Wizard's First Rule - Terry Goodkind [225]
Richard saw a tear run down her cheek as she turned without looking at him and began walking up the road. She stopped in midstride and stood a moment; her beautiful auburn hair lay upon her shoulders and partway down the back of the wispy dress. Her head came up, but didn’t turn back to him.
“When this is over,” she said in a voice that broke with emotion, “and if you should happen to win… don’t ever come here again. If you do… I will kill you.”
She walked on, toward her palace.
“Shota,” he whispered hoarsely, “I’m sorry.”
She did not stop or turn, but continued on.
CHAPTER 32
When she came around the corner, she almost bumped into his legs, he was walking so quietly. She looked up the long silver robes to his face, far up in the air.
“Giller! You scared me!”
His hands were each stuck in the other sleeve. “Sorry, Rachel, I didn’t mean to frighten you.” He looked both ways down the hall and then lowered himself to the floor. “What are you about?”
“Errands,” she told him, letting out a deep breath. “Princess Violet says I’m to go yell at the cooks for her, and then I’m to go to the washwomen and tell them that she found a gravy stain on one of her dresses, and that she would never get gravy on one of her dresses, and that they must have done it, and if she ever finds they do that again, she’ll have their heads chopped off. I don’t want to say that to them, they’re nice.” She touched the pretty silver braiding on the sleeve of Giller’s robes. “But she said that if I don’t say it, I’ll be in a lot of trouble.”
Giller nodded. “Well, just do as she says, I’m sure the washwomen will know they aren’t really your words.”
Rachel looked in his big dark eyes. “Everyone knows she gets her own gravy on her own dresses.”
Giller laughed a quiet laugh. “You’re right, I’ve seen her do it myself. But it brings no fortune to pull the tail of a sleeping badger.” She didn’t understand, and made a face. “That means you will get in trouble if you point it out to her, so it’s best to keep still.”
Rachel nodded; she knew that that was true. Giller looked up and down the hall again, but there was no one else there.
He leaned closer and whispered, “I’m sorry I haven’t been able to talk to you, to check. Did you find your trouble doll?”
She nodded with a smile. “Thank you so much, Giller. She’s wonderful. I’ve been put out twice more since you gave her to me. She told me how I mustn’t talk to you unless you say it’s safe, so I just waited, like she said. We talked and talked, and she made me feel so much better.”
“I’m glad, child.” He smiled.
“I named her Sara. A doll’s got to have a name, you know.”
“Is that so?” He lifted an eyebrow. “I never knew that. Well, Sara is a fine name for her then.”
Rachel grinned; she was happy that Giller liked her doll’s name. She put one arm around his neck and her face by his ear. “Sara’s been telling me her troubles too,” she whispered. “I promised her I would help you. I never knew you wanted to run away too. When can we leave, Giller? I’m getting so afraid of Princess Violet.”
His big hand patted her back when she hugged him. “Soon, child. But there are things we must prepare first, so we aren’t found out. We wouldn’t want anyone to follow us, to find us and bring us back, now, would we?”
Rachel shook her head against his shoulder; then she heard footsteps. Giller stood up, looking down the hall.
“Rachel, it would be very bad if we were seen talking. Someone might… find out about the doll. About Sara.”
“I better go,” she said in a hurry.
“No time. Stand against the wall, show me how brave, and quiet you can be.”
She did what he told her and he stood in front of her, hiding her behind his robes. Rachel heard the clinking of armor. Just some guards, she thought. Then she heard the little barks. The Queen’s dog! It must be the Queen and her guards! They would be in a fine