Stone of Tears – Read Now and Download Mobi

Stone of Tears

Sword of Truth 02

Terry Goodkind

Chapter 1

Rachel clutched her doll tighter to her chest and stared at the dark thing watching her from the bushes. At least she thought it was watching her. It was hard to tell because the eyes were as dark as the rest of it, except when the light caught them just right; then they gleamed a golden color.

She had seen animals in the woods before, rabbits and raccoons and squirrels and such, but this was bigger. It was as big as her, maybe bigger. Bears were dark. She wondered if it could be a bear.

But this wasn’t exactly the woods, since it was indoors. She had never been in an indoor woods before. She wondered if indoor woods had animals like the outdoor woods did.

She might have been afraid if Chase wasn’t there with her. She knew she was safe with him. Chase was the bravest man she ever saw. Still, she was a little afraid. Chase had told her she was the bravest little girl he knew. She didn’t want him to think she was afraid of some big rabbit.

Maybe that’s all it was, some big rabbit, sitting on a rock or something. But rabbits had long ears. Maybe it really was a bear. She put her doll’s foot in her mouth.

She turned and looked down the path, across the pretty flowers and short walls covered with vines, and across the grass to where Chase was talking to Zedd, the wizard. They were standing by a stone table, looking at the boxes, and talking about what to do with them. Rachel was glad that that mean Darken Rahl didn’t get them and that he wasn’t ever going to be able to hurt anyone again. Rachel turned back to make sure the dark thing wasn’t coming any closer to her. It was gone. She looked around, but didn’t see it anywhere.

“Sara, where do you think it could have gone?” she whispered.

Her doll didn’t have an answer. Rachel bit down on Sara’s foot and started walking toward Chase. Her feet wanted to run, but she didn’t want Chase to think she wasn’t brave. He had said she was brave, and that made her feel good. She looked over her shoulder as she walked, checking, but she didn’t see the dark thing anywhere. Maybe it lived in a hole, and it had gone there. Her feet still wanted to run, but she didn’t let them.

When Rachel got to Chase, she pushed up against him and hugged his leg. He and Zedd were talking, and she knew it was impolite to interrupt, so she sucked on Sara’s foot while she waited.

“So what could happen if you just shut the lid?” Chase was asking the wizard.

“Anything!” Zedd stuck his skinny arms up in the air. His wavy white hair was smoothed down but it still stuck out in places. “How should I know? Just because I know what the boxes of Orden are doesn’t mean I know what to do with them now that Darken Rahl has opened one. The Magic of Orden killed him for opening it. It could have destroyed the world. It could kill me for closing it. Or worse.”

Chase sighed. “Well, we can’t just leave them sitting around, can we? Don’t we have to do something?”

The wizard frowned and looked at the boxes while he was thinking. After more than a minute of quiet, Rachel tugged on Chase’s sleeve. He looked down at her.

“Chase ...”

“Chase”? I told you the rules.” He put his hands on his hips and twisted his face up, trying to make it look mean, until she giggled and hugged his leg tighter. “You’ve only been my daughter for a few weeks, and already you’re breaking the rules. I told you before, you are to call me ‘Father.’ None of my children are allowed to call me Chase. Understand?”

Rachel grinned and nodded. “Yes, Ch ... Father.”

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. Then he mussed her hair. “What is it?”

“There’s some big animal in the trees. I think it might be a bear, or worse. I think you might need to take out your sword and go have a look.”

He laughed. “A bear! In here?” He laughed again. “This is an indoor garden, Rachel. There aren’t any bears in an indoor garden. Maybe it was a shadow. The light does odd things in here.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so, Ch ... Father. It was watching me.”

He smiled and mussed her hair again and put his big hand on the side of her face and hugged her head to his leg. “Then you just stay by me and it won’t bother you.”

She sucked Sara’s foot and nodded as he held her head to his leg. She didn’t feel so afraid now that his hand was on her, and so looked over to the trees again.

The dark thing, mostly hidden by one of the vine-covered walls, darted closer. Rachel bit down harder on Sara’s foot and let out a little whimper as she looked up at Chase. He was pointing at the boxes.

“And just what is that thing, that stone, or jewel or whatever it is? Did it come out of the box?”

Zedd nodded. “It did. But I don’t want to say what I think it is until I’m sure. At least not out loud.”

“Father,” Rachel whined, “it’s coming closer.”

He looked down. “Good. You just keep your eye on it for me.” He looked back to the wizard. “What do you mean you don’t want to say? Do you think it has something to do with what you said about the veil to the underworld possibly being torn?”

Zedd frowned while he rubbed his smooth chin with his skinny fingers and looked down at the black jewel sitting in front of the open box. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

Rachel looked over to the wall to watch where the dark thing was. She gave a start when she saw the hands reach over the edge of the wall. It was a lot closer.

But they weren’t hands. They were claws. Long curved claws.

She looked up at Chase, at all his weapons, just to be sure he had enough. He had knives, a lot of knives, around his waist, a sword strapped over the back of his shoulder, a big axe hooked to his belt, a few other things that looked like clubs, with sharp spikes sticking out of them, hanging from his belt, too, and a crossbow on his back. She hoped it was enough.

All the weapons scared other men, but they didn’t seem to be scaring the dark thing that was coming closer. And the wizard didn’t even have a knife. He just wore that plain, tan robe. And he was so skinny. Not big like Chase. But wizards had magic. Maybe his magic could scare the dark thing away.

Magic! Rachel remembered the magic fire stick Wizard Giller had given her. She reached into her pocket and put her ringers around it. Maybe Chase would need her help. She wouldn’t let that thing hurt her new father. She would be brave.

“Is it dangerous?”

Zedd looked up at Chase from under his eyebrows. “If it’s what I think it is, and it were to fall into the wrong hands, “dangerous” wouldn’t even begin to describe it.”

“Then maybe we should drop it down a deep hole, or destroy it.”

“Can’t. We may need it.”

“What if we hide it?”

“That’s what I’m thinking. The problem is where. There are things to take into consideration. I need to take Adie to Aydindril and study the prophecies with her before I know for sure what to do with the stone, and what to do about the boxes.”

“And until then? Until you know for sure?”

Rachel looked over to the dark thing. It was closer, as close as the wall came to them. With its claws over the top of the wall, it lifted its head up and looked right into her eyes.

The thing grinned at her, showing long, sharp teeth. Her breath caught in her throat. Its shoulders shook. It was laughing. Rachel’s eyes were as big as they would go. She could hear her heartbeats making a whooshing sound in her ears.

“Father ...” she whined in a small voice.

He didn’t look down. He just shushed her. The thing put its leg over the wall and dropped down in front, still looking at her, still laughing. Its shiny eyes looked at Chase and Zedd. It hissed and then laughed as it hunched down.

Rachel tugged Chase’s pant leg and strained to make her voice work. “Father ... it’s coming.”

“All right Rachel. Zedd, I still don’t know ...”

With a howl the dark thing sprang into the open. It ran like a streak, just a blur of black. Rachel screamed. Chase spun just as it hit him. Claws flashed through the air. Chase fell to the ground as the thing leapt on Zedd.

The wizard’s arms flailed about. Flashes of light shot from Zedd’s fingers, bouncing off the dark thing and tearing up dirt or stone where they hit. The thing knocked Zedd to the ground.

Laughing in a loud howl, it jumped back on Chase as he was pulling his axe from his belt. Rachel screamed again as the claws tore at Chase. The thing was faster than any animal she had ever seen. Its claws were just a blur.

Rachel was terrified Chase was being hurt. It flung the axe out of Chase’s hand, laughing that awful laugh. It was hurting Chase. Rachel had the fire stick in her hand.

She jumped forward and put the fire stick on its back. She screamed the magic words to make the fire stick work. “Light for me!”

The dark thing burst into flames. It made a horrible scream as it spun to her. Its mouth opened wide, teeth snapping as flames burned all over it. It laughed again, but not like people laughed when they thought things were funny. Its laugh made her skin prickle. It hunched over and started walking toward her, still on fire, as Rachel backed up.

Chase let out a grunt as he threw one of the clubs with the sharp spikes sticking out of it. The club hit the thing’s back, and stuck in its shoulder. It looked around at Chase and laughed as it reached behind and pulled the club from its back. It started for Chase again.

Zedd was up. Fire flew from his fingers, covering the thing with even more flames. It laughed at Zedd. All the fire went out. Smoke rose from it. Its body looked the same now as before it got burned. In fact, it had looked like it was dark from being burned even before Rachel had set it on fire.

Chase was on his feet, and there was blood on him. Rachel got tears at seeing that. Chase snatched the crossbow off his back and in a blink he shot an arrow. It stuck in the thing’s chest. With that terrible laugh it snapped the arrow off.

Chase threw aside the crossbow and yanked out the sword from over his shoulder, then ran for the thing, jumping over it as he stabbed with the sword. The thing moved so fast Chase missed. Zedd did something that sent the thing tumbling across the grass. Chase put himself in front of Rachel, pushing her back with one hand while he held the sword out in the other.

The thing sprang to its feet again, looking at each of them.

“Walk!” Zedd yelled at them. “Don’t run! Don’t stand still!”

Chase grabbed Rachel’s wrist and started walking backward. Zedd started walking backward, too. The dark thing stopped laughing and looked at each of them, blinking. Chase was breathing hard. His chain-mail shirt and the tan leather tunic under it had big rips from the claws. Rachel got more tears at all the blood on him. Blood was running down his arm onto her hand. She didn’t want him to be hurt. She loved him something fierce. She clutched Sara and the fire stick tighter.

Zedd stopped. “Keep walking,” he told Chase.

The dark thing looked at Zedd standing there, and a big grin with sharp teeth came to its face again. It laughed that awful laugh and tore at the ground as it started in a rush toward the wizard.

Zedd threw his hands up. Dirt and grass flew up in the air around the thing. It was lifted into the air. Bolts of blue lightning struck it from all around before it hit the ground. It howled in laughter as it thudded to the ground, smoking.

Something else happened, Rachel couldn’t tell what, and the thing stopped with its arms stretched out, like it was trying to run, but its feet were stuck. It howled and twisted, but couldn’t move. Zedd’s arms swirled around in circles and he threw them out once more. The ground shook as if from thunder and there were flashes of light hitting the thing. It laughed and there was a breaking sound, like wood snapping, and the thing started toward Zedd.

Zedd began walking again. The thing stopped and frowned. Then the wizard stopped and threw his arms out again. A terrible ball of fire went through the air toward the thing as it ran for Zedd. The ball of fire made a loud scream and grew bigger as it flew toward the dark thing.

The fire hit so hard it made the ground shake. The blue and yellow light was so bright Rachel had to squint as she was walking backward. The ball of fire stayed in that one place as it burned and made a loud roar.

Smoking, the dark thing stepped out of the fire, its shoulders shaking as it laughed. The flames went out in little sparks that flew around in the air.

“Bags,” the wizard said as he started walking backward.

Rachel didn’t know what “bags” meant, but Chase had told Zedd not to say it in front of little ears. She didn’t know what that meant either. The wizard’s wavy, white hair was all messed up and sticking out in clumps.

Rachel and Chase were on the path through the trees, almost to the door. Zedd was walking backward toward them as the dark thing watched. Zedd stopped and the thing started coming again.

Walls of flame shot up in front of it. The air smelled like smoke and roared with noise. The thing stepped through the wall of fire. Zedd made another, and it stepped through that, too.

When the wizard started walking again, it stopped by a short, vine-covered wall, watching. Fat vines ripped off the wall by themselves and grew suddenly longer. They whipped around the dark thing as it stood there, tangling all around it. Zedd was almost up with them.

“Where are we going?” Chase asked him.

Zedd turned. He looked tired. “Let’s see if we can shut it in here.”

The thing tore at the vines as they pulled it to the ground, and was slicing through them with its sharp claws as the three of them went through the big doorway. Chase and Zedd each took one of the golden metal doors and pushed it shut.

From the other side came a howl, and then a loud crash. A big dent popped out in the door, knocking Zedd to the ground. Chase put a hand on each door and put all his weight against them as the thing pounded from the other side.

Horrible screeches came through the metal as the thing clawed at the door. Chase was covered with sweat and blood. Zedd jumped to his feet and helped Chase hold the doors closed.

A claw stuck through the crack between the two doors and slid down; then another came out from underneath. Through the door, Rachel could hear the thing laughing. Chase grunted as he pushed. The doors creaked.

The wizard stood back and held out his arms, with his fingers up, like he was pushing against the air. The creaking stopped. The thing howled louder.

Zedd grabbed Chase’s sleeve. “Get out of here.”

Chase backed away from the doors. “Is that going to hold it?”

“I don’t think so. If it comes for you, walk. Running or standing still attracts its attention. Tell anyone else you see.”

“Zedd, what is that thing?”

There was another loud crash and another big dent popped out in the door. The tips of claws broke through the metal and made rips in the door. The noise it made hurt Rachel’s ears.

“Go! Now!”

Chase snatched her up with an arm around her waist and started running down the hall.

Chapter 2

Zedd idly fingered the stone through the coarse cloth of his robe, where it was nestled in an inner pocket, as he watched the claws pull back through the rips in the metal. He turned and watched the boundary warden carrying Rachel down the hall. They hadn’t gone more than a few dozen strides when one of the doors flew off its hinges with a horrific boom. The strong hinges shattered as if they were made of clay.

Zedd dove out of the way, the gold-clad iron door just missing him as it flew across the hall and crashed against the polished granite wall, sending shards of metal flying and stone dust boiling down the hall. Zedd rolled to his feet and ran.

The screeling bounded out of the Garden of Life and into the hall. Its body was hardly more than a squat skeleton covered in a veneer of dry, crisp, blackened skin. Like a corpse that had dried in the sun for years. White bone stuck out in places where the skin, hanging in flaps here and there, had been torn in the fight, but that didn’t seem to bother the creature; it was a thing of the underworld, and not hindered by all the frailties of life. There was no blood.

If it could be torn up enough, or hacked apart, maybe it could be stopped, but it was awfully quick. And magic certainly wasn’t doing it much harm. It was a creature of Subtractive Magic; Additive Magic was just being absorbed into it like a sponge.

Maybe it could be harmed with Subtractive Magic, but Zedd had nothing of that half of the gift. No wizard in the last few thousand years did. Some might have had the calling for the Subtractive—Darken Rahl was proof of that—but none had had the gift for it.

No, his magic wasn’t going to stop this thing. At least, the wizard thought, not directly. But maybe indirectly?

Zedd walked backward as the screeling watched with blinking, bewildered eyes. Now, he thought, while it’s standing still.

Concentrating, Zedd gathered the air, making it dense, dense enough to lift the heavy door. He was tired; it took an effort. He pushed the air with a mental grunt, crashing the door onto the back of the screeling. Dust rolled up and across the hall as the door slammed the creature to the ground. It howled. Zedd wondered if it was howling in pain, or anger.

The door lifted, stone chips sliding off. The screeling held the heavy door up with one clawed hand as it laughed, a woody tendril of the vine he had tried to strangle it with still coiled around its neck.

“Bags,” Zedd muttered. “Nothing is ever easy.”

Zedd kept walking backward. The door crashed to the floor as the screeling stepped out from underneath it and followed. It was starting to learn that the people who walked were the same ones who ran or stood still. This was an unfamiliar world to it. Zedd had to think of something before it learned any more. If only he wasn’t so tired.

Chase went down a wide marble stairway. Zedd followed him at a quick walk. If he had been sure it wasn’t Chase or Rachel the screeling was after, he would have gone a different way, drawing the danger away from them, but it could just as easily go after them, and he didn’t want to leave Chase to fight it alone.

A man and a woman, both in white robes, were coming up the stairs. Chase tried to turn them around but they slipped past him.

“Walk!” Zedd yelled at them. “Don’t run! Go back or you will be killed!” They frowned at him in confusion.

The screeling was shuffling along toward the stairs, its claws clicking and scraping on the marble floor. Zedd could hear it panting with that nerve-jarring near laughter.

The two people saw the dark thing and froze, their blue eyes going wide. Zedd shoved them, turning them around, and forced them back down the stairs. They both suddenly broke into a run, bounding down the stairs three at a time, their blond hair and white robes flying.

“Don’t run!” Zedd and Chase yelled at the same time.

The screeling rose up on its clawed toes, attracted by the sudden movement. It let out a cackling laugh and darted to the stairs. Zedd threw a fist of air, hitting it in the chest, knocking it back a pace. It hardly noticed. It peered over the carved stone railing at the top and saw the people running.

With a cackle, it grasped the railing and leapt over, dropping a good twenty feet to the two running, white-robed figures. Chase immediately put Rachel’s face to his shoulder and reversed direction, coming back up the stairs. He knew what was going to happen, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Zedd waited at the top. “Hurry, while it’s distracted.”

There was a very brief struggle, and screams that were just as brief. Howling laughter echoed in the stairwell. Blood splattered in an arc up the white marble, almost to where Chase was charging up the stairs. Rachel hid her face against him and hugged his neck tight, but didn’t make a sound.

Zedd was impressed by her. He had never seen one so young use her head as well as she did. She was smart. Smart and gutsy. He understood why Giller had used her to try to keep the last box of Orden away from Darken Rahl. The way of wizards, Zedd thought—using people to do what must be done.

The three ran down the hall until the screeling appeared at the top of stairs; then they slowed to a backward walk. The screeling grinned with bloodred teeth, its deathless black eyes momentarily reflecting golden in the sunlight coming in a tall, narrow window. It winced at the light, licked the blood off its claws, and then loped after them. They went down the next stairway. The creature followed, sometimes stopping briefly in confusion, seemingly unsure if it was them it was after.

Chase held Rachel in one arm and a sword in his other hand. Zedd stayed between them and the screeling as they backed down a small hall. The screeling climbed up the walls, scratching the smooth stone, and sprang across tapestries, tearing them with its claws as it followed the three.

Polished walnut side tables, each with three ornate legs carved in vines and dotted with gilded blossoms, tipped over into the hall as the screeling pushed at them with a claw, grinning and laughing at the sound of cut-glass vases shattering on the stone floor. Water and flowers spilled over carpets. The screeling hopped down and tore a priceless blue and yellow Tanimuran carpet to shreds as it howled in laughter and then skittered up the wall to the ceiling.

It advanced along the ceiling like a spider, head hanging down, watching them.

“How can it do that?” Chase whispered.

Zedd only shook his head as they backed into the immense central halls of the People’s Palace. The ceiling here was well over fifty feet high, a collection of four-pointed ribbed vaults held up by a column at the corner of each vault.

Suddenly the screeling sprang along the ceiling of the small hall it was in and leapt at them.

Zedd released a bolt of fire as the creature flew through the air. He missed, the fire boiling up the granite wall, leaving a trail of black soot before it dissipated.

For the first time, Chase didn’t miss. With a solid strike his sword lopped off one of the screeling’s arms. For the first time the screeling howled in pain. It tumbled around on the ground and darted behind a green-veined gray marble column. The severed arm lay on the stone floor, twitching and grasping.

Soldiers came running across the vast hall, their swords to hand, the clatter of their armor and weapons reverberating off the vaulted ceilings high overhead, their boot strikes echoing off the tiles around the devotion pool as they skirted it. D’Haran soldiers were a fierce lot, and they looked all the more so at finding there was an invader in the palace.

Zedd felt an odd sort of apprehension at the sight of them. A few days ago they would have dragged him off to the former Master Rahl to be killed; now they were the loyal followers of the new Master Rahl, Zedd’s grandson, Richard.

As Zedd saw the soldiers coming, he realized the halls were filled with people. The afternoon devotion had just ended. Even if the screeling did have only one arm, this could be a bloodbath. The screeling could kill a few dozen of them before they even thought to run. And then it would kill more when they did. They had to get all these people away.

The soldiers rushed up around the wizard, eyes hard, searching, ready, looking for the cause of the commotion. Zedd turned to the commander, a heavily muscled man in leather and a polished breastplate with the ornate letter R embossed on it: the symbol of the House of Rahl. The scars of rank were incised on upper arms covered only with coarse mail sleeves. Intense blue eyes glowered out from under his gleaming helmet.

“What’s going on here?” he demanded. “What is it?”

“Get these people out of this hall. They are all in danger.”

The commander’s face reddened behind the cheek plates of his helmet. “I’m a soldier, not a bloody sheepherder!”

Zedd gritted his teeth. And a soldier’s first duty is to protect people. “If you don’t get these people out of this hall, Commander, I will see to it you become a sheepherder!”

The commander’s fist snapped to his heart in salute, his voice suddenly controlled at realizing who he was arguing with. “By your command, Wizard Zorander.” He turned his anger instead on his men. “Get everyone back! Right bloody now! Spread rank! Sweep the hall!”

The soldiers fanned out, pushing a wave of startled people before them. Zedd hoped they could get them all clear, and then maybe, with the soldiers’ help, they could bottle up the screeling and hack it to pieces.

But then the screeling launched itself from behind the column, a black streak tearing across the floor. It tumbled into a bunched knot of onlookers the soldiers were herding back, toppling many over one another to the floor. Shrieks and wails and the screeling’s hideous laughter erupted from across the hall.

Soldiers fell upon the creature and were flung back, bloodied, as more came to their aid. In the panicked clump of people, the soldiers couldn’t swing a sword or axe with any effect as the screeling tore a bloody path through the bodies. It had no more caution for the armed soldiers than unarmed innocents. It simply ripped at anyone close enough.

“Bags!” Zedd cursed. He turned to Chase. “Stick close to me. We have to draw it away.” He looked around. “Over there. The devotion pool.”

They ran to the square pool of water that was situated under an opening in the roof. Sunlight streamed down, reflecting in rippling patterns on the column at one of its corners. A bell perched on the dark pitted rock that sat off-center in the water. Orange fish glided through the shallow pool, unconcerned with the mayhem above.

Zedd was getting an idea. The screeling certainly wasn’t bothered by fire; the most it did when hit with it was steam a little. He ignored the sounds of pain and dying and stretched his hands out over the water, gathering its warmth, preparing it for what he was going to do. He could see shimmering waves of heat just above the surface of the water. He held the rising heat at that point, just below ignition.

“When it comes,” he told Chase, “we have to get it in the water.”

Chase nodded. Zedd was glad the boundary warden wasn’t one who always needed to have things explained to him, and knew better than to waste precious seconds with questions. Chase set Rachel on the floor. “Stay behind me,” he told her.

She, too, asked no questions. She nodded and hugged her doll close. Zedd saw she was clutching the fire stick in her other hand. Gutsy indeed. He turned to the uproar across the hall, lifted a hand, and sent tickling tongues of flame into the flailing dark thing in its center. The soldiers fell back.

The screeling straightened, turning, dropping a disembodied arm from its teeth as it did so. Steam rose where the flames had licked it. It hissed a cackling laugh at the wizard standing still in the sunlight by the pool.

The soldiers were pushing the remaining people down the halls, although the people no longer needed the encouragement. Zedd rolled balls of fire across the floor. The screeling batted them out of the way and they sparked out. Zedd knew the fire wouldn’t harm it; he only wanted to draw its attention. It worked.

“Don’t forget,” he said to Chase, “in the water.”

“You don’t mind if it’s dead when it goes in, do you?”

“All the better.”

With a clatter of claws against stone, the screeling charged across the hall. The tips of the claws scratched into the floor, sending little spurts of stone dust behind along with flakes and chips. Zedd hit it with compacted knots of air, hammering it down, keeping its attention, trying to slow it down enough so they might be able to handle it. It came to its feet in a rush each time, charging onward. Chase crouched a little lower in readiness, now holding a six-bladed mace in his fist instead of the sword.

The screeling made an impossible leap through the air at the wizard, landing on him with a howl before he had a chance to turn it aside. As he was thrown to the floor, Zedd wove webs of air to keep the thrashing claw at bay. Teeth snapped viciously at his throat.

Man and beast rolled over once, and when the screeling came up on top, Chase swung the mace at its head, hitting a glancing blow. It spun to him and he slammed it square in the chest, knocking it off the wizard. Zedd could hear bones snapping with the blow. The screeling seemed hardly to notice.

Its one arm swept out, yanking Chase’s legs out from under him, and then sprang on his chest as he hit the floor with a hard grunt. Zedd struggled to regain his wits. Rachel laid the fire stick on the screeling’s back, and flames burst up. Zedd pushed it with air, trying to knock it in the water, but the screeling held on to Chase tenaciously. Angry black eyes glared out from behind the fire. Lips curled back in a snarl.

Chase brought the mace up with both hands, catching the powerful creature square in the back. The impact knocked the screeling into the pool. Hissing steam rose upon the contact of flame and water.

Instantly, Zedd ignited the air above the water, using the heat in the water to feed it. The wizard’s fire sucked all warmth from the water. The entire pool froze into a solid block of ice. The screeling was encased. The fire sputtered out when the heat feeding it was exhausted. There was sudden quiet, except for the moans from the injured across the hall.

Rachel fell on Chase, her voice choked with tears. “Chase, Chase, are you all right?”

He put an arm around her as he levered himself, into a sitting position. “That I am, little one.”

Zedd could see that that wasn’t entirely true. “Chase, go sit on that bench. I have to help those people, and I don’t want little eyes to see what’s over there.”

He knew this appeal would work better than telling Chase he didn’t want him walking around with his injuries until they could be seen to. Still, Zedd was a little surprised when Chase nodded without protest.

The commander and eight of his men rushed up. A few of them were bloody; one had ragged claw cuts right through the metal of his breastplate. They all cast an eye to the screeling frozen in the pool. “Nice bit of work, Wizard Zorander.” The commander gave a small nod and smile of respect. “There are a few over there who are still alive. Is there anything you can do for them?”

“I’ll have a look. Commander, have your men use their battle-axes to hack that thing to pieces before it figures out how to melt the ice.”

His eyes went wide. “You mean it’s still alive?”

Zedd grunted to indicate that it was so. “The sooner the better, Commander.”

The men already had their crescent axes unhooked from their belts, waiting for the order. The commander gave them a nod and they charged onto the ice, swinging before they slid to a stop.

He lowered his voice. “Wizard Zorander, what is that thing?”

Zedd looked from the man’s face over to Chase, who was listening intently. He held the boundary warden’s gaze. “It’s a screeling.” Chase didn’t show any reaction; the boundary warden rarely did. Zedd turned back to the commander.

The big man’s blue eyes were wide. “The screelings are loose?” he whispered. “Wizard Zorander ... You can’t be serious.”

Zedd studied the man’s face seeing scars he hadn’t seen before, scars earned in battles to the death. For a D’Haran soldier, there rarely was any other kind. This was a man not used to letting fear show in his eyes. Even in the face of death.

Zedd sighed. He hadn’t slept in days. After the quads had come and tried to capture Kahlan, and she thought Richard had been killed, she had gone into the Con Dar, the blood rage, killing their attackers. She, Chase, and Zedd had walked for three days and nights to reach the palace, for her to extract vengeance. There was no stopping a Confessor in the grip of the Con Dar, that ancient mix of magics. Then they had been captured, and discovered Richard alive. That was only yesterday, but it seemed forever ago.

Darken Rahl had worked all night drawing forth the Magic of Orden from the three boxes as they had watched, helpless, and only this morning was he killed by opening the wrong box. Killed by the Wizard’s First Rule, wielded by Richard. Proof that Richard had the gift, even if Richard didn’t believe it, for only one with the gift could use the Wizard’s First Rule on a wizard of Darken Rahl’s talent.

Zedd glanced over momentarily at the men hacking at the screeling in the ice. “What is your name, Commander?”

The man stiffened proudly to attention. “Commander General Trimack, First File of the Palace Guard.”

“First File? What are they?”

Pride stiffened the man’s jaw even more. “We are the ring of steel around Lord Rahl himself, Wizard Zorander. Two thousand strong. We fall to a man before harm gets a glance at Lord Rahl.”

Zedd nodded. “Commander General Trimack, a man in your position knows that one of the responsibilities of rank is to bear the burden of knowledge in silence and solitude.”

“I do.”

“Your knowledge that this creature is a screeling is one of those burdens. For the time being anyway.”

Trimack let out a heavy breath. “I understand.” He looked over to the people on the floor across the hall. “About the injured, Wizard Zorander?”

Zedd had respect for a soldier who held concern for wounded innocents. His disregard before had been duty, not callousness. His instinct had been to meet the attack.

Zedd started across the hall with Trimack at his side. “You know Darken Rahl is dead?”

“Yes. I was in the grand courtyard earlier today. I saw the new Lord Rahl before he flew away on the red dragon.”

“And you will serve Richard as loyally as you have served in the past?”

“He is a Rahl, is he not?”

“He is a Rahl.”

“And he has the gift?”

“He does.”

Trimack nodded. “To the last man. Before harm gets a glance at him.”

Zedd glanced over. “He will not be an easy man to serve under. He’s headstrong.”

“He is a Rahl. That says the same thing.”

Zedd smiled in spite of himself. “He is also my grandson, although he doesn’t know it yet. As a matter of fact, he doesn’t even know he is a Rahl. Or the Lord Rahl. Richard might not take well to the position he finds himself in. But someday, he is going to need you. I would take it as a personal favor, Commander General Trimack, if you would give him a little understanding.”

Trimack’s eyes surveyed the area, ever ready for any new danger. “I would give him my life.”

“I think understanding would serve him better in the beginning. He thinks of himself as nothing more than a woods guide. He is a leader by nature and by birth, but not by his own appraisal. He will not want anything to do with it, but it has come to him nonetheless.”

At last a smile came to Trimack’s face. “Done.” He stopped and turned to the wizard. “I am a D’Haran soldier. I serve the Lord Rahl. But the Lord Rahl must also serve us. I am the steel against steel. He must be the magic against magic. Without the steel, he may still survive, but without the magic, we will not. Now tell me what a screeling is doing out of the underworld.”

Zedd sighed and at last nodded. “Your former Lord Rahl was meddling with dangerous magic. Underworld magic. He tore the veil between this world and the underworld.”

“Bloody fool. He’s supposed to serve us, not take us into eternal night. Someone should have killed him.”

“Someone did. Richard.”

Trimack grunted. “Then Lord Rahl is already serving us.”

“A few days ago, some would have viewed that thought as treason.”

“It is a greater treason to deliver the living to the dead.”

“Yesterday you would have killed Richard to keep him from harming Darken Rahl.”

“And yesterday he would have killed me to get at his foe. But now we serve each other. Only a fool walks into the future backward.”

Zedd nodded and offered a small, but warm, smile of respect, but then his eyes narrowed as he leaned closer. “If the veil is not closed, Commander, and the Keeper is loosed on the world, everyone will share the same fate. It won’t be just D’Hara, but the whole of the world that is consumed. From what I have read of the prophecies, Richard may be the only one who can close the veil. You just remember that, if harm tries to get a glance at Richard.”

Trimack’s eyes were ice. “Steel against steel, that he may be the magic against magic.”

“Good. You have it right.”

Chapter 3

Zedd surveyed the dead and dying as he approached. It was impossible to avoid walking through the blood. His heart ached at seeing the hurt. Only one screeling. What if more came?

“Commander, send for some healers. There are more here than I can tend to.”

“Already done, Wizard Zorander.”

Zedd nodded and began checking the living. Soldiers of the First File were spread out among the bodies, pulling the dead, many of whom were their own, out of the way, and comforting the hurt. Zedd put his fingers to the sides of foreheads to feel the injuries, to feel what a healer could care for and what required more.

He touched a young soldier laboring to breathe through a gurgle of blood. Zedd grunted at what he felt. He glanced down and saw rib bones pulled through a fist-sized hole in his breastplate. Zedd’s stomach wanted to erupt. Trimack knelt on the other side of the young man. The wizard’s eyes flicked up at the commander, and the other nodded his understanding. The young man’s remaining breaths of life numbered in the few dozen.

“Go on,” the commander said in a quiet voice, “I’ll stay with the lad.”

Zedd moved on as Trimack gripped the young man’s hand in his own and began telling a reassuring lie. Three women in long brown skirts sewn with rows of pockets came up in a rush. Their mature faces took in the scene without flinching.

With bandages and poultices pulled from their big pockets, the three women descended on the wounded and began stitching and administering potions. Most wounds were within the skill of the women to heal, or else beyond the skill of the wizard. Zedd asked one of the three, the one who looked least likely to pay heed to protests, to go see to Chase.

Zedd could see him sitting on the bench across the hall, his chin against his chest, Rachel sitting on the floor with her arms wrapped around his leg.

Zedd and the other two healers moved among the people on the floor, helping where they could, passing on where they couldn’t. One of the healers called to him. She was hunched over a middle-aged woman who was trying to wave her away.

“Please,” she was saying in a weak voice, “help the others. I am fine. I need only to rest. Please. Help the others.”

Zedd felt the wetness of his blood-soaked robes against his knees as he knelt beside her. She pushed his hands away with one of hers. The other held her guts from spilling out of a ripping wound in her abdomen.

“Please. There are others who should be helped.”

Zedd lifted an eyebrow to her ashen face. A fine gold chain through her hair held a blue stone against her forehead. The blue stone matched her eyes so, that it almost made her look to have three eyes. The wizard thought he recognized the stone, and wondered if it could be true, or only a bauble bought on a whim. He had not seen one wearing the Stone as a calling in a very long time. Surely one this young couldn’t know what it proclaimed.

“I am wizard Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander. And who are you, child, to give me orders?”

Her face paled even more. “Forgive me, wizard....”

She calmed as Zedd touched his fingers to her forehead. The pain caught his breath so sharply that he jerked his fingers away. He had to struggle to keep the tears of hurt from showing.

He knew without a doubt now: she wore the Stone in calling. The Stone, to match the color of her eyes, and worn over the forehead, as if the mind’s eye, was a talisman to proclaim her inner vision.

A hand snatched at the back of his robes, tugging.

“Wizard!” came a sour voice from behind. “You will tend to me first!” Zedd turned to a face that matched the voice, and maybe outdid it a little. “I am Lady Ordith Condatith de Dackidvich, House of Burgalass. This wench is nothing but my body servant. Had she been as quick as she should have been, I wouldn’t be suffering so! I could have been killed, as slow as she was! You will tend to me first! I could expire at any moment!”

Zedd could tell without touching her that her injuries were minor. “Forgive me, my lady.” He made a show of putting his fingers to her head. As he thought: a hard bruise to her ribs, a few lesser to her legs, and a small gash on her arm, requiring at most a stitch or two.

“Well?” She clutched at the silver ruffles at her neck. “Wizards,” she muttered. “Next to worthless if you want to know the truth of it. And these guards! I think they were asleep at their posts! Lord Rahl shall hear of this! Well? What of my injuries?”

“My lady, I’m not sure there is anything I can do for you.”

“What!” She snatched the neck of his robe and gave it a snug yank. “You had better see that there is, or I will see that Lord Rahl has your head on a pike! See what good your lazy magic does you then!”

“Of course, my lady. I will endeavor to do my best.” He ripped the small gash in the dark maroon satin fabric of the sleeve, making it a huge, hanging flag, then put a hand back on the shoulder of the woman with the blue stone. She moaned as he blocked some of her pain and gave her strength. Her ragged breathing evened. He kept his hand on her, trickling in a little magic of reassurance and comfort. Lady Ordith shrieked. “My dress! you’ve ruined it!”

“Sorry, my lady, but we can’t risk the wound festering. I would rather lose the dress than the arm. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Well, yes, I guess....”

“Ten or fifteen stitches should do it,” he said to the sturdily built healer bent over between the two women on the floor. Her hard, blue-gray eyes glanced to the small wound and then back to the wizard.

“I am sure you would know best, Wizard Zorander,” she said in an even voice, betraying only in her gaze to him that she understood his true intent.

“What! You are going to let this ox of a midwife do your work for you?”

“My lady, I’m an old man. I’ve never had any talent for sewing, and my hands shake something awful. I’m afraid I would do more damage than I would repair, but if you insist, I will try my best.”

“No,” she sniffed. “Let the ox do it.”

“Very well.” He looked up to the healer. No emotion touched her features, but splotches of red colored her cheeks. “I fear there is only one hope for her other injuries, considering the pain she is in. Do you have any wattle root in those big pockets of yours?”

She gave a little frown of puzzlement. “Yes, but ...”

“Good,” he cut her off. “I think two cubes should be sufficient.”

Her eyebrow lifted. “Two?”

“Don’t you try to be skimpy with me!” Lady Ordith screeched. “If there isn’t enough to go around, then someone of lesser importance will just have to go short! You give me the full dose!”

“Very well.” Zedd glanced up at the healer. “Administer her the full dose. Three cubes. Shredded, not whole.”

The healers eyes opened a little wider, and she incredulously mouthed, shredded! Zedd squinted and nodded his insistence. The corners of her mouth curled up in a tightly controlled smile.

Wattle root would take away the pain of the minor injuries, but it needed only be swallowed whole. One small cube was all that was needed. Shredded, and that much of it, would set Lady Ordith’s plumbing afire. The good lady was going to be spending the better part of the next week in her privy.

“What is your name, my dear?” he asked the healer.

“Kelley Hallick.”

Zedd let out a tired sigh. “Kelley, are there any others that are beyond your considerable talents?”

“No, sir. Middea and Annalee are finishing with the last of them.”

“Then will you please take Lady Ordith somewhere where she will not ... where she will be more comfortable while you tend to her.”

Kelley glanced down at the woman Zedd had a comforting hand to, to the rip across her abdomen, and back up to his eyes. “Of course, Wizard Zorander. You look to be very tired. If you would come to me later, I will fix you a stenadine tea.” The small smile touched the corners of her mouth again.

Zedd couldn’t keep a grin from his own face. Besides restoring alertness, stenadine tea was also used to give lovers stamina. By the glint in her eye, he judged her to be a fine brewer of stenadine tea.

He gave Kelley a wink. “Perhaps I will.” Any other time he might have given it serious consideration—Kelley was a handsome woman—but right now that was just about the farthest thing from his mind.

“Lady Ordith, what is your body servant’s name?”

“Jebra Bevinvier. And a worthless girl she is, too. Lazy and impudent.”

“Well, you will not be burdened with her inadequate service any longer. She is going to need a long time to recover, and you are shortly going to be leaving the palace.”

“Leaving? What do you mean leaving?” She put her nose in the air. “I have no intention of leaving.”

“The palace is no longer safe for a lady of your importance. You will have to leave for your own protection. As you said yourself, the guards are asleep half the time. You will have to be on your way.”

“Well, I simply have no intention of ...”

“Kelley” —he gave her a firm look— “please help Lady Ordith to a place where you can tend to her.”

Kelley was dragging the Lady Ordith off like a load of wash before she had a chance to cause any more trouble. Zedd turned a warm smile to Jebra and brushed some of her short, sandy hair back off her face. She held one arm across her grievous wound. Zedd had managed to halt most of the bleeding, but that wasn’t going to save her; what was outside had to be put back in its place inside.

“Thank you, sir. I’m feeling much better now. If you could help me to my feet, I will be out of your way.”

“Lie still, child,” he said softly. “We must talk.”

With a hard glance, he moved onlookers back. Soldiers of the First File had only to see that one brief look and they were already pushing people away.

Her lip trembled as her breast rose and fell more rapidly. She managed a little nod. “I’m going to die, aren’t I?”

“I won’t lie to you, child. Your wound is at the limit of my talents were I well rested. You don’t have the time for me to rest. If I don’t do something, you will die. If I try, I might hasten the end.”

“How long?”

“If I do nothing, maybe hours. Maybe the night. I could ease the pain enough to at least make the last of it tolerable.”

She closed her eyes as tears seeped from the corners. “I never thought I cared to live.”

“Because of the Seer’s Stone you wear?”

Her eyes snapped open. “You know? You recognize the Stone? You know what I am?”

“I do. The time is long past when people knew a Seer by the Stone, but I am old. I have seen such before. That is why you didn’t want me to help you? You fear what the touch might do to me?”

She nodded weakly. “But I find I suddenly care to live.”

Zedd patted her shoulder. “That is what I wanted to know, child. Worry not about me. I am a wizard of the First Order, not some novice.”

“First Order?” she whispered, wide-eyed. “I did not know one was left. Please, sir, do not risk yourself on the likes of me.”

Zedd smiled. “Not much of a risk, only a little pain. And my name is Zedd.”

She thought a moment; then her free hand clutched his arm. “Zedd ... if I am to have a choice ... I choose to try for life.”

Zedd smiled a little and stroked her cold, sweaty forehead. “Then I promise to give you my most earnest effort.” She nodded as she gripped his arm, gripped her only chance. “Is there anything you can do, Jebra, to hold aside the pain of the visions?”

She bit her lower lip and shook her head as tears sprang anew. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, barely audible. “Perhaps you shouldn’t ...”

“Hush, child,” he comforted.

Zedd took a deep breath and laid a hand over the arm that held her guts back. He put the palm of his other hand gently over her eyes. This was not something he could fix from the outside. It had to be repaired from within, with her own mind’s aid. It could kill her. And him.

He braced himself and released the barrier in his mind. The impact of pain took the wind from his lungs. He didn’t dare to spare the energy to draw a breath. He gritted his teeth and fought it with muscles hardened to stone with the strain. And he hadn’t even touched the pain of the wound yet. He had to deal with the pain of her visions, get past them, before he could cope with that problem.

Agony sucked his mind into a river of blackness. Specters of her visions swirled past. He could only guess at their meaning, but the pain of their reality was all too vivid. Tears flooded from his tightly closed eyes; his whole body shook as he struggled to fight through the torrent of anguish. He knew he couldn’t allow himself to be pulled along with it, or he would be lost, consumed.

The emotions of her visions buffeted him as he was swept deeper into her mind. Dark thoughts just beyond the surface of perception clawed at his will, trying to drag him into the depths of hopeless abandon. His own painful memories washed to the surface of his consciousness to join with Jebra’s lifetime of sorrow in a convergence of terrible agony and madness. Only his experience and resolve kept his sanity, his free will, from being pulled into the bottomless waters of bitterness and grief.

At last, he broke through to the calm, white light at the center of her being. Zedd reveled in the comparatively mild pain of her life-threatening wound. Reality could seldom match the imagination, and in the imagination, the pain was real.

All around the calm center, the cold darkness of eternal night encroached on the waning warmth and light of her life impatient to shroud forever Jebra’s spirit. Zedd pulled back that shroud, to let the light of his gift warm her spirit with life and vitality. The shadows receded before the power of his Additive Magic.

The strength of that magic, its exigency for the well-being of life, drew the exposed organs back to where the Creator intended them. Zedd didn’t yet dare to spare anything to block her suffering. Jebra’s back arched. She wailed in pain. He, too, felt her pain. His own abdomen flamed with the same agony she felt. He shook with the searing sharpness of it.

When the hardest, that which was beyond his comprehension, was finished, he at last spared a portion of the magic to block her pain. Jebra sagged against the floor with a moan of relief. He felt the relief in his own body.

Directing the flow of magic, Zedd finished the healing. He used his power to pull her wound together, letting tissue knit to tissue, flesh to flesh, layer upon layer, up to the surface of skin, joining as if it had never been parted.

Finished at last, Zedd had only to escape her mind. That was as dangerous as entering, and his strength was nearly gone; he had given it over to her. Rather than wasting any more time worrying about it, he released himself into the flow of agony.

Nearly an hour after he had begun, he found himself on his knees, hunched over, weeping uncontrollably. Jebra was sitting up, with her arms around him, holding his head to her shoulder. As soon as he was aware that he was back, he managed to bring himself under control and straighten. He glanced around the hall. Everyone had been pushed back a goodly distance, beyond earshot. None had any interest in being near a wizard when he was wielding magic that left people screaming as Jebra had done.

“There,” he said, at last, with a modicum of restored dignity, “that wasn’t so bad. I believe all is well now.”

Jebra laughed a quiet, shaky laugh and hugged him tight. “I was taught a wizard couldn’t heal a Seer.”

Zedd managed to get a bony finger in the air. “No ordinary wizard can, my dear. But I am Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander, wizard of the First Order.”

Jebra wiped a tear from her cheek. “I have nothing of value to repay you with, except this.” She unhooked the gold chain that ran through her hair and brought it down, putting it in his hand. “Please, accept this humble offering.”

Zedd looked down at the chain with the blue stone. “That is very kind of you, Jebra Bevinvier. I’m touched.” Zedd felt a pang of guilt for having planted the impulse in her mind. “It’s a fine chain, and I will accept it in humble gratitude.” He used a thread-thin stream of power to separate the stone from its mounting. He handed the Stone back; he only needed the chain. “But the chain is payment enough. Keep your Stone; it’s yours by right.”

She closed her fingers around the Stone with a nod and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He accepted the peck with a smile.

“And now, my dear, you will need to rest. I have used a good deal of your strength to put things right. Maybe a few days of bed rest, and you will be as good as new.”

“I fear that you have not only left me healed, but also without employment. I must find work to feed myself.” She looked down at the bloody, shredded rip in her green dress. “And to clothe myself.”

“Why were you wearing the Stone, if you were the servant of the Lady Ordith?”

“Not many know what the Stone signifies. Lady Ordith didn’t. Her husband, the duke, did. He wanted my services, but his wife would never have allowed a woman in his employ, so he had me placed as her servant.”

“I know it is not the most honorable thing, for a Seer to place herself covertly, but there is much starvation in Burgalass. My family knew of my ability and closed their doors to me, afraid of the visions I might have of them. Before my grandmother passed on, she put her Stone in my hand, saying if I wore hers she would be honored.”

Jebra pressed the fist with the Stone to her cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered, “for not accepting it. For understanding.”

Zedd felt a renewed pang of guilt. “And so this duke had you taken in and used you for his own purposes?”

“Yes. Maybe a dozen years ago. Because I was Lady Ordith’s body servant, I was almost always present at any meeting or function. The duke would come to me later and I would tell him what I saw of his adversaries. With my help, he made more of his power and wealth.”

“Virtually no one anymore knows of the Stone of a Seer. He disdained people who ignored the old knowledge. He mocked his opponents’ ignorance by having me wear the Stone openly.

“He also had me keep an eye to the Lady Ordith. It prevented her from succeeding at making herself a widow. So she now contents herself with being absent from the duke’s house whenever she can. She will not be displeased to be rid of me; the duke used his strings of power to keep me employed when the Lady Ordith would have wished it otherwise.”

“Why would she be displeased with your service?” He grinned. “Are you lazy and rude, as she claims?”

Jebra smiled back, the fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes deepening. “No. It’s the visions. Sometimes when I have them, well, you felt some of the hurt when you healed me, though it is not as bad as that for me, I think. But sometimes the hurt keeps me from her service for a time.”

Zedd rubbed his chin. “Well, since you are out of employment, you will be a guest here at the People’s Palace until you are recovered. I have some little influence around here.” He marveled at the sudden truth of that, and pulled a purse from a pocket in his robes. He gave it a jingle. “For your expenses, and wage, if I could convince you to take up a new employer.”

She hefted the purse in her palm, testing its weight. “If this be copper, it is insufficient for any but you.” She smiled and leaned a little closer, her eyes merry and scolding at the same time. “And if it be silver, it is too much.”

Zedd gave her a grave expression. “It’s gold.” Startled, she blinked. “But it is not me, mainly, you will be working for.”

She stared at the purse of gold in her hand, then looked back at him. “Who then?”

“Richard. The new Lord Rahl.”

Jebra paled and shook her head vigorously, her shoulders hunching up. She shoved the purse back in Zedd’s hands. “No.” Even paler, she shook her head again. “No. I’m sorry. I don’t want to work for him. No.”

Zedd frowned. “He is not an evil person. He’s quite kind-hearted, in fact.”

“I know that.”

“You know who he is?”

She looked down at her lap and nodded. “I know. I saw him yesterday. The first day of winter.”

“And you had a vision when you saw him?”

Her voice was weak and filled with fear. “Yes.”

