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Zedd can’t help but notice that as Kahlan and Richard kiss, their happiness is shining through. Cara’s hands are —as always— by her sides, stroking her agiels. Taking comfort in them.
Now that there is no imminent danger, it doesn’t take Zeddicus one second to decide what to do next.
“Richard, Kahlan, I know you have some things to take care of at the People’s Palace. You won’t mind if we catch up with you in two days, will you?” the wizard of the First Order asks with an innocent voice, instantly knowing what the reaction of the Mord’Sith is going to be.
“First, why would we need to do that? And second, what makes you think I want to go with you, old man?” Cara asks with as cold a voice as she can manage. Her eyebrow is arched and her fingers are still by her sides, in contact with both her red agiels.
“I have some business to attend to. You say I’m an old man; I’d rather you accompany me on this journey in case I get into any trouble.” The elder of the group smiles jovially, almost a smirk.
“Surely it’s best if we all go,” Kahlan puts in before Cara can respond.
“Where are we going?” Richard immediately asks, ready to go.
“Cara and I are going to a town near here, and you two are going to the Palace,” Zedd sternly says, leaving no room for argument. It is not what he needs or wants. “Like I said, we'll catch up with you in two days.”
Kahlan tries to protest, “But you can get in trouble. Just because the veil has closed it doesn’t mean—”
Cara interrupts later than the wizard had predicted. “If I’m going anywhere with you, you’ll have to tell me where and why.”
“I know Kahlan, which is why I’m taking Cara.” He smiles, turning to the blonde woman. “And I’ll tell you where and why on the way.”
“It’s been nearly two hours, old man, and you still haven’t told me where we’re going.” Cara makes sure to show impatience. They’ve been in these woods for a while now and she’s getting bored with the Wizard’s talk about the pain which agiels can cause.
Normally she would be ecstatic to talk about it—not ecstatic, because she’s a Mord’Sith—but content. However, she knows Zedd is holding off on something right now, and it’s starting to make her uneasy.
“Oh, I think we have arrived,” Zeddicus replies as he stops, looks around and then walks straight back to a couple of bushes covering the view beyond them. He pokes his head through. “We have certainly arrived.”
“I thought we were going to a town?” Cara impatiently asks as the man who is still making a point of withholding information from her.
“A little white lie.” He turns back to look at her. “I’m going to be behind these bushe—”
“What should I do?” the woman dressed in red leather impatiently asks.
“Well, if you'd let me finish…” The rest goes unsaid. “If you'd come and have a look.”
As they both walk through the bushes, they come to stand across a small waterfall. The water pools at the bottom in a wide space with a soft sound.
“I'm going to soak in here for a while.” Zedd motions. “I think you sho—”
“Did you drag me away for this?” Cara tries to spit out, but she is, in fact, quite happy at being away from those lovebirds.
“Of course. Like I was saying, you should go back to where we came. Ten steps to the right, there, is a rather nice vacant place, so that you can have some time with your agiels.” The wizard chooses to look away at that moment. He doesn’t want the Mord’Sith to become more angry with him than necessary.
“Excuse me?” the blonde woman stutters as her hand immediately falls away from the red leather rods.
“We’ve got time,” Zedd says as he walks towards the edge of the small open space. “I know you haven’t had time with those for a while, and I expect that the pain shocks in your hands have become rather dull after a while of only that sort of touch.”
“What are you trying to imply?” Cara furiously asks, afraid that the man knows what she does with her agiels in her private time.
“Come Cara.” The wizard grins. “You don’t really want me to tell you to undress and how to move the agiel through your body so that it causes not only the most pain, but also the most pleasure, do you?”
Zedd turns with an arched eyebrow. She is an attractive woman, that is certain, but he has limits. Bedding the woman in front of him is one of them, and it wouldn’t feel right. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t like to see her happy.
She is standing there with her legs firmly on the ground, in a stance ready to fight the wizard. She is trying to keep her face blank, but it’s starting to show worry and anger.
“I thought not.” He knows that the angrier she is, the harder she takes it on herself and the more she’ll enjoy it. Therefore he continues as an extra bonus, “I’m also sure you don’t want me to tell you to be careful when inserting them into yourself.”