank to his knees and sat back on his heels. He lifted Cara's wrist in one of his big hands, working a finger between her glove and sleeve. He flicked his other hand out over the items on the floor. "What's all this?"

"They're my things," Nadine said. Her chin rose. "I'm a healer." Still holding Cara's wrist, the man picked up a leather pouch with his other hand, looking at its markings He set it down and then scooped the two horns from Nadine's lap.

"Feverfew," he said as he tossed it back in Nadine's lap. He looked at the symbols on the other. "Betony." He tossed it back in her lap with the first. "You're not a healer." he said. "You re an herb woman." "How dare you-"

"Did you give her any of your medicines, besides the oil of lavender?" "How did… I've not had time to give her anything else." "Good," he proclaimed. "The oil of lavender won't help her, but at least it won't harm her."

"Well, of course I know it's not going to stop the convulsions. It was just to help ease some of her pain. I was going to give her tincture of maypop for that." "Were you now? Fortunate that I arrived in time, then." Nadine folded her arms across her breasts. "Why's that?" "Because tincture of maypop would likely have killed her." Nadine scowled as she unfolded her arms and planted fists on her hips. "Maypop is a powerful sedative. It would likely have halted her convulsions. If you hadn't interfered, I'd have her recovered by now. ' "Is that so? Did you feel her pulse?"

"No." Nadine paused warily. "Why? What difference could that possibly make?

"Her pulse is weak, staggering, and labored. This woman is struggling with all her strength to keep her heart beating. Had you given her your maypop, it would have done as you said: sedated her. Her heart would have stopped."