“Jebra, tell me what you saw. Every bit of it. Please? It’s important.”

She looked up at him from under her eyebrows for a long moment, then back down at her lap as she chewed her lower lip.

“It was at the morning devotion, yesterday. When the bell rang, I went to a square, and he was standing there, looking into the pool. I noticed him because he was wearing the sword of the Seeker. And because he was tall and handsome. And he wasn’t kneeling as the others were. He stood there, watching the people gathering, and as I approached, his eyes passed across my sight. Just for an instant. The power coming from him took my breath away.”

“A Seer can sense certain kinds of power, like the gift, emanating from a person.” She looked up at Zedd. “I have seen those with the gift before. I have seen their auras. They have all been like yours; there is a warmth to them, a gentleness. Your aura is beautiful. His was different. It had that, but more, too.”

“Violence,” Zedd said in a soft voice. “He is the Seeker.”

She nodded. “It could be. I don’t know; I’ve never seen the like of it before. But I can tell you what it felt like. It felt like having my face pushed into a basin of icy water before I had a chance to get a breath.”

“Sometimes I never get a vision from a person. Sometimes I do. I can never tell when it’s going to come. Sometimes when a person is in distress, they throw off auras and visions more strongly. He was throwing off auras like lightning in a thunderstorm. He was in great emotional pain. Like an animal in a trap trying to chew its own leg off. He felt the horror of having to betray his friends to save them. I didn’t understand that. It didn’t make any sense.”

There was an image of a woman, a beautiful woman with long hair. Maybe a Confessor, although I don’t know how that could be. The aura flamed so strongly with anguish for her that I felt my face, fearing I would find the skin burned. If I hadn’t been at devotion, I would have fallen to my knees anyway from the agony of the auras.

“I almost rushed to him, to comfort him, when two Mord-Sith approached, and noticed him standing, and not kneeling. He felt no fear, but he went to his knees anyway, out of resignation to the terrible betrayal he had been forced into. I was relieved when he knelt; I thought that would be the end of it. I was thankful I had seen only auras, for the most part, and not true visions. I didn’t want to see any visions from that man.” She stared off, seemingly lost in the memory of it.

“But that wasn’t the end of it?”

Her eyes came back to where she was. “No. I thought the worst of it was over, but what I had seen didn’t touch what was to come.”

Jebra dry-washed her hands for a moment. “We were saying the chant to Father Rahl, and all of a sudden he sprang up. He had a smile on his face. He had solved the puzzle that trapped him. The last piece had snapped into place. The woman’s face and his love for her filled the aura.”

She shook her head. “I pity the person who ever puts a finger between those two. They will lose the finger, maybe the hand, and maybe the whole arm before they have the time to think to pull it back.”

“Her name is Kahlan,” Zedd said with a little smile. “And then what happened?”

Jebra crossed her arms across her abdomen. “Then the visions started. I saw him killing a man, but I couldn’t tell how. Not with blood, but killing him just the same. And then I saw the man he was going to kill: Darken Rahl. And then I saw that it was his father, but he didn’t know it. That was when I knew who he was: the son of Darken Rahl, the soon to be new Master Rahl. The aura was flashing in terrible conflicts. Commoner to king.”

Zedd put a comforting hand to her shoulder. “Darken Rahl wanted to rule the world with a frightful magic. By stopping him, Richard saved a great many from torture or death. Even though killing is terrible, by doing so he has saved the lives of many more. Surely you would not be frightened of Richard because of that.”

She shook her head. “No. It was by what came next. The two Mord-Sith stood, because he was going to leave a devotion. One raised her Agiel, threatening him. I was surprised to see he wore one at his neck, red, just like theirs. He held it out in his fist. He told them that if they didn’t let him pass, he would kill them. The aura of violence around him took my breath away. He wanted them to try. They sensed it and let him pass.”

“As he turned to leave ... that was when I saw the other visions.” She put a hand to her heart as tears ran down her cheeks. “Zedd ... my visions are not always clear. Sometimes. I don’t know what they mean. Once I saw a farmer’s vision. Birds were pecking at the stomachs of him and his family. I didn’t know what it meant. It turned out that a flock of blackbirds came and ate the seed he had just planted. He was able to replant, and guard the field. But he and his family could have starved if he hadn’t.”

She wiped her fingers at the tears on her cheeks. “Sometimes I can’t tell what the visions mean, or if they will turn out to be true; not all of that kind do.” She fussed with her hair. “But sometimes they come to pass exactly as I see them. I can tell when they are true, and will happen without a doubt.”

Zedd patted her shoulder. “I understand, Jebra. Visions are a form of prophecy, and I know how confusing prophecy can be. What kind of vision did you see from Richard? The confusing kind, or the ones that are clear?”

She shared a deep gaze with his eyes. “I saw every kind. I saw every kind of vision I have ever had, from the confusing to clear; from the possible to the certain. They came in a rush. They have never done that before. Mostly I only have a single vision, and I either know what it means and that it is true, or I don’t understand it and can’t tell if it will come to pass. The visions from this man came in a torrent. They rushed past like wind-driven rain. But every one was pain and hurt and danger.”

“The ones that stood out the hardest, and I knew to be true, were the worst. One was of something around his neck. I couldn’t tell what, but it was something that will cause him great pain, and take him from the woman ... Kahlan, you said her name was... take him from everyone he loves. Lock him away.”

“Richard was captured by a Mord-Sith, and tortured by her. Perhaps that is what you saw,” Zedd offered.

Jebra shook her head vehemently. “It wasn’t what was: it was what will be. And not the pain of a Mord-Sith. Different. I am sure of it.”

Zedd nodded in thought. “What else?”

“I saw him in an hourglass. He was on his knees in the bottom half, crying in anguish, the sand falling all around him, but not a grain touching him. The gravestones of all those he loved were in the top half, where he couldn’t reach them against the fall of the sand.”

“I saw a knife at his heart, a killing knife, held in his own shaking hands. Before I could see what would happen, another vision came—they are not always in order of events. He was in his fine red coat, the one with gold buttons and brocade trim. He was facedown ... a knife in his back. He was dead, but at the same time, he wasn’t. His own hands reached down to roll him over, but before I saw his dead face, another vision came.”

“It was the worst. The strongest.” The tears welled up again, and she began to sob softly. Zedd squeezed her shoulder to encourage her to go on. “I saw his flesh burning.” She wiped at the tears and rocked back and forth a little as she cried. “He was screaming. I could even smell the burning skin. Then, whatever was burning him—I couldn’t tell what it was—when it pulled back, he was unconscious, and there was a mark upon him. A mark burned into him.”

Zedd worked his tongue in his mouth, trying to wet it. “Could you see what the mark was?”

“No, not what it looked like. But I knew what it was as surely as I know the sun when I see it. It was the mark of the dead, a mark of the Keeper of the underworld. The Keeper had marked him to be his own.”

Zedd worked to steady his breathing, his trembling hands. “Were there more visions?”

“Yes, but not as strong and I didn’t understand them. They rushed by so fast I couldn’t grasp their form, only their pain. Then he was gone.”

“While the Mord-Sith were turned, watching him go, I ran back to my room and locked myself in. I lay on the bed for hours, crying uncontrollably with the hurt of what I had seen. The Lady Ordith banged at my door, wanting me, but I called to her that I was sick and she finally went away in a huff. I cried until my insides were jelly. I saw virtue in that man, and I wept in fear of the evil I saw snatching for him.”

“Though the visions were all different, they were the same. They all had the same feel: danger. Danger presses in around that man as tightly as water presses around a fish.” She regained some of her composure as Zedd sat silently watching her. “That is why I will not work for him. The good spirits protect me, I don’t want anything to do with the danger around that man. With the underworld.”

“Maybe you could help him, with your talent, help him to avoid the danger. That is what I was hoping anyway,” Zedd said in a quiet voice.

Jebra dabbed her cheeks dry with the back of her sleeve. “Not for all the duke’s gold and power would I want to be in Lord Rahl’s wake. I am no coward, but I am no heroine in a song, and no fool either. I did not wish my guts put back to have them ripped out again, and this time my soul with them.”

Zedd quietly watched her sniffling herself back under control, putting the frightening visions away. She took a deep breath and sighed. Her blue eyes finally looked to his.

“Richard is my grandson,” he said simply.

Her eyes winced shut. “Oh, good spirits forgive me.” Her hand covered her mouth for a long moment; then her eyes came open, her eyebrows wrinkled together in horror. “Zedd ... I’m so sorry for telling you what I saw. Forgive me. Had I known, I never would have told you.” Her hands trembled. “Forgive me. Oh please, forgive me.”

“The truth is the truth. I am not one who would shut a door in your face for seeing it. Jebra, I am a wizard; I already know of the danger he is in. That is why I asked you to help. The veil to the underworld is torn. That thing that ripped you open escaped into the world of the living through the tear. If the veil tears enough, the Keeper will escape. Richard has done things that the prophecies say mark him as maybe the only one able to close the tear.”

He lifted the purse of gold and slowly settled it in her lap, her eyes following it down. He withdrew his empty hand. Her gaze stayed on the purse as if it were a beast that might bite.

“Would it be very dangerous?” she asked at last in a weak voice.

Zedd smiled when her eyes came up. “No more dangerous than going for an afternoon stroll in a fortress palace.”

With a reflex jerk, her hand clutched her abdomen where the wound had been. Her eyes rose to look off down the wide, resplendent halls, as if seeking escape, or maybe fearing an attack. Without looking to him she spoke.

“My grandmother was a Seer, and my only guide. She told me once that the visions would bring me a lifetime of hurt, and there was nothing I would ever be able to do to stop them. She said that if ever I was presented with the opportunity to use the visions for good, to take the chance, and it would make up for some of the burden. That was the day she put her Stone in my hand.”

Jebra lifted the purse and set it back in Zedd’s lap. “I will not do it for all the gold in D’Hara. But I will do it for you.”

Zedd smiled and patted her cheek. “Thank you, child.” He put the gold back in her lap, the coins making a muffled clink. “You will be needing this. You will have expenses. What is left is yours. That is the way I wish it.”

She nodded resignedly. “What must I do?”

“Well, first we must both get a good night’s sleep. You will need to rest for a few days to regain your strength. And then you have some traveling to do, Lady Bevinvier.” He smiled at the way one of her eyebrows lifted. “We are both very tired right now. Tomorrow after I have rested, I must be off on important business. Before I leave, I will come to you and we will talk more of this. But starting right now, I would ask you not to wear the Stone where it can be seen. No good can come of declaring your talent to eyes in the shadows.”

“So my new employer shall use me covertly too? Not the most honorable of things.”

“The ones who would recognize you now are not vying for gold. They serve the Keeper. They want much more than gold. If they discover you, you will wish I had not saved you today.”

She winced before finally nodding.

Chapter 4

Zedd stood with the aid of a hand to his knee. He helped Jebra up. As he expected, she was unable to stand without leaning heavily on him. She apologized for the burden. He made her smile by telling her he would use any excuse to have his arm around the waist of a pretty maiden.

People were starting to go back to their business, engaged in hushed conversation as their eyes darted about the suddenly not so safe palace. Those hurt had been helped away, and the dead carried off. Maidservants in heavy skirts worked tearfully at the task of cleaning up the blood, sloshing mops in buckets of reddening water. Soldiers of the First File were spread out everywhere. Zedd motioned to Commander Trimack across the hall.

“Anyway, I shall be glad to be away from this place,” Jebra said. “I have seen auras here that make me sweat in my sleep.”

As the officer started toward them, Zedd asked, “Do you see anything of this man coming toward us?”

She studied him a moment as he strode toward them, checking the placement of his men. “A faint aura. Duty.” She frowned as she stared. “It has always been a burden for him. He is daring to hope that maybe he will now find pride in it. Does that help you any?”

Zedd smiled a little. “Yes it does. Any visions?”

“No. Just the faint aura.”

The wizard nodded in thought, then brightened. “By the way, why has a woman as lovely as you not found herself a husband?”

She gave him a sidelong glance. “Three have asked. As each was on bended knee before me, I saw a vision of them lying with another woman.”

Zedd grinned. “Did they ask why you said no?”

“I didn’t say no. I only slapped them so hard it made their heads ring like a bell.”

Zedd laughed until she was caught up in it. Trimack came at last to a halt before them. “Commander General Trimack, may I introduce the Lady Bevinvier.” Trimack gave a smart bow. “As are you, as am I, this lady is one who is at the task of keeping harm from getting a glance at Lord Rahl. I would like her to have a heavy guard at all times while she is in the palace. Lord Rahl needs her help, and I don’t want her life risked again as it was today.”

“While she is in the palace she will be as safe as a babe in her mother’s arms. By my honor.” He turned and gave a coded tap to his shoulder. A good two dozen men of the First File came at a dead run, freezing to a halt at attention, not even breathing hard. “This is the Lady Bevinvier. Every one of your lives before hers.”

With a sharp snap, every fist came to an armored heart as one. Two of them took Jebra’s weight from Zedd. She kept one hand tightly closed around the Stone. The purse of gold bulged in a pocket of her long, green skirt. It was covered most of the way down with dried blood.

Zedd addressed the men holding her up. “She will need suitable quarters, and meals brought in. Please see to it she is not disturbed by anyone but me.” He looked at her tired blue eyes and gently touched her arm. “Rest well, child. I will visit you in the morning.”

She smiled weakly. “Thank you, Zedd.” As the soldiers helped her away, the wizard turned his attention to Trimack. “There is a woman staying in the palace, a Lady Ordith Condatith de Dackidvich. Lord Rahl is going to have enough trouble without her kind around. I want her out of here before the day is finished. If she refuses to leave, offer her the choice of a carriage or a noose.”

Trimack grinned wickedly. “I will see to it personally.”

“If there are any others you know of about the palace, who are of her temperament, feel free to make them the same offer. New rule brings change.” Zedd couldn’t see auras, but he was sure that if Jebra had been standing there, she would have seen Trimack’s brighten.

“Some are uncomfortable with change, Wizard Zorander.” The man had spoken more than his simple words. “Are there any above you in command in the palace? Other than Lord Rahl?”

Trimack clasped his hands behind his back as his eyes swept the hall. “There is one named Demmin Nass, commander of the quads, who gave orders to all but Darken Rahl.”

Zedd let out a heavy breath at that memory. “He is dead.”

Trimack nodded with what might have been relief. “Below the palace, quartered in the chambers of the plateau, there are perhaps thirty thousand men of the army. Their generals outrank me in the field, but in the palace the word of the commander general of the First File is law. Some of them I know will welcome the change. Some will not.”

“Richard is going to have a difficult enough time being the magic against magic—underworld magic—without troubles from steel. You have a free hand, Commander, to do as you see fit to protect him. Err on the side of duty.”

Trimack grunted acknowledgment, then went on. “The People’s Palace, one roof though it may be, is a city. Thousands live here. Merchants and supplies, trains of wagons to lone peddlers, come and go in an endless stream in all directions except to the east, across the Azrith Plains. The roads in are the arteries that feed the heart of D’Hara—the People’s Palace.”

“The inside of the plateau is chambered with twice the number of rooms of the palace above ground. As with any city of this size, the motives of the multitudes coming here are beyond our ability to judge with absolute certainty.”

“I will have the great inner doors closed and seal off the palace above ground. It is something that has not been done in a few hundred years, and it will cause worry among the people of D’Hara, but I would risk the worried talk. The only way to the palace itself, if not through the inside entrances, is up the cliff road on the east side. I will keep the bridge up.”

“That still leaves us with thousands in the palace proper. Any of them could have designs not to our liking. Worse, there are thousands of battle-tested soldiers in the belly of the palace, many led by men I would not want getting a glance at Lord Rahl. I have a feeling the new Lord Rahl is not the kind of Rahl they are used to dealing with, and they are not going to like the change.”

“D’Hara is a vast empire, the supply routes long. Perhaps it is time some of these divisions were sent out to see to the safety of these routes, especially the ones to the far south, near the wilds, where I have heard rumor there is unrest and trouble. And perhaps from the ranks of the ones I trust, the size of the First File could be increased threefold.”

Zedd studied Trimack’s face as the man continued to scan the hall. “I am no soldier, but your ideas make sense. The palace must be made as secure as possible. How you do it is up to you.”

“I will give you a list then, in the morning, of the generals to be trusted and those to worry about.”

“Why would I need such a list?”

Trimack’s intense gaze was steady. “Because orders such as these must come from one with the gift.”

Zedd shook his head, muttering, “Wizards should not be ruling people. It’s not right.”

“It is the way in D’Hara. Magic and steel. I want to protect Lord Rahl. This is what I think needs to be done.”

Zedd stared off into the distance, feeling the ache of exhaustion in his bones. “Do you know, Trimack, that I have fought and killed wizards who wanted to take it upon themselves to rule?”

When an answer didn’t come, Zedd turned back to the officer. Trimack was studying him. “Given the choice, Wizard Zorander, I would choose to serve one who bears command as a burden, to one who wears the mantle as a right.”

Zedd sighed and nodded. “In the morning then. There is one other matter, the most important of all: I want the Garden of Life guarded. That is where the screeling first attacked. I don’t know if there will be more. There is a door up there that will have to be fixed. Put a ring of steel around the garden. Enough men that they have room only to swing an axe. No one, no one at all, is to be allowed to go in except myself or Richard, or by our order.”

“Anyone attempting to go into that room is to be viewed as harm trying to get a look at Lord Rahl. Even one who tells you he is there only to pull weeds. And you can bet your mother’s honor that anything trying to get out is harm trying to have more than a look.”

Trimack clapped his fist to his armored chest. “To the last man, Wizard Zorander.”

“Good. Lord Rahl may need what’s in that room. I don’t dare to move those things for the time being. They are extremely dangerous. Take very seriously the guarding of that room, Commander. More screelings could come. Or worse.”

“How soon?”

“I would not have thought we would have seen the first for a year or more. At least months. That the Keeper could have loosed one of his assassins so soon is a great worry. I don’t know who it was sent for. It’s possible it was simply sent to kill whoever was around. The Keeper needs no reason to kill. I must leave the palace tomorrow to learn what I can before we are surprised again.”

Trimack pondered this with troubled eyes. “Do you know when Lord Rahl will return?”

Zedd shook his head. “No. I thought I was going to have time to teach him some of what he must know, but now I must send for him at once to meet me in Aydindril and see if we can discover what must be done. He is in great danger and knows nothing of it. Events have outpaced me. I have no idea what the Keeper is going to do next, but I now fear how deep his tendrils may be. That they were around Darken Rahl even before the veil was torn means I have already been an ignorant fool in this business.”

“If Richard should happen to return unexpectedly, or if anything happens to me ... help him. He sees himself as a woods guide, not the Lord Rahl. He will be distrustful. Tell him I said to trust you.”

“If he is distrustful, how shall I convince him to trust me?” Zedd smiled. “Tell him I said it is the truth. The toasted toads’ truth.”

Trimack’s eyes widened with incredulity. “You wish the Commander General of the First File to say such a childish thing to the Lord Rahl?”

Zedd straightened his face and cleared his throat. “It’s a code, Commander. He will understand it.”

Trimack nodded, but looked skeptical. “I had better see to the Garden of Life, and the rest of it. No disrespect intended, but you look like you could use some rest.” He tilted his head toward where the army of maidservants were still cleaning blood off the marble floor. “All the healing you did looks to have tired you.”

“It did. Thank you, Commander Trimack. I will take your advice.”

Trimack’s fist snapped to his heart, the salute softened by the hint of a smile. He began to turn, but hesitated. His intense blue eyes looked back to the wizard.

“May I say, Wizard Zorander, that it’s a pleasure to at last have one with the gift in the palace who is more concerned with putting people’s guts back inside, than with spilling them out. I’ve never seen the like of it.”

Zedd didn’t smile. His voice was quiet. “I am sorry, Commander, that I could do nothing for that lad.”

Trimack gave a sorrowful nod. “I know that to be the truth, Wizard Zorander. The toasted toads’ truth.”

Zedd watched the commander stride across the hall, drawing armored men to him like a huge magnet. The wizard brought his hand up, staring at the gold chain looped over his sticklike fingers. He gave a pained sigh. Wizard business—using people. And now for the worst of it. He brought the black, tear-shaped stone from a pocket deep in his robes. The spirits be cursed, he thought, for the things a wizard must do.

He held the mounting where the blue Stone had been, and pressed the point of the smooth, black stone to it. Elemental power flowed from the fingers of each hand, joining in the middle, welding the stone to the mount.

Hoping he was wrong, Zedd brought forth a painful memory of his long-dead wife. With the way Jebra’s mind had shredded his barriers, it wasn’t difficult. When a tear ran over his cheek, he wet his thumb in it, and shut the memory away with the greatest of effort. He smiled a little at the irony that wizards had to use even themselves, and that the horrible memory at least brought with it one with a little pleasure to balance it.

Holding the black stone in the palm of one hand, he buffed its surface with the tear-dampened thumb. The stone turned a clear amber as he rubbed it with his thumb. His heart sank a little. There was no doubt now as to what it was.

Resigned to what must be done, Zedd wove a wizard’s web around the stone. The spell would work to hide the true nature of the stone from everyone, except Richard. More important, the web would draw Richard’s attention to the stone. If he ever saw it, the attraction would be planted firmly in his mind.

He glanced over at Chase, who was stretched out on his back on a marble bench across the hall. One foot was planted on the floor, and Rachel was sitting on the ground, an arm wrapped around his calf, her head against his knee. His other foot was on the bench. A bandaged forearm rested across his forehead.

Zedd sighed and started across the polished marble floor. He wondered for a moment what the boundary warden was supposed to guard, now that the boundary was gone. He stopped, standing over the two.

Without removing his forearm from his eyes, Chase spoke. “Zedd, my old friend, if you ever again have some ruthless, strong-armed witch of a healer pour a concoction that tastes that spirits-be-cursed foul down my gullet, I’ll twist your head around so you have to walk backward to see where you’re going.”

Zedd grinned. Now he knew he had picked the right woman for the job.

“Did the medicine taste really awful, Chase?” Rachel asked.

He lifted his arm a little, letting it hover over his eyes as he looked down at her. “If you call me Chase again, you may find out.”

“Yes, Father.” She grinned. “I’m sorry she made you drink that awful medicine.” Her face turned to a pout. “But it scares me something fierce to see blood on you.” He grunted.

She peered at him. “Maybe the next time, if you take your sword out when I tell you to, you wouldn’t get blood on you and have to drink awful medicine.”

Zedd marveled at the childlike innocence of the perfectly delivered, stinging rebuke. Chase held his head up a little off the bench, with his arm frozen in the air several inches above his eyes, as he glowered at the little girl. Zedd had never seen a man struggle so mightily to keep from laughing. Rachel’s nose wrinkled up and she giggled at the strained face he was making.

“May the good spirits be mercifully kind to your future husband,” Chase said, “and at least grant him a few years’ peace until you lay your eyes on the poor, doomed fool.”

She frowned. “What does that mean?”

Chase swung his leg down and sat up. He scooped her up and plopped her down on his knee. “I’ll tell you what it means. It means that there’s a new rule. And this one you better not break.”

“No, Father, I won’t. What is it?”

“From now on,” he said with a scowl, his face close to hers, “if you need to tell me something important, and I don’t listen to you, you are to kick me. Hard as you can. And you just go on kicking me until I listen. Got it?”

She smiled. “Yes, Father.”

“I’m not joking. I mean it.”

She nodded earnestly. “I promise, Chase.”

The big man rolled his eyes and swept her to his chest with one arm, holding her to him the way she held her doll to herself. Zedd swallowed back the lump in his throat. At that moment, he didn’t like himself very much, and he liked the alternatives a lot less.

The wizard fell to one knee before her. The dried blood made his robes stiff at his knees. “Rachel. I must ask you to do something for me.”

She nodded. “What is it, Zedd?”

He brought his arm up, the gold chain hanging from his fingers. The stone swung back and forth under his hand. “This belongs to someone else. Would you wear it for now? Keep it safe? Someday Richard may come and get it from you, to take it where it belongs, but I don’t know when that will be.”

Chase’s fierce, hawkish eyes looked like what Zedd imagined a mouse must see an instant before the end.

“It’s very pretty, Zedd. I never wore such a pretty thing.”

“It’s also very important. As important as the box that Wizard Giller gave you to look after.”

“But Darken Rahl is dead. You said so. He can’t hurt us anymore.”

“I know, child, but this is still important. You did such a good and brave job with the box that I think you would be the best one to wear this necklace until the one it belongs to comes for it. You must wear it always until then. Don’t let anyone else even try it on for play. This is not something to play with.”

Her expression turned serious at the mention of the box. “I’ll take good care of it, Zedd, if you say it’s important.”

“Zedd,” Chase hissed as he pulled Rachel’s head to himself, cupping his hand over her ear so she couldn’t hear, “what do you think you’re doing? Is that what I think it is?”

Zedd gave him a forbidding look. “I’m trying to keep all the children of the world from having very bad nightmares. For eternity.”

Chase gritted his teeth. “Zedd, I don’t want ...”

Zedd cut him off. “Chase, how long have you known me?” Chase glared, but didn’t answer. “In all the time you’ve known me, have you ever known me to bring harm to another, especially a child? Have you ever known me to put another at risk for anything foolish?”

“No,” Chase said in a voice like grating stone. “And I don’t want to see you start now.”

Zedd kept his own voice firm. “You will have to trust that I know what I’m doing.” His eyes flicked to where the screeling had killed the people. “What has happened today doesn’t even begin to touch what is about to happen. If the veil isn’t closed, the suffering and death will be beyond your comprehension. I’m doing what I must, as a wizard. As a wizard, I recognize this little one, just as Giller recognized her. She is a ripple in the pond. She is destined to do important things.”

“When we were in the tomb of Panis Rahl, earlier, checking to see that they were walling it in properly, I studied some of the runes on the walls. They weren’t all melted yet. They were in High D’Haran, and I don’t understand much of it, but I understood enough. They were instructions on going to the underworld. You know that stone table in the Garden of Life? It’s a sacrificial altar. Darken Rahl used it to go to the underworld, to travel under the boundaries.”

“But he’s dead. What does ...”

“He killed children, and offered their unsoiled souls as a gift to the Keeper of the underworld to gain himself passage. Do you understand what I’m saying? He made pacts with the Keeper.”

“That means the Keeper has been using people in this world. Where he has used one, he has surely used more. And now the veil is torn. That a screeling was here proves it beyond question.”

“Many of the oldest prophecies, I believe, are about what’s beginning to happen now, and about Richard. Whoever wrote them was intending to send him help across time. I believe they are meant to aid him in the fight against the Keeper. But much has happened in the last few thousand years to muddy those words. I fear that it is the Keeper’s patient work that has obfuscated the meaning of the prophecies.”

“He has no more important skill than patience. He has an eternity of it. He has probably been sending careful tendrils into this world to influence people, wizards, like Darken Rahl, to do his bidding. The fact that we need the prophecies so much right now, and that there are no wizards left who understand them, can’t be coincidence. I have no idea where the Keeper’s eyes lurk, or what he intends next.”

Chase’s eyes still had fire in them, but it was different from the kind they held before. “Tell me how to help. What would you like me to do?”

Zedd smiled sadly and patted the big man’s shoulder. “I would like you to teach this child to be like you. I know she is smart. Bring it out in her. Make her your student. Teach her how to use every weapon you know. Teach her to be strong, and quick.”

Chase sighed and gave a nod. “Such a little warrior.”

“In the morning, I must leave to get Adie and take her to Aydindril. I would like you to go to the Mud People. Ride hard, fast as you can go. Richard and Kahlan and Siddin will be with the dragon tonight, and tomorrow she will take them there. It will take you weeks to reach him. We can’t afford to waste any time.”

“Tell Richard and Kahlan to come to me in Aydindril at once. Tell them of the danger as I have told you. Then maybe you should take this child to safety. If there is any such thing.”

“Isn’t there anything else I can do?”

“The most important thing is to get to Richard. I’ve been a fool for thinking we would have time. I never should have let him out of my sight.” Zedd rubbed his chin a moment in thought. “Maybe you could tell him I am his grandfather, and that Darken Rahl was his father. Maybe that will give his anger time to cool before he reaches me.”

Zedd lifted an eyebrow and smiled. “Do you know what the Mud People call him? They call him ‘Richard With The Temper.’ Imagine that. Richard of all people. He is one of the gentlest people I’ve ever known. But I fear the Sword of Truth has brought out his other side.”

Chase flashed a rare, reassuring look. “He won’t be angry to learn you are his grandfather. He loves you.”

Zedd sighed. “Maybe so, but I don’t think he will be pleased to know who his father really is. And that I hid that knowledge from him. George Cypher raised him and they loved each other deeply.”

“That’s the truth, and this doesn’t change it.”

Zedd nodded. He held the necklace up. “Will you trust me?”

Chase appraised the wizard for a moment, then sat Rachel up straight on his knee. “Let me latch the clasp for you.”

After Chase hooked it around her neck, Rachel picked up the amber stone in her small hands, bending her face down to see it. “I’ll take good care of it for you, Zedd.”

The wizard ruffled her hair. “I’m sure you will.” He put a finger to each side of her forehead, letting the magic flow into her, and gave her the thought of how important the necklace was, that she was not to talk to people about it or where she got it, and that she must protect it as she had the box of Orden.

He removed his fingers, and she opened her eyes and smiled. Chase picked her up with a hand on each side of her waist and set her down to stand on the bench next to him. He searched through the arsenal of knives at his waist and found the strap for the smallest. He untied the leather thong and pulled the sheathed blade free. He held it up in front of her face.

“Since you are my daughter now, you will wear a knife, just like me. But I don’t want you taking it out until I teach you about it. You could cut yourself badly. I will teach you how to use it in a safe manner. I’m going to teach you how to protect yourself so you will be safe. All right?”

Rachel beamed. “You’ll teach me to be like you? I would like that ever so much, Chase.”

Chase grunted as he tied the leather strap at her waist. “I don’t know how good I’ll be at teaching you. Seems I can’t even teach you to call me Father.”

She smiled shyly. “Chase and Father mean the same thing to me.”

Chase shook his head, a resigned grin on his face. Zedd came to his feet and straightened his robes. “Chase, If you need anything, Commander General Trimack will see to it. Take as many men as you would like.”

“I wouldn’t like any. I’m in a hurry, I don’t need the extra baggage to tend, and besides, I think a man and his daughter would draw less attention. Isn’t that the whole idea?” He glanced pointedly at the stone around Rachel’s neck.

Zedd smiled, appreciating the boundary warden’s sharp mind. Those two were going to make quite a pair. “I will travel with you, until I reach the route toward Adie. I must do some things in the morning, and then we can be on our way.”

“Good. You look like you could use some rest before we start out.”

“I think you’re right.”

Zedd suddenly realized why he was so tired. He had thought it was because he hadn’t slept in days, but that wasn’t it. It was because they had struggled for months to stop Darken Rahl, and just when he thought it was over, that they had finally won, he now knew it had only begun. And this wasn’t just a dangerous wizard they were fighting; it was the Keeper of the underworld.

With Darken Rahl he had known most of the rules, how the boxes of Orden worked, how much time they’d had. He knew next to nothing now. The Keeper could win in the next five minutes. Zedd felt hopelessly ignorant. He sighed inwardly. He guessed he knew some things; he would just have to build on that knowledge.

“By the way,” Chase said as he straightened the knife at Rachel’s waist, “one of the other healers—Kelley, she said her name was—she gave me a message for you.” He leaned back and fished around in his pocket with two big fingers, bringing out a small piece of paper. He handed it to the wizard.

“What’s this?” The paper said West Rim, North Highland Way, Third Tier.

Chase pointed at the paper as Zedd held it out, reading it. “She said that is where you could find her. She said to tell you that she thought you needed rest, and that if you would come to her, she would make you a stenadine tea, and that she would brew it weak so you would sleep well. Does that make any sense to you?”

Zedd smiled just a little to himself as he crumpled the note in his fist. “A bit.” He tapped his lower lip in thought. “Get yourself some rest. If you think the pain of the wounds will keep you from sleeping, I could have one of the healers brew you up some ...”

Chase held a hand up. “No! I’ll sleep fine.”

“Very well.” He patted Rachel’s arm and Chase’s shoulder and started off. A thought came to him and he turned back. “Have you ever seen Richard wearing a red coat? A red coat with gold buttons and brocade?”

Chase gave a snort of a laugh. “Richard? Zedd, you half raised him. You should know better than I that Richard doesn’t have a red coat like that. He has a feast-day coat that’s brown. Richard is a woods guide. He favors earth colors. I’ve never even seen him wear a red shirt. Why?”

Zedd ignored the question. “When you see him, tell him I said not to wear a red coat.” He shook a finger at Chase. “Ever! It’s very important, don’t forget. No red coat.”

Chase nodded. “Done.” He knew when not to press the old man.

Zedd gave Rachel a smile and a quick hug before starting off down the hall. He wondered idly if he could remember where a dining hall was. It had to be almost past dinnertime.

A thought occurred to him: he didn’t know where he was going. He hadn’t done anything about finding himself a place to sleep. Well, no matter, he thought, the palace had guest rooms. He had told Chase about them. He could go there, too.

He unfolded the crumpled piece of paper in his hand and looked at it. A distinguished man with a neatly trimmed gray beard and dressed in official gold robes was walking past. Zedd snagged him gently.

“Excuse me, but could you tell me where ...” He looked at the paper. “Where ‘West Rim, North Highland Way, Third Tier’ is located?”

The bearded man gave a polite bow of his head. “Of course, sir. Those are the healers’ quarters. It is not far. Let me guide you partway there, and give you direction for the rest of it.”

Zedd broke into a smile. He suddenly didn’t feel quite so tired. “Thank you. That is very kind of you.”

Chapter 5

As Sister Margaret turned the corner at the top of the stone steps, an old maidservant carrying a mop and bucket saw her and fell to her knees. The Sister paused momentarily to touch the top of the old woman’s bowed head.

“The Creator’s blessing on His child.”

The woman looked up, her face wrinkling into a warm, toothless smile. “Thanks be to you, Sister, and blessings to you in His work.”

Margaret smiled back and watched as the old woman lugged her heavy bucket on down the hall. Poor woman, she thought, having to work in the middle of the night. But then, here she was herself, up and about in the middle of the night.

The shoulder of her dress pulled uncomfortably. She looked down and saw that in her haste she had misaligned the top three buttons. She redid them before pushing open the heavy oak door out into the darkness.

A pacing guard saw her and came at a run. She held the book over her mouth to hide her yawn. He lurched to a halt.

“Sister! Where’s the Prelate? He’s been yelling for her. Runs shivers up my spine, it does. Where is she?”

Sister Margaret scowled at the guard until he remembered his manners and dropped a quick bow. When he came back up she started off down the rampart with the man at her heels.

“The Prelate does not come simply because the Prophet roars.”

“But he called out for her specifically.”

She stopped and clasped her hand over the one holding the book. “And would you like to be the one to bang on the Prelate’s bedchamber door in the middle of the night and wake her, simply because the Prophet shouts for it?”

His face paled in the moonlight. “No, Sister.”

“It is enough that a Sister must be dragged out of bed for his nonsense.”

“But you don’t know what he’s been saying, Sister. He’s been yelling that ...”

“Enough,” she cautioned in a low tone. “Need I remind you that if a word he says ever touches your tongue, you will lose your head?”

His hand went to his throat. “No, Sister. I would never speak a word of it. Except to a Sister.”

“Not even to a Sister. It must never touch your tongue.”

“Forgive me, Sister.” His tone turned apologetic. “It’s just that I’ve never heard him cry out so before. I’ve never heard his voice except to call for a Sister. The things he said alarmed me. I have never heard him speak such things.”

“He has contrived to get his voice through our shields. It has happened before. He manages it sometimes. That is why his guards are sworn on an oath never to repeat anything they should happen to hear. Whatever you heard, you had best forget it before this conversation is over, unless you want us to help you forget.”

He shook his head, too terrified to speak. She didn’t like frightening the man, but they couldn’t have him wagging his tongue over a mug of ale with his fellows. Prophecies were not for the common mind to know. She laid a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“What is your name?”

“I am Swordsman Kevin Andellmere, Sister.”

“If you will give me your word, Swordsman Andellmere, that you can hold your tongue about whatever you heard, to your grave, I will see about having you reassigned. You are obviously not cut out for this duty.”

He dropped to a knee. “Praise be to you, Sister. I’d rather face a hundred heathens from the wilds than have to hear the voice of the Prophet. You have my oath, on my life.”

“So be it, then. Go back to your post. At the end of your duty, tell the captain of the guards that Sister Margaret ordered you reassigned.” She touched his head. “The Creator’s blessing on His child.”

“Thank you for your kindness, Sister.”

She walked on, across the rampart, to the small colonnade at the end, down the winding stairs, and into the torchlit hall before the door to the Prophet’s apartments. Two guards with spears flanked the door. They bowed together.

“I hear the Prophet has been speaking out, through the shield.”

Cold, dark eyes looked back at her. “Really? I haven’t heard a thing.” He spoke to the other guard while holding the Sister’s gaze. “You hear anything?”

The other guard leaned his weight on his spear and turned his head as he spat. He wiped his chin with the back of his hand. “Not a thing. Been quiet as a grave.”

“That boy upstairs been waggin’ his tongue?” the first asked.

“It has been a long time since the Prophet found a way to get anything other than a call for a Sister through our shields. He has never heard the Prophet speak before, that’s all.”

“You want we should make it so’s he don’t hear nothin’ again? Or speak it?”

“That won’t be necessary. I have his oath, and have ordered him reassigned.”

“Oath.” The man made a sour face at the word. “An oath is nothin’ more than babbled words. A blade’s oath is truer.”

“Really? Am I to assume that your oath of silence is nothing more than ‘babbled words,’ too? Should we see to your silence, then, in a ‘truer’ way?” Sister Margaret held his dark gaze until it at last broke with a downward glance.

“No, Sister. My oath is true enough.”

She nodded. “Has anyone else been about to hear him yelling?”

“No, Sister. As soon as he started in calling for the Prelate, we checked the area, to be sure there were none of the staff, or anyone else, about. When we found everything was clear, I posted guards at all the far entrances and sent for a Sister. He’s never called for the Prelate before, only a Sister. I thought it should be up to a Sister, not me, to decide if the Prelate was to be awakened in the middle of the night.”

“Good thinking.”

“Now that you’re here, Sister, we should be off to check the others.” His expression darkened again. “To make sure no one heard anything.”

She nodded. “And you had better hope Swordsman Andellmere is careful and doesn’t fall off a wall and break his neck, or I will come looking for you.” He gave an annoyed grunt. “But if you hear him repeat so much as a single word of what he heard tonight, you find a Sister before you stop to take another breath.”

Through the door and halfway down the inner hall, she stopped and felt the shields. She held the book to her breast in both arms as she concentrated, searching for the breach. She smiled when she found it: a tiny twist in the weave. He had probably been picking at it for years. She closed her eyes and wove the breach together, binding it with a barb of power that would thwart him if he tried the same thing again. She was ruefully impressed by his ingenuity, and his persistence. Well, she sighed to herself, what else had he to do?

Inside his spacious apartments the lamps were lit. Tapestries hung on one of the walls, and the floors were generously covered with the local colorful, blue and yellow carpets. The bookshelves were half empty. Books that belonged on them lay open everywhere; some on the chairs and couches, some facedown on pillows on the floor, and some stacked in disheveled piles next to his favorite chair beside the cold hearth.

Sister Margaret went to the elegant, polished rosewood writing table to the side of the room. She sat at the padded chair and, opening the book on the desktop, flipped through it until she came to a clean page at the end of the writing. She didn’t see the Prophet anywhere. He was probably in the garden. The double doors to the small garden were open, letting in a gentle breath of warm air. From a drawer in the desk she took an ink bottle, pen, and a small sprinkle box of fine sand, setting them beside the open book of prophecies.

When she looked up, he was standing in the half light in the doorway to the garden, watching her. He was in black robes with the hood drawn up. He stood motionless, his hands in the sleeves of the opposite arms. He filled the doorway not just with his size, but with his presence.

She wiggled the stopper from the ink bottle. “Good evening, Nathan.”

He took three strong, slow strides out of the shadows and into the lamplight, pushing back the black hood to uncover his full head of long, straight, white hair that touched his broad shoulders. The top of the metal collar just barely showed at the neck of his robes. The muscles in his strong, clean-shaven jaw tightened. White eyebrows hooded his deep, dark, azure eyes. He was a ruggedly handsome man, despite being the oldest man she had ever known.

And, he was quite mad. Or he was quite clever, and wanted everyone to think he was mad. She wasn’t sure which was true. No one was.

Either way, he was probably the most dangerous man alive.

“Where is the Prelate?” he asked in a deep, menacing voice.

She picked up the pen. “It is the middle of the night, Nathan. We are not going to wake the Prelate simply because you throw a fit, demanding she come. Any Sister can write down a prophecy. Why don’t you sit down and we can begin.”

He came to the desk, opposite her, towering over her. “Don’t test me, Sister Margaret. This is important.”

She glowered up at him. “And don’t you test me, Nathan. Need I remind you that you will lose? Now that you have gotten me out of my bed in the middle of the night, let’s get this over so I may return to it and try to salvage a part of a night’s sleep.”

“I asked for the Prelate. This is important.”

“Nathan, we have yet to decipher prophecies you gave us years ago. It could not possibly make any difference if you give this one to me and she reads it in the morning, or next week, or next year for that matter.”

“I have no prophecy to give.”

Her anger rose. “You have called me from my bed for company?”

A broad smile spread on his lips. “Would you object? It’s a beautiful night. You are a handsome enough woman, if a little tightly wound.” He cocked his head to the side. “No? Well, since you have come, and must have a prophecy, would you like me to tell you of your death?”

“The Creator will take me when He chooses. I will leave it to Him.”

He nodded, staring off over her head. “Sister Margaret, would you have a woman sent to visit me? I find I am lonely of late.”

“It is not the task of the Sisters to procure harlots for you.”

“But they have seen to a courtesan for me in the past, when I have given prophecies.”

With deliberate care, she set the pen on the desk. “And the last one left before we could talk to her. She ran back half naked and half mad. How she got through the guards, we still don’t know.”

“You promised not to speak prophecies to her. You promised, Nathan. Before we could find her she had repeated what you had told her. It spread like a wild fire. It started a civil war. Nearly six thousand people died because of what you told that young woman.”

His worried, white eyebrows went up. “Really? I never knew.”

She took a deep breath and spoke in a soft voice to control her anger. “Nathan, I myself have told you this three times now.”

He looked down with sad eyes. “I’m sorry, Margaret.”

“Sister Margaret.”

“Sister? You? You are far too young and attractive to be a Sister. Surely you are but a novice.”

She stood. “Good night, Nathan.” She closed the cover on the book and started to pick it up.

“Sit down, Sister Margaret,” came his voice, again full of power and menace.

“You have nothing to tell me. I am returning to my bed.”

“I did not say I had nothing to tell you. I said I had no prophecy to give.”

“If you have had no vision and have no prophecy, what could you possibly have to tell me?”

He withdrew his hands from his sleeves and placed his knuckles on the desk, leaning close to her face. “Sit down, or I won’t tell you.”

Margaret contemplated using her power, but decided that it was easier, and quicker, to simply make him happy and sit down. “All right, I’m sitting. What is it?”

He leaned over even more, his eyes going wide. “There has been a fork in the prophecies,” he whispered.

She felt herself rising out of the chair. “When?”

“Just today. This very day.”

“Then why have you called me in the middle of the night?”

“I called out as soon as it came to me.”

“And why have you not waited until the morning to tell us this? There have been forks before.”

He slowly shook his head as he smiled. “Not like this one.”

She didn’t relish telling the others. No one was going to be happy about this. No one but Warren, that is. He would be in a state of glee to have a piece to fit into the puzzle of the prophecies. The others, though, would not be pleased. This meant years of work.

Some prophecies were ‘if and then’ prophecies, bifurcating into several possibilities. There were prophecies that followed each branch, prophecies to foretell events of each fork, since not even the prophecies always knew which events would come to pass.

Once one of these kind of prophecies came to pass and resolved which fork was to be true, and one of the alternatives took place, a prophecy had forked, as it was called. All the prophecies that followed down the path that had been voided now became false prophecies. These themselves multiplied, like the branches of a tree, clogging the sacred prophecies with confusing, contradicting, and false information. Once a fork had occurred, the prophecies they now knew to be false had to be followed as far as could be traced, and pulled out.

It was a formidable task. The further the event in question was from the fork, the more difficult it was to know if it was of the false fork, or of the true. Worse, it was difficult to tell if two prophecies, one following another, belonged together or if they were to happen a thousand years apart. Sometimes the events themselves helped them to decipher where it was to be placed chronologically, but only sometimes. The further in time from the fork, the more difficult was the task of relating them.

The effort would take years, and even then, they could be sure only of accomplishing part of it. To this day, they could not know with confidence if they were reading a true prophecy, or the descendant of a false fork in the past. For this reason, some considered the prophecies unreliable at best, useless at worst. But if they now knew of a fork, and more importantly, knew the true and the false branches, they would have a valuable guide.

She sank back into the chair. “How important is the prophecy that forked?”

“It is a core prophecy. There could be none more important.”

Decades. It wouldn’t take years, it would take decades. A core prophecy touched almost everything. Her insides fluttered. This was like going blind. Until the tainted fruit of the false fork could be culled, they couldn’t trust anything.

She looked up into his eyes. “You do know which it was that forked?”

He smiled proudly. “I know the false fork, and the true. I know what has come to pass.”

Well, at least there was that. She felt a ripple of excitement. If Nathan could tell her which fork was true, and which was false, and the nature of each branch, it would be valuable information indeed. Since the prophecies were not in chronological order, there was no way to simply follow a branch, but this would be a very good start: they would know right where to begin. Better yet, they had learned of it as it happened, and not years later.

“You have done well, Nathan.” He grinned like a child who had pleased his mother. “Bring a chair close, and tell me of the fork.”

Nathan seemed drawn up in the excitement as he pulled a chair to the side of the desk. He flounced down in it, squirming like a puppy with a stick. She hoped she wouldn’t have to hurt him to get this stick out of his mouth.

“Nathan, can you tell me the prophecy that has forked?”

His eyes twinkled with mischief. “Are you sure you want to know, Sister Margaret? Prophecies are dangerous. The last time I told one to a pretty lady, thousands died. You said so yourself.”

“Nathan, please. It’s late. This is very important.”

The mirth left his face. “I don’t remember the words, exactly.”

She doubted the truth of that; when it came to prophecies, Nathan’s mind saw the words as if they were written on a stone tablet. She put a reassuring hand on his arm. “That is to be understood. I know it is difficult to remember every word. Tell it as best you can.”

“Well, let’s see.” He looked at the ceiling as he stroked his chin with his thumb and fingertips. “It is the one that says something about the one from D’Hara who would shadow the world by counting shadows.”

“That’s very good, Nathan. Can you remember more?” She knew he probably remembered it word for word, but he liked to be coaxed. “It would be a tremendous help to me.” He eyed her a moment and then nodded. “By winter’s breath, the counted shadows shall bloom. If the heir to D’Hara’s vengeance counts the shadows true, his umbra will darken the world. If he counts false, then his life is forfeit.”

“A forked prophecy indeed. This had been the first full day of winter’s season.” She didn’t know what the prophecy meant, but she knew of it. This one was the matter of much study and debate down in the vaults, and worry over which year this prophecy might come to pass. “And which fork has the prophecy taken?”

His face turned grim. “The worst one.”

Her fingers fumbled with a button. “We are to fall under the shadow of this one from D’Hara?”

“You should study the prophecies closer, Sister. The following prophecy goes on to say: Should the forces of forfeit be loosed, the world will be shadowed yet by darker lust through what has been rent. Salvation’s hope, then, will be as slim as the white blade of the one born True.” He leaned closer and whispered, “The only one of darker lust, Sister Margaret, would be the Lord of Anarchy.”

She whispered a prayer. “May the Creator shelter us in his light.”

His smile was mocking. “The prophecy says nothing about the Creator coming to our aid, Sister. If it is protection you seek, you had better follow the true fork. It is in that way He has offered you a glimmer of hope for defense from what will be.”

She smoothed the folds of her dress on her lap. “Nathan, I don’t know what this prophecy means. We can’t follow the true and false forks if we don’t know what it means. You said you know those forks. Can you tell me? Can you tell me a prophecy on each fork, one that leads each way, so we may follow their path?”

“Vengeance under the Master will extinguish every adversary. Terror, hopelessness, and despair will reign free.” He peered at her intently with one eye. “This one leads down the false fork.”

She wondered how it was possible for the true prophecy to be worse. “And one of the true fork?”

“A close prophecy after the true fork says: Of all there were, but a single one born of the magic to bring forth truth will remain alive when the shadow’s threat is lifted. Therefore comes the greater darkness of the dead. For there to be a chance at life’s bond, this one in white must be offered to her people, to bring their joy and good cheer.”

Margaret pondered these two prophecies. She didn’t recall either. The first seemed simple enough to understand. They could follow the false branch, for a ways, anyway, from this one. The second was more oblique, but seemed as if it could be deciphered with a little study. She recognized it as a prophecy about a Confessor. The reference to “one in white” meant the Mother Confessor.

“Thank you Nathan. This will make the false fork easier to follow. The other, the true fork, will be a little harder, but with this prophecy to lead the way, we should be able to reason it out. We will just have to look for prophecies leading away from this event. Somehow she is to bring happiness to her people.” That brought a small smile to her lips. “It sounds as if maybe she is to be wed, or something of that nature.”

The Prophet blinked at her, then threw his head back and howled. He rose to his feet, roaring in laughter until he coughed and choked. He turned back to her, his face red.

“You pompous fools! The way you Sisters strut around as if what you do is meaningful, as if you even knew what you were doing! You remind me of a yard of chickens, cackling to one another as if they thought they understood higher mathematics! I cast the grain of prophecy at your feet, and you cluck and scratch at the dirt, and then peck at gravel!”

For the first time since she became a Sister, she felt small and ignorant. “Nathan, that will be quite enough.”

“Idiots,” he hissed.

He lurched toward her so quickly it frightened her. Before she knew it, she had released a bolt of power. It dropped him to his knees. He clutched at his chest as he gasped. Margaret recalled her power almost instantly, sorry she had reacted in this manner: out of fear.

“I apologize, Nathan. You frightened me. Are you all right?”

He grasped the chair back, drawing himself up into it as he gasped. He nodded. She sat still, ill at ease, waiting for him to recover.

A grim smile spread on his lips. “Frightened you, did I? Would you like to be really frightened? Would you like me to show you a prophecy? Not tell you the words, but show it to you? Show it to you the way it was meant to be passed on? I have never shown a Sister before. You all study them and think you can decipher their meaning from the words, but you don’t understand. That is not the true way they work.”

She leaned forward. “What do you mean that is not the way they work? They are meant to foretell, and that is what they do.”

He shook his head. “Only partly. They are passed on by ones with the gift, ones like me: prophets. They are intended to be read and understood through the gift, by ones with the gift, ones like me, not to be picked over by the likes of your power.”

As he straightened himself, pulling the aura of authority around himself again, she studied his face. She had never heard of such a thing. She wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth, or just talking out of anger. But if it was the truth ...

“Nathan, anything you could tell me, or show me, would be a great help. We are all struggling on the side of the Creator. His cause must prevail. The forces of the Nameless One struggle always to silence us. Yes, I would like you to show me a prophecy the way it is meant to be passed on, if you can.”

He drew himself up, peering at her with burning intensity. At last he spoke softly. “Very well, Sister Margaret.” He leaned toward her, his expression so grave it nearly took her breath away.

“Look into my eyes,” he whispered. “Lose yourself in my eyes.”

His gaze drew her in, the deep, azure color spreading in her vision until it seemed she was looking up into the clear sky. She felt as if he were drawing every breath for her.

“I will tell you the prophecy of the true fork again, but this time, I will show it to you as it is meant to be.” She floated as she listened. “Of all there were, but a single one born of the magic to bring forth truth will remain alive ...”

The words melted away, and instead, she saw the prophecy as if seeing a vision. She was pulled into it. She was no longer in the palace, but in the vision itself.

She saw a beautiful woman with long hair, dressed in a satiny white dress: the Mother Confessor. Margaret saw the other Confessors being killed by quads sent from D’Hara and she felt the blinding horror of it. She saw the woman’s best friend and sister confessor die in her arms. She felt the grief of the Mother Confessor.

Then, Margaret saw the Mother Confessor before the one from D’Hara who had sent the quads to kill the other Confessors. The handsome man in white stood before three boxes. To Margaret’s surprise, each box cast a different number of shadows. The man in white robes performed rituals, cast evil spells, underworld spells, late into the night, through the night, until the sun rose. As the day brightened, somehow Margaret knew that it was this day. She was seeing what had happened this very day.

The man in white had finished with the preparations. He stood before the boxes. Smiling, he reached out and opened the one in the center, the one that cast two shadows. Light from within the box bathed him in its brilliance at first, but then in a flash of power, the magic of the box swirled about him and snuffed out his life. He had chosen wrong; he forfeited his life to the magic he sought to claim.

She saw the Mother Confessor with a man. A man she loved. She felt her happiness. It was a joy the woman had never experienced before. Margaret’s heart swelled with the bliss the Mother Confessor felt at the side of this man. It was a vision of what was happening at this very moment.

And then Margaret’s mind swept forward in a swirl. She saw war and death sweep across the land. She saw death brought by the Keeper of the underworld, to the world of the living with a wicked lust that choked her with terror.

Again the prophecy swept her forward to a great crowd. At the center was the Mother Confessor, standing on a heavy platform. The people were excited and in a celebratory mood.

This was the joyous event that would bring the fork of the prophecy, one of the forks that must be passed correctly to save the world from the darkness snatching at it. She was caught up in the festive mood of the crowd. She felt a tingle of expectant hope, wondering if the man the Mother Confessor loved was to be the one she was to wed, and if that was the happy event the Prophecy spoke of that would bring joy to the people. Her heart ached for it to be so.

But something wasn’t right. Margaret’s warm delight cooled until her flesh prickled with icy bumps.

With a wave of worry, Margaret saw that the Mother Confessor’s hands were bound, and next to her stood a man, not the man she loved, but a man in a black hood. He held a great axe. Margaret’s worry turned to horror.

A hand forced the Mother Confessor to kneel, seized her hair and laid her face to the block. Her hair was short now, not long as it had been before, but it was the same woman. Tears seeped from the Mother Confessor’s closed eyes. Her white dress shimmered in the bright sunlight. Margaret couldn’t breathe.

The great crescent axe rose into the air. It flashed through the sunlight, thunking solidly into the block. Margaret gasped. The Mother Confessor’s head dropped into the basket. The crowd cheered.

Blood gushed and spread down the dress as the headless, lifeless corpse collapsed to the wooden floor. A pool of bright blood spread under the body, turning the white dress red. So much blood. The crowd roared with elation.

A wail of horror escaped Margaret’s throat. She thought she might vomit. Nathan caught her as she fell forward, crying and sobbing. He held her to him as a father would a frightened child.

“Ah, Nathan, is that the event that will bring joy to the people? Is this what must happen if the world of the living is to be saved?”

“It is,” he said softly. “Almost every prophecy down this true branch is a fork. If the world of the living is to be saved from the Keeper of the underworld, then every event must take the correct branch. In this prophecy, the people must rejoice at seeing the Mother Confessor die, for down the other fork lies the eternal darkness of the underworld. I don’t know why it is so.”

Margaret sobbed into his robes as his strong arms held her tight against him. “Oh dear Creator,” she cried, “take mercy on your poor child. Give her strength.”

“There is no mercy when fighting the Keeper.”

“Ah, Nathan, I have read prophecies of people dying, but it was only words. To see it as real has wounded my soul.”

He patted her back as he held her. “I know. How well I know.”

Margaret pushed herself up, wiping tears from her face. “This is the true prophecy that lies beyond the one that forked today?”

“It is.”

“And this is the way they are meant to be seen?”

“It is so. This is the way they come to me. I have shown you the way I see them. The words, too, come with the prophecy, and those are what are to be written down, so those not meant to see the prophecies will not see them as they truly are, but those who are meant to will see them when they read the words. I have never before shown anyone a prophecy.”

“Then, why have you shown me?”

His sad eyes regarded her a moment. “Margaret, we are in a battle with the Keeper. You are meant to know the danger we are in.”

“We are always in a battle with the Keeper.”

“I think, perhaps, this is different.”

“I must tell the others. I must tell them what you can show them. We must have your help to understand the prophecies.”

“No. I will show no other what I have shown you. No matter the pain they would think to inflict upon me, I will not cooperate. I will never again do this for you, or another Sister.”

“But why not?”

“You are not meant to see them. Only to read them.”

“But that can’t be ...”

“It is meant to be; otherwise, your gift would work to unlock them. You are not meant to see them, just as you often tell me others with common minds are not meant to hear them.”

“But they could help us.”

“They would help you no more than the one I told that girl helped her, or the thousands who died. Just as you keep me a prisoner here, so others may not hear what they are not meant to hear, so I must keep all but another prophet a prisoner of their ignorance. It is the will of He who has given the gift, and all else. Had He meant you to, He would have given you the key with your gift, but He has not.”

“Nathan, there are others who would hurt you until you revealed it to them.”

“I will not reveal it to them, no matter how much they hurt me. They will kill me before I do so.” He tilted his head toward her. “And they won’t try, unless you tell them.”

She stared at him, seeing him differently than she had ever seen him before. None before had ever been as devious as he. He was the only one they had never been able to trust. All the others had told the truth about their gift and its capabilities, but they knew Nathan lied, knew he was not telling them all he was able to do. She wondered what he knew, what he was capable of.

“I will go to my grave with what you have shown me, Nathan.”

He closed his eyes and nodded. “Thank you, child.”

There were other Sisters who would have hurt him for addressing a Sister so. She was not one of them. She stood and straightened her dress.

“In the morning, I will tell those in the vaults of the prophecy that has forked, and of the ones on the false and on the true branches. They will have to decipher them as best they can, with what the Creator has given them.”

“That is the way it is meant to be.”

She returned the ink, pen, and sand shaker to the desk drawer. “Nathan, why did you want the Prelate to come? I don’t recall you ever asking for her before.”

When she looked up, he was studying her with cool detachment.

“That, too, Sister Margaret, is not for you to know. Do you wish to bring me pain, to attempt to make me tell you?”

She picked up the book of prophecy off the desk. “No, Nathan, I will not do that.”

“Then, will you deliver a message to the Prelate for me?” She nodded, sniffling back the tears that still burned at her eyes. “What would you have me tell her?”

“Will you take this, too, to your grave, and tell no other but the Prelate?”

“If you wish it, although I don’t see why. You can trust the Sisters.”

“No. Margaret, I want you to listen to me. When it is the Keeper you battle, you must not trust anyone. I am taking a dangerous chance in trusting you, and the Prelate. Trust no one.” His bunched eyebrows gave him a frightening look. “Only those you trust can betray you.”

“All right, Nathan. What is the message?”

He peered intently at her. At last his words came in a whisper. “Tell her that the pebble is in the pond.”

Margaret blinked at him. “What does that mean?”

“You have been frightened enough, child. Don’t tempt your endurance again.”

“Sister Margaret, Nathan,” she said softly. “I am not ‘child,’ but Sister Margaret. Please treat me with the respect I am accorded.”

He smiled. “Forgive me, Sister Margaret.” Sometimes his eyes ran shivers up her spine. “One more thing, Sister Margaret.”

“What is it?”

He reached out and brushed a tear from her cheek. “I don’t really know of your death.” She sighed inwardly with relief. “But I do know something else of importance pertaining to you. Of importance in the battle with the Keeper.”

“If it will help me to bring the Creator’s light upon the world, then tell me.”

He seemed to draw himself inward, looking out at her as if from a great distance. “A time will come, soon, when you stumble upon something, and you will have need to know the answer to a question. I don’t know the question, but when you have the need to find the answer, come to me, and that, I will know. This, too, you must tell no other.”

“Thank you, Nathan.” She reached out and touched his hand. “The Creator’s blessing on His child.”

“No thank you, Sister. I do not wish anything more from the Creator.”

She stared at him in surprise. “Because we keep you locked in here?”

His small smile returned. “There are many different kinds of prisons, Sister. As far as I am concerned, His blessings are tainted. The only thing worse than being touched by the Creator is being touched by the Keeper. And of that, I am not even resolved.”

She took her hand back. “I will still pray for you, Nathan.”

“If you care so much for me, then free me.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t do that.”

“You mean, you won’t do that.”

“Look at it how you will, but you must remain here.”

At last he turned away from her. She started for the door.

“Sister? Would you send a woman to visit me? To spend a night or two with me?”

The pain in his voice almost made her weep. “I thought you would be beyond that age.”

He slowly turned to her. “You have a lover, Sister Margaret.”

She reeled at this. How could he know? He didn’t know; he was guessing. She was young, and thought attractive by some. Of course she would be interested in men. He was only guessing. But then, none of the Sisters knew what he was able to do.

He was the only wizard they couldn’t trust to be truthful about his powers.

“You listen to gossip, Nathan?”

He smiled. “Tell me, Sister Margaret, do you have the day planned out in advance, when you will be too old for love, even if it is only for a time as fleeting as a night? Exactly how old, Sister, is it, when we lose the need for love?”

She stood silent, ashamed, for a time. “I will go myself, Nathan, into the city, and bring back a woman to visit you for a time. Even if I must pay her price myself. I can’t pledge she will be beautiful to your eyes, as I don’t know what your eyes fancy, but I can vow she will not be empty between the ears, as I think you value this more than you will admit.”

She saw a single tear fall from the corner of his eye. “Thank you, Sister Margaret.”

“But Nathan, you must promise me you will tell her no prophecy.”

He bowed his head slightly. “Of course, Sister. I swear it on my word as a wizard.”

“I mean it, Nathan. I do not wish to have a part in being responsible for people dying. Not only men died in those battles, but women, too. I could not bear having a part in it.”

His eyebrows lifted. “Not even, Sister Margaret, if one of those women would bear, had she lived, a boy child who would grow into a brutal tyrant who would go on to torture and slaughter tens of thousands upon tens of thousands of innocent people, women and children among them? Not even, Sister, if you had a chance to choke off this fork of a terrible prophecy?”

She stood stunned, frozen. At last she made herself blink. “Nathan,” she whispered, “are you saying ...”

“Good night, Sister Margaret.” He turned and strode off to the solitude of his small garden, pulling up his black hood as he went.

Chapter 6

The wind ripped at her, tugging at her clothes and snapping the loose ends. After yesterday’s tangled mess, Kahlan was at least glad she had thought to tie back her hair. She clung to Richard for dear life, pressing the side of her face against his back as she squeezed her eyes tightly shut.

It was happening again—the thick feeling of growing heavy that made the knot in the pit of her stomach sink lower of its own accord. She thought she might be sick. She was afraid to open her eyes; she knew what always happened when she felt heavy like this. Richard called back for her to look.

She opened her eyes just a little, peeking through narrow, squinting slits. As she suspected, the world was tilted at a crazy angle. Her head spun sickeningly. Why did the dragon have to tip over whenever it made a turn? She could feel herself being pressed against the red scales. She couldn’t understand why she wasn’t falling off.

Richard had told her he had figured out that it was just like when you swung a bucket of water around over your head and the water didn’t fall out. She had never swung a bucket of water over her head and wasn’t entirely sure he was telling the truth about the water not falling out. She looked longingly at the ground and saw what Richard was pointing at—the Mud People’s village.

Siddin squealed with glee from his place in Richard’s lap as Scarlet’s huge, leathery wings caught the air and pulled them into a tight spiral. As the red dragon plummeted earthward, the knot of Kahlan’s stomach felt as if it were coming up in her throat. She didn’t understand how they could like doing this. They enjoyed it. They actually enjoyed it! Arms stuck up in the air, they were both laughing with delight, acting like little boys. Well, one was a little boy, and she guessed he had a right.

She suddenly smiled and then laughed herself. Not at flying on a dragon, but at seeing how happy Richard was. She would fly on a dragon every day just to see him laughing and happy. She stretched up and kissed the back of his neck. He brought his hands down and rubbed one on each of her legs. She clasped them tighter around him and forgot a little about feeling sick.

Richard called forward for Scarlet to land in the open field in the center of the village. The sun was almost down, making the tan, plastered, mud-bricked buildings in the circle of the village stand out brightly in the slanting light. Kahlan could smell the sweet smoke from the cooking fires. The long shadows trailed the people running for cover. Women ran from the cooking shelters and men from their weapons making, all shouting and calling out.

She hoped they wouldn’t be too frightened. The last time Scarlet had come here she had carried Darken Rahl, and when he didn’t find Richard he had killed people. These people didn’t know Rahl had forced Scarlet to fly him around after he had stolen her egg. Of course, even without Darken Rahl riding her, no one ever thought of a red dragon as anything but a deadly threat. She herself would have run for her life at seeing a red dragon. The red were the most fearsome of all the dragons, and no one would ever imagine doing anything with a red dragon except trying to kill it, or running for his life.

No one but Richard, that is. Who else but Richard would think to befriend one? He had risked his life to get her egg free from Rahl’s control so she would help him, and in the process had made a friend for life, although Scarlet still professed her intent to eat him someday. Kahlan suspected it was some private joke between the two, as Richard laughed whenever she said it. At least Kahlan hoped it was only a joke—she wasn’t entirely sure. Kahlan looked down at the village and hoped the hunters didn’t start shooting poison arrows before they saw who was riding the red dragon.

Siddin suddenly recognized his home. He pointed excitedly, and jabbered to Richard in the Mud People’s language. Richard couldn’t understand a word of it but smiled and nodded and ruffled Siddin’s hair. They both gripped the spikes on Scarlet’s back as she pulled out of the steep descent. Dust swept up around them, lifted by the fluttering of Scarlet’s huge wings as she settled on the ground.

Richard grabbed hold of Siddin and sat the little boy up on his broad shoulders, then stood up on Scarlet’s back. The stiff, cold breeze carried the dust away to reveal a ragged ring of hunters, their bows drawn, poison arrows pointing up at the three of them. Kahlan held her breath.

Grinning, Siddin waved both hands over his head, as Richard had told him to. Scarlet held her head down so the Mud People could get a clear view of who was riding her. The hunters, astonished, cautiously lowered their bows. Kahlan exhaled when she saw the tension come off the bowstrings.

A figure in buckskin pants and tunic stepped through the ring of hunters. Long silver hair hung down, spreading over his shoulders. It was the Bird Man, his sun-browned face a picture of shock.

“It’s me, Richard! I have returned! With your help, we have defeated Darken Rahl. And, we have brought Savidlin and Weselan’s son back.”

The Bird Man looked to Kahlan as she translated. A beaming grin spread on his face. “We welcome you both back to your people with open arms.”

Women and children were gathering among the ring of hunters, their dark, mud-slicked hair framing amazed faces. Scarlet lowered her bulky body to the ground and Richard slid off her shoulder, landing on his boots with a thump. He held Siddin in one arm as he reached up with the other and helped Kahlan down. She was quietly joyful to have her feet on the earth again.

Weselan pushed through the throng, running to them, Savidlin right at her heels. She wailed her son’s name. Siddin held his arms out gleefully and practically leapt into her arms. Weselan alternated between crying and laughing as she tried to hug her son and Richard and Kahlan all at once. Savidlin rubbed his boy’s back and looked to her and Richard with wet eyes.

“He was brave as any hunter,” Kahlan told him.

He gave a single, firm, pride-filled nod. He appraised her for a moment and then stepped closer, giving her a gentle slap. “Strength to Confessor Kahlan.”

Kahlan returned the slap and greeting, and then he threw his arms around her and squeezed nearly all the breath out of her. When finished with hugging her, he straightened his elder’s coyote hide on his shoulders and looked up at Richard. He shook his head in wonderment. And then he gave Richard a powerfully hard whack across the jaw, a demonstration of his heartfelt respect for Richard’s strength.

“Strength to Richard With The Temper.”

Kahlan wished he hadn’t done that. She could tell by Richard’s eyes that he had a headache. He had had it since yesterday, and she had hoped it would be better after a good sleep the night before in Scarlet’s cave. Siddin had played with the little red dragon until he was dead tired, and then had cuddled between them and gone to sleep.

Having not slept for days, she thought she would have no trouble sleeping, but she found she didn’t want to stop looking at Richard. She had finally put her head on his shoulder, held his hand in both of hers, and fallen asleep smiling. They had all needed the rest. Bad dreams had caused Richard to jerk awake several times in a cold sweat, and even though he had said nothing, she could see in his eyes that he still had the headache. Richard didn’t let it bother him, though, and returned Savidlin’s slap in kind.

“Strength to Savidlin. My friend.”

Properly greeted, souls protected, Savidlin let his grins and backslaps fly. After they had exchanged greetings with the Bird Man, Richard addressed the crowd.

“This brave and noble dragon, Scarlet,” he called out in a voice for all to hear, even though they couldn’t understand the words, “has helped me kill Darken Rahl and avenge our murdered people. She has brought us here so Siddin could be returned before his parents could fear for him another night. She is my friend, a friend to the Mud People.”

Everyone was dumbfounded as Kahlan translated. The hunters, at least, puffed up at hearing that an enemy of the Mud People had been killed by one of their own—even if he was one of their own by proclamation and not by birth. The Mud People honored strength, and to them killing one who harmed their people meant strength.

Scarlet’s head swung down, her ears twitching. One yellow eye frowned at Richard. “Friend! Red dragons are friends to no people! We are feared by all!”

“You’re my friend.” Richard smiled. “I’m a person.”

Scarlet snorted a puff of smoke at him. “Paah. I will eat you yet.”

Richard’s grin widened. He pointed at the Bird Man. “You see this man? He gave me the whistle that I used to save your egg. If not for that whistle, the gars might have eaten your little one.” He stroked a hand on the bright red snout. “And a wonderful little one it is.”

Scarlet tilted her head, blinking a big yellow eye at the Bird Man. “I guess he would make a meager snack.” She peered back at Richard, a chuckle rumbling in her throat. “The whole of the village wouldn’t make a decent meal. More trouble than it would be worth.” She brought her head closer to him. “If they are your friends, Richard Cypher, they are my friends, too.”

“And Scarlet, this one is called the Bird Man because he loves creatures that fly.”

Scarlet’s scaly eyebrows lifted. “Really?” She swung her head close to the Bird Man, inspecting him anew. The proximity of Scarlet’s big head caused a few close to him to back away a step or two. The Bird Man held his ground. “Thank you, Bird Man, for helping Richard. He has saved my young one. The Mud People have nothing to fear from me. On my dragon’s honor.”

The Bird Man looked to Kahlan as she translated, smiled to Scarlet, and then turned to his people. “As Richard With The Temper says, this noble dragon, Scarlet, is a friend to the Mud People. She may hunt our land, and we will bring no harm to her, nor her to us.”

Cheering erupted from the crowd. For a people to have a dragon as a friend was taken as an honor to their strength. Everyone seemed to be shouting with excitement. They waved their arms in the air and stamped around in little dances. Scarlet joined in the merriment by throwing her head back and sending a roaring column of flame skyward. The people cheered louder.

Kahlan noticed Richard glancing off to the side. She followed the direction of his gaze to a small band of hunters standing together. None of them were cheering. She recognized their leader. He was the one who had blamed Richard for bringing trouble to their village—blamed Richard for the deaths of Mud People at the hands of Darken Rahl.

As the hooting and hollering went on, Richard motioned Scarlet toward him. When she lowered her head, he put his face right in her ear. She listened to whatever he was saying and then pulled her head back, regarding him with a big yellow eye. She nodded.

Richard held out the carved bone whistle hanging from a leather thong at his neck as he turned to the Bird Man. “You gave me this as a gift, but told me it would never aid me because I could only call all the birds at once. I think maybe the good spirits wanted it that way. This gift helped me save everyone from Darken Rahl. It helped me save Kahlan. Thank you.”

The Bird Man smiled at the translation. Richard whispered in Kahlan’s ear that he would be back in a short time, and then climbed up on Scarlet.

“Honored elder, Scarlet and I would like to give you a small gift. We would like to take you up in the air, so you may see where your beloved birds fly.” He extended a hand to the Bird Man.

The elder, upon hearing the translation, looked apprehensively at Scarlet. Her vibrant red scales were glossy in the late-afternoon sun, undulating with her breathing. Her tail reached nearly to the mud-brick homes across the field. The dragon unfolded her wings and lazily stretched them. He looked at Richard, who was still offering his hand to him. A little-boy grin lit the elder’s face. It made Kahlan laugh. He clasped Richard’s arm and hoisted himself up.

Savidlin strode over and stood by Kahlan as the dragon rose into the air. The people cheered their approval as they watched the dragon lifting their honored elder into the air. Kahlan wasn’t seeing the dragon. She saw only Richard. She could hear the Bird Man laughing as Scarlet carried them up Hid away. She hoped he was still laughing after Scarlet made a turn.

Savidlin glanced at her. “He is a rare person, Richard With The Temper.”

She smiled and nodded. Her gaze went across the way, to the man who wasn’t cheering or happy. “Savidlin, who is that man?”

“Chandalen. He blames Richard for Darken Rahl coming here and killing people.”

The Wizard’s First Rule came to her mind: People will believe anything. “If it wasn’t for Richard, Darken Rahl would rule us all now, the same Darken Rahl who killed those people.”

Savidlin shrugged. “Not everyone who has eyes can see. Remember the elder you killed? Toffalar? That was his uncle.”

She nodded absently. “Wait here.”

Kahlan walked across the field, pulling the tie from her hair as she went. She was still dazed by the knowledge that Richard loved her and that he couldn’t be harmed by her magic. It was hardly possible to believe she, a Confessor, could ever experience love. It went against everything she had ever been taught. She just wanted to take Richard somewhere alone and kiss him and hug him until they were old.

There was no way she was going to allow this man, Chandalen, to bring any harm to Richard. Now that she and the man she loved could somehow, magically, be together, she wasn’t going to allow anything to jeopardize that.

The mere thought of anyone harming Richard brought the Blood Rage, the Con Dar, boiling up inside her. She had never known about the Con Dar before, had never known it was part of her magic, until she brought it forth when she thought Richard had been killed. Since then, she felt it within her, just as she always felt the rest of the Confessor’s magic.

With his arms folded across his chest, Chandalen watched her come. His hunters stood behind him, leaning on spears planted butt-first in the ground. Apparently, they had just returned from a hunt; their lean bodies were still smeared with sticky mud. They stood easy but alert. Bows were slung over their shoulders and quivers hung at one side of their belts, long knives at the other. There were smears of blood on some of the men. Grass tied in bands at their upper arms and around their heads helped make them invisible in the surrounding grassland when they chose to be. Kahlan stopped in front of Chandalen, looking into his dark eyes. She slapped him. “Strength to Chandalen.” He pulled his glare from her, arms still folded, turned his head, and spat. His fierce eyes came back to hers. “What do you want, Confessor?”

The hunters’ mud-streaked faces all took on small, tight smiles. The Mud People’s land was probably the only place where it was an insult not to be slapped. “Richard With The Temper has sacrificed more than you could ever know to save our people from Darken Rahl. Why do you hate him?”

“The two of you have brought trouble to my people. You will bring it again.”

“Our people,” she corrected. Kahlan unbuttoned the cuff of her shirt and drew the sleeve up to her shoulder. She pushed her arm up in front of his face. “Toffalar cut me. This is the scar he left as he tried to kill me. That was before I killed him. Not after. He killed himself by attacking me. I did not go after him.”

Without emotion Chandalen’s gaze rose from the scar to her eyes. “Uncle never was very good with a knife. Pity.”

Kahlan’s jaw clenched rigid. She couldn’t back down now.

She kissed the end of her fingers as she held his gaze. Reaching out, she touched the kissed fingers to his cheek where she had slapped him. The hunters broke into angry whispers, yanking their spears from the ground. Chandalen’s face twisted into a hateful glare.

This was the worst insult you could give a hunter. He had given a disrespectful slight by not slapping her. It did not admit to having no respect for her strength, only that he didn’t wish to show it if he did. By placing a kiss where she had offered a slap of respect, she had withdrawn her respect for his strength. The touch of the kiss said she had no respect for his strength and considered him no more than a foolish child. She had as much as spat on his honor publicly.

While this was a dangerous thing to do, it was more dangerous among the Mud People to show weakness to an enemy. That would be an invitation to be murdered in your sleep. Showing weakness denied you the right to face an adversary in the light. Honor required that strength be challenged openly. Since she had done this to him in the view of others, honor required any challenge from him be the same.

“From now on,” she said, “if you want my respect, you must earn it.”

Chandalen’s white-knuckled fist jerked back to his ear, preparing to strike her.

Kahlan held her chin out for him. “So you have decided to show your respect for my strength?”

His glare flicked to something behind her. His hunters flinched and reluctantly thrust the butts of their spears into the ground. Kahlan turned and saw about fifty men with drawn bows. Every arrow was leveled at Chandalen or one of his nine men.

“So,” Chandalen sneered, “you are not so strong. You must ask others to back you.”

“Lower your weapons,” she called back to the men. “No one is to raise a weapon to these men for me. No one. This is between Chandalen and me only.”

Reluctantly, all the bows lowered, and the arrows rattled back into quivers.

Chandalen folded his arms once more. “You are not so strong. You will hide behind the Seeker’s sword, too.”

Kahlan slapped her hand onto his forearm and gripped it tightly. Chandalen’s eyes widened a little as he froze. For a Confessor to place her hand on someone in this manner was an overt threat, and he recognized it as such. Defiant or not, he knew better than to move a muscle; he couldn’t move as fast as her thought, and that was all she needed.

Her voice was a low hiss. “In the last year, I have killed more men than you have falsely boasted to have killed in the whole of your life. If you ever try to harm Richard, I will kill you.” She leaned closer. “If you even dare to express the thought out loud, and it reaches my ears—I will kill you.”

She took in the hunters with a deliberate sweep of her gaze. “My hand will always be extended to each of you in friendship. If any hand extends to me with a knife, I will kill you as I killed Toffalar. I am the Mother Confessor—don’t think I can’t. Or won’t.”

She held the gaze of each hunter in turn until they nodded in acknowledgment. Her hard eyes came at last to Chandalen. Her grip tightened. He swallowed. At last he, too, nodded.

“This is a matter between us I will not speak to the Bird Man of it.” She took her hand from his arm. In the distance, the dragon roared its return. “We are on the same side, Chandalen. We both fight for the Mud People to live. That part of you, I respect.”

She gave him a very small slap. She offered him no opportunity to return it, or to fail to, and instead turned her back to him. The slap had given him back a small amount of his respect in the eyes of his men, and would make him look foolish and weak if he chose to press an attack now. It was a small offering, but it had shown she acted honorably. She would leave it up to his men to decide if he had. Bullying a woman brought no honor.

But then, she was no mere woman; she was a Confessor. Kahlan let out a deep breath as she returned to Savidlin and turned to watch the dragon land. Weselan stood next to him, still hugging Siddin tightly. For his part, Siddin didn’t look to want anything else in the world but to be rocked in his mother’s arms. Kahlan gave a mental shudder at the thought of what might have happened to him.

Savidlin turned to her and lifted an eyebrow. “You would make a good elder, Mother Confessor. You could give lessons in honor, and leadership.”

“I would prefer the lessons weren’t necessary.” Savidlin grunted his agreement. Dust and wind kicked up by the dragon’s wings fluttered past in fits that billowed her cloak. Kahlan was buttoning her cuff when the two men slid off Scarlet.

The Bird Man looked a little green, but he was grinning from ear to ear. He stroked a red scale respectfully and beamed at the yellow eye that watched him. Kahlan approached, and the Bird Man asked her to translate a message to Scarlet.

She smiled and looked up at the dragon’s huge head, at its ears, which were now turning toward her. “The Bird Man would like you to know that this has been one of the greatest honors of his life. He says you have given him the gift of a new vision. He says that from this day forward, if you or your young one ever need refuge, you will always be welcome and safe in this land.”

Scarlet’s snout twisted into a sort of dragon grin. “Thank you, Bird Man. I am pleased.” She lowered her head to speak to Richard. “I must leave now. My young one has been alone long enough, and will be hungry.”

Richard smiled as he stroked a red scale. “Thank you, Scarlet. For everything. Thank you for showing us your little one. It is even more beautiful than you. Take care of the both of you. Live free.”

Scarlet spread her jaws wide and reached into the back of her mouth. There was a snap, and she brought a tooth point out, held in her black-tipped talons. It was only a point, but a good six inches long.

“Dragons have magic,” she told him. “Hold out your hand.” She dropped the tooth point in Richard’s palm. “You seem to have a knack for getting yourself in trouble. Keep this safe. If you ever have great need, call me with it, and I will come. Be certain, as it will only work once.”

“But how can I call you with it?”

Her head floated closer to him. “You have the gift, Richard Cypher. Just hold it in your hand and call to me. I will hear. Remember, great need.”

“Thank you Scarlet, but I don’t have the gift.”

Scarlet threw her head back and rumbled in laughter. The ground shook. The scales on her throat vibrated. When her fit of laughter died out in spurts, she tilted her head to look at him with one yellow eye. “If you don’t have the gift, then no one does. Live free, Richard Cypher.”

Everyone in the village watched in silence as the red dragon grew smaller in the golden sky. Richard put his arm around Kahlan’s waist, pulling her close against him.

“I hope that I’ve finally heard the last of this nonsense about me having the gift,” he muttered half to himself. “I saw you from up in the air.” He pointed with his chin across the clearing. “You want to tell me what that was all about with our friend over there?”

Chandalen was making a point of not looking at her. “No It’s not important.”

“Are we ever going to get to be alone?” Kahlan asked with a coy smile. “Pretty soon I’m going to have to start kissing you in front of all of these people.”

Dusk was bringing a cozy, fading light to the impromptu feast. Richard glanced around the grass-roofed shelter at the elders in their coyote hides. They were all smiles and chatter. Their wives and a few children had joined the group. People were stopping by the shelter to welcome the two of them back, smiling and exchanging gentle slaps.

Little children across the way were chasing brown chickens that wanted nothing more than to find a place to roost for the night. The chickens squawked as they made flapping escapes. She couldn’t understand how the children could stand to be naked, as cold as it was. Women in bright dresses were bringing woven trays of tava bread and glazed pottery bowls of roasted peppers, rice cakes, long boiled beans, cheese, and roasted meats.

“You really think they’re going to let us get away before we tell them the whole story of our great adventure?”

“What great adventure? All I remember is being scared to death all the time and being in more trouble than I knew how to get out of.” Her insides twisted in pain at the memory of learning he had been captured by a Mord-Sith. “And thinking you were dead.”

He smiled. “Didn’t you know? That’s what an adventure is: being in trouble.”

“I’ve had enough of adventure to last me the rest of my life.”

Richard’s gray eyes looked distant. “Me, too.” Her gaze went to the red leather rod, the Agiel, which hung on a gold chain around his neck. She reached back and took a piece of cheese from a platter. Her face brightened. She put the cheese to his mouth. “Maybe we can just make up a story that sounds like a proper adventure. A short adventure.”

“Suits me,” he said, and then bit off a chunk of the cheese as she held it to his mouth.

Immediately, he spit the cheese into his hand and made a sour face. “This is awful!” he whispered.

“Really?” She sniffed the piece she still held. She took a tiny bite. “Well, I don’t like cheese, but it doesn’t taste any worse than usual to me. I don’t think it has gone bad.” He was still making the face. “Tastes like it has to me.” Kahlan thought a minute, and then frowned. “Yesterday at the People’s Palace, you didn’t like the cheese there either. And Zedd said there was nothing wrong with it.”

“Nothing wrong with it! It tasted rotten! I ought to know, I love cheese. I eat it all the time. I know bad cheese when I eat it.”

“Well, I hate cheese. Maybe you’re just picking up my habits.”

He rolled a roasted pepper in a piece of tava bread and grinned. “I could think of a worse fate.”

As she returned the smile, she saw two hunters approaching. Her back stiffened. Richard noticed her reaction and sat up straighter. “These are two of Chandalen’s men. I don’t know what they want.” She gave him a wink. “Be a good boy? Let’s not have an adventure.”

Without smiling or answering, he turned and watched the two come. The hunters stopped in front of her at the edge of the platform. They planted the butts of their spears firmly in the ground, leaning on them with both hands. They both assessed her with slightly narrowed eyes and small, tight smiles that weren’t entirely unfriendly. The one closest pushed his bow a little farther up on his shoulder and then extended an open hand to her, palm up.

She looked down at the hand. She knew what it meant—an open hand offered without a weapon in it. She glanced up at him in confusion. “Does Chandalen approve of this?”

“We are Chandalen’s men. Not his children.” He kept the hand out.

Kahlan looked at it a moment and then stroked her palm over his. His smile widened a little and he gave her a gentle slap.

“Strength to Confessor Kahlan. I am Prindin. This is my brother, Tossidin.”

She gave Prindin a slap and wished him strength. Tossidin held his palm open to her. She stroked it with hers. He gave her a slap and added his wish of strength. He had a handsome smile that matched his brother’s. Surprised by his friendliness, she returned his slap and greeting. Kahlan glanced to Richard. The brothers noticed the look, and in response both gave Richard a slap and greeting.

“We wanted to tell you that you spoke with strength and honor today,” Prindin said. “Chandalen is a hard man, and a hard man to get to know, but he is not a bad man. He cares deeply for our people and wants only to protect them from harm. That is what we do—protect our people.”

Kahlan nodded. “Richard and I are Mud People, too.” The brothers smiled. “The elders have proclaimed it for all to know. We will protect you both, the same as any other of our people.”

“Will Chandalen?”

Both grinned, but neither answered. They pulled their spears up, readying to leave.

“Tell them I said they have fine bows,” Richard said. She glanced sideways to see him watching the two. She told his words to Prindin.

They smiled as they nodded. “We are very good with them.”

Richard’s expressionless gaze stayed on the two brothers. “Tell them I think their arrows look to be well made. Ask if I may see one.”

Kahlan frowned at him before translating for the hunters. The brothers beamed with pride. Prindin pulled an arrow from his quiver and handed it to Richard. Kahlan noticed that the elders were all quiet. Richard rolled the arrow in his fingers. Betraying no emotion, he looked at the nock and then turned it around and looked at the flat, metal point. He handed the arrow back. “Very fine work.” As Prindin replaced the arrow in his quiver, Kahlan told him what Richard had said. He slid a hand partway up his spear and leaned a little of his weight on it. “If you know how to shoot a bow, we would invite you to come with us tomorrow.” Before she could translate, Savidlin spoke to her. “Richard told me before, when you were here last, that he had to leave his bow behind in Westland, and that he missed it. As a surprise, I made him one, for when you both came back. It is a gift to him for teaching me how to make roofs that do not leak. It is at my home. I was going to give it to him tomorrow. Tell him, and tell him that if he agrees, I would like to take some of my hunters and go with him tomorrow,” He smiled. “We will see if he is as good a shot as our hunters.”

The brothers grinned and nodded their enthusiasm. They looked to be confident of the results of the contest. Kahlan told Richard what Savidlin had said.

Richard was surprised, and seemed to be moved by what Savidlin had done. “The Mud People make some of the finest bows I have ever seen. I am honored, Savidlin. That is generous of you. I would like very much to have you there with me.” He grinned. “We can show these two how to shoot.”

The brothers laughed at the last part of the translation. “Tomorrow then,” Prindin said as they left.

Richard had a dark look on his face as he watched the two walking away.

“What was that all about with the arrows?” she asked.

He finally looked over at her. “Ask Savidlin if I could have a look at his arrows, and I’ll show you.”

Savidlin handed over his quiver. Richard pulled out a handful of arrows, sorting through the ones with thin, hardened wooden points. Kahlan knew them to be poisoned. Richard took an arrow with a flat, metal point and put the rest back.”

He handed the arrow to her. “Tell me what you see.”

She rolled it in her fingers as he had done with the other. She didn’t know what that was supposed to tell her, so she looked at the point and the nock.

She shrugged. “It looks just like an ordinary arrow to me. Just like any other.”

Richard smiled. “Just like any other?” He plucked an arrow out of the quiver by the nock end, holding the small round point up for her to see. He raised an eyebrow. “Does it look like this one?”

“Well, no. That point is small, long, thin, and round. But this one has a metal point. It’s just like the one Prindin had.”

Richard slowly shook his head. “No. It’s not.” He put the wooden pointed arrow back and took the one she had, holding the nock toward her. “See here? Where the string goes? It goes on the string like this, with the notch up and down. Does that tell you anything?” She frowned and shook her head. “Some arrows have spiraled feathers so the arrows rotate. Some people believe that increases their power. I don’t know if that is true or not, but it’s beside the point. All the Mud People’s arrows are fletched with straight feathers. That keeps them steady in flight. They hit in the same attitude as they are fired.”

“But I still don’t see how this arrow is different from Prindin’s.”

Richard put his thumbnail in the nock. “This is the way the arrow goes on the string. With the notch up and down like this. When the arrow is in the bow, and when it hits, it is just like this. Now, look at the blade. See how it’s up and down, too? Just like the notch. The blade and the string are in the same plane. Savidlin’s bladed arrows are all like this.

The reason for it is that he uses these bladed arrows to hunt large animals, like wild boar, and deer. The rib bones in animals go up and down, just like the blade does. That gives the arrow a better chance of passing between the ribs, rather than being stopped by them.”

He leaned a little closer to her. “Prindin’s arrows are different. The blades are turned ninety degrees. When his arrows are nocked, the blade is horizontal. His arrows aren’t made to pass through the ribs of animals. The blades are horizontal because he hunts something different. Something with ribs that are horizontal. People.”

Kahlan felt bumps ripple up her arms. “Why would they do that?”

“The Mud People are very protective of their land; they don’t often allow outsiders in. I would guess that Chandalen and his men are the ones who guard their borders from encroachment. They are probably the fiercest hunters among the Mud People, and the best shots. Ask Savidlin if they are good with their bows.”

She conveyed the question.

Savidlin chuckled. “None of us ever beats Chandalen’s men. Even if Richard With The Temper is good, he is going to lose. But they are careful not to humiliate us too badly. They will be gracious winners. Richard should not worry, he will enjoy the day. They will teach him to shoot better. That is why I wish to take my men: Chandalen’s men always teach us to be better. Among the Mund People, being the best, winning, means you have a responsibility to those you have beaten. You much teach them to be better. Tell him he cannot back out, now that he has accepted the challenge.”

“I always thought it did people good to learn something,” Richard said. “I won’t back out.”

Richard’s intense gaze made her smile until her jaws hurt. Smiling herself, he turned, pulled his pack across the plank floor, and took out an apple. He cut the apple in half, removed the seeds, and handed half to her.

The elders fidgeted nervously. In the Midlands, red fruit was poison, the result of an evil magic. They didn’t know that in Westland, where Richard was from, you could eat red things like apples. They had seen him eat an apple once before, when he had tricked them into not making him take a wife from their village by convincing them that his eating it might make his seed poisonous to his bride, but they sweated as they watched the two of them doing it again.

“What are you doing?” Kahlan asked him.

“Just eat your apple and then translate for me.”

When they finished, Richard stood, motioning her up next to him. “Honored elders, I have returned from stopping the threat against our people. Now that it is over, I would like to ask your permission for something. I hope you find me worthy. I would like to ask your permission to have a Mud Woman as my wife. As you can see, I have taught Kahlan to eat these things as I do. She will not be harmed by it, or by me, and in the same way, though she is a Confessor, I will not be harmed by her. We would like to be together, and we would like to be wedded by our people.”

Kahlan could hardly get the last of the words out past the tightness in her throat, and she could hardly keep from throwing her arms around him. She could feel her eyes burning and filling with tears, and had to clear her throat to finish the words. She put her arm around Richard’s waist to steady herself.

The elders suddenly beamed with surprise. The Bird Man wore a wide grin. “I think you are finally learning to be Mud People,” he said. “Nothing could please us more than for you two to be wed.”

Richard didn’t wait for the translation, but gave her a kiss that took her breath away. The elders and their wives applauded.

It was all the more special to her that they would be wedded before the Mud People. Kahlan felt at home here. When they had come before, seeking help in their struggle to stop Rahl, Richard had shown the Mud People how to make roofs that didn’t leak. They had made friends, had fought battles together, with lives saved, and lost. In the process, the two of them had bonded with these people. In honor of their sacrifices, the Bird Man had proclaimed them Mud People.

The Bird Man stood and gave Kahlan a fatherly hug that felt as if he were saying that he understood everything she had been through and was happy she had at last found happiness. She shed a few tears against his shoulder as he held her in his strong arms. Their adventure, a long ordeal, had taken her from the depths of pain and despair to the heights of joy. The fight had ended only yesterday. It didn’t seem possible it could be over at last.

As they went on with the feast, Kahlan wished more than ever that it could end soon so she could be alone with Richard. He had been held prisoner for over a month, and had only rejoined her the day before. She hadn’t even really had a chance to talk with him. Or hug him nearly enough.

Children danced and played around the small fire while the adults gathered around torches, eating and talking and laughing. Weselan scooted down next to her, hugged her, and said she would make her a proper wedding dress. Savidlin kissed her cheek and slapped Richard’s back. She found it difficult to look away from Richard’s gray eyes. She didn’t want to. Ever.

The hunters who had been out on the plain the day the Bird Man had tried to teach Richard how to call specific birds with the special whistle he had given Richard as a gift, wandered by the elders’ platform. All Richard could do that day was make a sound that called all the birds at once, but not different species individually. The hunters had laughed endlessly that day.

As they listened now, Savidlin made Richard show the whistle and tell again how he had used it to call all the birds that roosted in the valley filled with gars. The thousands of hungry birds had eaten the gars’ blood flies, creating a panic. The diversion had enabled Richard to rescue Scarlet’s egg.

The Bird Man laughed, even though he had already heard the story three times by now. Savidlin laughed and slapped Richard’s back. The hunters laughed and slapped their thighs. Richard laughed as he watched them react to Kahlan’s translation.

Kahlan laughed at seeing Richard laugh. “I think we have found an adventure that satisfies them.” She thought about it and frowned. “How did Scarlet land you close enough to the egg without being seen by the gars?”

Richard looked away and was silent a moment. “She landed me on the valley on the other side of the hills around Fire Spring. I went through the cave.”

He didn’t look at her. Kahlan hooked some hair behind an ear. “And was there really a beast in the cave? A Shadrin?”

He let out a deep breath as he looked across the open area. “That there was. And more.” As she put her hand on his shoulder, he took it and kissed the back of it, still staring off. “I thought I was going to die there, alone. I thought I would never see you again.” He seemed to shake off the memory and leaned back on an elbow, gazing at her with a lop-sided smile on his face.

“The Shadrin left some scars that aren’t healed yet. But I would have to take off my pants to show them to you.”

“Really?” Kahlan gave a throaty laugh. “I think I better have a look ... to see if everything is all right.”

As she looked deep into his eyes, she abruptly realized most of the elders were watching them. Suddenly she felt her face warm. She snatched up a rice cake and took a quick bite, relieved to know they couldn’t understand their words. She hoped others couldn’t understand the look in their eyes. She chided herself to pay more attention to where she was. Richard sat up again. Kahlan reached over to a small bowl of roasted ribs that looked to be wild boar, and set it down in his lap.

“Here. Have some of these.”

She looked over at a group of the wives. She held up the rice cake and smiled. “These are very good.” They nodded their satisfaction. She looked back to Richard. He was staring down at the bowl of meat. His face was white.

“Take it away,” he whispered.

Kahlan frowned and lifted the bowl from his lap, setting it behind her. She scooted closer to him. “Richard, what’s wrong?”

He was still staring at his lap, as if the bowl were still there. “I don’t know. I looked down at the meat, and then I could smell it. It made me feel sick. It just seemed like a dead animal to me. Like I was about to eat some dead animal lying there in front of me. How could anyone eat some dead animal that was just lying there?”

Kahlan didn’t know what to say. He didn’t look well. “I think I know what you mean. I was sick once and they fed me some cheese. I threw it all back up. They thought it would be good for me, and every day fed me more, and I would throw it up, until I was well again. That is why, to this day, I don’t like cheese. Maybe it’s something like that, because you have a headache.”

“Maybe,” he said in a weak voice. “I spent a long time at the People’s Palace. They don’t eat meat there. Darken Rahl doesn’t—didn’t—eat meat, so none was served at the palace. Maybe I just got used to not eating meat.”

She rubbed his back as he put his head in his hands, running his fingers through his hair. First cheese, and now meat. His eating habits were becoming as peculiar as ... a wizard’s.

“Kahlan ... I’m sorry, but I need to go somewhere where it’s quiet. My head really hurts.”

She put her hand on his forehead. His skin was cold and clammy. He looked about ready to fall over. Her insides fluttered with worry.

Kahlan squatted in front of the Bird Man. “Richard doesn’t feel well. He needs to go somewhere quiet. Is that all right?”

At first he thought he knew why they wanted to leave. His smile faded when he saw the anxiety on her face. “Take him to the spirit house. It is quiet there. No one will bother him. Get Nissel if you think there be need.” A little of his smile came back. “Maybe he has spent too much time on the dragon. I thank the spirits my gift of flight was short.”

She nodded, unable to manage much of a smile, and said a quick good night to the others. Picking up both their packs, she put a hand under Richard’s arm and helped him to his feet. His eyes were squeezed shut, his eyebrows wrinkled together in pain. The pain seemed to pass a little, and he opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and started off with her across the open area.

The shadows were thick among the buildings, but the moon was up, giving them enough light to see their way. The sounds of the feast faded into the background, leaving only the slow scrape of Richard’s boots scuffing on the dry ground.

He straightened a little. “I think some of it has passed.”

“Do you get headaches often?”

He smiled over to her in the moonlight. “I’m famous for my headaches. My father told me that my mother used to get headaches like the ones I get, where you feel sick to your stomach because your head hurts so much. But this one is different. I’ve never had ones like this before. It’s like something inside my head is trying to get out.” He took his pack from her and hoisted it to his shoulder. “It hurts more than my other headaches.”

They passed from the narrow passageways to the wide space around the spirit house. It sat by itself, moonlight reflecting off the tile roof Richard had helped the Mud People build. Wisps of smoke rose from the chimney.

Around the side, by the door, a row of chickens roosted on a low wall. They watched as she pulled the door open for him, starting a little at the squeak of the hinges, and settled down as the two of them passed inside.

Richard flopped down in front of the fireplace. Kahlan pulled out a blanket and made him lie back, bunching the blanket under his head. He rested the back of his wrist over his eyes as she sat, cross-legged, next to him.

Kahlan felt helpless. “I think I should go get Nissel. Maybe a healer can do something for you.”

He shook his head. “I’ll be all right. I just need to be away from all the noise.” He smiled, his arm still over his eyes. “Have you ever noticed how badly we do at parties? Every time we are at a party something happens.”

Kahlan thought back to every gathering they had been at together. “I think you’re right.” She rubbed a hand on his chest. “I think the only solution is for us to be alone.”

Richard kissed her hand. “I would like that.”

She enfolded his big hand in both of hers, wanting to feel the warmth of him as she watched him rest. It was dead quiet in the spirit house, except for the slow crackling of the fire. She listened to his slow, steady breathing.

After a while, he slid his hand away, and looked up at her. Firelight reflected in his eyes. There was something about his face, his eyes; something her mind was trying to tell her. He looked like someone else she had met, but who? A name whispered in the back of her thoughts, but she couldn’t quite hear it. She stroked his hair back off his forehead. His skin didn’t feel quite so cold.

He sat up. “I just thought of something. I asked the elders for permission to marry you, but I haven’t really asked you.”

Kahlan smiled. “No, you haven’t.”

Suddenly he looked embarrassed and unsure of himself.

His eyes wandered a little. “That was really stupid. I’m sorry. That wasn’t the right way to do it. I hope you’re not angry. I guess I’m not very good at this. I’ve never done it before.”

“Me neither.”

“And I guess this isn’t the most romantic place to do it. It should be someplace beautiful.”

“Wherever you are is the most romantic place in the world to me.”

“And I guess I must look pretty silly asking you something like this when I’m lying here with a headache.”

“If you don’t ask me pretty soon, Richard Cypher,” she whispered, “I’m going to choke it out of you.”

His eyes finally found hers, found hers so intently it nearly took her breath away. “Kahlan Amnell, will you marry me?”

Quite unexpectedly, she found she couldn’t speak. She closed her eyes and kissed his soft lips as a tear rolled down her cheek. His arms closed around her, hugging her tight against the heat of him. She pulled back breathlessly. Her voice at last returned. “Yes.” She kissed him again. “Please, yes.”

Kahlan laid her head against his shoulder. Richard gently stroked her hair as she listened to his breathing and the crackle of the fire. He held her tenderly and kissed the top of her head, there being no need for words. She felt safe in his arms.

Kahlan let loose her pain: the pain of loving him more than life itself and thinking he had been tortured to death by the Mord-Sith before she could tell him how much she loved him; the pain of having thought she could never have him because she was a Confessor and her power would destroy him; the hurt of how much she needed him, how uncontrollably she loved him.

As her anguish expended itself, it was replaced by her joy in what lay ahead: a lifetime, together. The breathless excitement of it seeped into her. She clutched at him, wanting to melt into him, wanting to be one with him.

Kahlan smiled. That was what being married to him would be: being one with him, as Zedd had told her once—like finding the other half of herself.

When she finally looked up, there was a tear on his face. She wiped the tears from her cheeks, and he did the same. She hoped his tears meant he had let his demons go, too.

“I love you,” she whispered.

Richard pulled her tight against him. His fingers traced a trail down the bumps of her spine.

“I feel so frustrated that there aren’t any better words than ‘I love you,’“ he said. “It doesn’t seem enough for the way I feel about you. I’m sorry there aren’t any better words to tell you.”

“They are words enough for me.”

“Then, I love you, Kahlan. A thousand times, a million times, I love you. Forever.”

She listened to the snap and pop of the fire, and to his heart beating. To her own heartbeat. He rocked her gently. She wanted to stay there in his arms forever. Suddenly the world seemed a wonderful place.

Richard grasped her shoulders and held her away to better see her. A wonderful smile spread across his face. “I can’t believe how beautiful you are. I have never seen anyone as beautiful as you.” He ran a hand down her hair. “I’m so glad I didn’t cut your hair that time. You have beautiful hair. Don’t ever change it.”

“I’m a Confessor, remember? My hair is a symbol of my power. Besides, I can’t cut it. Only another can do that.”

“Good. I would never cut it. I love you the way you are, power and all. Don’t ever let anyone cut it. I’ve liked your long hair ever since the first day I saw you, in the Hartland Woods.”

She smiled as she remembered that day. Richard had offered her help in escaping from the quads. He had saved her life. “It seems so long ago. Will you miss that life? Being a simple, carefree woods guide?” She smiled coquettishly. “And single?”

Richard grinned. “Single? Not with you as my wife. But a woods guide? Maybe a little.” He stared off at the fire. “I guess that for better or worse, I am the true Seeker. I hold the Sword of Truth, and the responsibilities that go with it, whatever they are. Do you think you can be happy being the wife of the Seeker?”

“I would be happy living in a tree stump, if you were there with me. But Richard, I’m afraid I’m still the Mother Confessor. I have responsibilities, too.”

“Well, you told me what it meant to be a Confessor, how when you touch someone with your power it forever destroys who they were, replacing it with absolute, magical devotion to you, to your wishes, and in that way you can have them confess the truth of their crimes, or for that matter you can make them do anything you would wish, but what other responsibilities do you have?”

“I guess I never told you about everything else that it means to be the Mother Confessor. It wasn’t important at the time; I didn’t think we could ever be together. I thought we would die, or even if we somehow won, you would go home to Westland and I would never see you again.”

“You mean the part about it meaning that you are more than a queen?”

She nodded. “The Central Council of the Midlands in Aydindril is made up of representatives of the more important lands of the Midlands. Together, the Central Council more or less rules the Midlands. Even though the lands are independent, they still bow to the word of the Central Council. In that way, through the Confederation of Lands, common goals are protected and peace is maintained. It keeps people talking instead of fighting. If one land were to attack another, it would be viewed as an attack against unity, against all, and all would put the aggression down. Kings, queens, rulers, officials, merchants, and others come to the Central Council to petition for what they want: trade agreements, boundary treaties, accords dealing with magic—an endless list of wants and wishes.”

“I understand. It’s something like that in Westland. The council rules in much the same way. Although Westland isn’t nearly big enough to have kingdoms, there are districts that govern themselves, but are represented by councilors in Hartland.”

“Since my brother was a councilor, and then First Councilor, I was around the dealings of government. I saw the councilors coming from different places to ask for things. Being a guide, I was always leading them to and from Hartland. I learned a lot about it from talking to them.”

Richard folded his arms. “So what is the Mother Confessor’s part in it?”

“Well, the Central Council rules the Midlands ...” She cleared her throat as she looked down at her hands in her lap. “... and the Mother Confessor rules the Central Council.”

His arms came unfolded. “You mean to say that you rule all the kings and queens? All the lands? You rule the Midlands?”

“Well ... yes, in a way, I guess. You see, not all the lands are represented on the Central Council. Some are too small, like Queen Milena’s Tamarang, and the Mud People, and a few others are lands of magic, the land of the night wisps, for example. The Mother Confessor is the advocate for these lesser lands. Left to their own wishes, the council would decide to carve up these smaller lands. And they have the armies to do it easily. Only the Mother Confessor stands for those who have no voice.”

“The other problem is that these lands are often in disagreement. Some have been bitter adversaries for as long as anyone can remember. The council is often deadlocked as rulers or their representatives each stubbornly demands his own way, to the detriment of the greater interests of the Midlands. The Mother Confessor has no interest but the good of the Midlands.”

“Without leadership the different lands, through the Central Council, would only be interested in vying for power. The Mother Confessor counters these parochial interests with a larger view, with direction and leadership.”

“Just as the Mother Confessor is the final arbiter of truth through her magic, she is also the final arbiter of power. The word of the Mother Confessor is law.”

“So it is you who tells all the kings and queens, all the lands, what to do?”

She took one of his hands and held it. “I, and most of the Mother Confessors before me, let the Central Council decide for themselves what they wish, how they want the Midlands ruled. But when they fail to come to agreement, or to a just agreement, it is to the disadvantage of those not represented. Only then do I step in and tell them how it shall be.”

“And they always do as you say?”

“Always.”

“Why?”

She took a deep breath. “Well, they know that if they don’t bow to the Mother Confessor’s leadership, they will be alone and vulnerable to any stronger neighbor who craves power. There would be war until the strongest among them crushed all the rest, as Darken Rahl’s father, Panis Rahl, did in D’Hara. They know that ultimately it is in their own interest to have an independent council leader, who sides with no land.”

“But it’s not in the best interest of the strongest. Something other than a good heart or common sense must keep the strongest of these lands in line.”

She nodded with a smile. “You understand the games of power well. You are right. They know that if they were bold enough to allow their ambitions a free rein, I, or any of the Confessors, could take their ruler with our magic. But there is more. The wizards back the Mother Confessor.”

“I thought wizards didn’t want anything to do with power.”

“They don’t, exactly. The threat of their intervention makes it unnecessary. Wizards call it the paradox of power: if you have power, and are ready, able, and willing to use it, you don’t need to exercise your power. The lands know that if they don’t work together, and use the impartial leadership of the Mother Confessor, then the wizards are always in the background, ready to teach the disadvantages of being unreasonable or greedy.”

“The whole thing is a very complex, interwoven relationship, but what it all comes down to is that I rule the Central Council, and if I’m not there to do so, the weak, the defenseless, and the peaceful will eventually be overrun, and the rest will be drawn into a war until all but the strongest are crushed.”

Richard sank back to contemplate this with a slight frown on his face. She watched the firelight play on his features. She could feel what he was thinking about: he was remembering the way she had, with only a gesture of her hand, demanded that Queen Milena fall to her knees, kiss the Mother Confessor’s hand, and swear loyalty. She wished she hadn’t had to show him the power she wielded, and how much she was feared, but what she had done had been necessary. Some deferred only to power. When necessary, a leader had to show that power, or be cut down.

When he looked up at last, his face held a serious cast. “There is going to be trouble. The wizards are all dead; they killed themselves before they sent you looking for Zedd. The threat backing the Mother Confessor is gone. The other Confessors are all dead, killed by Darken Rahl. You are the last. You have no allies. There is no one to take your place if anything happens to you. Zedd told us to meet him in Aydindril, he must know this too.”

“From what I have seen of powerful people, from councilors in my homeland, even my own brother, to queens here, to Darken Rahl, they will view you as a lone obstacle in their way. If the Midlands is to be kept from being torn apart, the Mother Confessor must rule, and you are going to need help. You and I both must serve the truth. I’m going to help you.” A sly smile parted his lips. “If those councilors were afraid to plot against the Mother Confessor, or give her trouble, because of the wizards, wait until they meet the Seeker.”

Kahlan touched her fingers to his face. “You are a rare person, Richard Cypher. You are with the most powerful person in the Midlands. Yet you make me feel as if I am riding your coattails to greatness.”

“I’m nothing more than the one who loves you with all my heart. That is the only greatness I wish to live up to.” Richard sighed. “It seemed a lot simpler when it was just you and me all by ourselves in the woods, and I cooked you dinner on a stick over an open fire.” He gave her a sidelong glance. “You are still going to let me cook you dinner, aren’t you, Mother Confessor?”

“I don’t think Mistress Sanderholt would like that. She doesn’t like anyone in her kitchens.”

“You have a cook?”

“Well, I’ve never seen her cook anything, come to think of it. Mostly she just whisks all about, ruling her domain with a wooden spoon she wields like a scepter, tasting food and scolding cooks, assistants, and scullions. She is the head cook.”

“She frets something awful when I come down to the kitchens to cook. Mistress Sanderholt begs me to take up another interest. She says I scare her people. She says they shake for the rest of the day whenever I come to the kitchens and ask for pots. So I try not to do it too often. But I do so like to cook.”

Kahlan smiled at the memory of Mistress Sanderholt. It was long months since she had been home.

“Cooks,” Richard muttered to himself. “I’ve never had anyone cook for me. I always cooked for myself.” His smile returned. “Well, I guess this Mistress Sanderholt will be able to make a little room for me if I want to cook you something special.”

“I would wager that you will soon have her doing whatever it is you wish.”

He squeezed her hand. “Will you promise me one thing? Promise me that one day you will let me take you back to Westland and show you some of the beautiful places in the Hartland woods, places that only I know of. I’ve dreamed of taking you to them.”

“I would like that,” Kahlan whispered. Richard leaned forward to kiss her. Before his lips touched hers, before his arms could embrace her, he winced in pain. His head sagged forward against her shoulder as he moaned. Kahlan clasped him to her in fear, then laid him back down as he clamped his arms to his head, unable to breathe. Panic gripped her. He pulled his knees up to his chest as he rolled onto his side.

She braced her hand on his shoulder as she leaned over him. “I’m going to get Nissel. I’ll go fast as I can.”

He could only nod as he shook.

Kahlan ran to the door, pushing it open, out into the still night. She could see her ragged breaths in the frigid air as she pushed the door closed. Her eyes flicked over the short wall. Moonlight washed the top of it with a silver cast.

The chickens were gone.

A dark shape hunched, still, behind the wall.

It moved a little in the moonlight, and there was a quick flash of shiny, golden eyes.

Chapter 7

The dark thing rose up, claws rasping over the top of the short wall. It laughed a low cackle that sent goose bumps up her arms to the base of her neck. Kahlan froze. Breath caught in her throat. The form was a black void in the pale moonlight. After the brief flash, the eyes had vanished into a pool of night.

Her mind raced, trying to fit what she knew with what she was seeing. She wanted to run, but didn’t know which way. Toward Richard, or away?

Though she couldn’t see the eyes, she could feel them, like cold death. The tiniest of sounds rose from her throat. With a howling laugh, the dark shape leaped to the top of the wall.

The heavy door crashed open behind her, banging against the wall of the spirit house. At the same time, she heard the distinctive ring of the Sword of Truth being drawn in anger. The black head snapped toward Richard, the eyes flashing golden again in the moonlight. Richard reached out, snatching her by the arm, and tossed her back through the doorway. As the door rebounded from hitting the wall, he kicked it shut behind himself.

From beyond the door, Kahlan heard a howling laugh, and then there was a crash against the door. She came to her feet, pulling her knife. Through the door she could hear the sword tip whistle, and bodies thudding against the wall of the spirit house. She could hear the screaming howls of laughter.

Kahlan threw her shoulder against the door and rolled out into the night. As she sprang to her feet she saw a small, dark form hurtling toward her. She slashed with her knife and missed.

It came again, but before it was on her, Richard kicked it, slamming it back against the short wall. In the moonlight the Sword of Truth flashed toward the shadow. The blade caught only the wall. A shower of mud-brick fragments and plaster exploded into the air. The thing howled in laughter.

Richard snatched her back just as the dark shape flew past. She caught it with her blade, ripping through something hard—bone hard. A claw flashed past her face, the sword following, missing.

She could hear Richard panting as he searched the darkness. The shadow came out of nowhere and knocked him to the ground. Dark forms tumbled across the dirt. She couldn’t tell which was Richard and which was the attacker. Claws flung dirt into the air as it flailed at him.

With a grunt, Richard heaved it over the wall. Instantly it sprang to the top, and stood there, eyes flashing golden in the moonlight, cackling that awful laugh as the two of them backed away. It fell silent as it watched them walking backward.

The air was suddenly alive with the zip of arrows. Within the space of a heartbeat, a dozen thudded into the black body. Not one missed. A breath later an equal number followed. The thing panted in laughter. It stood on the wall looking like a black pincushion.

Kahlan’s jaw dropped as she saw it snap off a handful of arrows that stuck out of its chest. The thing snarled a cackling laugh at them, then blinked as it watched them backing away. She couldn’t understand why it just stood there. Another flight of arrows thudded into the black body. It paid no attention, but dropped from the wall to the ground.

A dark figure ran forward, spear in hand. From the shadow of the wall, the thing sprang at the runner. The hunter let the spear fly. With impossible speed, the black form ducked to the side and with its teeth snatched the spear from the air. Laughing, it bit the shaft in half. The hunter who had thrown it backed away, and the thing seemed to lose interest, turning to again watch her and Richard.

“What in the world is it doing?” Richard whispered. “Why did it stop? Why is it just watching us?”

With a cold shock, she knew.

“It’s a screeling,” Kahlan whispered more to herself than to him. “Oh, dear spirits protect us, it’s a screeling.”

She and Richard were clutching each other’s shirtsleeves as they walked backward, watching the screeling.

“Get away!” she yelled at the hunters. “Walk! Don’t run!”

They answered with another useless flight of arrows.

“This way,” Richard said. “Between the buildings, where it’s dark.”

“Richard, that thing can see better in the dark than we can see in the light. It’s from the underworld.”

He kept his eyes on the screeling standing in the open, in the moonlight. “I’m listening. What else can we do?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. But don’t run, and don’t stand still. That attracts its attention. I think the only way to kill it may be to hack it apart.”

He looked over to her, his eyes angry in the moonlight. “What do you think I’ve been trying to do?”

Kahlan looked around at the small passageway they were entering. “Maybe we should go through here after all. Maybe it will stay there and we can get away. If not, at least we can lead it away from the others.”

The screeling watched them backing away, and then started loping after them, panting a wicked laugh.

“Nothing is ever easy,” Richard muttered.

They backed through the narrow passageway of smooth, plastered walls, the screeling following. Kahlan could see the dark knot of hunters following it in, could feel the pounding of her heart.

“I wanted you to stay in the spirit house. Why didn’t you stay there where you were safe?”

She recognized the tone of rage from the sword’s magic. Her hand holding his shirtsleeve felt wet and warm. She looked over and saw blood running down his arm, over her hand. “Because I love you, you big ox. And don’t you dare do anything like that again.”

“If we get out of this alive, I’m going to put you over my knee.”

They kept backing down the twisting passageway. “If we get out of this alive, I will let you. What happened to your headache?”

Richard shook his head. “I don’t know. One second I could hardly breathe, and the next, it was gone. As soon as it was gone, I could feel that thing on the other side of the door, and I heard it make that awful laugh.”

“Maybe you just thought you could sense it because you heard it.”

“I don’t know. That could be. But it was the strangest feeling.”

She pulled him by his shirtsleeve down a side passage. It was darker. Moonlight fell high up on a wall to their left. With a start, she saw the dark shape of the screeling skittering across the moonlit wall, like some huge, black bug. Kahlan had to force herself to draw a breath.

“How can it do that?” Richard whispered.

She had no answer. Behind them, torches appeared. Hunters were closing in around them, trying to bottle up the attacker.

Richard looked around. “If these people try to get this thing, its going to kill the lot of them.” They stepped into a moonlit intersection of passageways. “Kahlan, I can’t let that happen.” He looked to his right, down toward a group of hunters coming with torches. “Go to those men. Get behind them.”

“Richard, I’m not leaving. ...”

He shoved her. “Do as I say! Now!”

His tone made her jump. Involuntarily, she backed away. Richard stood still in the moonlight, holding the sword in both hands, the tip resting on the ground. He looked up at the screeling hanging on the wall. It howled a laugh, as if suddenly recognizing the figure standing before it.

The screeling let go with its claws, dropping straight down, landing in the darkness with a thud.

Kahlan could see the angry set of Richard’s jaw as he watched the blur racing toward him, kicking up a cloud of dust. The sword’s tip stayed on the ground.

This can’t be happening, she thought, it just can’t. Not when everything is finally right. This thing could kill him. It could really kill him. It could be the end of everything. The thought stopped her breath. Her Confessor’s Blood Rage roared to the surface. Her flesh tingled.

The screeling sprang into the air toward Richard. The sword tip snapped upward, impaling the dark, flailing form. She could see a good foot and a half of steel sticking from its back, glinting in the moonlight. The screeling again howled its terrible laughter. It clawed at the sword, pulling itself up by the blade toward Richard. It severed some of its own clawed fingers as it clutched at the blade, thrashing ahead. Richard gave the sword a mighty swing. The screeling slid off, slamming against the wall.

Without pause it sprang for him again. Already Richard was swinging the sword. Kahlan felt a rush of panicked anger. Without even realizing what she was doing, she had her arm up, her fist toward the thing trying to kill Richard, the man she loved; the only man she would ever love.

The screeling was nearly upon him, the sword completing its swing. Kahlan felt the power surge through her in a choking rush. She released it. Eerie blue light exploded from her fist, rending the night with a blinding flash of blue daylight.

The sword and the bolt of blue lightning hit the screeling at the same time. The screeling burst apart in a shower of bloodless, black pieces. Kahlan had seen the Sword of Truth do the same thing to living flesh. She didn’t know if it was the sword or the blue lightning that had done it this time.

The crack of thunder from the bolt left her ears ringing in the sudden silence.

She ran to Richard and threw her arms around him as he hunched, panting. “Are you all right?”

He hugged her with his free hand, nodding. She held him for a long minute as shouting hunters with torches circled around them. Richard slid the sword back into its scabbard. In the torchlight, she could see a ragged gash on his upper arm. She tore off a strip of his shirtsleeve and tied it around the bleeding wound.

She looked around at the hunters, all of whom held either nocked arrows or spears. “Is everyone safe?”

Chandalen stepped into the torchlight and spoke to Kahlan. “I knew you would bring trouble.”

She peered hard at his face, then merely thanked him and his men for trying to help.

“Kahlan, what was that thing? And what in the world did you do?” Richard was slumping.

She slipped her arm around his waist. “I think it’s called a screeling. And I’m not entirely sure what I did.”

“A screeling? What is a ...”

His hands came to the sides of his head as his eyes winced shut. He sank to his knees. Kahlan wasn’t able to hold his weight. Savidlin was there and reached for him, but before he could get an arm around him, Richard fell forward on his face. He cried out in the dirt.

“Savidlin, help me get him back to the spirit house, and send someone for Nissel. Please, tell them to hurry.”

Savidlin shouted for one of his men to run for the healer. He and some of the others lifted Richard. Leaning on his spear, Chandalen only watched.

A torchlit procession wound its way back to the spirit house. Savidlin and the men carrying Richard went inside with Kahlan. They laid Richard in front of the fire, lowering his head to the blanket. Savidlin sent his men out, but stayed with her.

Kahlan knelt next to Richard and with trembling hands felt his forehead. He was ice cold and drenched in sweat. He appeared to be nearly unconscious. She bit her lip and tried not to cry.

“Nissel will make him well,” Savidlin said. “You will see. She is a good healer. She will know what to do.”

Kahlan could only nod. Richard mumbled incoherently as his head twisted about, as if seeking some position that brought no pain.

They sat in silence until Savidlin asked, “Mother Confessor, what was that you did? How did you make lightning?”

“I’m not sure how I did it. But it is part of the Confessor’s magic. It is called the Con Dar.”

Savidlin studied her a moment as he squatted on his feet with his sinewy arms wrapped around his knees. “I never knew a Confessor could call down lightning.”

She glanced over. “I have known for only a few days myself.”

“And what was the dark thing?”

“I think it may be a creature from the underworld.”

“From the place the shadows came from, before?” Kahlan nodded. “Why would it come now?”

“I’m sorry, Savidlin; I don’t have an answer. But if any more come, tell the people to walk away from them. Don’t stand still, and don’t run. Just walk away, and come get me.”

In silence he contemplated what she had said. At last the door squeaked open and a stooped figure flanked by two men with torches entered.

Kahlan sprang up and ran to her, taking her hand. “Nissel, thank you for coming.”

Nissel smiled and patted her shoulder. “How is the arm, Mother Confessor?”

“Healed, thanks to you. Nissel, something is wrong with Richard He has terrible headaches.”

Nissel smiled. “Yes, child. We will have a look at him.”

One of the men with Nissel handed her a cloth bag as she knelt beside Richard. The objects in the bag clinked against one other as she set it on the ground. She told the man to bring the torch around. She took off the bloody bandage and, with her thumbs, pressed open the wound. Nissel glanced to Richard’s face to see if he felt it. He didn’t.

“I will tend to the wound first, while he sleeps.”

She cleaned the gash and stitched it while Kahlan and the three men watched in silence. The torches spit and hissed, lighting the inside of the nearly empty spirit house with harsh, flickering light. On the shelf, the skulls of ancestors watched along with the rest of them.

Sometimes talking to herself as she worked, Nissel finished sewing, packed the wound with a poultice that smelled of pine pitch, and wrapped the arm with a clean bandage. Rummaging around in her bag, she told the men they could leave. As he went past, Savidlin touched Kahlan’s shoulder sympathetically and told her he would see them in the morning.

After they were gone, Nissel halted her pawing in the bag and looked up at Kahlan. “I hear you are to be mated to this one.” Kahlan nodded. “I thought you couldn’t have a love, because you are a Confessor, that your power would take him ... when you make babies.”

Kahlan smiled across Richard to the old woman. “Richard is special. He has magic that protects him from my power.” They both had promised Zedd they would never reveal the truth—that it was his love for her that protected him.

Nissel smiled, and her weathered hand touched Kahlan’s arm. “I am happy for you, child.” She bent back to her bag and finally pulled out a handful of little stoppered pottery bottles. “Does he get these headaches often?”

“He told me he gets bad headaches sometimes, but that this is different, that it hurts more, like something is trying to get out of his head. He said he has never had any like it before. Do you think you can help him?”

“We will see.” Pulling stoppers, she waved the bottles one at a time under his nose. One of them finally brought Richard awake. Nissel smelled the bottle herself to see what it was. She nodded and mumbled and went back into her bag.

“What’s going on?” Richard groaned. Kahlan bent over and kissed his forehead. “Nissel is going to do something for your headaches. Lie still.”

Richard’s back arched as he squeezed his eyes shut against the pain. He put his shaking fists to the sides of his head.

The healer pressed his chin down with her fingers, forcing his mouth open, and with her other hand shoved in some small leaves. “Tell him to chew. Keep chewing.”

“She says to chew the leaves; they will help you.” Richard nodded and rolled to his side in agony as he chewed. Kahlan combed his hair back with her fingers, feeling helpless, wishing she could do more. It terrified her to see him in pain.

Nissel poured a liquid from a skin into a large cup and mixed into it powders from other jars. She and Kahlan helped Richard sit up to drink the concoction. When he finished, he flopped back down, breathing hard, but still chewing the leaves.

Nissel stood. “The drink will help him to sleep.” Kahlan came to her feet and Nissel handed her a small bag. “Have him chew more of these leaves when he needs them. They will help the pain.”

Kahlan hunched over a little, so as not to tower over the old woman quite so much. “Nissel, do you know what is wrong?” Nissel pulled the stopper from the little bottle and sniffed it, then held it under Kahlan’s nose. It smelled of lilacs and licorice. “Spirit,” she said simply. “Spirit? What do you mean?”

“It is a sickness of his spirit. Not of his blood, not of his balance, not of his air. Spirit.”

Kahlan didn’t know what any of that meant, but it wasn’t really what she wanted to know. “Will he be all right? Will the medicine, and the leaves, will they cure him?” Nissel smiled and patted Kahlan’s arm. “I would like very much to be there when you are wed. I will not give up. If this doesn’t work, there are other things to try.”

Kahlan took her arm and walked her out the door. “Thank you, Nissel.” Kahlan saw Chandalen standing near the short wall. Some of his men stood farther off in the darkness. Prindin was close, against the spirit house. She went to him. “Would you escort Nissel home, please?”

“Of course.” He took the healer’s arm respectfully and guided her into the night.

Kahlan shared a long look with Chandalen, and then went over to him. “I appreciate you and your men guarding us. Thank you.”

He regarded her without emotion. “I am not standing guard for you. I am guarding our people from you. From what you may bring next.”

Kahlan brushed dirt from her shoulders. “Either way, if something else comes, don’t try to kill it yourself. I don’t want any Mud People to die. That includes you. If something comes, you must not stand still, or run. If you do, it will kill you. You must walk. Come and get me. Don’t try to fight it by yourselves. Understand? Come and get me.”

He still showed no emotion. “And you will call down more lightning?”

She looked at him coolly. “If I have to.” She wondered if she could; she had no idea how she had done it. “Richard With The Temper is not well. He may not be able to shoot arrows with you and your men tomorrow.”

He looked smug. “I thought he would think of an excuse to back out.”

Kahlan took a deep breath through gritted teeth. She didn’t want to stand here and trade insults with this fool. She wanted to go back inside to be with Richard. “Goodnight, Chandalen.”

Richard was still on his back, chewing the leaves. She sat beside him, heartened to see that he looked more alert.

“These things are starting to taste better.”

Kahlan stroked his forehead. “How do you feel?”

“A little better. The pain comes and goes. I think these leaves are helping. Except they are making my head spin.”

“But better to spin than to pound?”

“Yes.” He put his hand on her arm and closed his eyes. “Who were you talking to?”

“That fool, Chandalen. He’s guarding the spirit house. He thinks we may bring more trouble.”

“Maybe he’s not such a fool. I don’t think that thing would have been here without us. What did you call it?”

“A screeling.”

“And what is a screeling?”

“I’m not sure. Nobody I know has ever seen one, but I’ve heard them described. They’re supposed to be from the underworld.”

Richard stopped chewing and opened his eyes to look at her. “The underworld? What do you know about this screeling thing?”

“Not much.” She frowned. “Have you ever seen Zedd drunk?”

“Zedd? Never. He doesn’t like wine. Just food. He says that drinking interferes with thinking, and there is nothing more important than thinking.” Richard smiled. “He says that the worse a man is at thinking, the better he is at drinking.”

“Well, wizards can get pretty scary when they’re drunk. One time when I was little, I was in the Keep, studying my languages. They have books of languages there. Anyway, I was studying, and four of the wizards were reading a book of prophecy together. It was a book I had never seen before.”

“They were leaning over it, and started getting all worked up. They were talking in hushed tones. I could tell they were frightened. At the time it was a lot more fun to watch wizards than to read my languages.”

“I looked up and they had all turned white as snow. They all stood up straight at the same time, and flipped the cover shut. I remember it banged and made me jump. They all stood there, quiet for a while, and then one went away and came back with a bottle. Without saying a word, he passed out cups and poured out the drink. They all drank it down in one swallow. He poured more and they did the same thing again. They sat down on stools around the table the big book was on and kept drinking until the bottle was empty. By that time they were pretty happy. And drunk. They were laughing and singing. I thought it was tremendously interesting. I had never seen anything like it.”

“They finally saw me watching them, and called me over. I didn’t really want to go, but they were wizards, and I knew them pretty well, so I wasn’t afraid and I went over to them. One set me up on his knee and asked if I wanted to sing with them. I told them that I didn’t know the song they were singing. They looked at each other and then said they would teach me. So we sat there for a long time and they taught me the song.”

“So, do you remember it?”

Kahlan nodded. “I’ve never forgotten that song.” She rearranged herself a little and then sang it for him.

The screelings are loose and the Keeper may win.

His assassins have come to rip off your skin.

Golden eyes will see you if you try to run.

The screelings will get you and laugh like it’s fun.

Walk away slow or they’ll tear you apart,

and laugh all day long as they rip out your heart.

Golden eyes will see you if you try to stand still.

The screelings will get you, for the Keeper they kill.

Hack ‘em up, chop ‘em up, cut ‘em to bits,

or else they will get you while laughing in fits.

If the screelings don’t get you the Keeper will try,

to reach out and touch you, your skin he will fry.

Your mind he will flail, your soul he will take.

You’ll sleep with the dead, for life you’ll forsake.

You’ll die with the Keeper till the end of time.

He hates that you live, your life is the crime.

The screelings might get you, it says so in text.

If screelings don’t get you the Keeper is next,

lest he who’s born true can fight for life’s bond.

And that one is marked; he’s the pebble in the pond.

Richard stared at her when she finished. “Pretty gruesome song to teach a child.” Finally, he resumed chewing the leaves.

Kahlan nodded with a sigh. “That night, I had terrible nightmares. My mother came into my room and sat on my bed. She hugged me and asked what I was having nightmares about. I sang her the song the wizards had taught me. She climbed into my bed and stayed with me that night.”

“The next day she went to see the wizards. I never knew what she did or said to them, but for the next few months, whenever they saw her coming they turned and hurried off the other way. And for a good long time they avoided me like death itself.”

Richard took another leaf from the little bag and put it in his mouth. “The screelings are sent by the Keeper? The Keeper of the underworld?”

“That’s what the song says. It must be true. How could anything of this world take that many arrows and just laugh?”

Richard thought in silence a moment. “What is ‘the pebble in the pond’?”

Kahlan shrugged. “I’ve never heard of it before or since.”

“What about the blue lightning? How did you do that?”

“It’s something to do with the Con Dar. I did it before when it came over me the first time.” She took a deep breath at the memory. “When I thought you were dead. I’d never felt the Con Dar before, but now I feel it there all the time, just as I can always feel the Confessor’s magic. The two are somehow connected. I must have awakened it. I think it’s what Adie warned me about that time we were with her. But Richard, I don’t know how I did it.”

Richard smiled. “You never fail to amaze me. If I just found out I could call down lightning, I don’t think I would be sitting there so calmly.”

“Well, you just remember what I can do,” she warned, “if some pretty girl ever bats her lashes at you.”

He took her hand. “There are no other pretty girls.”

The fingers of her other hand combed through his hair. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Yes,” he whispered. “Lie down next to me. I want you close. I’m afraid of never waking, and I want to be close to you.”

“You will wake,” she promised cheerfully.

She took out another blanket and pulled it over the two of them. She cuddled close, her head on his shoulder and an arm over his chest, and tried not to worry about what he had said.

Chapter 8

When she woke, her back was against the warmth of him. Light was seeping in around the edges of the door. She sat up, rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and looked down at Richard.

He lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling, taking slow, shallow breaths. She smiled at the familiar pleasure of his face. He was so handsome it made her ache.

Suddenly she realized with a jolt what it was about him that looked so familiar to her. Richard looked like Darken Rahl. Not the same kind of impossible perfection—the flawlessly smooth, uninterrupted sweep of features that were too exactly right, like some precisely perfect statue—but more rugged, rougher; more real.

Before they’d defeated Rahl, when Shota, the witch woman, had appeared to them as Richard’s mother, Kahlan had seen her looks in Richard’s nose and mouth. It was as if Richard had Darken Rahl’s face with some of his mother’s features making it better than Rahl’s cruel perfection. Rahl’s hair was fine, straight, and blond, while Richard’s was coarser and darker. And Richard’s eyes were gray instead of Rahl’s blue, but they both possessed the same penetrating intensity—the same kind of raptor’s gaze that seemed as if it could cut steel.

Though she didn’t know how it could be possible, she knew Richard had Rahl blood. But Darken Rahl was from D’Hara, and Richard from Westland; that was about as far apart as you could get. It must be, she finally decided, a connection in the distant past.

Richard was still staring at the ceiling. She put her hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “How is your head?”

Richard jumped hard. He looked around and blinked at her. He rubbed his eyes. “What? ... I was asleep. What did you say?”

Kahlan frowned. “You weren’t asleep.”

“Yes I was. Sound asleep.”

Kahlan felt a flutter of apprehension. “Your eyes were wide open. I was watching you.” She left unsaid that as far as she knew, only wizards slept with their eyes open.

“Really?” He looked around. “Where are those leaves?”

“Here. Does it still hurt bad?”

“Yes.” He sat up. “But it’s been worse.” He put some of the leaves in his mouth and ran his fingers through his hair. “At least I can talk.” He smiled at her. “And I can smile without my face feeling like it’s going to break.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t go shoot arrows today if you don’t feel well enough.”

“Savidlin said I couldn’t back out. I’m not going to let him down. Besides, I really want to see this bow he made for me. It’s been ... Well, I don’t even remember how long it’s been since I shot a bow.”

After he chewed some of Nissel’s leaves for a while, they folded up the blankets and went looking for Savidlin. They found him at his home, listening to Siddin telling stories of what it was like to ride a dragon. Savidlin liked listening to stories. Even though it was a little boy telling them, he listened with the same interest he would accord a hunter returning from a journey. Kahlan noted with pride that the little boy was giving a remarkably accurate rendition, without fanciful embellishment.

Siddin wanted to know if he could have a dragon for a pet. Savidlin told him the red dragon was not a pet, but a friend to their people. He told him to find a red chicken, and he could have that.

Weselan was cooking a pot of some sort of porridge with eggs mixed in. She asked Richard and Kahlan to join them and passed each a bowl as they sat on a skin on the floor. She gave them flat tava bread to fold and use as a scoop for the porridge.

Richard had her ask Savidlin if he had a drill of any kind. Savidlin leaned way back, and with a finger and thumb pulled a thin rod from a pouch beneath a bench. He handed the rod to Richard, who had the dragon’s tooth out. Richard turned the rod around with a puzzled look, put it at the base of the tooth, and twisted it experimentally.

Savidlin laughed. “You want a hole in that?” Richard nodded. Savidlin held out his hand. “Give it to me. I will show you how it is done.”

Savidlin used his knifepoint to start a small hole and then held the tooth between his feet as he sat on the floor. He placed a few grains of sand in the hole, followed by the rod. He spat in his palms and then spun the rod back and forth rapidly between his hands, stopping occasionally to drop a few more grains of sand down the hole and wipe a little spittle into the opening. In a little while, he had drilled all the way through the tooth. He used his knife to clean the burrs from where the drill went through the other side of the tooth, and then held it up, grinning, showing off the hole. Richard laughed and thanked him as he strung a leather thong to the tooth. He hung it around his neck with the Bird Man’s whistle and the Mord-Sith’s Agiel.

He was getting quite a collection. Some of it she didn’t like.

Wiping out his porridge bowl with a piece of tava bread, Savidlin asked, “Is your head better?”

“It’s better, but still hurts something fierce. Nissel’s leaves help. I’m embarrassed I had to be carried back last night.”

Savidlin laughed. “One time, I had a bad hurt, here.” He pointed at a round scar in his side. “I was carried home by women.” He leaned closer and lifted an eyebrow. “Women!” Weselan cast a disapproving eye toward him. He made a point of not noticing. “When my men found out I was carried home by women, they had a good laugh over it.” He put the last of the tava bread in his mouth and chewed for a few minutes. “Then I told them which women carried me home, and they stopped laughing and wanted to know how to get a hurt like mine so they too could be carried home by those women.”

“Savidlin!” Weselan scolded in a scandalized tone. She turned to them. “If he didn’t already have a hurt, I would have given him one. A good one.”

“So how did you get this hurt?” Richard asked.

Savidlin shrugged. “Like I told my men: it was easy. You just stand there like a surprised rabbit while a trespasser puts a spear through you.”

“And why didn’t he finish you?”

“Because I put a few ten-step arrows in him.” He pointed at his throat. “Here.”

“What’s a ten-step arrow?”

Savidlin reached to the side and pulled a barbed, fine-pointed arrow from his quiver. “One of these. See the dark stain? Poison. Ten-step poison. When it sticks you, you get only ten steps, and then you are dead.” He laughed. “My men decided to think of a different way to get those women to carry them.”

Weselan leaned over and stuffed the rest of her tava bread in her husband’s mouth. She turned to Kahlan. “Men enjoy telling the most awful stories.” She broke into a shy smile. “But I worried for him until he was well. I knew he was well when he came to me and made Siddin. Then I did not worry anymore.”

Kahlan realized she had translated before she had paid attention to the meaning of the words. She felt her ears burn. Instead of looking at Richard, she paid close attention to eating her porridge. She was glad her hair covered her ears, at least.

Savidlin gave Richard a look of a put-upon male. “You will find that women, too, like to tell stories.”

Kahlan tried desperately to think of a new direction for the conversation. She couldn’t. Thankfully, Savidlin did. He leaned back, looking out the door.

“It will soon be the time to go.”

“How do you know what time we are to go?”

Savidlin shrugged. “I am here, you are here, some of the men are here. When they are all here, that is the time to go.”

Savidlin went to the corner and retrieved a bow that was taller than the one Kahlan had seen him use before. Taller for Richard. With the aid of his foot, Savidlin stretched the cord to the bow.

Richard had a wide grin on his face. He told Savidlin it was the finest bow he had ever seen. Savidlin beamed with pride and gave him a quiver full of arrows.

Richard tested the weight of the draw. “How did you know how strong to make the pull? It’s just right.”

Savidlin pointed at his chin. “I remembered how strong your respect for my strength was when we first met. It is too heavy for me, but I estimated it was right for you.”

Kahlan stood up next to Richard. “Are you sure you want to go? How does your head feel?”

“Terrible. But I have the leaves; they help a little. I think I’ll be all right. Savidlin is looking forward to this. I don’t want to disappoint him.”

She rubbed her hand on his shoulder. “Should I come with you?”

Richard kissed her forehead. “I don’t think I’ll need anyone to translate to tell me how badly I’m being beaten. And I don’t think I want to give Chandalen’s men any excuse to humiliate me any worse than they are already going to.”

“Zedd told me you were pretty good. In fact, he told me you were better than good.”

Richard stole a look at Savidlin, who was stringing his own bow. “It’s been a long time since I’ve shot a bow. Zedd was just trying to stir up trouble, I’ll bet.”

He stole a kiss while Savidlin was finishing and then went out the door with him. Kahlan leaned against the doorframe, still feeling the print of his lips on hers as she watched him walking away.

Showing no emotion, Chandalen stared up from sighting down one of his arrows. Prindin and Tossidin flashed sly smiles. They were looking forward to this. Richard glanced around, meeting the eyes of all the men as he walked past. They fell in behind him. He was a good head taller than any of them. They looked like a bunch of children following an adult. But these children had poison arrows, and some of them didn’t hold any favor for Richard. Suddenly she didn’t like this.

Weselan stood next to her, watching the men go. “Savidlin said he will watch Richard’s back. Don’t be concerned, Chandalen would not do anything foolish.”

“I worry about what Chandalen considers foolish.”

Weselan wiped her hands on a cloth, turning back to keep a watchful eye on Siddin. Siddin wanted to go out, and was sitting, poking a finger along the ground, looking dejected because his mother said she wanted him to stay inside. Weselan stood over him a long moment watching. He looked up, his chin resting in one palm. She gave him a gentle snap with the cloth.

“Go outside and play.” Weselan sighed as he tore through the door with a squeal of glee. She shook her head to herself. “The young don’t know how dear life is. Or how fragile.”

“Maybe that is why we all wish we were young again.”

Weselan nodded. “Maybe so.” A handsome smile came to her tanned face. Her dark eyes sparkled. “What color would you like to wear when you wed your man?”

With both hands, Kahlan pulled her long hair back over her shoulders and thought a minute. A smile welled up from within. “Richard favors blue.”

Weselan twined her fingers together. “Oh, that would be just right, then. I have just the thing. I have been saving it for something special.”

She went into her small bedroom and came back with a bundle. Sitting on the bench next to Kahlan, she carefully unfolded it in her lap. The cloth was finely woven, a rich blue with a print of lighter blue flowers dappled across it. Kahlan thought it would make a gorgeous dress.

She tested the weave between her finger and thumb. “It’s beautiful. Where did you get it?”

“I traded for it.” She flicked her hand over her head. “With people from the north. They like the bowls I make. I traded with them for it.”

Kahlan knew fine cloth when she saw it. Weselan would have had to make many bowls for this cloth. “I wouldn’t feel right using it, Weselan. You worked hard for this. It is yours.”

Weselan held up the corners of the blue fabric, giving it a critical appraisal. “Nonsense. You two come here and teach our people how to make roofs that don’t leak. You save Siddin from those shadow things, and in the process rid us of an old fool and make it so Savidlin can be one of the six elders. He has never been so happy. When Siddin is carried off, you find him and bring him back to us. You destroy the man who would have enslaved us. You two are guardians to our people. What is a piece of cloth?”

“I will be proud the Mother Confessor of all the Midlands is wedded in a dress I make. Me, just a simple woman. For you, my friend, from all those faraway places, with all those grand things that I cannot even imagine. You would not be taking something from me. You would be giving me something.”

Kahlan’s eyes filled with tears. Her lower lip trembled. “You can’t know the joy you have given me, Weselan. To be a Confessor is to be feared. My whole life, people have feared and shunned me. No one has ever treated me as just a woman, talked to me as a woman. Only as a Confessor. No one before Richard ever saw me as a person. No woman before you ever welcomed me into her home. No woman has ever let me hold her child.” She wiped away some of the tears. “It will be the most beautiful dress I have ever worn, the most treasured dress I will ever have. I will wear it, proud that a friend made it for me.”

Weselan gave her a sidelong look. “When your man sees you in this dress, he will make you a child of your own.”

Kahlan laughed and cried and hugged her. She had never dared to dream that all these things could happen in her life, that she could ever be treated as anything but a Confessor.

Kahlan and Weselan spent the better part of the morning starting the dress. Weselan seemed as excited about making the dress as Kahlan was about wearing it. The seamstresses back in Aydindril had nothing over Weselan with her fine bone needles. They settled on a simple design fashioned something like a kirtle.

They had a light lunch of tava bread and chicken broth. Weselan said she would work on the dress later, and asked what Kahlan wanted to do in the afternoon. Kahlan said she really would like to cook something.

Kahlan never ate meat when she was here before on official business because she knew the Mud People ate human flesh, ate their enemies to gain their knowledge. To avoid offending them, she had always used the excuse that she didn’t eat meat. The night before, Richard had reacted strangely to eating meat, so Kahlan didn’t say anything to change the menu when Weselan suggested a vegetable stew.

The two of them cut up tava, some other rust-colored roots Kahlan didn’t recognize, peppers, beans, some nutty kuru, and then added greens and dried mushrooms into the big iron kettle hanging over the little fire in the corner cooking hearth. Weselan pushed a few sticks of hardwood into the fire as she told Kahlan the men probably wouldn’t be back until dark. She suggested they go to the common area with the other women and bake some tava bread in the ovens.

“I would like that,” Kahlan said.

“We will talk about the wedding with them. Talk of weddings always makes for good conversation.” She smiled. “Especially when there are no men around.”

Kahlan was happy to find that the young women talked to her now. In the past they had always been too shy. The older women wanted to talk about the marriage. The younger women wanted to talk about faraway places. They wanted to know if it was really true that men followed her orders, that they did as she said.

Their eyes were wide as Kahlan told them about the Central Council and how she protected the interests of peoples like the Mud People from the threat of invasion by more powerful lands so the Mud People and others in small communities could live as they wished. She explained that although she was able to command people, she did so only because she was the servant to all the people. When they asked if she commanded armies of men in battle, Kahlan told them that it wasn’t like that; that what she did was try to help the different lands work together so there wouldn’t be fighting. They wanted to know how many servants she had and what sorts of fabulous dresses she had. The questions were beginning to make the older women nervous, and to frustrate Kahlan.

She flopped a ball of dough down on the board, sending up a little cloud of flour. She looked the younger women in the eye.

“The prettiest dress I will ever have will be the dress Weselan is making me, because she is doing it out of friendship, and not because I commanded her to make it. There is no possession to compare to friendship. I would give up everything I have, and live in rags, and grub for roots, just to have one friend.”

That seemed to quiet the young girls, and settle the older women. The chatter drifted back to the subject of the wedding, and Kahlan was happy to let it. She tried to keep out of it, to let the older women lead the talk.

Near the end of the afternoon, Kahlan saw a commotion across the field. She saw a taller figure, Richard, taking long strides toward Savidlin and Weselan’s home. Even from a distance, she could tell he was angry. A throng of hunters followed in his wake, trotting at times to keep pace.

Kahlan wiped her flour-covered hands on a cloth. She threw the cloth on a table as she stepped off the plank floor of the shelter and jogged the distance to the men. She caught them as they went down a wide passageway.

Pushing through the hunters, she finally caught up with Richard just before he reached Savidlin’s doorway. Chandalen was right at his heels, along with Savidlin. Chandalen had blood down his shoulder, with some kind of mud pack over a wound on top. He looked to be in a mood to chew rocks.

She grabbed Richard’s sleeve. He spun around with a hot expression that cooled a little when he saw it was her. He removed his hand from the hilt of the sword.

“Richard, what’s wrong?”

He glared around at the men, mostly Chandalen, then settled his gaze back on her. “I need you to translate. We had a little ... ‘adventure’ ... this afternoon. I haven’t been able to make them understand what happened.”

“I want to know how he could dare to try to kill me!” Chandalen was saying over Richard’s words.

“What’s he talking about? He wants to know why you tried to kill him.”

“Kill him! I saved his fool life. Don’t ask me why! I should have let him get killed! The next time I will!” He ran his fingers through his hair. “My head is killing me.”

Chandalen pointed angrily at the wound on the top of his shoulder. “You did this deliberately! I saw how you shoot! It could not have been an accident!”

Richard threw his hands in the air. “Idiot!” he said to the sky. He lowered his glare to Chandalen’s fierce eyes. “Yes, you saw me shoot! Do you have any doubt that if I wanted to kill you, you would not be breathing right now! Of course I did it deliberately! It was the only way to save you!” He reached over her shoulder, putting his hand close to Chandalen’s face, holding his first finger and thumb half an inch apart. “This is all the room I had! At the most! If I didn’t take it, you would be dead!”

“What do you mean?” Chandalen demanded.

Kahlan put a hand on his arm. “Calm down, Richard. Just tell us what happened.”

“He couldn’t understand me. None of them could. I couldn’t explain it to them.” He looked at her in frustration. “I killed a man today.”

“What!” she whispered. “You killed one of Chandalen’s men?”

“No! That’s not what they’re angry about. They’re happy I killed him. I was saving Chandalen’s life! But they think ...”

She collected herself. “Just calm down. I will explain your words to them.”

Richard nodded and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. He looked down at the ground as he combed the fingers of both hands through his hair. He looked back up. “I’m only going to explain this once, Chandalen. If you can’t get it through your thick head, then we are going to stand at opposite ends of the village and shoot arrows at each other until we can’t argue anymore. And I will only need one arrow.”

Chandalen lifted an eyebrow and folded his muscular arms. “So explain.”

Richard took a deep breath. “You were standing a long way off. For some reason, I knew he was there, behind you. I spun around. All I could see of him ... here, like this.” He grabbed Kahlan by her shoulders and turned her around, facing Chandalen. He held her shoulders and ducked down behind her. “Like this. I couldn’t see any of him but the top of his head. He had his spear ready. In one second more, he would have put it through your back. I had only one chance to keep him from killing you. Only one chance. I couldn’t see enough of him; there was nothing else to shoot at from where I was. Only the very top of his head.”

“The top of his forehead sloped back. If I hit it too high, the arrow would have deflected off, and he would have killed you. The only way to stop him, to kill him, was to let the arrow nick the top of your shoulder.”

He held his finger and thumb half an inch apart again. “This is all I had. If I put the arrow that much lower, your bone would have deflected the arrow, and he would have had you. If I would have put it that much higher, just enough not to nick you, he would have lived, and you would be dead. I knew Savidlin’s bladed arrow could pass through a little of your flesh and allow me to kill him. There was no time for anything else. I had to shoot instantly. I think a dozen stitches is a light price to pay for your life.”

Chandalen’s eyes looked a little less sure. “How do I know you are telling the truth?”

Richard shook his head, muttering. He suddenly thought of something. He snatched a cloth sack from one of Chandalen’s men. He thrust his hand in the sack and pulled out a head, lifting it by blood-soaked, matted hair.

Kahlan gasped. She put a hand over her mouth as she turned away. But before she did, she saw an arrow jutting from the center of the forehead, the blade end sticking from the back of the head.

Richard held the head behind Chandalen’s shoulder and laid the feathers of the shaft on his shoulder, next to the wound.

“This is all I saw. If it were not as I say, if he had been standing straighter, and I put the arrow where I did, it would not have touched you.”

The hunters all started nodding and whispering among themselves. Chandalen looked down at the shaft of the arrow lying on his shoulder. He looked back at the head. He thought about it a minute and then unfolded his arms and took the head, stuffing it back in the sack.

“I have been stitched before. A few more will not hurt me. I will take your words as true. This time.”

Richard put his fists on his hips as he watched Chandalen and his men walking away. “You’re welcome,” he called after them.

Kahlan didn’t translate that. “Why do they have that head?”

“Don’t ask me. It wasn’t my idea. And you don’t want to know what they did with the rest of him.”

“Richard, that seems a risky shot to me. How far were you when you shot that arrow?”

The heat left his voice. “Not risky at all, believe me. And I was at least a hundred paces.”

“You can shoot an arrow that accurately at a hundred paces?”

He sighed. “I’m afraid I could have done it at twice that distance. Three times that distance.” He looked down at the blood on his hands. “I have to go wash this off. Kahlan, in about two minutes my head is going to explode. I have to sit down. Could you please go get Nissel? Yelling at that idiot was the only thing keeping me on my feet.”

She put a hand on his arm. “Of course. Go on inside, I’ll go get her.”

“I think Savidlin is angry with me too. Please tell him that I’m sorry I ruined so many of his arrows.”

She frowned as Richard went inside, closing the door. Savidlin looked as if he was about to speak to her. She took him by the arm.

“Richard needs Nissel. Come with me, and tell me what happened.”

Savidlin cast a glance over his shoulder at the door to his home as they hurried away. “Richard With The Temper seems to be living up to his name.”

“He is upset because he killed a man. It is not an easy thing to live with.”

“He didn’t tell you all of the story. There was more to it.”

“So tell me.”

He looked over with a grave expression. “We were shooting. Chandalen was angry, because of the shots Richard was making. He said Richard was a demon and went off and stood in the tall grass by himself. The rest of us were standing off to the other side, watching Richard shoot. The things he was doing did not seem possible. He nocked an arrow. Suddenly, he spun around toward Chandalen. Before we could even shout, Richard shot an arrow at Chandalen as he stood there with his arms folded. He had no weapon in his hand. None of us could believe Richard would do this.”

“As the arrow was still flying toward Chandalen, two of his men, who had arrows nocked, drew their bows. The first one shot a ten-step arrow at Richard before his own arrow even reached Chandalen.”

Kahlan was incredulous. “He shot at Richard, and missed? Chandalen’s men don’t miss.”

Savidlin’s voice was low, and trembled slightly. “He would not have missed. But Richard spun, pulling his last arrow from his quiver, a bladed arrow, and shot. I have never seen anyone do such a thing so fast.” He hesitated, as if he didn’t think she would believe him. “Richard’s bladed arrow met the other in the air and split it in half. Each half went to one side of Richard.”

Kahlan halted Savidlin with a hand on his arm. “Richard hit the other arrow while it was in the air?”

He nodded slowly. “And then the other man shot. Richard had no more arrows. He stood, his bow in one hand, and waited. It too was a ten-step arrow. I could hear it ripping the air.”

Savidlin looked around, as if not wanting anyone else to hear. “Richard snatched it right out of the air with his hand. He had his fist around its middle. He put the man’s arrow in his own bow and drew it on Chandalen’s men. He was yelling at them. We couldn’t understand his words, but they dropped their bows on the ground and put their arms out to the sides, to show him their empty hands. We all thought Richard With The Temper had become crazy. We thought he might kill us all. We were all very afraid.”

“Then Prindin called out. He had found the man behind Chandalen. We all saw then, that Richard had killed a trespasser who was armed with a spear. We realized Richard had been trying to kill the invader, not Chandalen. Chandalen, though, was not so certain. He thought Richard cut him with his arrow on purpose. Chandalen became even angrier when his men all went and gave Richard slaps of respect.”

Kahlan stared at him. She couldn’t believe the things she was hearing. Most of it sounded impossible. “Richard wanted me to tell you he was sorry he ruined your arrows. What was he talking about?”

“Do you know what a shaft shot is?”

Kahlan nodded. “It’s when you shoot an arrow through another already in the center of the target, and split the shaft of the first. The Home Guard in Aydindril gave ribbons for doing it. I have seen a few men with a half dozen ribbons. I knew one with ten.”

Savidlin reached around and pulled a fat bundle from his quiver. Every arrow was split. “It would be easier to give Richard With The Temper a ribbon if he ever missed. He would have no ribbons. He ruined over a hundred arrows today. Arrows take time to make. They are not to be wasted, but the men kept wanting him to do it again, because they had never seen anything like it before. One time, he put six arrows through the first, one right on top of the other.”

“We shot rabbits, and cooked them over a fire. Richard sat with us, and then when we started eating, he wouldn’t eat with us. He looked sick, and went off and shot arrows by himself until we were finished. Later, after we ate, is when he killed the man.”

She nodded. “We better hurry and get Nissel.” She glanced over as they walked along. “Savidlin, why did those men have that head? How can they be so gruesome?”

“Did you see that there was black painted over the eyes of the dead man? That was to hide him from our spirits, so he could sneak up on us. A man who comes onto our land with black over his eyes comes for only one reason: to kill. Chandalen’s men put the heads of men like that on poles at the edge of our land to warn others who would paint black on their eyes.”

“It may seem gruesome to you, but in the end it makes for much less killing. Do not think less of Chandalen’s men for taking a head. They do it today not because they like it, but so there will be less killing tomorrow.”

Kahlan suddenly felt foolish. “I guess that, just as Chandalen, I am guilty of judging too quickly. Forgive me, Elder Savidlin, for thinking things about your people that were wrong.”

He gave her a one-arm hug around her shoulders.

When they came back with the healer, they found Richard huddled in a corner, his fingers intertwined over his head. His skin was white, cold, and wet. Nissel gave him something to drink. After a few minutes, she gave him a small cube of something to swallow. Richard smiled when he saw it. He must have known what it was. Nissel sat on the floor next to him and felt his pulse for a long time. When a little of his color came back, she made him put his head back and open his mouth. She twisted a clove of something over his mouth, dripping the juice in. He made a face. Nissel smiled at that without comment.

She turned to Kahlan. “I think these things will help him. Tell him to keep chewing the leaves. Come get me if he needs me.”

“Nissel, is he going to get better soon? Shouldn’t he be getting better?”

The stooped old woman glanced down at Richard. “Spirit has a mind of its own. It doesn’t always listen. I think his does not want to listen.” She suddenly brightened at seeing the stricken look on Kahlan’s face. “Don’t worry, child. I can make even the spirit listen.”

Kahlan nodded. Nissel gave her a warm smile and a pat on the arm before she went on her way.

Richard looked up at Kahlan and Savidlin. “Did you tell him? Did you tell him I’m sorry about ruining all his arrows?”

Kahlan smiled a little to Savidlin. “He is worried about ruining so many arrows.”

Savidlin grunted. “It is my own fault. I made your bow too good.” Richard managed a laugh. “Weselan is off making bread. I must go see to some things. Rest well. We will be back when it is time to eat. We will eat together. It smells like my wife has made some good stew.”

After Savidlin left, Kahlan sat on the floor, tight against him.

“Richard, what happened today? Savidlin told me how you shot arrows today. You haven’t always been that good, have you?”

He wiped sweat off his brow with the back of his hand. “No. I’ve split arrows before, but not more than a half dozen in one day.”

“You’ve shot that many in one day before?”

He nodded. “On a good day, when I can feel the target. But today was different.”

“How?”

“Well, we went out on the plain, and my head was really starting to hurt. The men set up targets of bundled grass. I didn’t think I would even be able to hit a target, because my head hurt so much. But I didn’t want to disappoint Savidlin, so I tried anyway. When I shoot, I call the target to me.”

“What do you mean, you call the target to you?”

Richard shrugged. “I don’t know. I used to think everyone did it when they shot. But Zedd told me they don’t. I look at the target, and just sort of pull it to me. When I’m doing it right, it blocks out everything else. It’s only me and the target, as if it comes closer. Somehow, I know exactly how the arrow must be held to hit the target. When I’m doing it right, I can feel that the arrow is in the right place before I release the bowstring.”

“When I learned that I always hit the target when I had that certain feeling, I quit shooting arrows. I would just aim, trying to bring on the correct feel. I knew when I had it I wouldn’t miss, so I didn’t bother shooting. I would nock another arrow and try for the feel again. Over time, I learned to do it more often.”

“How was it different today?”

“Well, like I said, my head really hurt. I watched some of the other men shoot. They were very good. Savidlin started slapping me on the back, so I knew it was my turn. I figured I might as well get it over. My head felt as if it was going to split open. I drew the bow, and called the target to me.”

Richard ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know how to explain it. I called the target, and instantly, my headache was gone. No pain at all. The target came to me as it never had before. It felt like there was a notch in the air where I needed only to lay the arrow. I have never felt it so strongly before. It was as if the target was huge. I knew it would be impossible to miss.”

“After a while, just for variation, instead of splitting the arrows already there, I would just shave off the red outside feather. When I did that, the men thought I had missed splitting the arrow already there. They had no idea I was doing something more difficult.”

“And your headache was completely gone?” He nodded. “Do you have any idea why all this was happening?”

Richard pulled his knees up and rested his forearms on them. He looked away from her face. “I’m afraid I do. It was magic.”

“Magic?” Kahlan whispered. “What do you mean?”

His eyes came back to her. “Kahlan, I don’t know what your magic feels like inside you, but I have felt magic. Every time I draw the Sword of Truth, magic flows into me, becomes part of me. I know what that magic feels like. I’ve felt it often enough, and in different ways, depending on how I use it. But because I have joined with the sword, I can sense the magic from it, even as it sits in its scabbard on my hip. Now I can call forth its magic without even having to draw the sword. I can sense it, like a dog at my heel, ready to jump for me.”

“Today, when I drew the bow and called the target, I also called something else: magic.”

“When Zedd touched me before, to heal me, and when you touched me when you were in the Con Dar, I felt the magic. This was something like that. I knew it was magic. It felt different from yours and Zedd’s, but I recognized the texture of magic. I could feel the life of it, like a second breath. Alive.” Richard put a fist in the center of his chest. “I could feel it coming from inside me, building until I released it to call the target.”

Kahlan recognized in herself the feelings he was describing. “Maybe it has something to do with the sword.”

He shook his head. “I don’t know. I suppose it could be. But I couldn’t control it. After a while, it simply went away, like a candle blown out in the wind. It felt like suddenly being in darkness, as if I was suddenly blind. And the headache came back.”

“I couldn’t hit the target, and I couldn’t call it to me, so I just let the others shoot. The magic would come and go. I could never tell when it was going to happen. Then when the men started eating meat, I felt sick, and had to go away from them. I shot while they ate, and sometimes I could summon the magic and the headache would go away.”

“What about when you caught the arrow out of the air?”

He cast her a sidelong glance. “Savidlin told you about that, did he?” She nodded. Richard let out a deep breath. “That was the strangest of all. I don’t know how to explain it. Somehow, I made the air thicker.”

She leaned closer, studying his face. “Made the air thicker?”

He nodded again. “I knew I had to slow the arrow down, and the only thing I could think of was that if the air was thick, like it was those times with the sword, when the air got thick and stopped the sword, then maybe I had a chance. Otherwise, I was going to die. It just all came into my head at once, the idea, and the doing. Instantly.”

“I have no clue as to what I did. I just had the thought and I saw my hand snatch the arrow out of the air.”

He fell silent. Kahlan rubbed her thumb on the side of her boot heel. She didn’t know what to say. Fear was nibbling at the fringes of her mind. She flicked her eyes up for a glance at him. He was staring off into space.

“Richard,” she whispered, “I love you.”

His answer was a long moment in coming. “I love you too.” He turned to her. “Kahlan, I’m afraid.”

“Of what?”

“Something is going on. A screeling shows up, I have these headaches, you call down lightning, I do what I did today. The only thing I can think to do is to go to Aydindril and find Zedd. All these things have something to do with magic.”

She didn’t think he was necessarily wrong, but put some other answers to them anyway. “Me calling down the lightning has to do with my magic. Not you. Though I don’t know how I did it, I did it to protect you. The screeling, I think, is from the underworld. That has nothing to do with us. It is just something evil. The magic with you today ... Well, that could have something to do with the magic from the sword. I just don’t know.”

“And the headaches?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted at last.

“Kahlan, the headaches might kill me. I don’t know how I know that, but I know it’s true. It’s not just a simple headache. It’s something else. I don’t know what.”

“Richard, please don’t say that. You’re scaring me.”

“Scares me, too. One reason I was angry at Chandalen was because I fear he may be right about me. About me bringing trouble.”

“Maybe we should start thinking about getting out of here. Getting to Zedd.”

“And what about the headaches? Much of the time, I can’t even stand. I can’t stop every ten paces to shoot an arrow.”

She swallowed past the lump in her throat. “Maybe Nissel can find an answer.”

He shook his head. “She can help only a little, and only for a time. Soon, I don’t think she is going to be able to do anything. I’m afraid I might die.”

Kahlan started crying. Richard leaned back against the wall, put his arm around her shoulders, and pulled her against him. He started to say something else, but she put her fingers over his lips. She pressed her face against him as she cried, clutching at his shirt. It seemed as if everything was slowly starting to unravel. He held her and let her cry.

Kahlan began to realize she was being selfish. It was him these things were happening to. He was the one in pain, in danger. She should be comforting him, not the other way around.

“Richard Cypher, if you think this is going to get you out of marrying me, you had better think again.”

“Kahlan, I’m not ... I swear ...”

She smiled and gently touched his cheek as she kissed him. “I know. Richard, we’ve solved problems a lot bigger than this one. We will figure it out. I promise. We have to; Weselan has already started my dress.”

Richard put some of Nissel’s leaves in his mouth. “Really? I bet you are going to look beautiful in it.”

“Well, if you want to find out, you are just going to have to marry me.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Savidlin, Weselan, and Siddin returned a short time later. Richard had closed his eyes and rested as he chewed the leaves, and he said his head felt a little better. Siddin was excited. He was a local celebrity, having ridden on a dragon. He had spent the better part of the day telling other children what it had been like. Now he wanted to sit in Kahlan’s lap and tell her about how he had been the center of attention.

She listened with a smile while they all ate stew and tava bread. Like her, Richard didn’t want any cheese. Savidlin offered him a piece of smoked meat. Richard politely declined.

As they were finishing their meal, a grim-faced Bird Man, ringed by men with spears, showed up at the door. Everyone set their bowls down and stood. Kahlan didn’t like the look on his face.

Richard stepped forward. “What is it? What’s happened?”

The Bird Man took in everyone with a sweep of his eyes. “Three women, strangers, have come on horses.”

Kahlan wondered why three women would bring men with spears around the Bird Man. “What do they want?”

“They are difficult to understand. They speak only a little of our language. I believe they want Richard. They seemed to say they want Richard and they want to see his parents.”

“My parents! Are you sure?”

“I think that is what they were trying to say. They said for you not to try to run any more. That they have come for you, and you must not run. They told me I must not interfere.”

Richard unconsciously loosened his sword in its scabbard, his brow taking on a hawklike set. “Where are they?”

“I had them wait in the spirit house.”

Kahlan hooked some hair behind her ear. “Did they say who they are?”

The Bird Man’s long silver hair gleamed in the light of the setting sun coming from behind him. “They called themselves the Sisters of the Light.”

Kahlan’s breath caught in her throat; goose bumps rippled up her arms. Her insides felt as if they had been twisted into an icy knot.

She couldn’t make her eyes blink.

Chapter 9

Richard frowned. “Well? Who are they? What did he say?”

Still, she couldn’t make her eyes blink. She could only manage a whisper. “He said they are the Sisters of the Light.”

He stared at her a long moment. “Who are the Sisters of the Light?”

Finally, she blinked and looked over at him. “I don’t know a whole lot about them. No one does. Richard, I think we should leave.” Kahlan clamped both hands on his arm. “Please? Let’s go. Right now.”

Richard’s gaze glided over the men with spears, stopping on the Bird Man. “Thank him for coming to us. Tell him we will take care of it.”

After the Bird Man nodded and he and his men left, and they had told Savidlin they would go alone, Richard led her outside by the arm. They went around a few corners and he pushed her gently up against a wall, holding her by her upper arms.

“All right, you may not know a lot about them, but you know something. Tell me what it is. I don’t need to be a mind reader to tell you know something, and you’re afraid.”

“They have something to do with wizards. With those with the gift.”

“What do you mean?”

Kahlan put her hands on his arms the way he had his on hers. “One time when I was traveling with Wizard Giller, we were sitting around talking. You know, about life, dreams, things like that. Giller was a wizard by calling. He didn’t have the gift, just the calling. Being a wizard had been his lifelong ambition, his calling. Zedd had taught him to be a wizard. Only, because of the wizard’s web Zedd put over everyone when he left the Midlands, Giller didn’t remember Zedd. No one did. No one even remembered his name.”

“Anyway, I asked him if he ever wished he had more than the calling. If he wished he had the gift. He smiled and daydreamed about it a minute. Then his smile went away. His face turned white, and he said no, he didn’t wish he had the gift.”

“I was puzzled by the look of fear on his face. Wizards don’t often get a look like that over a simple question. I asked him why he wouldn’t want to have the gift. He said because if he had the gift, he would have to face the Sisters of the Light.”

“I asked him who they were, but he wouldn’t tell me anything about them. He said it was best not to even mention their name aloud. He begged me not to ask him any more on the subject. I still remember how much the look on his face scared me.”

“Do you know where they’re from?”

“I’ve been almost everywhere in the Midlands. I’ve never heard of them being seen anywhere. And I’ve asked.”

Richard let go of her and put a fist on his hip. With his other hand, he squeezed his lower lip to a point as he thought. Finally he folded his arms and turned around. “The gift. So we’re back to the gift. I thought we were done with this nonsense. I don’t have the gift!”

She knitted her fingers together. “Richard please, let’s just get away. If a wizard was afraid of the Sisters of the Light ... Let’s just get away from here.”

“And what if they follow? What if they catch up with us when the headache has me flat on my back, when I’m defenseless?”

“Richard, I don’t know anything about them. But if a wizard is that afraid of them ... What if we are defenseless right now?”

“I am the Seeker. I am not defenseless. But I might be later. Better to meet them on my terms than theirs. And I’m tired of hearing about the gift! I don’t have it and I’m going to put an end to this nonsense right now.”

She took a deep breath and nodded. “All right. I guess the Seeker and the Mother Confessor are not without defenses.”

He gave her a stern look. “You’re not coming.”

“Do you have a rope?”

Richard frowned. “No. Why?”

She lifted an eyebrow. “You will have a hard time stopping me if you don’t have a rope to tie me up.”

“Kahlan, I’m not letting you ...”

“And I’m not giving you a chance to have a look at a woman you might fancy more than me, without being there to give her a whack.”

He watched her with an exasperated expression, and then leaned forward and kissed her. “All right. But let’s not have an ‘adventure’?”

She smiled. “We will just tell these three you don’t have the gift, send them on their way, and then I’m going to give you a serious kiss.”

The sky was darkening into a deep blue when they reached the spirit house. Three strong horses were tethered a short distance away. Their saddles were different from any she had seen before, with high pommels and cantles. As they paused in front of the door, the air was cold enough to show their breath. Richard and Kahlan gave each other a smile and a squeeze of the hand. Richard checked that the sword was clear in its scabbard. He took a deep breath and pulled open the door. Kahlan wore her Confessor’s face, as her mother had taught her.

The inside of the spirit house was lit by a small fire and two torches in brackets, one to each side of the fireplace. Their packs still sat to the side. The air smelled of pitch and the balsam-scented sticks that were always burned in the spirit house to make the ancestors’ spirits welcome. Torchlight flickered on the skulls of ancestors sitting on a single shelf. The dirt floor was dry, since Richard had used the spirit house to teach the Mud People to make roofs that didn’t leak.

The three women stood straight and tall in the center of the single-roomed, windowless building. Their brown, heavy wool cloaks hung almost to the ground. The hoods were up, partly shadowing their faces. They wore long, divided riding skirts of different, dark, muted colors, and simple white blouses.

They pushed back their hoods. The one in the middle, a few inches taller than the other two, but not as tall as Kahlan, had brown hair with some curl and body to it. The one to her right had straight, black, shoulder length hair, and the other’s was curly, short, and dark, with streaks of gray. Each had her hands clasped at ease in front of her.

It was the only thing at ease about them. Their mature faces wore looks that reminded Kahlan of the headmistress of the maidservants back in Aydindril. It was a countenance of authority they appeared to have held so long that it had worn permanent creases. Kahlan took a second glance at their hands to see if they were empty; they looked like they should be carrying switches. Their eyes watched, as if ready to silence any impudence.

The woman in the middle spoke. “You two are Richard’s parents?” Her voice wasn’t quite as harsh as Kahlan expected, but still carried a clear tone of authority.

Richard glowered at them, looking as if just his look might push the three back a pace. He waited until the glare caused them to blink, before he spoke. “No. I am Richard. My parents are dead. My mother since I was young, and my father since the end of summer.”

The three exchanged sidelong glances.

Kahlan saw the anger in his eyes. He was bleeding magic from the sword without even drawing it. She could tell the sword was only a blink away from coming out. She could see by the look in his eyes that he would not hesitate if these women did anything wrong.

“That is not possible,” the taller one in the center said. “You are ... old.”

“Not as old as you,” Richard snapped.

Their cheeks colored. The woman’s eyes flashed an angry scowl, but she quickly softened it. “We did not mean to say you are old, we meant to say you are older than we expected. I am Sister Verna Sauventreen.”

The black-haired woman to her right spoke. “I am Sister Grace Rendall.”

“I am Sister Elizabeth Myric,” the third said.

Sister Verna turned her stern expression on Kahlan. “And who would you be, child.”

Kahlan didn’t know if it was Richard’s attitude causing it, but she felt her blood heating, too. She gritted her teeth. “I am not your ‘child.’ I am the Mother Confessor.” Kahlan’s tone could carry authority, too, when she wished it to.

It was almost imperceptible, but the three flinched. Together, they bowed their heads slightly.

“Forgive us, Mother Confessor.”

The air of threat in the spirit house was still palpable. Kahlan realized her hands were fists. It came to her that she felt this way because they were a threat to Richard. She decided it was time to act like the Mother Confessor.

“Where are you three from?” she asked in an icy voice.

“We are from ... far away.”

Kahlan’s glare was beginning to match Richard’s. “In the Midlands, a bow to the Mother Confessor is done on at least one knee.” It was a custom she almost never had any interest in enforcing, but she felt the need now.

The three leaned back as one, standing straighter. Their indignant frowns deepened.

It was enough to bring out the sword.

The distinctive ringing of steel hung in the air. Richard said nothing; he simply stood holding the sword in both hands. Kahlan could see his muscles straining to be released. The Sword of Truth’s magic danced dangerously in his eyes. She was glad his glower wasn’t directed at her; it was frightening. The three didn’t appear to be as frightened by it as she would have expected, but they turned to her, and together, went to one knee, bowing their heads again.

“Forgive us, Mother Confessor,” Sister Grace said. “We are not familiar with your customs. We meant no offense.” They kept their heads down.

Kahlan waited the appropriate period, and then added a few long seconds. “Rise, my children.”

When they came to their feet they clasped their hands in front again.

Sister Verna took a deep, impatient breath. “We are not here to frighten you, Richard. We are here to help you. Put the sword away.” The last held a harsh hint of command to it.

Richard didn’t move. “I was told you said you came for me, whatever that means, and that I must not run. I haven’t been running. I am the Seeker. I will decide when to put away the sword.”

“The Se ...” Sister Elizabeth almost shouted. “You are the Seeker?”

The three exchanged looks again.

“State your business,” Richard said. “Now.”

Sister Grace took an impatient breath this time. “Richard, we are not here to harm you. Are you that afraid of three women?”

“Even one woman is cause enough for fear. I have learned that lesson the hard way. I no longer harbor foolish inhibitions about killing women. Last time offered: state your business, or this conversation is ended.”

She glanced to the Agiel around his neck. “Yes, we can see you have learned some lessons.” Her face softened a little. “Richard, you need our help. We have come because you have the gift.”

Richard looked at each of them before he again spoke. “You have been seriously misinformed. I don’t have the gift nor do I want anything to do with it.”

He slid the sword back into its scabbard. “I’m sorry you have come a long way for nothing.” He took Kahlan’s arm. “The Mud People don’t like outsiders. Their weapons are tipped with poison, and they are not shy about using them. I will tell them to grant you safe passage out of their land. I advise you not to test their restraint.”

Richard led Kahlan by the arm toward the door. She could feel the rage radiating from him, could see the anger in his eyes, and something else, too: his headache. She could see the pain he suffered.

“The headaches will kill you,” Sister Grace said quietly.

Richard froze in his tracks, his chest heaving as he stared ahead at nothing. “I’ve had headaches all my life. I’m used to them.”

“Not like these,” Sister Grace pressed. “We can see it in your eyes. We recognize the headaches of the gift. It’s our job.”

“There is a healer here who is taking care of them. She is very good. She has already helped me, and I am confident she will soon cure me of them.”

“She can’t. No one can but us. If you don’t let us help you, the headaches will kill you. That is why we’re here; to help you, not to bring you to harm.”

Richard’s hand stretched for the latch. “You needn’t concern yourselves about me. I’m not cursed with the gift. Everything is under control. Safe journey to you, ladies.”

Kahlan gently put her hand on his arm, preventing him from reaching the latch. “Richard,” she whispered. “Maybe we should at least listen to them. What harm can there be in listening to them? Perhaps you could learn something useful to help the headaches.”

“I don’t have the gift! I don’t want anything to do with magic! Magic has caused me nothing but trouble, nothing but pain. I don’t have the gift and I don’t want it.” He reached for the latch again.

“And I suppose you are going to tell us that your eating habits haven’t changed, all of a sudden,” Sister Grace said. “I would say in just the last few days.”

Richard froze again. “Everyone has changes in mood about what they want to eat.”

“Has anyone watched you sleep?”

“What?”

“If anyone has watched you sleep, they will have noticed that you now sleep with your eyes open.”

Kahlan felt a cold wave of goose bumps. Everything was starting to connect. Wizards all had odd, specific eating habits, and they all slept with their eyes open, sometimes; even those without the gift. In those with the gift, like Zedd, it was more often.

“I don’t sleep with my eyes open. You are wrong.”

“Richard,” Kahlan whispered, “maybe we should listen to them. Hear what they have to say.”

He looked to her, as if pleading for her to help him escape this. Pleading for her help. “I don’t sleep with my eyes open.”

“Yes, you do.” She put a hand on his arm. “I have seen you sleeping for months as we were trying to stop Rahl. When I stood watch, I often saw you sleep. Only since we left D’Hara have I seen you sleep with your eyes open, just like Zedd does.”

Richard still had his back to the three women. “What do you want? How can you help me with the headaches?” he called to them.

“If we are to discuss this, we are not going to talk to the back of your head.” Sister Verna’s tone was like one used when talking to an obstinate child. “You will address us properly.”

It was the wrong tone to use on Richard at that moment. He yanked the door open and slammed it as he went out.

Kahlan thought the door might come off its hinges, but it didn’t. She felt heartsick about what she had said to him. He had wanted her to take his side; he was in no mood to hear the truth.

She was puzzled by his attitude. Richard was not one to avoid the truth. But he was deathly afraid of something. She turned and looked at the three women.

Sister Grace separated her hands and let them hang at her sides. “This is no game, Mother Confessor. If he isn’t helped by us, he is going to die. He doesn’t have much time.”

Kahlan nodded, her anger gone, replaced by an empty sadness. “I will go talk to him,” she said in a small voice that was almost lost in the large room. “Please wait here. I will bring him back.”

Richard was sitting on the ground, leaning against the short wall, right under where his sword had cut a swath the night before when the screeling had come. His elbows were on his knees, his hands over his head, fingers locked together. He didn’t look up. Kahlan sat tight against him.

“Your head hurts pretty bad right now, doesn’t it?”

He nodded. She pulled the dry shaft of a weed and held it between her hands as she rested her forearms on her knees. As if what she had said reminded him, he took some leaves out of his shirt pocket and put them in his mouth.

Kahlan stripped a little leaf off the stem. “Richard, tell me, what are you afraid of?”

He chewed the leaves a moment, and then lifted his head, leaning back. “Do you remember when the screeling came, and I said I sensed it, and you said maybe it was just that I heard it?” She nodded. “When I killed that man today, I sensed him too, just like the screeling. It was just the same. Danger. I didn’t know what either was, but I sensed the danger. I knew there was trouble, but I didn’t know what kind.”

“What does that have to do with the three in there?”

“Before we went in the spirit house, to see those women, I had the same sensation: danger. I don’t know what it means, but it’s the same feeling. Somehow, I know those women are going to come between us.”

“Richard, you don’t know that. They said only that they want to help you.”

“I do know. Just as I knew the screeling was there, and the man with the spear was there. These women are somehow a danger to me.”

Kahlan felt a lump growing in her throat. “You also said you know the headaches might kill you. Richard, I’m afraid for you.”

“And I’m afraid of magic. I hate magic. I hate the magic of the sword. I wish I could be rid of it. You can’t imagine the things I’ve had to do with it. You don’t know what it took to turn the blade white. Darken Rahl’s magic killed my father, and took my brother. It hurt a great many people.” He let out a deep breath. “I hate magic.”

“I have magic,” she said softly.

“And it almost kept us apart forever.”

“But it didn’t. You figured out how to make it work. Without my magic, I would never have met you.” She rubbed his arm. “Magic also gave Adie back her foot, and has helped a lot of others. Zedd is a wizard; he has the gift. Would you say that is bad? Zedd has always used his gift to help people.”

“Richard, you have magic too. You have the gift. You as much as admitted it. You used it to sense the screeling. You saved me. You used it to sense the man that was going to kill Chandalen. You saved him.”

“I don’t want to have magic.”

“It seems to me you are thinking of the problem, and not the solution. Isn’t that what you always say: think of the solution, not the problem?”

Richard thumped his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. He let out an exasperated breath. “Is this what being married to you is going to be like? For the rest of my life, you always telling me when I’m being stupid?”

She smiled. “Would you have me let you delude yourself?”

He scrubbed his hands on his face. “I guess not. My head hurts so much, I guess it’s keeping me from thinking straight.”

“Then let’s do something about it? Let’s go in and at least talk to the sisters, and hear what they have to say? They said they want to help.”

He gave her a dark look. “So did Darken Rahl.”

“Running away is not the solution. You didn’t run from Darken Rahl.”

He looked at her a long moment and then nodded. “I’ll listen.”

The three were standing where Kahlan had left them. They gave her small smiles of appreciation, apparently pleased she had brought him back. Richard and Kahlan stood close together in front of the three women.

“We will listen—listen—to what you have to say about my headaches.”

Sister Grace looked to Kahlan. “Thank you for your help, Mother Confessor, but we will speak with Richard alone now.”

Richard’s anger flared again, but he kept his tone in check. “Kahlan and I are to be married.” The three gave each other the look again. It was a little more serious this time. “What you have to say to me affects her, too. If you want to talk to me, she will stay and hear it too. Both of us, or neither. Choose.”

The looks were still passing between the three. At last Sister Grace spoke.

“Very well.”

“And the first thing you should know is that I don’t like magic, and I’m not convinced I have the gift. If I do, I am not pleased about it, and only want to be rid of it.”

“We are not here to please you; we are here to save your life. To do that we must teach you to use the gift. If you don’t learn to control it, it will kill you.”

“I understand. I had a similar problem with the Sword of Truth.”

“The first thing you must learn,” Sister Verna said, “is that just as the Mother Confessor is to be treated with deference, so are we. We have worked long and hard to become Sisters of the Light, and expect to be treated with due respect. I am Sister Verna, this is Sister Grace, and this is Sister Elizabeth.”

Richard glared at them. At last, he bowed his head. “As you wish. Sister Verna.” He regarded each in turn. “And who are the Sisters of the Light?”

“We are the ones who train wizards, those with the gift.”

“Where are the Sisters of the Light from?”

“We all live and work at the Palace of the Prophets.”

Kahlan frowned. “Sister Verna, I’ve never heard of the Palace of the Prophets. Where is it?”

“In the city of Tanimura.”

Kahlan’s frown deepened. “I know every city in the Midlands. I’ve never heard of Tanimura.”

Sister Verna held Kahlan’s gaze for a moment. “Nonetheless, that is where we are from.”

“Why were you surprised when you found out how old I am?”

“Because,” Sister Grace said, “it is almost unheard of for one with the gift not to come to our attention when he is still young.”

“How young?”

“At the very most, a third your age.”

“And why do you think I did not come to your attention?”

“Obviously, you have been hidden from us, somehow.”

Kahlan recognized that Richard was slipping into his Seeker’s role, seeking answers to his questions before he gave them anything they wanted.

“Did you train Zedd?”

“Who?”

“Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander, wizard of the First Order.”

The look passed between them again. “We don’t know First Wizard Zorander.”

“I thought it was your business to know of ones with the gift. Sister Verna?”

They stiffened. “You know this wizard of the First Order?”

“I do. Why don’t you?”

“Is he old?” Richard nodded. “Perhaps he was before our time.”

“Perhaps.” Richard, with a fist on his hip, strolled a few steps away and stopped with his back to them. “How do you know about me? Sister Elizabeth.”

“It is our business to know about those with the gift: wizards. Though you were obviously hidden from us, when you triggered the gift, we knew.”

“What if I don’t want to be a wizard?”

“That is your business. Ours is to teach you to control the magic. We are not here to force you to be a wizard, only to help you control the magic so you will live. Then you may be what you wish.”

Richard marched back and put his face close to Sister Verna. “How do you know I have the gift?”

“We are the Sisters of the Light. It is our business to know.”

“You thought I would be young. You thought I would be with my parents. You didn’t know I was the Seeker. You don’t know who the First Wizard is. You seem to be slipping in your business. Besides these errors, perhaps you are also mistaken about me having the gift, Sister Verna? Your mistakes do not inspire confidence. Does your position of respect tolerate such mistakes?”

Each woman’s face was crimson. Sister Verna controlled her voice with an effort. “Richard, our job, our calling, is to help those with the gift. We have devoted our lives to it. We are from far away. What we have learned has been done at a great distance. We don’t have all the answers. The matters you speak of are not important. What is important is that you have the gift, and if you don’t let us help you, you will die.”

“One reason we help those with the gift when they are young, and we wanted to see your parents, is because of the very difficulty we are having right now. If we can talk to the parents, we can help them see what is best for their son. Parents are more interested in the well-being of their children than one of your age is in himself. Teaching one of your age is going to be difficult. People are more easily taught when they are young.”

“Before they are able to think for themselves, Sister Verna?” She was silent. “I will ask again. How do you know I have the gift?”

Sister Grace smoothed her straight black hair. “When one is born with the gift, it lies dormant, and is harmless. We strive to find these boys when they are young. We have a number of ways of knowing who they are. It has happened that one with the gift does things that trigger its growth, its evolution. When that happens it becomes a threat to them. How you managed to slip by our knowledge is something we can’t answer.”

“Once triggered, the power begins to evolve. It cannot be stopped. It must be mastered or you will die. This is what has happened to you. It is exceedingly rare for it to happen this way. To be honest, though we have been taught it has happened before, none of us has personal knowledge of it.”

“Back at the Palace of the Prophets there will be old records of this in others, and we will look into it. But that doesn’t change what matters: you have the gift, it has been triggered, and the evolution has begun.”

“We have never had to teach one of your age before. I fear the trouble it is going to cause at the palace. Teaching the gift requires discipline. One of your age has obvious difficulty with this.”

Richard softened his tone, but his gaze hardened. “Sister Grace, I will ask for the last time. How do you know I have the gift?”

She stood up a little straighter and let out a noisy breath. She nicked a glance to Sister Verna. “Tell him.”

Sister Verna gave a resigned nod and pulled a small black book from behind her belt. With a frown, she began leafing through it. “Those with the gift have some use of it throughout their life, in little ways, even though it lies dormant. Perhaps you have noticed how you could do some things that others could not, yes? The evolution of the gift is triggered by the specific use of the magic. Once triggered, it cannot be undone. This is what you have done.”

She continued turning pages, running her finger down them. “Ah. Here it is.” She lowered the book and looked up. “There are three things that must be done, in a specific manner, to trigger the gift. We don’t fully understand the precise nature of these things, but we understand their general principles. You have done these three things. First, you must use the gift to save another. Second, you must use the gift to save yourself. Third, you must use the gift to kill another with the gift. Perhaps you can see the difficulty in accomplishing them, and why we haven’t seen this before?”

“And what is written about me in that book?”

She looked once more to the book, then glanced up, lifting an eyebrow, to make sure he was paying attention before consulting the pages as she spoke. “First, you used the gift to save the life of one who was being pulled back into the underworld. Not physically, but by her mind. You drew her back. Without you, she would have been lost.” She looked up from under her eyebrows. “You understand, yes?”

Kahlan looked at Richard. They both understood. She was the one he had saved. “In the wayward pine,” she said,

“The first night we met. When you kept the underworld from taking me back.”

Richard nodded to Sister Verna. “Yes, I understand.”

Sister Verna put her finger back to the book. “As for saving yourself with the gift ... let’s see ... I saw it here a minute ... ah! Yes, here it is.” She looked up from under her eyebrows again. “Second, you used the gift to save your own life.” She tapped the book with a finger. “You partitioned your mind. You understand, yes?”

Richard’s eyes closed. “Yes, I understand,” he said in a weak voice. Kahlan didn’t understand that one.

Sister Verna went back to the book. “Third, you used the gift to kill a wizard. His name was Darken Rahl. You understand, yes?”

“Yes.” He opened his eyes. “How do you know these things?”

“The things you have done used magic, specific magic, that leaves an essence because of who you are and because you are untrained. Were you trained, it would not leave this essence, and we would not know. We have ones back at the Palace of the Prophets who are sensitive to such events.”

Richard glared at her. “You have violated my privacy, spied on me. And as for the third of your three things, I didn’t exactly kill Darken Rahl. Not technically.”

“I can understand how you feel,” Sister Grace said quietly. “But it is only done to help you. If you wish to stand here and argue with us about whether or not these things qualify as the three triggers, I will put your doubts at ease. Once they are done, you begin the process of becoming a wizard. You may not believe it, or choose to be a wizard, but there is no doubt it has happened. We do not place this burden on you. We are only here to help you deal with it.”

“But ...”

“But nothing. When the magic is triggered, at least three changes come about. First, you begin to have fetishes about food. It may be things you crave, or things you have always eaten that you now refuse to eat. We have studied this, and don’t understand its cause, but it has something to do with influences at the time the gift comes to life.”

“Second, you begin to sleep, at least some of the time, with your eyes open. All wizards do this, even ones who only have the calling. It has something to do with learning to use the magic. If you have the gift, that brings it about as you use it to do these three things. If you have only the calling, the teaching brings it on.”

“Third, the headaches come. The headaches are lethal. There is no cure for them other than learning to control the magic. If you don’t, sooner or later, they will kill you.”

“How soon? How much time do I have if I refuse your help?”

Kahlan put a hand on his arm. “Richard ...”

“How much time!”

Sister Elizabeth spoke. “It is said that one lived with the headaches for a few years before he died. It is also said that another was dead within several months. We believe the time you have depends upon how strong your power is; the stronger the power, the stronger the headaches, and the shorter the time. But possibly within as little as a month they will begin to be strong enough to render you unconscious at times.”

Richard gave her an even look. “They already have been that strong.”

The three Sisters’ eyes widened, and they exchanged the look again.

“We began looking for you before you did these three things. Since we left the palace, you have done all three,” Sister Verna said. “This book is magic. When messages are written in its twin back at the palace, they appear to us here. That is how we know you have done them. How long since you have done the third—since you have killed this Darken Rahl?”

“Three days. But I was unconscious on the second night after I killed him.”

“The second ...!” Again they gave each other the look.

His irritation was back. “Why do you keep looking at each other like that?”

Sister Verna’s voice came in a soft tone. “Because you are a very rare person, Richard. In many ways. We have never encountered so many unexpected things wrapped up in one person.”

Kahlan slipped an arm around his waist. “You’re right; he is a rare person. A person I love. What can you do to help him?” She was worried that he was frightening them and they wouldn’t want to help.

“There are specific rules he must follow. We all must; they are inviolate. There is no room for negotiation. He must put himself in our hands and must come with us to the Palace of the Prophets.” Sister Grace’s eyes were sad as she said, “Alone.”

“For how long?” Richard demanded. “How long does it take?”

Sister Grace’s black hair shone in the torchlight as she turned her head to him. “It depends on how quickly you learn. It takes as long as it takes. You have to stay until it is finished.”

Kahlan felt a tightness in her chest as Richard slipped his arm around her waist. “Can I visit him?”

Sister Grace shook her head slowly. “No. And there is more.” Her eyes flicked to the Agiel for an instant. She reached into her cloak and pulled something out. It was a ring of metal, hardly more than a hand across. Even though it seemed unbroken, Sister Grace did something and it unlatched, opening into hinged half circles. Its dull silver color reflected the firelight. She held it up in front of Richard. “This is called the Rada’Han. It is a collar. You must wear it.”

Richard took a step back, his hand coming away from Kahlan’s waist and going to his throat. His face paled and his eyes widened. “Why?” he asked in a whisper.

“The rules begin. Discussion is over.” Sister Verna and Sister Elizabeth moved behind Sister Grace as she spoke, standing with their hands at their sides as the black haired woman held the collar out in her hands. “This is no game. From now on, it can go only by the rules. Listen carefully, Richard.”

“You will be offered three chances to take the Rada’Han; three chances to take our help, a Sister for each chance. There are three reasons for the Rada’Han, a Sister to reveal each. Before each offer, and chance to refuse, a different Sister will give you one of the reasons. After each reason, you will be offered the chance to accept or refuse.”

“After the third refusal, as I hope you never learn, there are no more chances. You will receive no further help from the Sisters of the Light. You will die from the power of the gift.”

Richard’s hand still clutched at his throat. His voice was still hardly more than a whisper. “Why do I have to wear a collar?”

Sister Grace stiffened with authority. “No discussion. You will listen. You must put the Rada’Han around your neck yourself, of your own free will. Once it is on, you will not be able to remove it. It can only be removed by a Sister of the Light. It will stay on until we say it comes off. We will only say that when you are trained. Not before.”

Richard’s chest heaved with each labored breath. His stare was fixed on the collar. His eyes had a strange, wild, haunted look Kahlan had never seen before. She was frozen at seeing his terror, at her own terror.

Sister Grace held his eyes with a vengeance when he looked up at her. “Your first offer is at hand. Each offer comes from a different sister. The first offer comes from me.”

“I, Sister of the Light, Grace Rendall, give the first reason for the Rada’Han, give the first chance to be helped. The first reason for the Rada’Han is to control the headaches and open your mind so you may be taught to use the gift.”

“You now have the chance to accept or to refuse. I strongly advise you to accept the first offer of our help. Please believe me, it will only be much more difficult for you to accept the second time, and worse yet the third time.”

“Please, Richard, accept the offer now, on the first of the three reasons and offers. Your life depends on this.”

She stood still, waiting. His gaze went back to the dull silver collar. He looked on the verge of panic. The room was dead quiet except for the slow crackle of the fire and the soft hiss of the torches.

He looked up, and his mouth opened, but no words came as he stared unblinking at her intense gaze.

At last he blinked and spoke in a hoarse whisper. “I will not wear a collar. I will never again wear a collar. For anyone. For any reason. Never.”

She straightened a little, lowering the collar, looking genuinely surprised. “You refuse the offer and the Rada’Han?”

“I refuse.”

Sister Grace stood a while, staring with what seemed to be a mix of sadness and worry. Pale, she turned to the two Sisters behind her. “Forgive me, Sisters, I have failed.” She handed the Rada’Han to Sister Elizabeth. “It is upon you now.”

“The Light forgives you,” Sister Elizabeth whispered as she kissed Sister Grace on each white cheek.

“The Light forgives you,” Sister Verna whispered, giving the same kisses.

Sister Grace turned back to Richard, her voice less steady. “May the Light cradle you always with gentle hands. May you someday find the way.”

Holding Richard’s gaze, she brought her hand up, giving it a flick. A knife appeared from her sleeve. But rather than a blade, it had what seemed to be a pointed, round rod coming from the silver handle.

Richard leapt back, drawing the sword in one swift, smooth motion. Its distinctive ring sounded in the air.

Deftly, Sister Grace flipped the knife in her hand so it stopped with the blade pointing not toward Richard, but toward herself. She held it with practiced grace, without taking her eyes from Richard.

And then she plunged the knife between her breasts.

There was a flash of light that seemed to come from within her eyes, and she collapsed to the ground, dead.

Richard and Kahlan both took a step back in wide-eyed shock and horror. Sister Verna bent and pulled the knife from the dead woman. She stood and looked at Richard.

“As we told you: this is no game.” She slipped the silver knife into her cloak. “You must bury her body yourself. If you let another do it for you, you will have nightmares for the rest of your life; nightmares caused by magic. There is no cure for them. Don’t forget, you must bury her yourself.” Both Sisters pulled their hoods up. “You have been offered the first of three chances, and refused. We will return.”

The two Sisters glided to the door and were gone.

The sword’s point slowly settled to the ground. Richard stared at the dead woman, tears running down his face.

“I won’t wear a collar again,” he whispered to no one but himself. “Not for anyone.”

With labored movements, he retrieved a small shovel and a handle from his pack, and hooked them onto his belt. He then rolled Sister Grace onto her back, folded her hands across her, and lifted her lifeless form in his arms. One arm slipped from its place, loose, swinging. Her head hung down, limp. Her dead eyes stared. Black hair dangled. There was a small blossom of blood on the front of her white blouse.

Richard’s pained eyes sought Kahlan. “I’m going to bury her. I would like to go alone.”

Kahlan nodded and watched him shoulder the door open. After it had been pushed shut, she sank to the ground and started crying.

Chapter 10

She was sitting, staring into the fire, when Richard came back. He had been gone a long time. After Kahlan had stopped crying, she had gone to tell Savidlin and Weselan what had happened, and then came back to the spirit house to wait for Richard. They had told her to come get them if she needed anything.

Richard sat down next to her and put his arms around her, his head on her shoulder. She ran her fingers through the back of his hair and held him close. She wanted to say something, but was afraid to say anything, so she just held him.

“I hate magic,” he whispered at last. “It’s going to come between us again.”

“We won’t let it. We just won’t. We will think of something.”

“Why did she have to kill herself?”

“I don’t know,” Kahlan whispered.

Richard took his arms away and fingered some of Nissel’s leaves out of his shirt pocket. He sat chewing them as he gazed into the fire, a slight frown of pain on his face.

“I feel like running away, but I don’t know where to go. How do you run away from something inside you?”

Kahlan rubbed her fingers back and forth on his leg. “Richard, I know this is hard for you to hear, but please listen. Magic isn’t bad.” He didn’t object, so she went on. “How people use it is sometimes bad. Like the way Darken Rahl used it. I have had magic all my life. I’ve had to learn to live with who I am. Do you hate me because I have magic?”

“Of course not.”

“Do you love me despite my magic?”

He thought a minute. “No. I love everything about you, and your magic is part of you. That was how I got past the Confessor’s magic. If I had loved you despite your power, I wouldn’t have been accepting you for who you are. Your magic would have destroyed me.”

“So you see? Magic isn’t all bad. The two people you love most in the world have magic. Zedd and me. Please listen. You have the gift. It is called a gift, not a curse. It is a wonderful, rare thing. It could be something used to help others. You have already used it to help others. Maybe you should try to think of it in this way, instead of trying to fight something that can’t be fought.”

He stared into the fire a long time as she smoothed his pant leg. She could hardly hear him when at last he spoke.

“I won’t wear a collar again.”

Kahlan’s gaze went to the Agiel. The red leather rod hung from a fine gold chain at his neck, swinging slightly with his breathing. She knew the Agiel was used to torture people, but she didn’t know how. She only knew she didn’t like him wearing it.

Kahlan swallowed. “Did the Mord-Sith make you wear a collar?”

He stared unblinking at the fire. “Her name was Denna.”

She turned to him, but he didn’t respond. “Did she ... Did Denna make you wear a collar?”

“Yes.” A tear ran down his cheek. “She used it to hurt me. It had a chain on it. She hooked the chain to her belt and led me around by that collar like an animal. When she would attach the chain to some resting place, I couldn’t move it. She controlled the magic that gives me pain when I use the sword to kill. She could amplify the magic, the pain. It prevented me from so much as putting tension on the chain. I tried. I tried hard. You can’t imagine how much it hurt. Denna made me put the collar around my own neck. She made me do a lot of things.”

“But the headaches will kill you. The Sisters said the collar will stop the headaches and help you learn to control the gift.”

“They said that was one of the reasons. They also said there are two more reasons for the collar. I don’t know what those other two reasons are. Kahlan, I know you think I’m being foolish. I think I’m being foolish, too. My head tells me the same things you are saying. But my insides tell me something altogether different.”

Kahlan reached out and took the Agiel in her fingers, rolling it back and forth. “Because of this? Because of what Denna did?” He nodded, still staring at the fire.

“Richard, what does this do?”

Richard looked to her at last. He gripped the Agiel in his fist. “Touch my hand. Don’t touch the Agiel, just my hand.”

Kahlan reached out and put her fingers against his fist.

She jerked back with a yelp of pain. She shook her wrist, trying to ease the sting. “Why didn’t it hurt before when I touched it?”

“Because it was never used to train you.”

“Then why isn’t it hurting you to hold it?”

Richard still had his fist around the middle of the red leather rod. “It is. It hurts whenever I hold it.”

Kahlan’s eyes widened. “You mean it’s hurting you right now, like when I touched your hand?”

The pain of the headache was in his eyes. “No. My hand was shielding you from what it really feels like.”

She reached out again. “I want to know.”

He dropped the Agiel. “No. I don’t want it to hurt you like that. I don’t want anything to ever hurt you like that.”

“Richard, please? I want to know. I want to understand.”

Richard stared into her eyes, and then let out a breath. “Is there anything you ask I wouldn’t do?” He took the Agiel in his fist again. “Don’t grip it; you may not be able to let go quick enough. Just touch it. Hold your breath and keep your teeth together so you don’t bite your tongue. Tense your stomach muscles.”

Kahlan’s heart pounded as her hand went toward the Agiel. She didn’t want to feel the pain; it had hurt enough just to touch his hand, but she wanted to know because it was part of who he was now. She wanted to know everything about him. Even the things that hurt.

It felt like touching a bolt of lightning.

The pain shot up her arm, exploding in her shoulder. She screamed as the shock threw her on her back. She rolled over on her face, gripping her shoulder with her other hand. She couldn’t move her arm. Her hand tingled and shook. She was shocked and frightened by the sheer power of the pain. She cried into the dirt as Richard’s hand touched her back in sympathy. She cried, too, because now she understood, just a little, what had been done to him.

When at last she was able to sit up, he was still watching her, still holding the Agiel in his fist. “It hurts like that for you to hold it?”

“Yes.”

She hit him on the shoulder with her fist. “Let go of it!” she cried. “Stop it!”

He released the Agiel, letting it hang again. “It helps distract me from the headaches, sometimes, to touch it. Believe it or not, it helps.”

“You mean the headache hurts more than that?”

He nodded. “If it wasn’t for what Denna taught me about pain, I would be unconscious right now. Denna taught me how to control pain, how to tolerate it, so she could give me more.”

She tried to hold back the tears. “Richard, I ...”

“What you felt was the least of what the Agiel can do.” He picked it up again and touched the tip to the inside of his other forearm. Blood gushed from under the Agiel. He took it away. “It can strip the flesh right off you. It can break your bones. Denna liked to use it to crack my ribs. She would press it against me and I could hear the bone crack. They still aren’t healed; it still hurts to lie down, or when you hug me tight enough. It can do a lot of other things too. It can even kill with a touch.”

He stared at the fire. “Denna shackled my wrists, and later locked my arms behind me, and held me up with a rope from the ceiling. She used the Agiel on me for hours at a time. I would beg until I was hoarse, for her to stop. She never did. Not once.”

“There was no way for me to fight back, nothing I could do to stop her. She trained me, she taught me, until I sometimes thought I had no blood or breath left. I begged her to kill me, to end the pain. I would have done it myself, but she used magic to prevent it. She had me kneel in front of her and beg her to use the Agiel. I would have done anything she said. She had a friend who came along sometimes, so they could share the ... fun.”

Kahlan sat frozen, hardly able to breathe. “Richard, I ...”

“Every day, she led me by the collar to a place where she could hang me up by a rope, a room where she could use the Agiel on me without distraction, where it didn’t matter so much if my blood got everywhere. Sometimes she did it from the first thing in the morning until night. And then at night ...”

“That is what wearing a collar means to me. You can tell me about how much sense it makes, about how it will help me, and about how I have no choice, but that is what wearing a collar means to me.”

“I know exactly what your shoulder feels like right now. It feels like the skin has been burned, and the muscle has been torn, and bone is splintered. That is what it feels like to wear a Mord-Sith’s collar. Only everywhere on your body all at once, and all day long. Add to that the thought that you are helpless to stop it, that you can never escape, that you’ll never again see the only person you will ever love.”

“I would rather die than put a collar around my neck again.”

Kahlan rubbed her shoulder. It felt just as he had described it. She couldn’t think of anything to say. She hurt too much, inside, to say anything. So she sat and watched him look at the fire as tears ran down her face. She ached for him.

And then she heard herself ask something she had promised herself she wasn’t ever going to ask. “Denna took you for her mate, didn’t she.” She wished she could call the words back, and at the same time, she didn’t.

Richard didn’t flinch. “Yes,” he whispered as he stared at the fire. Another tear ran down his cheek. “How did you know?”

“Demmin Nass brought two quads to take me. He had a spell-web from Darken Rahl to protect him from Zedd’s magic. From mine too. Zedd couldn’t do anything; he was frozen by a web. Demmin Nass told me what had happened to you. He said you were dead. That was when I called forth the Con Dar and killed him.”

Richard’s eyes closed as another tear ran down. “There was no way for me to stop her. I swear, Kahlan ... I tried. You can’t imagine what Denna did to me for trying to stop her. There was no way for me to fight back. She could do anything she wanted. It wasn’t enough for her to hurt me just in the day. She wanted to hurt me at night, too.”

“How can anyone be that evil?”

Richard stared at the Agiel as he slowly grasped it in his fist again. “She was captured when she was twelve. They trained her with this Agiel. This very one. Everything she did to me, they had done to her. Over and over. For years. They tortured her parents to death in front of her. There was no one to help her.”

“She grew into a woman at the end of this Agiel, surrounded only by people who wanted her to hurt. There was no one to give her even a single word of hope, of comfort, of love.”

“Can you imagine her terror? They gave her a life of endless pain. They raped her body and her spirit. They broke her. They made her one of them. Darken Rahl, personally, made her one of them.”

The whole time she used this Agiel on me, it hurt her. The same as it hurts me to hold it now. There’s some magic for you.

“One day, Darken Rahl beat her, for hours, because he thought she wasn’t hurting me enough. He flailed the skin right off her back.”

Richard’s head hung as he cried. “And then at the end of all that, at the end of a life of pain and madness, I come along, turn the Sword of Truth white, and run it through her. The only thing she asked before I killed her was for me to wear her Agiel and remember her. I was the only one who understood her pain. It was the only thing she wanted: for someone who understood to remember her.”

“I promised, and she hung it around my neck. And then she just sat there as I pushed my sword through her heart. She had been hoping I would be the one with the power to kill her.”

“That is how someone can be that evil. If I had the power, I would bring Darken Rahl back to life so I could kill him again.”

Kahlan sat stunned, motionless, caught in a vortex of conflicting emotions. She hated this Denna for hurting Richard, she was unaccountably jealous of her, and at the same time, she felt unexpected, wrenching sorrow for her. Finally, she turned away and wiped the tears from her face.

“Richard, why didn’t they win? Why wasn’t Denna able to break you? How did you keep your sanity?”

“Because, as the Sisters said, I partitioned my mind. I don’t know how to explain it. I didn’t even know exactly what it was I was doing, but that’s how I saved myself. I put the core of myself away and sacrificed the rest. I let her do what she would. Darken Rahl said that I have the gift because I did that. That was when I first heard the word—partitioned.”

Richard lay back, resting his arm over his eyes. Kahlan pulled out a blanket and bunched it under his head. “I’m so sorry, Richard,” she whispered.

“It’s over. That is what matters.” He took his arm from his eyes and at last smiled up at her. “It’s over and we are together. In some ways, it was good. If she hadn’t taught me, I wouldn’t be able to deal with this headache. Maybe Denna has helped me. Maybe I can use what I know to get out of this.”

She winced in sympathy. “Is it really bad right now?”

He nodded a little. “But I’ll die before I ever put a collar around my neck again.”

She understood now, though she wished she didn’t. She lay down snug against him. The fire was a watery blur.

Chapter 11

The next day the sky was a cold gray and the wind icy as the two of them went out alone on the plain. Richard wanted to be away from people, away from buildings. He wanted to see the sky and the earth, he said. The brown grass bowed in the stiff gusts that flapped and tugged their cloaks as they walked along in silence. Richard wanted to shoot his bow to make the headache go away for a while. Kahlan just wanted to be with him.

It seemed that the eternity, which a few days ago she had felt belonged to them, was slipping through her fingers. She wanted to fight back, but didn’t know how. Everything that was so right was suddenly going wrong.

She didn’t think that Richard would put on the Rada’Han, the collar, no matter what the Sisters said. He might accept learning to use the gift, but she didn’t think he would wear a collar. And if he didn’t, he would die. After what he had told her—and worse, the things she knew he hadn’t—how could she expect him to wear it? Or ask him to?

It did feel good, though, to be away from the village, away from people and away from Chandalen’s eyes following them everywhere. How could she blame him? It did seem as if the two of them kept bringing trouble, but it irritated her that he acted as if they did it on purpose. She was tired of trouble. It seemed as if it would never end. Well, she decided, for today, at least, they would be away from trouble, and just enjoy being together.

Kahlan had told him she used to shoot a bow. She couldn’t draw his because it was too heavy, so Richard encouraged her to borrow one and bring it along so he could teach her how to shoot better. They found the bundled grass targets the men had set up before, standing head high like a group of scarecrows on guard over the vast, flat grassland. A few even had balled grass for heads. Each had an X made of grass for a target. The targets with heads had an X there as well. Richard thought the Xs were too fat, so he took them off and made ones of single grass stalks.

They stood a long way off; so far, in fact, that she could hardly see the bundled grass, much less the Xs. Richard strapped on a simple leather bracer Savidlin had made for him along with the bow, and shot arrows until his headache was gone.

Richard was a picture of stillness, of smoothness; he was one with the bow. She smiled at how good he looked, and that he was hers. It made her heart ache with joy to see his gray eyes sparkle without the pain of the headache in them. They moved closer so she could shoot.

“Don’t you want to go check where your arrows hit?”

He smiled. “I know where they hit. You shoot now.”

She shot a few arrows, getting the feel again. He set one end of his bow on the ground, rested both hands over the other end, and watched her. She had been a girl the last time she used a bow. Richard watched her shoot a few more times, and then came and stood behind her. His arms came around her, and he adjusted her hand on the bow and put his fingers on the string.

“Here. Do this. You can’t get any power or be steady enough holding the arrow with your thumb and the knuckle of your first finger that way. Hold the bowstring back with your first three fingers, like this, nesting the arrow between the first two. And pull with your shoulder too. You don’t need to pull on the arrow, just concentrate on holding back the string. The arrow will take care of itself. See? Isn’t that better?”

She grinned. “It is with your arms around me.”

“Pay attention to what you’re doing,” he scolded.

Kahlan took aim and shot. He said it was better and told her to try again. She shot a few more arrows, and thought she might have even hit the bundled grass once. She drew the bowstring again, trying to hold the bow steady. Suddenly, he tickled her stomach. She doubled over squealing and laughing, trying to get his fingers off her.

“Stop it!” She laughed breathlessly, trying to twist away from him. “Stop it! Richard! I can’t shoot when you’re doing that!”

He put his fists on his hips. “You have to be able to.”

She frowned up at him as she panted. “What do you mean?”

“Besides being able to hit what you want, you have to be able to shoot no matter what is happening. If you can’t shoot when you’re laughing, how can you shoot when you’re afraid? Just you and the target, that’s all there is. Nothing else matters. You have to be able to block everything else out.”

“If a wild boar is charging you, you can’t think about how afraid you are, or what will happen if you miss. You have to be able to make the shot under pressure. Or else have a tree close by you can climb.”

“But, Richard, you can do it because you have the gift. I can’t do that.”

“Nonsense. The gift has nothing to do with it. It’s simple concentration. Here, I’ll talk you through it. Nock an arrow.”

He stood behind her again, pulling her hair off her neck, leaning close, looking over her shoulder, and whispering in her ear as she drew the bowstring back. He whispered what she should feel, how she should breathe, where she should look, what she should see. He talked in a way that made the words melt into nothingness, and instead made images form in her head. Only three things existed: the arrow, the target, and his words. She was in a world of silence.

When everything else winked out, the target seemed to grow larger in her vision, drawing the arrow to it. His words made her feel it, made her do things without understanding them. She relaxed and exhaled, holding herself still without taking another breath. She could feel it, feel the target. She knew when it was time, when it was right.

Lightly, like a breath of air, the arrow left of its own accord, as if it had decided to go on its own. In the quiet, she could see the feathers clear the bow, feel the string hit the bracer; she could see the target pulling the arrow, she could hear the arrow hit the X. She felt air rush back into her lungs.

It was almost like when she released her Confessor’s power. It was magic, Richard’s magic. His words were magic. It was like having a new vision.

She felt as if she were coming awake from a dream. The world came back. She almost fell against him.

Kahlan turned and threw her arms around his neck, still gripping the bow in one hand. “Richard, that was wonderful. The target came to me!”

“See? I told you you could do it.”

She kissed his nose. “I didn’t do it, you did it. I was just holding the bow instead of you.”

He smiled. “No. You did it. I just showed your mind how. That’s what teaching is. I was simply teaching you. Do it again.”

Kahlan had lived around wizards all her life. She knew the way wizards did things. That was the way Richard had done it. He spoke to her the way wizards spoke. It was the gift speaking, she knew, even if he wouldn’t admit it.

As she shot more arrows, he talked less. Without his words guiding her, it was harder to get the feel, but now and again she did. She could tell when she was doing it herself, without him. It seemed to be as he said, like intense concentration.

As she started to learn to block the world out as she aimed, he began to do things to try to distract her. At first he just rubbed her stomach. It made her smile until he told her to stop thinking about what he was doing and think only about what she must do. After a few hours, she could shoot while he tickled her. Sometimes. It was an exhilarating feeling to be able to feel where the arrow needed to be. She couldn’t do it very often, but when it happened it felt wonderful. Addictive.

“It’s magic,” she told him. “That’s what you’re doing. Magic.”

“No, it’s not. Everyone can do it. Chandalen’s men are doing it when they shoot. Everyone who gets good enough does it. It’s your own mind doing it. I just helped by showing you. If you had practiced long enough, you would have learned it by yourself before now. Just because you don’t know how something is done doesn’t make it magic.”

She gave him a sidelong glance. “I’m not so sure. You shoot. Let me tickle you while you try to shoot.”

“After we have something to eat. And you practice some more.”

They flattened a circle of grass, like a nest, and lay on their backs, watching the birds wheel in the sky as they ate tava bread wrapped around greens, handfuls of kuru, and drank water from a skin. The surrounding grass protected them a little, so the wind didn’t feel quite so cold. She laid her head on his shoulder as they watched the sky in silence. She knew they were both wondering what they were going to do.

“Maybe,” Richard said at last, “I could partition my mind again, to control the headaches. Darken Rahl said that was what I had done.”

“You talked to him? You talked to Darken Rahl?”

“Yes. Actually, he did most of the talking. I mostly listened. He told me a lot of things. I don’t believe all of them. He told me George Cypher wasn’t my father. He told me I had partitioned my mind, and that I have the gift. He told me I had been betrayed. Because of what Shota said—that you and Zedd would both use your magic against me—I thought one of you had betrayed us. I never thought of my brother.”

“Maybe if I could figure out how to partition my mind again, I could control the headaches so they wouldn’t kill me. Maybe that’s what the Sisters teach. I’ve already done it once, so if I could do it again, I might be able to save myself without ...”

He rested an arm over his eyes, not wanting to finish the thought out loud. “Kahlan, maybe I don’t have the gift. It could just be the Wizard’s First Rule.”

“What do you mean?”

“Zedd told us that much of what people believe is wrong. The First Rule can make you believe something is true either because you want it to be true, or because you’re afraid it might be. I’m afraid of having the gift, and that fear makes me accept the possibility that what the Sisters say is true. It could be there are other reasons the Sisters want me to think I have the gift, and that it isn’t true. Maybe I don’t have it.”

“Richard, do you really think you can dismiss all the other things that have happened? Zedd said you have the gift, Darken Rahl said you have the gift, the Sisters say you have the gift, even Scarlet says you have the gift.”

“Scarlet doesn’t know what she is talking about, I don’t trust the Sisters, and do you think I would believe anything Darken Rahl said?”

“And what about Zedd? Do you think Zedd is lying? Or that he doesn’t know what he is talking about? You have told me you think he is the smartest man you know. Besides, he is a wizard of the First Order. Do you really think a wizard of the First Order wouldn’t know the gift when he saw it?”

“Zedd could be wrong. Just because he’s smart, that doesn’t mean he knows everything.”

Kahlan thought a while about his reluctance to accept that he had the gift. She wished, for his sake, that it could be the way he wanted it, but she knew the truth.

“Richard, at the People’s Palace, when I touched you with my power, and we all thought it had taken you, and didn’t know you had figured out how not to be consumed by the magic, you recited the Book of Counted Shadows to Darken Rahl, didn’t you?” He nodded. “I couldn’t believe you did that. How did you know it? Where did you ever learn the book?”

Richard sighed. “When I was young, my father took me to a place where he had it hidden. He told me it was being guarded by a beast sent by covetous hands, to watch over it, until that person could come for the book. So he rescued it. I know now that they were the hands of Darken Rahl, but at the time we didn’t know that; my father said he had to take it because otherwise it would be stolen by those hands.”

“He feared that person might eventually find it, so he had me memorize it. All of it. He said I had to know every word, so that someday I could return the knowledge to the keeper of the book. He didn’t know that Zedd was the book’s keeper. It took me years to memorize every word of the book. He never looked in it, he said that was for only me to do. After I had learned it all perfectly, we burned the book. I’ll never forget that day. Light and sound and strange forms came forth as the book burned.”

“Magic,” she whispered, knowingly.

He nodded as he rested his wrist over his eyes again. “My father died keeping the book from Darken Rahl. He was a hero. He saved us all by his actions.”

Kahlan tried to think of how to put words to the things she was thinking, the things she knew. “Zedd told us the Book of Counted Shadows was kept in his keep. How did your father get it?”

“He never told me that.”

“Richard, I was born and raised in Aydindril. I spent a good portion of my life in the Wizard’s Keep. It’s a huge fortress. In times long ago, hundreds of wizards lived there. When I grew up, there were only the six, and none were wizards of the First Order.”

“It is not an easy place to enter. I was able to because I’m a Confessor, and needed to learn from books kept there. All the Confessors had access to the keep. But it was protected, by magic, from any others entering.”

“If you’re asking, I don’t know how my father did it. He was a pretty smart man; he must have figured it out.”

“If the book was in the Keep itself, maybe. There were wizards and Confessors coming and going, and at times others were permitted to enter. Perhaps someone could have found a way to sneak in. Even once inside, there are areas protected more strongly by magic. Areas even I could not enter.”

“But Zedd said the Book of Counted Shadows was an important book of magic, very important. He said he kept it in his keep: the wizard of the First Order’s keep. That is altogether different. It’s separate from the rest, part of the larger Keep, but set off by itself.”

“I’ve walked the long ramparts to the First Wizard’s Keep. There is a beautiful view of Aydindril from there. Just walking the ramparts, I could feel the awesome power of the spells that protect that place. It made your skin crawl. If you went close enough, the power of the protection spells made the hair lift off your shoulders and stick out in all directions, popping and snapping with little sparks. If you went closer still, the spells filled you with a sensation of dread so strong you couldn’t force your feet to take another step, or your lungs to draw another breath.”

“Since Zedd left the Midlands, before we were born, none had entered the First Wizard’s Keep. The other wizards tried. To enter, there is a plate you must touch. It is said touching the plate is like touching the frozen heart of the Keeper himself. If the magic doesn’t recognize you as one permitted entry, you cannot gain entrance. Touching the plate without at least the protection of your own magic, or even just getting close enough to the spells themselves, can be death.”

“Since I was young, and first went to the Keep to learn from the books, the wizards had been trying to get in. They wanted to know what was inside. The First Wizard was gone, and they thought they should take an inventory, thought they should at least know what was in there.”

“They never succeeded. Not one of them was ever able to so much as place a hand to the plate. Richard, if five wizards of the Third Order, and one of the Second, could not get in, how did your father?”

He sighed. “I wish I had an answer for you, Kahlan, but I don’t.”

She didn’t want to dash his hopes, give irrefutable life to his fears, but she had to. The truth was the truth. He had to know that truth about himself.

“Richard, the Book of Counted Shadows was a book of instruction for magic. It was magic.”

“I have no doubt of that. I know what I saw when we burned it.”

She stroked the back of his hand with her finger. “There were other books of instruction for magic in the Keep: less important ones. The wizards let me look at them. When I would read them, I would get to a place in the books, and a strange thing would happen, sometimes after only a few words, sometimes after a few pages: I would forget what I had just read. I couldn’t remember a word of it. Not a single word. I would go back and read it again, and the same thing would happen.”

“The wizards would smile watching me, and then they would laugh. After a while of trying to read the books, and not knowing what I had just read, I finally got frustrated and asked what was happening. They told me that books of instruction for magic are protected by powerful spells invoked at certain words in the books. They said none but one with the gift could read a book of magic instruction and remember so much as a single word. Those six wizards were wizards by calling, not by the gift. Even they couldn’t read all the books and know what they said, only the less important ones, and only then because of their training.”

“Zedd told us that the Book of Counted Shadows was one of the most important books in the Keep, so important it was kept in the First Wizard’s enclave.”

“Richard, you would never have been able to memorize it if you didn’t have the gift. There is no other way. Somehow, your father must have known, that is why he chose you to learn it.”

Her head was still resting on his shoulder, and she felt his breathing halt for a moment as he realized the significance of what she had told him. “Richard, do you still remember the book?”

His voice came low and distant. “Every word.”

“Though I heard you recite it, and I know you spoke it all, I cannot remember a word of what you said. The magic of certain words erased it all from my mind. I don’t know how you used it to defeat Darken Rahl.”

“The first of the book said that if the words were being told to the one who controlled the boxes of Orden, and not read by that person, then the only way that person could know the words were true was with the use of a Confessor. Rahl thought you had taken me with your power, and so he thought I was speaking all the words true. I did speak the words true, but I left out an important part at the end so he would pick the box that would kill him.”

“You see? You still remember the words. You could not do that if you didn’t have the gift; the magic would prevent it. Richard, if we are going to get out of this, we have to at least face the truth, and then think of what to do about it. My love, you have the gift. You have magic. I’m sorry, but that is the truth of it.”

He let out an exasperated breath. “I guess I just so badly didn’t want it to be that I have been trying to talk myself out of it. But things don’t work that way. I hope you don’t think me a fool. Thank you for loving me enough to make me see the truth.”

“You are no fool. You are my love. We will think of something.” She kissed the back of his hand and they watched the sky in silence. It was a dark, cold gray, a mirror to her mood.

“I wish you could have met my father. He was a special person. I guess even I never knew how special. I miss him.” He stared off into his own thoughts. “What of your father?”

Kahlan twisted a strand of her hair around her finger. “My father was mate to my mother; mate to a Confessor. He was not a father in the way a man is a father to other children. He had been taken by her power, and there was nothing to him but his devotion to her. He paid heed to me only to please my mother, only because I was born to her. He didn’t see me as myself, but only as a part of the Confessor he was bonded to.”

Richard pulled a piece of long grass and flattened the end of it between his front teeth as he thought, at last asking, “Who was he before she took him with the magic?”

“He was Wyborn Amnell. King of Galea.”

Richard pushed himself up on an elbow, looking down at her with surprise. “King! Your father was a king?”

Without realizing she was doing it, her expression slipped into the calm exterior that showed nothing: a Confessor’s face.

“My father was mate to a Confessor. That was all that was in him. When my mother was dying of a terrible wasting illness, he was in a constant state of panic. One day the wizard and the healer who had been tending her came to us and said there was nothing more they could do, that the spirits would soon take her to be with them, that she would soon pass from life.”

“With a wail of anguish like none I have ever heard, my father clutched his chest and fell to the floor, dead.”

Richard gazed into her eyes. “I’m sorry, Kahlan.” He bent and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

He lay back once more and put the stalk of grass back between his teeth.

“It was a long time ago.”

“So, what does that make you? Are you a princess, or a queen, or something?”

She laughed a little at the question, at how strange all this must seem to him. He still knew little of her life, her world. “No. I am the Mother Confessor. The daughter of a Confessor is a Confessor, not the daughter of her father.” She felt uncomfortable about seeming to belittle her father. It was not his fault her mother had chosen and taken him. “Do you wish to know about him?”

He shrugged. “Sure. You are part of him, too. I like knowing all about you.”

She thought a moment about what his reaction would be. “Well, he was the husband to Queen Bernadine when my mother chose him as her mate.”

“Your mother chose a man who was already married?”

She felt Richard’s eyes on her. “It is not as it must seem to you. The marriage between him and the queen was arranged. He was a warrior, a great commander. The marriage wedded his realm to the lands ruled by Queen Bernadine, creating the land of Galea. He did it for his people, to make a united land under a crown that could stand against hostile neighbors.”

“The queen was a wise and respected leader. She married my father for the good of Galea, not for herself. She and my father had no love for each other. He gave her, gave the people of Galea, a fine, strong daughter, Cyrilla, and a then a son, Harold.”

“Then you have a half sister and brother.”

She shrugged. “In a way. But not in the way you think of it. I am a Confessor, not a knot in the string of royalty. I have met both Cyrilla and Harold. They are fine people. Cyrilla is the Queen of Galea now. Her mother died a few years back. Prince Harold is the commander of the army, as was his father. They don’t think of me as kin, nor I them. I am of the Confessors; of the magic.”

“What about your mother? When did she come into all this?”

“She had just become the Mother Confessor at the time. She wanted a strong mate, one who would give her a daughter with strength. She had heard the queen was not happy in her marriage, and went to speak with her. Queen Bernadine told my mother that she did not love her husband, that he was a cuckold. Even though she loved another, she respected Wyborn as a strong man, as a leader, and as a cunning warrior, and would not condone my mother taking him with her power.”

“While my mother was thinking on what she would do, Wyborn caught the queen in the bed of that lover. He nearly killed her. When my mother heard of this, she returned to Galea and solved everyone’s problems before he could add the murder of the lover to the beating he had given his wife.”

“Though a Confessor has many things to fear, being struck by her husband is not one of them.”

“It must be hard to have to choose a mate without loving him.”

She smiled and pressed her head against him. “In my whole life, I never thought I would be able to have anyone I love. I wish my mother could have known this joy.”

“What was it like having him as your father?”

She folded her fingers together against her stomach. “He was as a stranger to me. He had no emotion except for my mother, no real feelings, except for devotion to my mother. She wished him to spend time with me, to teach me the things he knew, so he was overjoyed to do so, but for her sake, not mine.”

“He spent time teaching me what he knew: war. He taught me the tactics of his enemies, how to steal victory from a much larger and confident force, and most importantly, how to survive, and triumph, by using your head instead of rules. My mother would sit sometimes and watch as he taught me. He would look up and ask her if he was teaching me correctly. She told him he was; to teach me so that I might know the skills of war he knew, in the hope I’d never need them, and if I did, so that I might survive.”

“He taught me that the most important quality in a warrior is ruthlessness. He said that he prevailed many times by being ruthless. He said terror could overwhelm reason, and it was a leader’s job to bring that manner of terror to the enemy. The things he taught me helped me survive when other Confessors died. Because of what he taught me, I was able to kill when there was need. He taught me not to be afraid of doing the things that must be done to survive. For the things he taught me, I loved him, and I hated him.”

“Well, I love him, for teaching you to how to survive, so that you could be with me now.”

Kahlan shook her head slightly as she watched a small bird chasing away a raven. “The things he knew were not the horror; those who make you do them to survive are. He never wrongly took war to others. I shouldn’t fault him for knowing how to triumph when he was forced to fight a war. Richard, perhaps we should start thinking about surviving now.”

“You’re right,” he said, slipping an arm around her. “You know, I was thinking, we’re sitting here like those targets; just sitting here waiting for an arrow to come and shoot us, waiting to see what will happen to us.”

“What do you think we should do?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. But if we keep sitting here, sooner or later we’re going to get shot. Sooner or later the Sisters are going to come back. Why should we just wait for them to come to us? I don’t have the answers, but I can’t see how sitting here is going to help.”

She crossed her arms under her breasts, burying her hands to get them warm. “Zedd?”

Richard nodded. “Zedd would know what to do, if anyone would. I think we need to see him.”

“What about the headaches? What if you get them when we’re traveling? What if they get worse, and you don’t have even Nissel to help?”

“I don’t know.” He sighed. “But I think we have to try. Otherwise, I don’t have a chance.”

“Then let’s leave right away, before they get worse. Let’s not wait for anything else to happen.”

He squeezed her shoulders. “Soon. But we have to do something first. Something important.”

Kahlan twisted her head around, looking up at him. “What?”

He smiled down at her. “We have to get married,” he whispered. “I’m not leaving until I get to see this dress I keep hearing so much about.”

She turned and hugged him. “Oh, Richard, it’s going to be so beautiful. Weselan smiles the whole time she sews on it. I can’t wait for you to see me in it. I know you will love it.”

“Of that, my wife-to-be, I have no doubt.”

“Everyone is looking forward to it. A wedding feast among the Mud People is a big party. Dancing, music, actors. The whole village joins in. Weselan said it will take a week or so to prepare everything, once we give the word to start.”

He pulled her closer. “Word is given.”

She had her eyes closed as she kissed him, but even so, she could tell his headache was back.

“Come on,” she said, catching her breath, “let’s shoot some arrows so your head will stop hurting.”

They took turns for a while. Kahlan squealed in delight when they went to retrieve their arrows and she found she had put one of hers through one of his.

“Wait until the Home Guard hears about this! They will turn green, having to give the Mother Confessor a ribbon for making a shaft shot. They may even turn green just seeing me with a bow in my hands!”

Richard laughed as he pulled arrows from the targets. “Well, you’d better keep practicing. They might not believe you, and you may have to prove it to them. And I’m not taking the blame for this one with Savidlin.” He turned to her suddenly. “What did you say? What did you say, before, last night, about the quad? Rahl sent them with a spell so Zedd couldn’t stop them?”

Kahlan was a little surprised at his sudden change of subject. “Yes, his magic wouldn’t work against them.”

“That’s because Zedd has only Additive Magic. That’s all any wizard with the gift has: just the Additive. Darken Rahl had the gift for Additive but he had somehow learned to use Subtractive. Zedd had no defense against Subtractive Magic. Neither did you. Wizards created the Confessor’s magic, and wizards have only Additive Magic.” She nodded with a frown for him to go on. “So then how did you kill them?”

“I went into the Con Dar.” She shrugged. “It’s part of the Confessor’s magic, but I had never before known how to use it. It was something to do with rage. It means ‘Blood Rage.’“

“Kahlan, do you realize what you’re saying? You had to have used Subtractive Magic. Otherwise, how could you have defeated them? Zedd’s magic didn’t work, and your regular magic didn’t work, because those men were protected from Additive Magic. You must have Subtractive Magic. But if wizards of long ago created your Confessor’s magic, how can it have an element of Subtractive to it?”

She stared at him. “I don’t know. I never thought about it, but it must be as you say. Maybe when we get to Aydindril, Zedd can explain it.”

With a frown, he pulled another arrow from the bundled grass. “Maybe. But why would Confessors have Subtractive Magic?” His frown deepened. “I wonder if that was what you did with the lightning.”

Richard with the gift, and her with Subtractive Magic.

Two frightening thoughts. She shivered, but not from the cold.

They shot arrows the rest of the afternoon, until the daylight began to dim. Her shoulders and arms were weary from pulling the bowstring. She told him she couldn’t shoot another arrow if her life depended on it, and told him to shoot some arrows before they went back, so his headache would be gone for a while. As she watched him, it occurred to her she hadn’t tried to distract him while he shot, and he had promised she could try.

Kahlan stepped up close behind him. “Time to see if you are really as good as you think you are.”

When he drew back the bowstring, she tickled his ribs. He didn’t flinch; he shot the same as before. But he laughed and squirmed after the arrow was away. She kept trying as he shot, but wasn’t able to distract him. She became more determined. If tickling wouldn’t work, she would just have to try something else.

Kahlan pressed up against his back as he concentrated on aiming, and smoothly unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt. She slipped her hand inside and ran it over his chest. His skin was taut over his hard muscles. He felt good. Warm. Strong. Hard.

She unbuttoned more buttons to better extend her reach. She ran the fingers of one hand through the back of his hair as the other roamed across his stomach. Richard kept shooting.

She started to forget about distracting him as she kissed the back of his neck. He giggled and hunched his shoulders after the arrow was away. He nocked another arrow. At last, she had all the buttons undone and was feeling all of the front of his torso, all the way down to his belt. Kahlan pulled the shirttails out of his pants and ran both hands over his body, one high, one low. It didn’t keep him from hitting the target. She couldn’t break his concentration. Her breathing quickened.

She decided she was going to win this game. She smiled as she pressed harder against him and reached farther.

“Kahlan!” he gasped. “Kahlan ... that’s not fair!” He still had the bowstring drawn, but his aim was starting to wander. He worked to steady it.

She drew his earlobe gently between her teeth and kissed his ear. “You said you have to be able to shoot no matter what is happening,” she whispered as she pushed her hand farther.

“Kahlan ...” His voice was high and strained. “That isn’t fair ... that’s cheating!”

“No matter what. Those were your exact words. You have to be able to make the shot under pressure.” She ran her tongue into his ear. “Is this enough pressure, my love? Can you do it? Can you make the shot?”

“Kahlan ...” he panted. “You’re cheating.”

She gave a throaty laugh and squeezed. He gasped and released the bowstring. By its flight, she knew that was one arrow they would never find.

“I think you missed,” she breathed in his ear.

He twisted around in her arms, dropping his bow. His face was red as he enclosed her in his arms.

He kissed her ear. “Not fair,” he whispered, his breath hot. “You cheat.” The touch of his lips on her ear made her gasp.

She held on tight as he pulled her hair away and put his warm mouth to her neck. It made her shiver. She hunched her shoulder against his face and half moaned, half laughed as the world tilted and she found herself on the ground under him. She managed to get out most of “I love you” before his lips covered hers and she wrapped her arms around his neck. She couldn’t get her breath. She didn’t want to.

Just as she was starting to wonder when his hands were going to get even for what she had done, Richard leapt to his feet.

He drew his sword in a rush.

The passion in his eyes had been replaced by rage. Anger from the Sword of Truth flashed in his expression. The ring of steel was carried away by the wind. He stood with his shirt open, his chest exposed and heaving with fury. She pushed herself up on her elbows.

“Richard, what is it?”

“Something is coming. Get behind me. Now!”

Kahlan sprang to her feet, snatched up her bow, and nocked an arrow. “Some thing!”

A ways off, she saw the grass moving, and it wasn’t the wind.

Chapter 12

A splotchy gray head bobbed toward them through the long grass. Whatever it was, it wasn’t very tall. Kahlan wondered if it could be another screeling. At that thought, she drew her bowstring back until the arrow’s point was at her grip on the bow and the string against her cheek. She frantically worried if she could make the shot if it came at them. Although, from what she had seen of a screeling before, an arrow, she realized, would do no good. She wondered if she could call the lightning again.

Richard lifted his arm in front of her. “Wait.” A squat, hairless figure with long arms and big feet, dressed only in pants held up with straps, broke through the grass in front of them. Blinking yellow eyes gazed up at her pointing the arrow between them. A sharp-toothed grin split its face. “Pretty lady.” It was the witch woman Shota’s companion. “Samuel!” Richard growled. “What are you doing here?” The beastly creature hissed and reached for the sword. “Mine! Gimme!”

Richard brandished the blade menacingly and Samuel, pouting, snatched his arm back. Richard laid the sword’s tip on the gray folds of skin at Samuel’s neck. “I asked, what are you doing here?”

Hateful eyes peered up. “Mistress wants you.”

“Well, you can just go home by yourself. We’re not going to Agaden Reach.”

He regarded Richard with one yellow eye. “Mistress not in the Reach.” He turned, stretching up on his toes to look over the grass, and pointed a long, thick finger back toward the Mud People’s village. “Mistress waits for you there. Where those people live together.” He glared back at Richard. “She said if you don’t come, she will kill them, and Samuel can cook them in a stew.” His grin returned.

Richard gritted his teeth. “If she has hurt anyone ...”

“She said she will not hurt them ... if you come to her.”

“What does she want?”

“You.”

“What does she want with me?”

“Mistress not tell Samuel. Tells me only to get you.”

Kahlan had relaxed half the tension on the bowstring. “Richard, Shota said she would kill you if she ever saw you again.”

He kept his eyes on Samuel as he spoke. “No. She said she would kill me if I ever went back to Agaden Reach. She’s not in the Reach.”

“But ...”

“If I don’t go, she said she will kill people. Do you doubt her?”

“No ... but she still might kill you.”

He grunted and then smiled. “Kill me? I don’t think so. She likes me. I saved her life. Indirectly at least.”

Kahlan bristled. Shota had once tried to bewitch him, and she didn’t like that one bit. Other than the Sisters of the Light, the witch woman was just about the last person Kahlan ever wanted to see again. “I don’t like it.”

Richard stole a quick glance at her. “If you have a better idea, put words to it.”

Kahlan let out an angry breath. “I guess we have no choice. But you just keep her hands off you.”

Richard gave her a startled look, then turned to the witch woman’s companion. “You take the lead, Samuel, and don’t forget who’s carrying the sword. And remember what I told you the last time. I might still have some Samuel stew if you try doing anything to harm us.”

Samuel eyed the blade a moment. Without another word he turned and started off, glancing over his shoulder to make sure they followed. Richard kept the sword out, slung his bow over his shoulder, and put himself between Kahlan and Samuel. The anger of the sword’s magic blazed in his eyes. Samuel loped through the grass ahead of them, turning back occasionally to hiss at them.

Kahlan stayed close on Richard’s heels. “She’d better not put snakes on me again. No snakes!” she said emphatically. “And I mean it.”

“As if we have a choice,” Richard muttered.

It was near dark by the time they reached the village. They came in from the east, and noticed immediately that the entire population of the village was clustered at the south end of the common field, shielded by armed hunters standing shoulder to shoulder. Kahlan knew the Mud People were deathly afraid of the witch woman. They wouldn’t even speak her name aloud.

For that matter, everyone she ever knew was deathly afraid of the witch woman—including her. Shota would have killed her the last time if Richard hadn’t used a wish Shota had granted him, to save her. She didn’t think Shota would be granting Richard any more wishes.

Samuel led them through the narrow passageways, toward the spirit house, walking as if he had lived here all his life. He gurgled his odd laugh as he bounded along, giving them an occasional glance. He grinned with bloodless lips, as if he knew something they didn’t. When his grin showed too many teeth and Richard prodded him with the sword, Samuel growled and hissed, his yellow eyes glowing in the fading light.

Samuel laid his long-fingered hand on the latch to the spirit house. “Pretty lady waits here. With me. Mistress wants only Seeker.”

“Richard, I’m going in too,” Kahlan said firmly.

He gave her a sidelong glance and then looked at Samuel. “Open the door.”

One powerful arm drew the door back, as shining yellow eyes glowered at him. Richard held his sword out, indicating that he wanted her to go in. The door squeaked closed behind them, with a sour-faced Samuel on the other side.

In the center of the room sat a tall, elegant throne. Torchlight danced and flared on the carved, gold-leaf vines, snakes, cats, and other beasts that covered every inch of the stately structure. A canopy draped with heavy red brocade and trimmed with gold tassels jutted out overhead. The throne itself sat atop three square, white marble platforms that served as steps. The whole thing was massive and imposing. Tufted red velvet covered the seat, the back, and the tops of the arms. Kahlan couldn’t imagine how it could have possibly fit through the door. Or how many men it must have taken to carry it.

Shota sat regally, her impassive almond eyes watching Richard. She reclined slightly, against the red velvet, one leg crossed over the other, her arms resting on the chair’s high, wide-spaced arms, with hands draped haughtily over gold gargoyles. The gargoyles licked her wrists while she clicked one long, lacquered fingernail against a thumbnail. Luxuriant auburn hair cascaded over her shoulders.

Shota redirected her ageless eyes to Kahlan. The long, rock-solid gaze felt as if it paralyzed her, penetrated her. A red, white, and black banded snake slumped down, hanging from the canopy. It flicked its tongue at Kahlan, hissing, and then dropped into Shota’s lap, coiling up like a contented cat.

It was a message to say that she had not been invited, and was now warned of what would happen if Shota became displeased. Kahlan swallowed, trying not to let it show. After what seemed an eternity, and after the witch woman seemed satisfied that the message was understood, she turned her unblinking eyes back to Richard.

“Put your sword away, Richard.” Shota’s voice was like smooth velvet rubbed the right way. Kahlan didn’t think it was fair that anyone that beautiful should also be graced with a voice that could melt butter, or a man’s heart.

“From the impression you left when we parted, I fear you might try to kill me.” His voice, also, was annoyingly smooth.

“If I decide to kill you, my dear boy, and I may, your sword will not help you.” Richard suddenly yelped and dropped the sword as if it was a hot coal. He stared down at the sword as he comforted his hand. “Now, put it away.” That time the quality of her voice was more of velvet rubbed the wrong way.

From under his eyebrows, Richard looked up at Shota on her throne, before bending to retrieve his sword and slide it back into its scabbard.

A self-satisfied smile spread across Shota’s full lips. She lifted the snake from her lap and set it aside. Shota watched Richard a moment longer and then stood, leaning forward enough in the process to offer her breasts the opportunity to fall out of her wispy, low-cut, variegated gray dress. How they managed not to, Kahlan didn’t know. A little stoppered bottle tumbled from its snug place between her breasts and swung on a fine silver chain.

Kahlan’s face heated as Shota gracefully descended the three platforms, never taking her eyes from Richard. The loose points of the dress floated gently, as if in a light breeze. But there was no breeze inside the spirit house.

That fabric, Kahlan decided, was definitely too thin for a dress. She wondered what she would look like in it, and blushed at the mental image.

Once standing on the ground, Shota turned and pulled the stopper from the little bottle. The entire throne wavered, like something seen through heat waves. Abruptly it turned to gray smoke and swirled in a circle, diminishing all the time in size, and sucked itself into a fine line that went into the little bottle. Shota replaced the stopper, tucked the bottle back between her breasts, and with a finger, pushed it so far down it could no longer be seen. Kahlan took a deep, noisy breath.

Shota’s gaze glided from Richard’s eyes and took in his open shirt with what might have been amusement. Or satisfaction. Richard’s face reddened.

Shota’s smile widened. “How delightfully indecent.” She ran one of her long, red nails all the way down his chest to his navel, and then she gently patted his stomach. “Button your shirt, Richard, or I may forget why I’m here.”

His face turned a deeper red. Kahlan moved deliberately closer to his side as he began redoing the buttons.

“Shota,” he said as he tucked the tails in his pants, “I have to thank you. You may not know it, but you really helped me before. Helped me to figure it out.”

“It was my intention to help you.”

“You don’t understand. I mean you helped me figure out how to be with Kahlan. You helped me figure out how we could be together. How to love her.” He smiled. “We’re going to be married.”

There was a moment of icy silence.

“That’s right,” Kahlan said, holding her chin up, “we love each other ... and can be together now ... Forever.” She hated the way Shota made her feel explanations were necessary, and the way she fumbled with them.

Shota’s intense gaze slid to her and her smile slowly evaporated, making Kahlan have to swallow again. “You ignorant children,” Shota whispered as she slowly shook her head. “You foolish, ignorant children.”

Richard’s expression was becoming heated. “We may be ignorant, but we are not children, and we love each other. And we are going to be married. I was hoping you would be happy for us, Shota, since you played a small part in it.”

“What I told you, dear boy, was that you needed to kill her.”

“But that’s all over,” Kahlan protested. “The problem has been solved. It’s all right for us now. Everything is all right.”

Kahlan gasped as she felt her feet lift off the ground. Both she and Richard were flung across the room and up against the wall. The impact knocked the wind from her lungs. Little points of light floated and danced before her eyes. She looked down, trying to clear her vision.

She and Richard were flattened against the mud-brick wall, a good three feet off the ground. She could hardly breathe. The only thing she could move was her head. Even her clothes were flattened. Her cloak lay against the wall as if it were the floor. Richard was as helpless as she. They both struggled, twisting their heads, but it was useless; they were stuck tight.

Shota glided across the room toward them, her eyes hot and dangerous. She stopped in front of Kahlan. “He didn’t need to kill you? And it’s all right now, is it, Mother Confessor?”

“Yes,” Kahlan managed, trying to sound confident as she hung helpless.

“Did it ever occur to you, Mother Confessor, that perhaps there are reasons behind what I say?”

“Yes, but that has all...”

“Did it ever occur to you, Mother Confessor, that there is a reason why Confessors are not supposed to love their mates? And perhaps another reason he should have killed you?”

Kahlan couldn’t answer. Her mind raced with frantic thoughts.

“What are you talking about?” Richard demanded.

Shota ignored him. “Did it, Mother Confessor?”

Kahlan’s throat was so dry, she had to swallow twice before she could speak. “What do you mean? What reason?”

“Have you lain with this man you love? Have you done that yet, Mother Confessor?”

It was Kahlan’s turn to blush. “What kind of question is that to ask someone!”

“Answer the question, Mother Confessor,” Shota hissed, “or I will skin you right now and use your hide to make myself something pretty. I am of a mind to do it anyway. You had better not even think of lying to me.”

“I ... We ... No! And what business is it of yours anyway!”

Shota stepped closer. Her eyes sent a silent shriek through Kahlan. “Maybe you’d better think twice before you do, Mother Confessor.”

“What do you mean?” she breathed, wide-eyed.

Shota folded her arms across her breasts. Her voice became more menacing. “Confessors are not supposed to love their mates, because if they bear a male child, she has to ask the husband to kill the baby. The husband is supposed to have been taken by the Confessor’s power, so that he will do whatever she asks. Without question.”

“But ...”

Shota stepped even closer, her eyes filled with fury. “If you love him, how could you ask that of him! How could you ask Richard to kill his son? Do you think he would? Would you? Would you kill the son of the man you love? Would you, Mother Confessor?”

Shota’s words knifed into Kahlan’s heart and soul, leaving her barely able to whisper the answer. “No.”

She felt her hopes and happiness collapsing. In the joy of finding she could be with Richard, she hadn’t given any thought to the future. To the consequences. To children. She had thought only of Richard and her being together.

Shota was screaming at her. “And then what, Mother Confessor! You will raise him? And you will visit upon the world a male Confessor? A male Confessor!” She unfolded her arms, her white-knuckled fists dropping to her sides. “You will bring the world to the dark times again! The dark times! Because of you! Because you love this man! Did you ever think of that, you ignorant child?”

The lump in Kahlan’s throat threatened to choke her. She wanted to run from Shota, but she couldn’t move. “Not all male Confessors are that way.”

“Almost every one is! Almost every one!” She pointed a single finger at Richard without looking at him. “Are you going to risk the world, because you love this man? Risk sending everyone into the terror of the dark times, just because you would selfishly want the son of this man to live?”

“Shota,” Richard’s voice was surprisingly calm. “Most Confessors bear girls. You are worrying about something that probably won’t even happen. We may not even have children. Not all couples conceive. You are extending your worries along a lot of forks in the road.”

Richard suddenly slid down the wall, landing with a grunt. In a rage, Shota grabbed his shirt in her fists and lifted him, slamming him against the wall, knocking the wind from his lungs. “Do you think I am as stupid as you? I know the flow of time! I am a witch woman! I told you before, I know how certain events flow and unfold! If you lie with this woman, she will have a male child! She is a Confessor! Every Confessor bears a Confessor! Always! If you give her a child, it will be a boy!”

She slammed him against the wall again. Kahlan winced at the sound of his head hitting the wall. Shota’s behavior was frightening, and seemed out of character. She had impressed Kahlan before as menacing in the extreme, but she also seemed intelligent and reasonable. At least to an extent. She seemed different now, unstable.

Richard didn’t try to remove her hands, but Kahlan could see he was getting angry. “Shota—”

She slammed him up against the wall again. “Keep your tongue still or I will cut it out!”

Richard’s rage looked to match Shota’s. “You were wrong before, Shota! Wrong! There are many ways for events to flow forward in time. Had I listened to you the last time, and killed Kahlan when you wanted me to, Darken Rahl would rule us all now! And it would have been because I followed your stupid advice! It was through her that I defeated Darken Rahl! If I had done as you wished, we would have lost!”

His chest heaved as he glared at her. “If you have come all this way to threaten us about some perceived threat, you have wasted your time. I didn’t do it your way the last time, and I will not do it your way now! I will not kill her nor will I give her up on your word! On anyone’s!”

Shota stared at him a moment and then removed her hands from his shirt. “I did not come here about some ‘perceived’ threat to the future,” she whispered. “I did not come here to argue with you about making babies with Confessors, Richard Rahl.”

Richard jerked back in shock. “I’m not ...”

“I came here, because I may want to kill you for what you have done, Richard Rahl. That you two ignorant children want to go make babies is a flea on the back of the true monster you have already created.”

“Why are you calling me that?” Richard whispered.

Shota studied his pale face. “Because that is who you are.”

“I am Richard Cypher. George Cypher was my father.”

“You were raised by a man named Cypher. You were sired by one named Darken Rahl. He raped your mother.”

Richard’s face turned whiter. Kahlan ached for him. She understood now, knew it was true. This was what she had seen in him; she had seen the face of his father, Darken Rahl. She tried desperately to free herself, to go to him, but couldn’t.

Richard shook his head. “No. That’s not true. It just isn’t possible.”

“True,” Shota snapped. “Your father was Darken Rahl. Your grandfather is Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander.”

“Zedd?” he whispered. “Zedd is my grandfather?” He straightened. “Darken Rahl ... No, he can’t be. It’s not true.”

He turned and looked up at Kahlan. He saw it in her face, saw that she knew it was. He turned back to Shota. “Zedd would have told me. He would have. I don’t believe you.”

“I don’t care,” she said in a flat tone. “I don’t care what you believe. I know the truth.” Her emotion came back. “And the truth is you are the bastard son of a bastard son of a bastard son! And each one of those bastard sons, all the way back, had the gift. Worse, Zedd has the gift. You have the gift, but it is from two bloodlines of wizards.” She glared at his wide eyes. “You are a very dangerous person, Richard Rahl.” Richard looked like he might fall down. “You have the gift. In this case, I would be more inclined to call it a curse.”

“I would agree with you about that,” Richard whispered.

“You know you have the gift? We are going to have no argument about that?” Richard could only nod. “The rest of it I could not care less about. You are the son of Darken Rahl, and on the other side, the grandson of Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander. He is the father of your mother. If you choose to ignore the truth of that, I don’t care. Believe as you will. Delude yourself as you will. I am not here to argue your ancestry.”

Richard leaned back until the wall stopped him. He ran his fingers through his hair. “Go away, Shota. Please, go away.” His voice sounded as if all life had gone out of him. “I don’t want to hear anything else you have to say. Just go away. Leave me alone.”

“I am disappointed in you, Richard.”

“I don’t care.”

“I didn’t know you were this stupid.”

“I don’t care.”

“I thought George Cypher meant something to you. I thought you had some kind of honor.”

His head came up. “What do you mean?”

“George Cypher raised you. Gave you his time, his love. He taught you, cared for you, provided for you. Shaped you. And you would throw that away because someone else raped your mother? That is what is important to you?”

Richard’s eyes lit with fire. His hands started coming up. Kahlan thought he was going to try to strangle Shota, but then his hands sank back to his sides. “But ... if Darken Rahl is my father ...”

Shota threw her arms up in the air. “What? You are suddenly going to start acting like him? You are going to spontaneously start doing vile things because you now know? You fear you will go out and kill innocent people because you learned your real father is Darken Rahl? You will ignore the things you learned from George Cypher because you find your name is Rahl? And you call yourself the Seeker. I am disappointed in you, Richard. I thought you were your own man. Not the reflection of others’ impressions of your ancestors.”

Richard hung his head as Shota frowned angrily and watched him in silence. At last he took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Shota. Thank you for not letting me be any more stupid than I already am.” His eyes were wet as he turned to Kahlan. “Please, Shota, let her down.”

Kahlan felt the pressure lift, and she slid down the wall, her boots thumping against the ground. The glare Shota gave her made her stay where she was, even though she wanted to go to Richard. He stared at his boots.

Shota put her fingers under his chin and lifted his head. “You should be happy; your father was not ugly. Some of his looks are the only thing of his you have. That, and a bit of his temper. And the gift.”

Richard pulled his chin away from her fingers. “The gift. I don’t want the gift. I don’t want anything to do with it. I wouldn’t call anything I got from Darken Rahl a gift. I hate it! I hate magic!”

“It comes from Zedd, too,” Shota said with surprising compassion. “From both sides. That is the way you get the gift; it is passed down, sometimes skipping one, or even many generations. Sometimes not. You received it from both sides. In you, it is more than a single dimension. It is a very dangerous mix.”

“Passed down. Like any other deformity.”

With a sneer, Shota gripped his face in her long fingers. “Remember that before you lie with her. From Kahlan, the boy would be a Confessor. From you—he would have the gift. Can you even fathom the danger of that? Can you conceive of a Confessor with the gift? A male Confessor? I doubt you can. You should have killed her when I told you to, you ignorant child, before you found a way to be with her. You should have killed her.”

Richard glared at her. “I’ve heard enough of that talk. I intend to hear no more of it. I told you before; it is through Kahlan I defeated Darken Rahl. Had I killed her, he would have won. I hope you didn’t waste your journey here just to repeat this nonsense.”

“No,” Shota said quietly. “None of these things matter. That is not why I am here. I came because of what you have done, not because of what you might do someday. What you have already done, Richard, is worse than anything you could ever do with this woman. No monster you conceive with her could equal the monster you have already created.”

Richard frowned. “I stopped Darken Rahl from ruling the world. I killed him. I created no monster.”

She shook her head slowly. “The Magic of Orden killed him. I told you; he mustn’t open a box. You didn’t kill him, you let him open one of the boxes of Orden. The Magic of Orden killed him. You were supposed to kill him before he opened one of the boxes.”

“I couldn’t! That was the only way! There was no other way to kill him! And what difference does it make anyway? He’s dead!”

“It would have been better if you had let him win than let him open the wrong box.”

“You’re crazy! What could be worse than Darken Rahl gaining the Magic of Orden and ruling the world unchallenged!”

Her eyebrows lifted. “The Keeper,” she whispered. “It would have been better to let Darken Rahl rule us, or behead us, or even torture us to death, than what you have allowed to happen.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The Keeper of the underworld is kept in his place, kept from the world of the living, by the veil. The veil holds him and his minions back. Holds the underworld back. It keeps the dead from the living. What you have done has torn that veil. Already, some of the Keeper’s assassins have been loosed.”

“The screelings ...” Richard whispered.

Shota nodded. “Yes. By freeing the Magic of Orden, you have allowed its magic to somehow tear the veil to the underworld. If it tears enough, the Keeper will be freed. You can’t even conceive of what that means.” Shota lifted the Agiel at his neck. “It will make what was done to you with this seem like a lover’s kiss compared to what he will do. To everyone. It would have been better to have let Darken Rahl win, than to have let this happen. You have condemned everyone to a fate beyond horror.”

She gripped the Agiel in her fist. “I should kill you for what you have done. I should make you suffer unspeakably. Do you have any idea how much the Keeper would like to settle his gaze upon one with the gift? Do you have any idea how much he wants those with the gift? Or how much he wants witch women?”

Kahlan saw tears run down Shota’s cheeks. With a flush of understanding that sent an icy ripple of panic through her, Kahlan realized Shota wasn’t angry. She was afraid.

That was why she was here: not because she was angry at Kahlan being alive, or at them having a child. She was here because she was terrified. The idea of Shota, a witch woman, being afraid was worse than anything her own mind could conjure.

Richard stared at her, his eyes wide. “But ... there must be something we can do, some way to stop it.”

“We?” she screamed, jabbing her finger at his chest. “You! Only you, Richard Rahl! Only you! Only you can fix it!”

“Me! Why me?”

“I don’t know,” she cried through gritted teeth. “But you are the only one with the power.” She pounded her fist against his chest. “You!” She kept hitting his chest as he just stood there. “You are the only one who has a chance! I don’t know why, but only you can fix it. Only you can repair the tear in the veil.” Shota was sobbing now. “Only you, you stupid, foolish child.”

Kahlan was dazed by the magnitude of what was happening. The idea of the Keeper being loose was beyond comprehension. The dead in the world of the living; she couldn’t imagine the horror of it, but seeing Shota’s fear put dimension to the dread.

“Shota ... I don’t know anything about it. I don’t have any idea of how to ...”

Shota was still hitting his chest as she cried. “You must. You must find a way. You have no idea what the Keeper would do to me, what he’d do to a witch woman. If you won’t do it for me, do it for yourself. He would be no easier on you than me. And if you won’t do it for yourself, do it for Kahlan. He would have her for an eternity of pain for no other reason than that you love her. He would do it to her just to make it worse for you. We will all be held on the cusp between life and death for all eternity, twisting in anguish.” She was sobbing uncontrollably now. “Our souls will be stripped from us ... He will have our souls ... forever.”

Shota hit Richard’s chest again. He put his arms around her and pulled her against him, comforting her as she cried. “Forever, Richard. Soulless minds trapped by the dead. An eternity of torment. You are too stupid to even comprehend it. You could never even imagine the horror of it, until it happens.”

Kahlan stood next to Richard, putting her hand reassuringly on his shoulder. She felt no anger at the sight of him comforting Shota. She could see how terrified the witch woman was. Kahlan couldn’t share the same level of terror, because she didn’t know the things Shota knew. But in some ways, seeing Shota’s reaction was knowing enough.

“Screelings came into the Reach,” she cried.

Richard looked down at her. “Screelings! In Agaden Reach?”

“Screelings, and a wizard. A particularly nasty wizard. Samuel and I escaped with little more than our lives.”

“A wizard!” With his hands on her shoulders, Richard pushed her away. “What do you mean a wizard? There are no other wizards.”

“There is one in the Reach. The Screelings and the wizard are in Agaden Reach now. They are in my home. My home!”

Kahlan couldn’t hold her tongue. “Shota, are you sure it was a wizard? Could it be someone pretending to be a wizard? There are no more wizards. Except Zedd. They are all dead.”

Shota gave a tearful frown. “Do you think anyone could deceive me about having magic? I know a wizard when I see one, and I know a wizard with the gift. I know wizard’s fire. This one is a wizard with the gift, young though he is. I don’t know where he came from, or why no one knew of him. But he was with screelings. Screelings!”

“That can mean only one thing. This wizard has given himself over to the Keeper. He is doing the Keeper’s bidding. He is working to tear the veil the rest of the way for the Keeper. It means the Keeper has agents in this world. Darken Rahl was probably one of them. That is why he was able to use Subtractive Magic.”

Shota turned to Richard. “That the Keeper is using wizards means that it must take a wizard to tear the veil. You have the gift. You are a wizard. A stupid wizard, but a wizard nonetheless. I don’t know why, but you are the only one with a chance to close the tear.”

Richard brushed a tear from Shota’s cheek. “What are you going to do?”

The fire came back to Shota’s eyes. Her teeth clenched. “I am going back to the Reach. I am going to take back my home.”

“But they chased you out.”

“They took me by surprise,” she snapped. “I only came here to tell you how stupid you are. And that you must do something about it. You must close the tear, or we are all ...”

Shota turned her back to them. “I am going back to the Reach. The Keeper is going to lose his agent. I am going to take the gift from him. Do you know how to remove the gift from a wizard?”

“No.” Richard looked interested. “I didn’t know it could be done.”

“Oh yes, it can be done.” She turned and arched an eyebrow. “If you rip their skin off, the magic bleeds from them. That is the only way to remove the gift from a wizard. I am going to hang him up by his thumbs, and then I am going to skin him alive. Every inch of him. Then I am going to use his skin to cover my throne. Then I am going to sit on my throne, on his skin, and watch him scream to death as the magic bleeds from him.” She made a fist. “Or I am going to die trying.”

“Shota, I need some help. I don’t know anything about all this.”

Shota stared off flexing her fists. At last her hands relaxed and opened. “There is nothing I can tell you that will help.”

“You mean there is something you can tell me, but it won’t help.” Shota nodded. Richard sighed. “What is it?”

She folded her arms against her stomach. Her eyes were wet again. “You will be trapped in time. Don’t ask what that means, because I don’t know. You will have no chance of closing the veil unless you escape the trap. It will keep you locked away, and the Keeper will escape unless you are able to free yourself. Unless you learn something of the gift, you have no chance for either.”

Richard walked to the far side of the room. He stood with his back to them, one hand on a hip, his other combing through his hair. Kahlan didn’t look at Shota. She didn’t want to meet the witch woman’s gaze if she didn’t have to.

“Is there anything else?” Richard called over his shoulder. “Anything you can tell me? Anything?”

“No. And believe me, if there was I would be more than anxious to offer it. I don’t wish to meet the Keeper’s gaze.”

Richard thought by himself for a time. At last, he came back and stood before Shota. “I am having headaches. Bad headaches.”

Shota nodded. “The gift.”

“Three women came. They call themselves the Sisters of the Light. They said I have to come with them to learn to use the gift, or the headaches will kill me.” Richard studied her face. “What do you know about them?”

“I am a witch woman. I don’t know much about wizards. But the Sisters of the Light have something to do with wizards. With training them. That is all I know. I don’t even know where they are from. They come once in a great while, when they find one has been born with the gift.”

“What if I don’t go with them? Will I die, as they say?”

“If you don’t learn to control the gift, the headaches will kill you. That much I know.”

“But are they the only way?”

Shota shrugged. “I don’t know. But I know you must learn to use the gift, or you will not escape the trap, or be able to close the veil—or even survive the headaches.”

“So you are saying you think I should go?”

“No. I said you must learn to use the gift. There may be another way.”

“What way?”

“I don’t know, Richard. I don’t even know if there is another way. I’m sorry, but I can be of no help in this. I just don’t know. Only a fool will give advice about something she doesn’t understand. I can give you no advice in this.”

“Shota,” Richard pleaded, “I’m lost. I don’t know what to do. I don’t understand any of it, the Sisters, the gift, or the Keeper. Isn’t there anything you can tell me to help me?”

“I have told you everything I know. I feel as lost as you. Worse. I have no ability to influence what will happen. At least you have that. Dim as the chance is.” Shota’s eyes glistened. “I fear I am going to look into the Keeper’s dead eyes. Forever. I haven’t been able to sleep since I learned these things. If I knew anything, I would help. I just don’t know anything about the world of the dead. It is not something the living have faced yet.”

Richard stared at the ground. “Shota,” he whispered. “I don’t have any idea what to do. I’m afraid. I’m very afraid.”

She nodded. “So am I.” She reached out and touched his face. “Good-bye, Richard Rahl. Don’t fight who you are. Use it.” She turned to Kahlan. “I don’t know if you can help him, but if there is a way, I know you will do your best.”

Kahlan nodded. “That I will, Shota. I hope you get your home back.”

Shota gave her a small smile. “Thank you, Mother Confessor.”

She turned and glided to the door, her wispy dress flowing behind. She pushed the door open. Samuel was waiting on the other side, his yellow eyes shining. Shota stopped in the doorway and stiffened.

“Richard, if you should happen to somehow close the veil, and save me from the Keeper, save everyone from the Keeper, I will be forever grateful to you.”

“Thank you, Shota.”

Her back was still to them. “But know this: if you give the Mother Confessor a child, it will be a boy. It will be a Confessor. Neither of you will have the strength to kill him, even though you know the consequences.” She paused a moment. “My mother lived in the dark times.” Her voice was like ice. “I have the strength. And, I will use it. You have my word on that. But know that it will not be personal.”

The door squeaked closed behind her. The spirit house felt suddenly very empty. Very quiet.

Kahlan felt numb. She looked down at her hands. They were shaking. She wanted Richard to hug her, but he didn’t do it. He was staring at the door. His face was white as snow.

“I don’t believe this,” he whispered. He still stared at the door. “How can this be happening? Am I dreaming all this?”

Kahlan felt as if her knees were about to buckle. “Richard, what are we going to do?”

Richard turned to her, his eyes distant. They filled with tears. “This has to be a nightmare.”

“If it is, I’m having the same one. Richard, what are we going to do?”

“Why does everyone ask me that? Why does everyone always ask me? What makes everyone think I am the one who knows?”

Kahlan stood woodenly, trying to make her mind work.

She couldn’t seem to form a coherent thought. “Because you are Richard. You are the Seeker.”

“I don’t know anything about the underworld, the Keeper. The world of the dead.”

“Shota says no one living does.”

Richard seemed to come out of his daze. Abruptly he grabbed her shoulders. “Then we must ask the dead.”

“What?”

“The ancestors’ spirits are dead. We can talk to them. I can ask for a gathering and ask them questions. We can learn from them. Maybe we can find out how to close the veil. Maybe I can find out how to stop the headaches, how to use the gift.” He gripped her arm. “Come on.”

Kahlan almost smiled. He was indeed the Seeker. Richard pulled her through the passageways, running when they could see well enough. Clouds hid the moon and it was dark between the buildings. The air was like ice on her face, making tears run from the corners of her eyes.

When they reached the open field, there was light. Torches lit the people gathered there. They were all still bunched together with hunters shielding everyone; they didn’t know the witch woman was gone. The entire village watched in silence as the two of them crossed the opening, the hunters parting for them as they approached the Bird Man and the other six elders. Chandalen stood to their side.

“Everyone is safe,” Kahlan reassured them. “The witch woman is gone.”

There was a collective sigh of relief. Chandalen thumped the butt of his spear on the ground. “Again you bring trouble!”

Richard ignored him and asked her to translate. He took in the elders and let his gaze settle on the Bird Man. “Honored elder. The witch woman was not here to harm anyone. She was here to warn me about a great danger.”

“You claim,” Chandalen snapped. “We do not know this to be true.”

Kahlan knew Richard was struggling to keep calm. “Do you doubt that if she wanted to send you to the spirit world, she could have done it?” Chandalen answered only with a glare. The Bird Man gave Chandalen a look that seemed to shrink him a few inches. He looked to Richard. “What danger?”

“She says we are in danger of the dead escaping into the world of the living.”

“They cannot come into the world of the living. The veil keeps them back.”

“You know of the veil?”

“Yes. Each level of the dead, the underworld as you call it, is sealed with a veil. When we hold a gathering, we invite our ancestors’ spirits to visit us, and they are able to come through the veil for a short time.”

Richard studied the Bird Man’s face a moment. “What else can you tell me about the veil?”

The other shrugged. “Nothing. We know only what our ancestors’ spirits have told us about it: that they must pass through it to come to us when we call them, and that it holds them back the rest of the time. They tell us that there are many levels of the underworld, the dead, and that they are in the uppermost level, and so they can come. Those who are not honored are in lower levels, and may not come. Their spirits are locked away forever.”

Richard met the eyes of all the elders. “The veil is torn. If it isn’t sealed again, the world of the dead will swallow us all.” Gasps spread back through the gathered people. Fearful whispering broke out. Richard’s gaze went back to the Bird Man. “Please, honored elder, I request a gathering. I must have the help of our ancestors’ spirits. I must find a way to seal the veil before the Keeper of the dead escapes. The spirit ancestors may be able to help. I must know if they can help.”

Chandalen thumped his spear. “Lies! You carry us the lies of a witch woman. We should not call the honored spirits of our ancestors for the words of a witch woman! The spirits of our ancestors are called only for our people, not a witch woman! They will strike all our people dead for such blasphemy!”

Richard glared at him. “They are not being called by a witch woman. It is I who makes the request, and I am one of the Mud People. I ask for the gathering to help me keep our people from being harmed.”

“You bring death to us. You bring strangers. You bring the witch woman. You only wish to help yourself. How did this veil become torn?”

Richard unbuttoned his sleeve and pushed it up his arm. He slowly pulled the Sword of Truth. Holding Chandalen’s glare, he drew the sword across his forearm, turning it to wipe both sides in the blood. He jammed the point in the ground and rested both hands over the hilt.

“Kahlan, I want you to translate something. Don’t leave out a single word.” Richard returned his glare to Chandalen. His voice was calm, almost gentle, but his eyes shone with lethal intent. “Chandalen, if I hear one more word from you tonight, even if it is to agree with me and offer your help, I will kill you. Some of the things the witch woman told me have put me in the mood to kill. If you give me any more reason—it will be you I kill.”

The eyes of all the elders widened. Chandalen opened his mouth to say something, but at seeing the look on Richard’s face, he shut his mouth and folded his arms. His glower was fierce, but no match for Richard’s. At last he glanced to the ground.

Richard spoke again to the Bird Man. “Honored elder, you know my heart. You know I would do nothing to harm our people. I would not ask this if it were not important, or if I had any other choice. Please, may I have a gathering so I may ask our ancestors’ spirits how I can stop this threat to our people?”

The Bird Man turned to the other elders. Each nodded in turn. Kahlan knew they would; it was only a formality. Savidlin was their friend, and the others had dealt with Richard before; there was not one of them who wanted to challenge him. The real decision was the Bird Man’s. He watched each elder nod, and then turned back to Richard.

“This is bad business. I do not like calling the ancestors to ask about their world. It is our world they come to help us with. They may be displeased. They may be angered. They may say no.” He watched Richard a moment. “But I know your heart. I know you are a savior to our people, and you would not ask if you had any other choice.” He laid a firm hand on Richard’s shoulder. “Granted.”

Kahlan sighed in relief. Richard nodded his thanks. Kahlan knew he didn’t look forward to meeting the ancestors’ spirits again. The last time had been devastating to him.

Suddenly, there was a flutter of shadow in the air. Kahlan threw her hands up protectively. Richard was knocked back a step as something hit him on the head. People shouted in confusion. A dark shape thumped to the ground between Richard and the Bird Man. Richard straightened, putting his fingers to his scalp. Blood trickled down his forehead.

The Bird Man squatted down over a dark form, and then straightened. He was holding a dead owl cradled in his hands. The head lolled to the side. The wings fell open. The elders all looked at one another. Chandalen’s frown deepened, but he said nothing.

Richard inspected the blood on his fingers. “Why in the world would an owl hit me like that? And what killed it?”

The Bird Man gently smoothed the dead bird’s feathers. “Birds live in the air, a different level than us. They live in two levels—land and air. They can travel between their level and ours. Birds are closely connected to the spirit world. To the spirits. Owls more than most birds. They see in the night, where we are blind, just as we are blind to the spirit world. I am a spirit guide for our people. Only a Bird Man can be a spirit guide, because he can understand such things.”

He held the dead bird a little higher. “This is a warning. I have never witnessed an owl bringing a spirit message before. This bird gave its life to warn you. Richard, please reconsider your request for a gathering. This warning means the gathering will be dangerous, dangerous enough for the spirits to send this message.”

Richard looked from the Bird Man’s face to the owl. He reached out and stroked its feathers. No one made a sound. “Dangerous for me, or for the elders?”

“For you. You are the one calling for the gathering. The owl brought the message to you. The warning was for you.” He glanced up at Richard’s forehead. “A blood warning. One of the worst kinds. The only thing worse than an owl, would have been if a raven had brought the message. That would have meant sure death.”

Richard took his hand back and wiped his fingers on his shirt. He stared down at the dead owl. “I don’t have any choice,” he whispered. “If I don’t do something, the veil will be torn, and the Keeper of the dead will escape. Our people, everyone, will be swallowed into the world of the dead. I must learn how to stop it. I must try.”

The Bird Man nodded. “As you wish. It will take three days to prepare.” Richard looked up. “You did it in two days before. We can’t spare any time.”

The elder took a deep breath and sighed. “Two days.”

“Thank you, honored elder.” Richard turned to her, his eyes were filled with pain. “Kahlan, please, find Nissel, and bring her? I’m going to the spirit house. Ask her to bring something stronger?”

She squeezed his arm. “Of course. I’ll hurry.”

Richard nodded. He pulled his sword from the ground and walked off into the darkness.

Chapter 13

Cause of death. She looked up in thought, pressing the round end of the plain, wooden-handled pen to her lower lip. The small, modest room was dimly lit with candles set among and on top of the disheveled piles of papers on her desk. Scrolls were balanced precariously in stacks between fat books. The dark patina of the desktop was only visible in a small area in front of her, framing the waiting report.

Odd objects of magic stood jammed together collecting dust on the shelves behind her. The ever-present and diligent cleaning staff was not allowed to touch them, and so the task of dusting them was left to her, but there was never enough time, or inclination. Besides, they looked less important to curious eyes when covered in a mask of dust.

Heavy drapes were drawn against the night. The only splash of color in the room was one of the local blue-and-yellow carpets she had placed on the other side of the desk. Visitors usually spent their time in her office staring down at it.

Cause of death. Reports were such a bother. She sighed. But a necessary bother. For now, anyway. The Palace of the Prophets required reams of reports. There were Sisters who spent their whole lives in the libraries, cataloging reports, pampering them, keeping records of every useless word they thought might someday be important.

Well, there was nothing for it but to think up a suitable cause of death. The truth would never do. Her Sisters would have to have a satisfactory explanation as to the cause of death. They valued highly those with the gift. Fools.

Training accident? She smiled. Yes, a training accident. She hadn’t used that one in many years. She pursed her lips as she dipped the pen in the ink bottle and began writing. The cause of death was a training accident with the Rada’Han. A twig, as I have often warned the other Sisters, no matter how young and tender, will break if bent too far.

Who could question? Let them wonder where among them the fault lay. It would keep them from digging too deeply, lest the blame fall on them. As she blotted the paper, there was a soft rap at the door.

“One moment, please.” She touched the corner of the boy’s letter to the candle flame and, when it was nearly consumed, tossed it in the cold hearth. The broken seal melted into a molten red puddle. He would be writing no more letters. “Come.”

The heavy, round-topped door opened enough to admit a head.

“Sister, it’s me,” came a whisper from the shadow.

“Don’t stand there like a novice, come in and close the door.”

The woman entered, closing the door quietly, after putting her head back out to check the hall. She didn’t look down at the carpet. “Sister ...”

With a finger across lips, and an angry scowl, she was silenced. “No names when we are alone. I’ve told you before.”

The other looked about at the walls, as if expecting someone to pop out. “But surely you’ve shielded your room.”

“Of course it’s shielded. But it is always possible the breeze could carry words to the right ears. If that ever happened, we wouldn’t want our names carried with the words, now would we.”

The other’s eyes flicked around at the walls again. “Of course not. Of course you are right.” She scrubbed her hands together. “Someday this won’t be necessary. I hate that we must remain hidden. Someday we will be able to ...”

“What have you found out?”

She watched as the woman straightened her dress at the hips and then put her fingers to the desk, leaning over a little. Her eyes had a fierce intensity. They were strange eyes, pale, pale blue, with dark violet flecks. She always found it hard not to stare at those eyes.

She leaned closer, and whispered. “They’ve found him.”

“You saw the book?”

She nodded slowly. “I saw it. At dinnertime. I waited until the others were at dinner.” She gave an even look. “He refused the first offer.”

She slapped her hand down on the desk. “What! Are you sure?”

“That’s what the book said. And not only that, there was more. He’s grown. Grown into a man.”

“Grown!” She took a heavy breath as she watched the Sister standing before her. “Which Sister was it?”

“What difference does it make? They are all ours.”

“No, they weren’t. I wasn’t able to send three of our own. Only two. One is a Sister of the Light.”

The other’s eyes widened. “How could you let that happen? Something as important as this ...”

She slapped her hand down on the desk again. “Silence!”

The other straightened, knitting her fingers together. A small pout came to her face. “It was Sister Grace.”

She closed her eyes and leaned back in the chair. “Sister Grace was one of ours,” she whispered.

The other leaned over the desk again. “Then, only one of the two remaining is ours. Who is it? Sister Elizabeth, or Sister Verna?”

“That is not for you to know.”

“Why not? I hate never knowing. I hate not knowing if the Sister I’m talking to is a Sister of the Light, or one of us, a Sister of the Dark....”

She slammed her fist on the desk and gritted her teeth. “Don’t you ever say that out loud again,” she hissed, “or I will send you to the Nameless One in pieces.”

This time the other stared down at the carpet as her face paled. “Forgive me,” she whispered.

“There isn’t a Sister of the Light alive who believes we are anything but myth. If that name ever reaches their ears, they could begin to wonder. That name is never, ever, to be spoken aloud by you! If the Sisters were to ever discover you, or who you serve, they would have a Rada’Han around your neck before you had a chance to scream.”

The other’s hands went to her throat as she let out a small gasp. “But I ...”

“You would claw your own eyes out, for fear of seeing them come to question you every day. That is why you are not to know the names of the others: so you can’t give them over. That is why they don’t know your name: so they can’t give you over. It is to protect us all, so we may serve. The only name you know is mine.”

“But Sister ... I would bite my own tongue off before I ever gave them your name.”

“You say that now. But were there a Rada’Han around your neck, you would be begging to give me up just to have it off ... And it isn’t my forgiveness that matters. If you fail us, the Nameless One will not be forgiving. When you meet his eyes, it will make whatever could be done to you with the Rada’Han while you were alive seem a pleasant time at tea.”

“But I serve ... I am sworn ... I have given the oath.”

“Those who serve well will be rewarded when the Nameless One is free of the veil. Those who fail him, or fight him, will have an eternity to regret their mistake.”

“Of course, Sister.” She was staring furiously at the carpet now. “I live only to serve.” She knitted her fingers back together. “I will not fail our Master. On my oath.”

“On your soul.”

Her defiant, violet flecked eyes came up. “I have given my oath.”

She nodded as she sank back in the chair. “As have we all, Sister. As have we all.” She stared at the other’s eyes a moment. “Did the book say anything else?”

“I didn’t have time to search it thoroughly, but there were some other things I caught. He is with the Mother Confessor. He is promised as her mate.”

She frowned. “The Mother Confessor.” She waved her hand. “That is no problem. What else.”

“He is the Seeker.”

She slapped her hand on the desk. “Curse the Light!” She let out a noisy breath. “The Seeker. Well, we can deal with that. Anything more?”

The other nodded slowly, leaning closer. “He is strong, and grown, yet only two days after he triggered the gift the headaches made him unconscious.”

She rose slowly out of her chair. This time it was her eyes that went wide. “Two days,” she whispered. “Are you sure? Two days?”

The other shrugged. “I am only telling you what the book said. I’m sure of what it said. I’m not sure it is true. I don’t see how it could be.”

She sank back into her chair. “Two days.” She stared at her desk. “The sooner we get a Rada’Han around his neck, the better.”

“Even the Sisters of the Light would agree with you about that. There was a message sent back. From the Prelate.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “The Prelate herself sent orders?”

The other nodded. “Yes.” Under her breath, she added, “I wish I knew if she was with us, or against us.”

She ignored the comment. “What did she say?”

“That if he refuses the third offer, Sister Verna is to kill him herself. Have you ever heard of such an order? If he is really this strong, and he refuses the third time, he would be dead in a few weeks anyway. Why would she give such an order?”

“Have you ever heard of anyone refusing the first offer?”

“Well, no, I guess I haven’t.”

“It is one of the rules. If one with the gift refuses all three offers, they are to be killed, to spare them the suffering at the end, the madness. You have never seen such an order before because you have never heard of anyone refusing the first offer.”

“I have spent time in the archives, looking through the prophecies. That is where I saw reference to the rule. The Prelate knows all the obscure rules, the old rules. And she is afraid; she has read the prophecies too.”

“Afraid?” she asked, wide-eyed. “The Prelate? I have never seen her afraid of anything.”

She nodded up at the woman. “She is afraid now. Either way suits our purposes. Either he is collared, or he is dead. If he is collared, we will deal with him, in our way, as we have always done. If he is dead, we won’t have to. Maybe better he were dead. Maybe better he were dead before the Sisters of the Light find out what he is, if they don’t already know.”

The other leaned over the desk again, lowering her voice. “If they know, or find out, there are those among the Sisters of the Light who would kill him.”

She studied the violet flecks a moment. “Indeed there are.” A smile spread across her face. “What a dangerous dilemma for them. What a glorious opportunity for us.” Her smile faded. “What of the other matter?”

The woman straightened. “Ranson and Weber are waiting where you wanted them.” She folded her arms beneath her breasts. “They were pretty cocky, because they have passed all the tests, and tomorrow are to be released.” A sadistic grin came to her thin lips and flecked eyes. “I gave them a little reminder that they still wear the collar. I’m surprised we can’t hear their knees knocking together all the way up here.”

She ignored the other’s smile. “I have lessons to give. You will go in my place. Tell them I had reports to work on. I’ll go see to our two friends. They may have passed all the Prelate’s tests, but they have not yet passed all of mine. One has an oath to give. And the other ...”

She leaned halfway over the desk, hunger in her flecked eyes. “Which one? Which one are you going to ... Oh, I so wish I could watch. Or help. Promise me you will tell me everything?”

She smiled at the other’s eagerness. “Everything. I promise. From beginning to end. Every last scream. Now go see to my lessons for me.”

The woman danced through the doorway like a giddy schoolgirl. She was too eager. That kind of eagerness was dangerous. That kind of lust made one forget to be careful, made one take chances. She pulled a knife from a drawer, and made a mental note to use her less in the future, and keep an eye on her.

She tested the edge gingerly with a thumb and, satisfied it was razor sharp, tucked the knife up her sleeve, the sleeve without the dacra. She plucked a small, dusty statue from the shelf, and slipped it into a pocket. Before she was around the desk and through the door, she remembered one more item, and turned back to pick up the stout rod leaning against the side of her desk.

It was late, and the halls were quiet and mostly empty. Despite the heat, she pulled her short, thin, blue cotton cloak tighter across her shoulders. Thoughts of this new one with the gift gave her a chill. Grown. A man.

She shook her head as she walked silently over the long carpets, past lamps set in wall brackets centered in the raised cherry paneling, past tables set with dried flowers, and past heavily draped windows looking out over the bailey and courtyard below. Lights of the city in the distance twinkled like a carpet of stars. Slightly rank air drifted in the windows. Must be near low tide, she thought.

The cleaning staff, polishing a chair-rail molding here, or a banister there, dropped into deep curtsies as she swept past. She hardly noticed them, and certainly didn’t acknowledge them. They were beneath her attention.

Grown. Into a man.

Her face heated with anger at the thought. How could this be? Someone had made a serious mistake. A mistake. An oversight. It had to be that.

A maidservant on her hands and knees, concentrating on wiping at a spot on a carpet, looked up just in time to leap back out of the way with a “Forgive me, Sister.” On her hands and knees, she touched her head to the floor with another apology.

Grown. It would have been difficult enough to turn this one if he were still a boy. But a man? She shook her head again. Grown. She smacked the rod against her thigh in frustration. Two maidservants nearby jumped at the sound and fell to their knees, burying their tightly closed eyes behind prayerful hands.

Well, grown or not, he would have a Rada’Han around his neck, and a whole palace full of Sisters to watch over him. But even wearing a Rada’Han, he was still grown into a man. And the Seeker. He might be difficult to control. Dangerously difficult.

If necessary, she guessed, he could always have a “training accident.” If not that, there were certainly enough other dangers to one with the gift, dangers that could leave a man worse than dead. But if she could turn him, or use him, that would make all the trouble worthwhile.

She turned into a hall she at first thought empty, then noticed a young woman standing in the shadows between lamps, gazing out a window. She thought she recognized her. One of the novices. She stopped behind the young woman and folded her arms. The novice tapped her toe on the carpet as she leaned on her elbows through the opened window, looking at the gates below.

She cleared her throat. The young woman spun, gasped, and dropped into a curtsy.

“Forgive me, Sister, I didn’t hear you coming. A good evening to you.”

When the big brown eyes came up, she put the end of the rod under the young woman’s chin and lifted it a little more. “Pasha, isn’t it?”

“Yes, Sister. Pasha Maes. Novice, third rank. Next in line to be named.”

“Next in line,” she sniffed. “Presumption, my dear, does not befit a Sister, and less so a novice. Even one of the third rank.”

Pasha cast her eyes down and gave a curtsy, as best she could with the rod still under her chin. “Yes, Sister. Forgive me.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Just watching, Sister. Watching the night.”

“Watching the night. I would say you were watching the gates. Am I wrong, novice?”

Pasha tried to look down, but the rod lifted her chin, keeping her eyes to her superior. “No, Sister,” she admitted, “you are not wrong. I was watching the gates.” She licked her full lips several times.

At last she spilled out the words. “I heard the talk, the talk among the girls. They say, well, they say three of the Sisters have been gone a long time now, and that could only mean they are bringing back one with the gift. A new one. In all the years I have been here, I have never seen a new one brought in.” She licked her lips again. “Well, I am ... I mean ... I hope to be next in line. And if I am to be named, I will have to be assigned a new one.” She knitted her fingers together. “I so want to be named a Sister. I have studied hard, worked hard. Waited and waited. And no new one has come yet. Forgive me Sister, but I just can’t help being excited, and hopeful, that I will be worthy. So ... yes, I was watching the gate, hoping I would see him brought in.”

“And you think you are strong enough to handle the job? To handle a new one?”

“Yes, Sister. I study and practice my forms every day.”

She looked down her nose at the novice. “Is that so? Show me.”

As they stared at each other, she felt her feet rise off the ground a few inches. Solid grip of air, strong. Not bad. She wondered if the novice could handle interference. With that thought, fire ignited at both ends of the hall, sweeping with a howl toward the two women. Pasha didn’t flinch. The fire hit a wall of air before reaching them. Air was not the best for fire. A small error Pasha quickly corrected. Before the fire burned through, the air became moist, dripping. The fire hissed out.

Although she didn’t try to move, she knew she couldn’t. She could feel that the grip held her firmly. She turned it cold, brittle, with ice, and broke it. When she was free, she lifted Pasha from the floor. Defensive webs from the girl wove through her snaking onslaught, but failed to break the grip. Her feet rose again. Impressive—the girl could counter even while being held.

Spells tangled together, conflicting, fighting, snarling into knots. Each matched and defended, striking back at any opportunity. The silent, motionless battle raged on for a time, the two of them hanging inches off the ground.

At last, she tired of the sport and severed herself from the webs, tying them to the girl, locking them on. She settled gently to the ground, and left Pasha with the whole weight of the load to juggle. A simple, if devious, escape: giving the opponent not only the attacking spells to deal with, but dumping her own back on her. Pasha hadn’t been expecting this, and wasn’t able to defend against it; it was not the way she had been taught.

Sweat ran down the novice’s face as she grimaced slightly. The force radiating through the hall made carpets curl up at their corners. Lamps chattered in their brackets. Pasha was getting angry. Her brow wrinkled. With a loud crack that shattered a mirror far off down the hall, she broke the spells. Her slippered feet settled to the ground.

Pasha took a few deep breaths. “I have not seen that done before, Sister. It is not ... by the rules.”

She put the rod back under the other’s chin. “Rules are for children’s games. You are no longer a child. When you are a full Sister, you must deal with situations where there are no rules. You must be prepared for that. If you always stick to somebody’s ‘rules,’ you may find yourself at the point of a very sharp knife, held by a hand that doesn’t know about your ‘rules.’“

Pasha didn’t flinch. “Yes, Sister. Thank you for showing me.”

She smiled inwardly, but kept it off her face. This one had a spine, if a small one. A rare commodity in a novice, even one of the third rank.

She let her eyes take in Pasha again: soft brown hair that just touched her shoulders, big brown eyes, attractive features, lips of the sort men stared at, proud, upright shoulders, and a sweep of curves that even a novice’s dress failed to conceal.

She let the rod trail from Pasha’s chin, down her neck, down into the heart of her exposed cleavage.

Grown into a man.

“And since when, Pasha,” she said in a quiet voice that could have been taken for either threatening, or kind, “have novices been allowed to wear their dresses unbuttoned like this?”

Pasha blushed furiously. “Forgive me, Sister. It’s such a warm night. I was alone ... I didn’t think there was anyone about. I just wanted to let the breeze cool my skin.” Her face turned a deeper red. “I sweat so, there. I never meant to offend anyone. I’m so embarrassed. Forgive me.”

Pasha’s hands rushed to the buttons. With the rod, she gently pushed the hands away from the swell of the young woman’s bosom.

“The Creator made you this way. You should not be embarrassed of what He has chosen, in his wisdom, to bestow upon you. You should never be ashamed, Pasha, of what He has graced you with. Only those of questionable loyalty to the Creator would scorn you for being proud of showing the Maker’s hand in all its magnificence.”

“Why ... thank you, Sister. I never looked at it in quite that way.” A frown wrinkled her brow. “What do you mean, ‘questionable loyalty’?”

She pulled the rod away and lifted an eyebrow. “Those who worship the Nameless One don’t hide in the shadows, my dear. They could be anywhere. Why, even you could be one. Even me.”

Pasha fell to a knee, bowing her head. “Oh, please, Sister,” she implored, “don’t say such a thing of yourself, even in jest. You are a Sister of the Light, and we are in the Palace of the Prophets, safe, I pray, from the whispers of the Nameless One.”

“Safe?” With her rod, she motioned the novice up. After she was on her feet, she gave her a stern look. “Only a fool assumes she is safe, even here. Sisters of the Light are not fools. Even they must always be alert to the dark whispers.”

“Yes, Sister. I will remember.”

“Remember it, any time someone would make you ashamed of how the Creator has formed you. Ask yourself why they blush at seeing the Maker’s hand. Blush, as the Nameless One would.”

“Yes, Sister ... Thank you,” she stammered. “You have given me things to think on. I have never thought about the Creator in this way before.”

“He has reasons for the things He does. Is this not true?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, when He gives a man a strong back, what does that say?”

“Everyone knows that. He was given the strong back to use. It means the Creator has given him the strong back so that he might work to feed his family. Work to make his way. Work to make the Creator proud. And not waste the Creator’s gift by being lazy.”

She whisked the rod up and down in front of Pasha. “And what do you think the Creator had in mind when he gave you this body?”

“I ... don’t know ... exactly. That I should use it to ... make the Creator proud of His work ... in some way?”

She nodded. “You think on it. You think on your reason for being here. Being here at this time. We are all here for a reason. The Sisters of the Light are here for a reason, are they not?”

“Oh, yes, Sister. We are here to teach the ones with the gift, teach them to use it, and guide them so they may not hear the whispers of the Nameless One, that they may hear only the Creator.”

“And how are we able to do that?”

“We were given the gift of being sorceresses, so that we may be able to guide them in their gift.”

“And if the Creator was wise enough to give you that gift, the gift of being a sorceress, do you not think He may have given you your looks for a reason too? Maybe to be a part of your calling as a Sister of the Light? To use your looks to serve Him?”

Pasha stared. “Why, I never thought of it that way before. In what way are my looks to be of aid?”

She shrugged. “We cannot always know what the Creator has intended. When He wishes, it will be revealed.”

“Yes, Sister.” Her voice was unsure.

“Pasha, when you see a man that the Creator has graced with good looks, a finely shaped body, what do you think? What do you feel?”

Pasha blushed. “I ... sometimes ... it makes my heart race. I guess. It makes me feel ... good. Feel longings.”

At last she allowed a small smile. “There is no need to blush, my dear. It is a longing to touch what the Creator’s hand has wrought. Don’t you suppose it pleases the Creator that you appreciate His work? Don’t you think He wants you to like what He has done? To enjoy it? Just as you must know that men enjoy witnessing your beauty and long to touch the work of the Creator’s hand. It would be a crime against the Creator not to use, in your service to Him, what He has given you.”

Pasha smiled shyly. “I never thought about it in that way. You have given me new eyes, Sister. The more I learn, the more it seems I don’t know. I hope that someday I will be a Sister of the Light half as wise as you.”

“Knowledge comes as it will, Pasha. Life’s lessons come at the most surprising times. Like tonight.” She swished the rod toward the window. “Here you are, looking out a window, hoping to learn one thing, and you have learned something more important.”

Pasha touched her arm. “Oh, thank you, Sister, for taking the time to teach me. No Sister has spoken so frankly to me before.”

“This is one lesson, Pasha, that is outside the palace curriculum. It is a lesson the Nameless One would be angry you learned, so keep it to yourself. As you think on what I have told you, and the Creator’s hand is revealed, you will understand better how it is to work for Him. And if you need more understanding, I will always be here to help guide you. But keep our talk from others. As I said, you can never tell who listens to the whispers of the Nameless One.”

Pasha curtsied. “I will, Sister. Thank you.”

“A novice is given many tests. Tests of the palace’s devising. There are rules to them. The final test to be named a Sister of the Light is being charged with a new one. In this, the final test, there are not always rules. New ones can be difficult to control. But that does not mean they are bad.”

“Difficult?”

“Of course. They come here, plucked from the only life they knew, and are thrust into a new place, with new demands they don’t understand. They can be rebellious, difficult to control. It is because they are afraid. We must have patience.”

“Afraid ...? Of the Sisters? And the palace?”

“Weren’t you afraid, when you first came here? Just a little?”

“Well, maybe just a little. But it was my dream to come. I wanted it more than anything.”

“For the new ones, it is not always their dream. They are confused about their power. With you, it grew as you grew. You were accustomed to it; it was part of you. With them, it is sometimes sudden, unexpected. Not what they planned or wanted. The Rada’Han can ignite the power, and it is new to them. It can be frightening. That fear makes them fight it, sometimes. Fight us.”

“Your job, the responsibility of a novice of the third rank, is to control them, for their own good, until they can be taught by the Sisters. In all your other lessons, there have been rules. In this, there sometimes are no rules. The new ones don’t know of our rules yet. They can be difficult to control if you follow only the rules you know. Sometimes the collar is not enough. You must use whatever the Creator has given you. You must be able to do whatever it takes to control the will of these untrained wizards. That is the true, and final test to be a Sister. Novices have failed in this final test, and been put out of the palace.”

Pasha’s eyes were wide. “I have never heard such things.”

She shrugged. “Then I have been of aid to you. I am pleased the Creator has chosen me to help. Perhaps others have not wanted so strongly for you to succeed, and have held back. Perhaps you would do well to bring to me your questions about any new one you are assigned.”

“Oh, yes. Thank you for your help, Sister. I must admit it worries me to learn that new ones can be difficult. I guess I always imagined they would be eager to learn, and that it would be a joy to show them and to help teach them.”

“They are all different. Some are as easy as a babe in a crib. Let us hope you are given one like that. Some will test your wits. Why, I have even seen old records that tell of ones that have triggered the gift before we could get to them, before we could get a Rada’Han on them and help them.”

“No ... That must be frightening for them—to have the power awakened without guidance from us.”

“Indeed. And fear can make them troublesome, as I have said. I have even seen an old report of one who refused the collar on the first offer.”

Pasha’s fingers covered her mouth as she gasped. She took them away. “But... that means... one of the Sisters ...”

She nodded solemnly. “It is a price we are all prepared to pay. We bear a heavy responsibility.”

“But why wouldn’t the parents make him accept the offer?”

She leaned closer, lowering her voice. “The the report I saw, the one with the gift was grown. A man.”

Pasha stared in wide-eyed disbelief. “A man ...?” she whispered. “If a boy can be difficult to control ... what of a grown man?”

She gave the novice an even look. “We are here to serve in the Creator’s work. You can never tell what the Creator has in His plan, why you are given what you have. A novice in charge of a new one must use whatever the Creator has given her. The collar is not always enough. You can never tell what you might need to do. The rules don’t always work.”

“Do you still want to be a Sister of the Light? Even knowing you may be given a new one who could be more difficult than any other novice has ever been given?”

“Oh, yes! Yes, Sister! If the new one is difficult, I know it is a test from the Creator himself, to see if I am truly worthy. I will not fail. I will do whatever must be done. I will use everything I have learned, everything the Creator has given me. I will be on guard that he may be from a strange land, or have strange customs, and be afraid, or troublesome, or difficult. And that I may have to make my own rules to succeed.” She hesitated. “And if you are so kind as to mean what you said about helping me, then I know I will have your wisdom backing me, and I will not fail.”

She nodded with a smile. “I have given my word. It holds, no matter the difficulty.” She frowned in thought. “Perhaps, it could be that you are graced with your looks so a new one might see the beauty of the Creator through you, through his work. Perhaps, this is how you are to show a new one the way.”

“It would be an honor, in any way, to show a new one the light of the Creator’s hand.”

“You are right in that, my dear.” She straightened, clasping her hands. “Now. I want you to go to the mistress of the novices, and tell her that you have too much free time, and that starting tomorrow, you need to be assigned some chores. Tell her you have been spending too much of your time looking out windows.”

Pasha bowed her head and curtsied again. “Yes, Sister,” she said meekly.

She smiled when the novice looked up. “I too, have heard that three of the Sisters are searching for one with the gift. I think it will be a while before they return with him, if at all, but when they return, and if they bring him, I will remind the Prelate that you are next in line, and are ready for the task.”

“Oh, thank you, Sister! Thank you!”

“You are a fine young woman, Pasha. The Creator has truly shown the beauty of his work in you.”

“Thank you, Sister,” she said without blushing.

“Thank the Creator.”

“I will, Sister. Sister? Before the new one is brought in, could you teach me more about what the Creator has intended for me? Help me to understand?”

“If you wish.”

“Oh, I do. I really do.”

She patted Pasha’s cheek. “Of course, my dear. Of course.” She stood up straight. “Now, off to the mistress of the novices with you. I won’t have soon-to-be-Sisters with nothing better to do than stare out windows.”

“Yes, Sister.” Pasha curtsied with a smile and rushed off down the hall. She stopped and turned. “Sister ... I am afraid I don’t know your name.”

“Go!”

Pasha flinched. “Yes, Sister.”

She watched the swell of Pasha’s hips sway as she walked quickly off down the hall, kicking the rolled edges of carpets back down as she went. The girl had exquisite ankles.

Grown into a man.

She collected her thoughts and started off again, down the halls and stairs. As she descended, the wooden stairs changed to stone. The heat lessened, although not the stuffiness, or the smell of the tide flats. The warm glow of lamps was replaced by the flickering shadows of widely spaced torches. The cowering palace staff diminished in number until she saw no one. She continued down to the lowest floors, below dusty storerooms, down below the servants’ quarters and workshops. The torches became more widely spaced until there were no more. She ignited a ball of flame in her palm, and held it up to see by as she continued on.

When she reached the proper door, she sent the flame into a cold torch set in a bracket next to the doorway. The stonewalled room was small, an abandoned cellar of some sort, empty except for moldy straw on the floor, a lit torch, and the two wizards. The smell was unpleasant: burning pitch and damp mold.

At her entrance, the two stood, swaying slightly. Both wore the plain robes befitting their high rank. Each had a stupid half grin on his face. They weren’t cocky, she realized; they had been drinking. Probably celebrating their last night in the Palace of the Prophets. Their last night with the Sisters of the Light. Their last night wearing the Rada’Han.

The two men had been friends since they had been brought to the palace as boys, almost at the same time. Sam Weber was a plain man of average height, with curly, light brown hair and a clean-shaven jaw that seemed too big for the rest of his soft face. Neville Ranson was slightly taller, with straight black hair cut short and smoothed neatly down. He wore a short, well-kept beard that was just beginning to show flecks of gray. His eyes were almost as dark as his hair. His features seemed all the more sharply formed, standing next to his soft friend.

She had always thought he had grown into a handsome man. She had known him since he had come to the palace as a small boy. She had been a novice then, and he had been the one assigned to her, put in her care; her final test before becoming a Sister of the Light. That had been a long time ago.

Wizard Ranson swept his arm across his middle and gave a dramatic, although wobbly, bow. He came back up with a widening grin. His grin always made his face look boyish, despite his years and the beginnings of gray.

“A good evening to you, Sister ...”

Hard as she could, she backhanded him across the face with her rod. She could feel his cheekbone break. He fell back to the floor with a cry.

“I have told you before,” she hissed through gritted teeth, “never to use my name when we are alone. Being drunk does not excuse the order.”

Wizard Weber stood stone still, his eyes wide, his face white, his grin gone. Ranson rolled over on the ground with his hands to his face, leaving blood on the straw.

The color came back to Weber’s face in a red rush. “How dare you do this? We have passed all the tests! We are wizards!”

She sent a cord of power into the Rada’Han. The impact threw him back against the wall, where the collar stuck to the stone like a nail to a magnet. “Passed the tests!” she screamed. “Passed the tests! You have not passed my tests!” She twisted on the pain until Weber was choking in agony. “Is this how you address a Sister! Is this the way you show respect!”

She snipped off the cord and he fell to the floor, grunting when he hit. He pushed himself up on his knees with an effort.

“Forgive me, Sister,” he said in a pained, hoarse voice. “I beg you forgive our disrespect.” His eyes rose cautiously to meet her glare. “It was only the drink speaking. Forgive us? Please?”

With her fists on her hips, she stood watching him. She pointed with the rod at the one rolling and moaning on the floor. “Heal him. I don’t have time for this nonsense. I have come to give you both your test, not to watch him whine and complain about a little slap.”

Weber bent to his friend, rolling him gently over on his back. “Neville, it’s all right. I’ll help you. Lie still.”

He took the man’s shaking hands away and replaced them with his own. He began talking and healing. She waited impatiently with her arms folded. It didn’t take long; Weber was talented at healing. Weber helped his friend sit up and, with a handful of straw, wiped the blood from the healed wound.

Ranson pushed himself to his feet. His eyes flashed anger, but he kept any speck of it out of his voice. “Forgive me, Sister. What is it you want?”

Weber came up beside him. “Please, Sister, we have done everything the Sisters have asked. We are finished.”

“Finished? Finished? I don’t think so. Have you forgotten our talks? Have you forgotten what I told you? Did you think I would forget? Simply let the two of you dance out of here? Free as birds? No man walks out of here without seeing me or one of mine. There is the matter of an oath.”

The two glanced at each other, retreating a half step.

“If you will just let us go,” Weber offered, “we will give you our oath.”

She watched them a moment, her voice coming quietly at last. “My oath? It is not an oath to me, boys. It is an oath to the Keeper. You know that.” They both paled a little. “And the oath comes only after one of you has passed the test. Only one of you has to give the oath.”

“One of us?” Ranson asked. He swallowed. “Only one of us has to give the oath, Sister? Why only one of us?”

“Because,” she whispered, “the other will have no need to give an oath. He is going to die.”

They both gasped and moved closer together.

“What is this test?” Weber asked.

“Take off your robes, and we will begin.”

They glanced at each other. Ranson lifted his hand a little. “Our robes, Sister? Now? Here?”

She looked to each. “Don’t be bashful, boys. I have seen you both swim naked in the lake since you were only this big.” She held her hand out just below her waist.

“But that was when we were boys,” Weber complained. “Not since we have grown into men.”

She glowered at them. “Don’t make me have to tell you again. The next time, I will burn them off you.”

They both flinched and began pulling their robes over their heads. She made a deliberate point of looking each up and down, just to show them her displeasure with their argument. Each man’s face turned red in the torchlight.

With a flick of her wrist, she brought her knife to her hand. “Up against the wall. Both of you.”

When they didn’t move quickly enough, she used the collars to slam them against the wall. With a thin stream of power to each Rada’Han, she immobilized them against the stone. They were flattened against the wall and helpless to lift a finger.

“Please, Sister,” Ranson whispered, “don’t kill us. We’ll do anything. Anything.”

Her cold gaze settled on his dark eyes. “Yes, you will. One of you anyway. But we haven’t gotten to the oath yet. Now still your tongue or I will do it for you.”

As the two were held helpless, she moved to Weber first. Putting the knife tip against his upper chest, she drew it slowly down, carefully cutting through the skin and no more. Sweat poured from Weber’s face as he gritted his teeth. His jowls shook. After she had made a cut, about a forearm long, she went back to where she had begun and made another next to it, so the two cuts were about a finger’s width apart. Small, high-pitched sounds escaped from the man’s throat as she drew the knife along. The ends of the lines drew together to a point. Small trickles of blood ran down his chest. She worked the knifepoint under the top, between the cuts, separating the skin from him until there was a generous flap of it hanging down.

She moved over to Ranson and made the same twin cuts, with a flap of skin hanging away at the top. Tears ran down his face with the sweat, but he said nothing. He knew better. When finished, she straightened and inspected her work. They looked the same. Good. She tucked the knife back up her sleeve.

“One of you two is going to have the Rada’Han taken off tomorrow, and be free to go. As far as the Sisters of the Light are concerned, anyway. Not as far as I, or more importantly, the Keeper, are concerned. It will be the beginning of your service to him. If you serve well, you will be rewarded when he is free of the veil. If you fail in your tasks ... Well, you wouldn’t want to know what would happen to you if you should fail him.”

“Sister,” Ranson asked in a shaky voice, “why only one of us? We could both give the oath. We could both serve.”

Weber’s sudden glare shifted to his friend. He didn’t like being spoken for. He always had been obstinate.

“The oath is a blood oath. One of you will have to pass my test to earn the privilege of taking it. The other is going to lose the gift tonight, lose his magic. Do you know how a wizard loses the gift?”

They both shook their heads.

“When they are skinned, the magic bleeds from them.” She said it as if she were discussing peeling a pear. “Bleeds away until it’s all gone.”

Weber stared at her, his face gone white. Ranson closed his dark eyes and shook.

At the same time, she wrapped the flap of skin on each man around her first fingers. “I’m going to ask for a volunteer. This is just a little demonstration of what is in store for the one who volunteers. I don’t want either of you to think dying is going to be the easy way out.” She gave them a warm smile. “You have my permission to scream, boys. I believe this is going to hurt.”

She yanked the strips of skin off their chests. She waited patiently for the screams to stop, and even a little while longer while they sobbed. It was always good to let a lesson sink in.

“Please, Sister, we serve the Creator, as the Sisters have taught us,” Weber cried. “We serve the Creator, not the Keeper.”

She regarded him coolly. “Since you are so loyal to the Creator, Sam, I will give you first choice. Do you want to be the one to live, or to die tonight?”

“Why him?” Ranson demanded. “Why does he get to choose first?”

“Keep your tongue still, Neville. You will speak when spoken to.” She slid her gaze back to Weber. She lifted his chin with a finger. “Well, Sam? Who dies, you or your best friend?” She folded her arms across her breasts.

He looked up at her with hollow eyes. His skin was ashen. He didn’t look over at his friend. His voice came in a flat whisper.

“Me. Kill me. Let Neville live. I won’t give an oath to the Keeper. I would rather die.”

She looked back into his empty eyes a moment and then turned to Ranson. “And what have you to say, Neville? Who lives? Who dies? You, or your best friend in the world. Who gives the Keeper their oath?”

He glanced to Weber, who didn’t look back. He licked his lips. His dark eyes came back to her.

“You heard him. He chooses to die. If he wants to die, let him. I choose to live. I will give the Keeper my oath.”

“Your soul.”

He nodded slowly, his eyes flashing fierce determination. “My soul.”

“Well then” —she smiled— “it seems you two friends have come to an agreement. Everyone is happy. So be it. I am pleased, Neville, that it is to be you with us. You have made me proud.”

“Do I have to be here?” Ranson asked. “Do I have to see it?”

“See it?” She raised an eyebrow. “You have to do it.”

He swallowed, but the hard look stayed in his eyes. She had always known it would be him. Oh, not that there hadn’t been doubts, but she had known. She had taught him well. She had spent a great deal of time on him, bending him to her way.

“May I be granted one request?” Weber whispered. “May I have the collar off before I die?”

“So that you may make Wizard’s Life Fire and take your own life before we have a chance to take it from you? Do you think I am stupid? A stupid, soft woman?” She shook her head. “Denied.”

She released both Rada’Han from the wall. Weber sank to his knees, his head hanging. He was alone in the room, and knew it.

Ranson stood and straightened his shoulders. He pointed at the bloody wound down his chest. “What about this?”

She turned her gaze to Weber. “Sam. Stand up.” Weber stood, his eyes staying to the ground. “Your good friend has an injury. Heal him.”

Without a word, Weber finally turned and put his hands on Ranson’s chest, and began healing. Ranson stood tall, waiting for the pain to be taken away. She walked to the door and leaned her back against it, watching Weber do his work. His last work.

When he finished, he didn’t look at either her or Ranson, but went to the far wall and slid his back down it until he sat on the floor. He buried his head between his knees and folded his arms around them.

The healed but still naked wizard strode up to her and stopped, waiting. “What is it I am to do?”

She flicked her wrist, bringing the knife to her hand once more. She gave it a quick, sharp toss in the air, catching it by the blade. She held the handle out to him.

“You are to skin him. Alive.”

She pushed the handle against him until his hand came up and took it.

Ranson’s eyes left her steady gaze. He stared at the knife in his hand. “Alive,” he repeated.

She reached into a pocket and pulled out the small item she had brought: a pewter figure of a man on one knee, holding a crystal over his head. His tiny bearded face was turned up to it in wonder. The crystal was slightly elongated, coming to faceted points. Inclusions floated frozen inside, like a sky of constellations. She wiped the dust off it with the corner of her light cloak and held the small statue out to Ranson.

“This is magic, and a receptacle of magic. The crystal is called quillion. It will absorb the magic as it bleeds from your friend, after he is skinned. When, and only when, all his magic has bled into the quillion, it will give off an orange glow. You will bring the crystal to me to prove you have done the job.”

Ranson swallowed. “Yes, Sister.”

“Before I leave tonight, you will give the oath.” She pushed the figure with the crystal toward him until he took it. “This will be your first task after giving the oath. Fail it, or fail any of the tasks to follow, and you will wish you could trade places with your friend. You will wish it for all eternity.”

He stood gripping the knife in one hand and the small figure in the other. “Yes, Sister.” He stole a quick glance over his shoulder at the man crouched on the floor against the wall. He lowered his voice. “Sister, could you ... could you still his tongue. I don’t know if I could bear him talking while I do it.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You have a knife, Neville. If his words bother you, cut out his tongue.”

He swallowed and closed his eyes for a moment. They came open. “What if he dies before the magic is all bled away?”

“With the quillion present, he will live as long as there is any significant trace of it in him. After it’s all in the crystal, it will begin to glow. In that way you will know it is finished. After that, I don’t care what you do with him. If you want, you may finish him quickly.”

“What if he tries to prevent what I do?” He leaned a little closer. “With his magic.”

She smiled indulgently. “That I will still, with his collar. He will not be able to stop you. After he’s dead, there will be no life force to hold the Rada’Han on him. It will open. Bring it with you and give it to me when you bring the crystal.”

“And what about the body?”

She gave him a hard look. “You know how to wield the Subtractive. I have spent a good deal of time teaching you, as have others.” She darted a glance at Weber. “Use it. Get rid of the body with Subtractive Magic. Every last scrap of it. Every last drop of blood.”

Ranson straightened a little and nodded. “All right.”

“After you have finished here, and before you come to me at dawn, there is one more task you will perform this night.”

Ranson took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Another task? Must I do another task this night?”

She smiled and patted his cheek. “This second task you will enjoy. It’s a reward for doing a good job with the first. Serving the Keeper well has its rewards, as you will find out. Failing him has its punishments, as I hope you never discover.”

He looked suspicious. “And what is this second task?”

“You know a novice named Pasha?”

He let out a grunt. “There isn’t a man in the palace who doesn’t know who Pasha Maes is.”

“And how well do these men ‘know’ her?”

Ranson shrugged. “She likes to give a kiss and a cuddle in a corner.”

“Any more than a ‘kiss and a cuddle’?”

“I know a few men who have had their hand up her skirt. I’ve heard them talk about what fine legs she has, how they would give up the gift just to have those legs around them. But I don’t think any have. Some of the men watch out for her, as if she were a defenseless kitten. One in particular, young Warren, keeps a watchful eye on her.”

“Warren is one of the men she likes to kiss and cuddle?”

“I don’t think she would know him if he was standing in front of her.” He chuckled softly. “If he could even work up enough courage to take his nose out of the archives and look her in the face.” He frowned. “So what is the task?”

“When you are finished here, I want you to go to her room. Tell her how you are to be released tomorrow, and that when you passed all your tests, the Creator came to you in a vision. Tell her that the Creator told you in this vision that you were to go to her and teach her how to use the glorious gift of her figure that He had given her, how she was meant to use this gift to please men, so that when the special task He has for her is revealed, she will be prepared.”

“Tell her the Creator said it was to help her deal with her new one, as he would be the most difficult any novice has ever been given. Tell her the Creator revealed to you that He made this night hot, so she would sweat between her breasts, over her heart, to awaken her to His wishes.” She gave him a smooth smile. “Then, I want you to teach her how to please a man.”

He stared incredulously at her. “What makes you think she will believe any of this, or go along?”

Her smile widened. “You tell her what I told you to tell her, Neville, and you will have a great deal more than your hand up her skirt. She will probably have her legs around you before you finish talking.”

He nodded dumbly. “All right.”

She glanced deliberately down at him. “I’m glad to see that you are ... up to the task.” She looked back to his eyes. “Teach her everything you can think of to please a man. At least everything you can teach her by dawn. Teach her well. I want her to know how to make a man happy, and keep him coming back for more.”

He smiled. “Yes, Sister.”

She put the tip of the rod under his chin, lifting it a little. “You be gentle with her, Neville. I don’t want you to hurt her in any way. I want this to be a very pleasant experience for her. I want her to enjoy it.” She looked down at him again. “Well, do the best you can with what you have.”

“I’ve never had any complaints,” he snapped.

“Idiot. Women don’t complain about that to men’s faces; they complain to the backs of their heads. Don’t you dare jump on her, please yourself, then fall asleep. You have until dawn. I don’t want you sleeping tonight. You make sure this is an experience she remembers fondly. You teach her well. Everything you know.”

She pushed up with the rod a little more. “This may be a pleasant task, but it is a task for the Keeper just the same. Fail in this, as in any other, and your service will end abruptly. But your pain will go on and on. Keep alert when you are with her. In the morning, I expect a detailed report of everything you have taught her. You will report every bit of it. I need to know what she knows so I may guide her.”

“Yes, Sister.”

She glanced past him to the man against the wall. “The sooner you finish here, the sooner you can be with Pasha, and the more time you will have to teach her.”

He nodded with a grin. “Yes, Sister.”

She took the rod away and he let out a breath. With a gesture, she made his robe float to her hand. She shoved it at him.

“Put this on. You’re embarrassing yourself.” She watched as he began gathering the material and pulling it over his head. “Tomorrow the real work, the real task, begins.”

His head poked through the robe, his arms following one at a time. “What work? What task?”

“After you are released, you must be off at once, in the service of your homeland. You do remember your homeland, don’t you? You are going to go to Aydindril, as an advisor to High Prince Fyren. You have things to do there. Important things.”

“Like what?”

“We will talk about it in the morning. But now, before you can do the first task, and the second, and the rest of it, you have an oath to give. Is this of your free will, Neville?”

She watched his eyes. They darted briefly to his friend huddled against the wall. Then he turned to glance at the knife and the quillion. She saw his dark eyes go out of focus, and she knew he was thinking about Pasha. He answered her in a whisper.

“Yes, Sister.”

She nodded. “Very good, Neville. Kneel. The time of the oath is upon you.”

As he went to his knees, she lifted her hand. The flame of the torch puffed out, plunging the room into total blackness.

“The oath to the Keeper,” she whispered, “is given in the darkness that is his homeland.”

Chapter 14

Gently, Kahlan pulled the door open. He was awake and sitting in front of the fire. When the door closed, it shut out some of the eerie sound of the boldas and the drums coming from the center of the village. She stood next to him and tipped his head against her leg and then combed her fingers through his hair.

“How is your headache?”

“It’s all right. The rest and that last drink Nissel gave me helped.” He didn’t look up. “They want me out there, don’t they?”

Kahlan sank down to sit on the ground next to him. “Yes. It is time.” She rubbed his shoulder. “Are you sure you want to eat the meat, knowing this time what it is?”

“I have to.”

“But it’s still meat. Will you be able to eat it?”

“If I want a gathering, I have to eat it. The way is the way. I will eat it.”

“Richard, I’m worried about this gathering. I’m not so sure you should go through with it. Maybe there’s another way. The Bird Man is afraid for you too. Maybe you shouldn’t do it.”

“I have to.”

“Why?”

He stared into the fire. “Because this is all my fault. I am responsible. It is my fault the veil is torn. That’s what Shota said. My fault. I caused it.”

“Darken Rahl caused it ... somehow.”

“And I am a Rahl,” he whispered.

Kahlan glanced over, but he didn’t look back. “The crimes of the father, passed on to the son?”

He smiled a small smile. “I don’t believe that old line. But maybe there is a little snip of truth to it.” His eyes turned to her. “You remember what Shota said? That only I could restore the veil? Maybe because Darken Rahl tore it through the Magic of Orden, and my intervention, I have to restore it.”

She watched the firelight flicker in his eyes. “So you think ... what? That maybe since a Rahl tore it, it takes a Rahl to close it?”

He shrugged. “Maybe. That could explain why only I can close it. It may not be the reason, but it’s the only one I can think of.” He smiled. “I’m glad I’m marrying a smart woman.”

She grinned. It made her happy to see him smile. “Well, this smart woman can’t see how that could be the reason.”

“It might not be, but it’s a possibility I have to consider.”

“Then why do you have to go through with the gathering?”

His eyes lit up with excitement as he gave her a boyish grin. “Because I figured it out. I figured out what we’re going to do.”

He rearranged himself, turning toward her and folding his legs. “Tomorrow night, we’ll have the gathering and find out what we can that will help us, then, the next morning when it’s over ...” He snatched the dragon’s tooth up in his fist and held it up to her as the grin grew on his face. “Then I call Scarlet—with this. That’s how we get to Zedd. That’s how we can get to Aydindril without the headaches stopping me on a long journey by land. Scarlet flies with magic; her magic allows her to cover vast distances in little time.”

“We’ll be gone before the Sisters can stop us, and it will take them a long time to follow. I won’t have to turn them down, for now; I can get to Zedd first. He will know what to do. About the headaches, I mean. After the gathering, I’ll call Scarlet. It will probably take her the better part of the day to reach us.” He leaned toward her and gave her a quick kiss. “While we’re waiting, we’ll be married.” Her heart leapt. “Married?”

“Yes, married. All in the same day. Day after tomorrow. We’ll do it all and be away before the day is out.”

“Oh, Richard ... I would like that. But, let’s do it now. Call Scarlet now. We can be married in the morning when she gets here. I know the Mud People would do it quickly for us. We can get to Zedd and he will know what to do and you won’t have to risk a gathering.”

He shook his head. “We have to have the gathering. Shota said only I could close the veil. Not Zedd. What if he doesn’t have any idea what to do? He has said he doesn’t know much about the underworld. No one does. No one knows about the world of the dead.”

“But the ancestors’ spirits do. I have to find out whatever I can to help. We can’t waste the time going to Zedd, only to find out he doesn’t know what to do. I have to find out what I can first, then go to Zedd. Shota said only I could close the veil. Maybe it’s because I am the Seeker. I have to do my job and find the answers. Even if they mean little to me, they might be significant to Zedd, and then he might know what to do, know what I can do.”

“What if we beat Zedd to Aydindril? If we travel on Scarlet, she will get us there in a day; Zedd may not be there yet.”

“If he isn’t there, we know he’s going there, and we’ll find him. He will be able to see Scarlet.”

She watched him a moment. “Your mind is made up about all this, isn’t it?”

He shrugged. “If anyone could poke holes in my idea, it would be you. You have any better ideas?”

She shook her head at last. “I wish I did, but I don’t. I like all of it but the gathering.”

Richard’s face softened with a gentle smile. “I would really like to see you in the wedding dress Weselan is making. Can she have it done that soon? We could spend our wedding night in Aydindril, in your home.”

Kahlan couldn’t keep the smile back. “She can. And there doesn’t have to be a big wedding party. Anyway, there’s not time to prepare, with the banquet for the gathering going on. But the Bird Man will be pleased to marry us without it.” She looked at him coyly. “We would have a real bed, in Aydindril. A big comfortable bed.”

His arm circled around her waist and pulled her against him. He gave her lips a soft kiss. She didn’t want it to end, but she gently pushed back and glanced away.

“Richard ... what about the other things Shota said? About a child?”

“Shota was wrong before, about a lot of things. Even the things she was right about didn’t turn out how we expected. I’m not going to give you up on her word. Remember what you said to me one time? About never letting a beautiful woman pick your path for you when there was a man in her line of sight? And besides, we will be able to talk to Zedd first. Confessors and the gift are something he does know a lot about.”

She ran her finger down his chest. “You seem to have an answer for everything. How did you get so smart?”

He pulled her to him and kissed her again, harder this time.

“I will find an answer to anything that tries to keep me from you and your big comfortable bed. I would go to the underworld and fight the Keeper himself to be with you.”

She cuddled against his shoulder. It seemed like forever since he had found her in Westland, being chased by a quad. It seemed a lifetime ago, not a mere few months. They had been through so much. She was so tired of being afraid, and being chased, hunted. It wasn’t fair that just when it was over, it was starting again.

She gave herself a mental shake. That was the wrong way to see things. It was the problem, not the solution. She forced herself to look at the new problem in its own light, and not color it with what had happened in the past.

“Maybe it won’t be so hard this time. Maybe we can do as you say, and find out what needs to be done, and be finished with it.” She kissed his neck. “We’d better get out there; they are waiting. And besides, if I stay here with you any longer, we won’t make it to my big comfortable bed.”

They left the quiet of the spirit house and walked hand in hand through the dark pathways between the buildings of the village. She felt safe holding his hand. From the first day they met, and he offered his hand to her to help her up, she had liked having her hand in his. No one had ever done that before; people were afraid of Confessors. She wanted this over, so they could be together and live in peace. So they could hold hands whenever they wanted, and not ever have to run.

The sound of the people, the dancing, the conversation, and the children grew louder until the two of them passed into the firelit field. Musicians stood on open, grass-roofed platforms, swaying as they drew paddles up and down the carved ripples on the boldas, sending the haunting strains out over the surrounding flat grassland. Arms a blur, men pounded on drums, sending frantic, echoing beats across the village to others who answered or joined in. Dancers in costumes followed one another around in circles, stopping and turning as one, jumping and stomping, acting out stories for the gleeful children and adults who crowded around them. Cooking fires sent sweet-smelling smoke and wonderful aromas drifting to them.

As they walked past, large fires roared and crackled in the center of the field, warming one side of her with their heat. Men proudly wore their finest skins, and women their brightest dresses. All had their hair freshly slicked down with sticky mud. Woven trays of tava bread, roasted peppers, onions, long beans, cabbage, cucumber and beets, bowls of stewed meats, fish, and chicken, as well as platters of boar and venison, were carried by young women from the cook fires to people gathered at various shelters. The whole village was in joyful celebration to welcome the ancestors’ spirits.

Savidlin stood at their approach, welcoming them onto the elders’ platform. He looked dignified with his official coyote hide around his shoulders. The Bird Man and the other elders gave the two of them smiles and nods. As soon as she and Richard sat cross-legged, the young women brought woven trays and platters of food. They both took pieces of tava bread and rolled them around peppers, careful to put them to their mouths with the right hand only. A boy brought pottery mugs and a jug of water mildly flavored with spices.

When he was satisfied they were comfortably settled, the Bird Man nodded to a group of women at a nearby shelter. Kahlan knew what this meant. The women were special cooks, the only ones allowed to prepare the banquet specialties. Richard’s eyes watched as one of them came with a woven platter filled with dried meat, neatly arranged in a circular pattern. He gave no sign of his feelings.

There would be no gathering if he didn’t eat this meat. Worse, this was not just any meat. She knew, though, that he was determined, and would eat it.

The woman bowed her head, holding the platter out to the Bird Man, and then the other elders. After each took some, she offered it to the elders’ wives. A few took a piece. She turned and held the platter out to Richard. He looked at it a moment, and then reached up and took one of the larger pieces. He held it in his fingers, looking at it as the woman left after Kahlan declined the offer.

“I know it is difficult for you,” the Bird Man said to Richard, “but it is necessary for you to have the knowledge of our enemies.”

Richard pulled off a big bite with his teeth. “The way is the way.” He chewed and swallowed without showing any emotion. He looked off into the distance. “Who is it?”

The Bird Man watched him a moment after Richard looked back to him. “It is the man you killed.”

“I see.”

He took another bite. He had taken a big piece, and was eating the whole thing to show them his determination to have the gathering, to show them that despite the warning from the spirits, he was resolved to go through with it. He watched the dancers as he chewed, washing each swallow down with a drink from his mug. The elders’ platform was an isolated island of quiet in the sweep of noise and activity.

Richard abruptly stopped chewing. His eyes widened. He sat up straighten His head snapped around to the elders.

“Where’s Chandalen?”

They looked at one another after studying his face a moment.

Richard sprang to his feet. “Where’s Chandalen!”

“He is here, somewhere,” the Bird Man said.

“Find him! Right now! Bring him here!”

The Bird Man sent one of the nearby hunters to search. Richard hopped down off the platform without a word and went to the shelter with the banquet cooks. He found the woman with the platter of meat and took a piece.

Kahlan turned to the Bird Man. “Do you have any idea what is going on?”

He nodded solemnly. “He has had a vision; a vision from our enemies’ flesh. It happens sometimes. That is why we do this—to know what is in our enemies’ hearts.”

Richard returned and paced back and forth in front of the elders’ platform, waiting.

“Richard, what is it? What do you see?”

He stopped pacing. The expression on his face was agitated. “Trouble.” He resumed his pacing. She asked what sort of trouble, but he didn’t seem to even notice the question.

At last the hunter returned with Chandalen and his men.

“What would make Richard With The Temper ask for me?”

Richard shoved the piece of meat at him. “Eat this. Tell me what you see.”

Chandalen watched Richard’s eyes as he ate the strip of dried meat. Richard went back to his impatient pacing, pulling off another bite with his teeth. He chewed and paced.

Finally he could wait no longer. “Well? What do you see?”

Chandalen watched warily. “An enemy.”

Richard let out an exasperated breath. “Who was this man? From what people?”

“He was Bantak, from the east.”

Kahlan jumped up. “Bantak!” She hopped down off the platform and stood next to Richard. “Bantak are peaceful they would never attack anyone. It is against their way.”

“He was a Bantak,” Chandalen repeated. “He had black painted on his eyes. He attacked us.” He redirected his gaze to Richard. “At least, that is what Richard With The Temper claims.”

Richard went back to pacing. “They’re coming,” he muttered. He stopped and grabbed Chandalen by the shoulders. “They’re coming! They’re coming to attack the Mud People!”

Chandalen frowned. “The Bantak are not fighters. It is as the Mother Confessor says, they are peaceful. They plant crops, herd goats and sheep. We trade with them. This one that attacked us must have been sick in the head. The Bantak know the Mud People are stronger than they. They would not attack us.”

Richard hardly heard the translation. “Get your men together. Get more men. We have to go stop them.”

Chandalen studied him. “We have nothing to fear from the Bantak. They would not attack us.”

Richard nearly exploded. “Chandalen, you are charged with protecting our people! I am telling you there is a threat to them! You must not ignore me in this!”

He ran his fingers through his hair, calming himself. “Chandalen, don’t you think it a little strange that one man would have attacked all of us? Would you, as brave as you are, have come into the open and attacked that many men, by yourself? You, with only a spear, and they with bows?”

Chandalen only glared. The Bird Man led the other elders off the platform and stood next to Chandalen, facing Richard. “Tell us what our enemy has revealed to you. Tell us what you have seen.”

“This man ...” Richard held the piece of meat up in front of the Bird Man’s face. “This man was the son of their spirit guide.”

The elders broke into worried whispers. The Bird Man didn’t move his eyes from Richard. “Are you sure of this? Killing the son of a spirit guide is a grave offense. Even in self-defense. It would be the same if someone killed my offspring, had I one.” He lifted an eyebrow. “Grave enough to start a war.”

Richard nodded hurriedly. “I know. That’s what they had planned. For some reason, they thought the Mud People were suddenly dangerous to them. To be sure, they sent the son of their spirit guide, knowing that if we killed him, it would be a sign of our hostile intent. They were planning on watching for his head on a pole, to see if they were right. If he didn’t return, and they found the head, they were going to attack.”

He waved the meat in front of the elders’ faces again. “This man, for some reason, had bitterness in his heart. He wanted there to be a war. He attacked us, knowing he would be killed, wanting it, so it would start the war, and his people could kill all the Mud People. Don’t you see? With the banquet going on, they will hear the sounds of it far out onto the plain. They will know we are not prepared to defend ourselves, that we are diverted. They are coming! Now!”

The elders all leaned back a little. The Bird Man turned to Chandalen.

“Richard With The Temper has had a vision from our enemy. Have each of your men gather ten others. We must not allow the Bantak to harm our people. You will stop them before they reach the village.”

Chandalen’s eyes flashed to Richard, and then back to the Bird Man. “We will see if his vision is true. I will lead our men east. If they are coming, we will stop them.”

“No!” Richard screamed when Kahlan translated. “They will come from the north!”

“North!” Chandalen glared at him. “The Bantak live to the east, not the north. They will come from the east.”

“They will expect you to defend to the east. They think the Mud people want to kill them. They expect it. They will flank you and come from the north!”

Chandalen folded his arms. “The Bantak are not fighters. They do not know of such tactics. If they are going to attack us, as you say, they will simply come straight in. As you said, they will hear the banquet; they will know we will be unprepared. They have no reason to go all the way around and come in from the north. It would only slow them down for no reason.”

Richard glared at him. “They are coming from the north.”

“Was this part of your vision?” the Bird Man asked. “Did you see this too, from eating the meat?”

Richard forced out a breath and looked down. “No. I didn’t see it with the rest of the vision.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “But I know it’s true. I don’t know how, but I know. They are coming from the north.”

The Bird Man turned to Chandalen. “Perhaps you could split the men. Take some to the east, and some to the north.”

Chandalen shook his head. “No. If the vision proves true, we will need all our men together. One strike, with surprise, with all our men, and with luck, will end it. If there are enough of them, as he seems to think, then they might defeat a number that small, and then they would be upon our people before we could turn them back. Many women and children would be killed. The whole village could fall. It is too dangerous.”

The Bird Man nodded. “Chandalen, a vision has been presented to us. It is your job to keep our people safe. Since the vision did not say which way they would come, only that they would come, I leave it to you to protect us as you see best. You are the smartest fighter among us, I will trust your fighting judgment.”

He frowned and leaned closer to the man. “But know that it had better be a fighting judgment, and not a personal one.”

Chandalen showed no emotion. “It is my opinion the Bantak would attack from the east.” He glanced at Richard. “If they really come.”

Richard put a hand on Chandalen’s folded arm. “Chandalen, please listen to me.” His voice was quiet and worried. “I know you don’t like me. Maybe you are justified in your feelings. Maybe you are right that I have brought trouble to our people. But trouble is coming now, and it is coming from the north. Please, I beg you, believe me. The lives of all our people depend on this. Hate me all you want, but don’t let any of them die because of that hate.”

Richard drew the Sword of Truth and held out the hilt. “I will give you my sword. Go north. If they come from the east, and I am wrong, you may kill me with it.”

Chandalen looked down at the sword, and back up to Richard’s face. A small smile spread on his own. “I will not let you trick me. I will not let our people be devastated, just for a chance to kill you. I would rather let you live among us, than let my people be killed. I go to the east.” He turned and strode off, shouting instructions to his men.

Richard stood watching him go, then slid the sword back into its scabbard.

“That man is a fool,” Kahlan said.

Richard shook his head. “He is just doing what he thinks best. He wants to protect his people more than he wants to kill me. If I had to pick one man to fight beside me, as much as he hates me, it would be him. I am the fool, for not being able to make him see the truth.” He turned to her. “I have to go north. I have to stop them.”

Kahlan looked around. “There are some other men here. We will gather all we can and—”

He shook his head, cutting her off. “No. There wouldn’t be enough. Besides, we need every man able to hold a bow or spear here, to defend the village if I fail. The elders must go on with the banquet. We must have the gathering. That is what’s most important. I’ll go alone. I’m the Seeker. Maybe I can stop them. Maybe they will listen to one man, see that he isn’t so much of a threat.”

“All right. Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

“Why?”

“I have to put on my Confessor’s dress.”

“You’re not going!”

“I have to. You can’t speak their language.”

“Kahlan, I don’t want ...”

“Richard!” She snatched a fistful of his shirt. “I’m the Mother Confessor! There will be no war under my nose while I have a say in it! You will wait here!”

She released his shirt and stormed off. The Mother Confessor didn’t wait for answers to her instructions; she expected them to be carried out. She suddenly regretted yelling at Richard, but she was furious at Chandalen for not listening.

She was furious, too, at the Bantak. She had been to their village before and always found them to be a gentle people. Whatever their reasons, as long as she was around there was going to be no war. The Mother Confessor was supposed to stop wars, not sit by and watch them start. This was her responsibility, her job, not Richard’s.

At Savidlin and Weselan’s home, in the dark with all the noise going on outside, she slipped into her white Confessor’s dress. All Confessors wore dresses cut the same, square at the neck, long, simple, free of embellishment, and satiny smooth, but of black fabric.

Only the Mother Confessor’s was white. It was a mantle of power. In the dress, she was not Kahlan Amnell; she was the Mother Confessor, a symbol of the power of truth. With all the other Confessors now dead, the weight of defending the Midlands, those without power, was upon her shoulders.

It made her feel different now to wear the dress. Before, it had seemed the normal thing to do. Now, since she had met Richard, it seemed a heavier responsibility. Before, she had always felt alone in her job, but now, with him, she felt more of a connection to the people of the Midlands, more one of them, more responsible to them. She knew now what it was to love someone, and to fear for him. She was not going to allow anyone to start a war, not as long as she was the Mother Confessor. She grabbed their heavy cloaks and went back through the passageways to the festivities.

The elders were standing in front of their platform, where she had left them. Richard was still waiting. She tossed his cloak to him and addressed the elders.

“Tomorrow night is the gathering. It must go on. We will be back well before then.” She turned to the wives. “Weselan, we wish to be married the next day. I’m sorry there isn’t more time to prepare, but we must leave as soon as it is done. We must go to Aydindril. We must stop the threat to the Mud People and everyone else.”

Weselan smiled. “Your dress will be ready. I wish we could give you a big wedding feast, but we understand.”

The Bird Man put a hand on her shoulder. “If Chandalen is wrong ... Be careful. The Bantak are peaceful, but maybe things have changed. Tell them we wish their people no harm. We do not want war with them.”

Kahlan nodded and flung her cloak around her shoulders as she started off. “Let’s go.”

Chapter 15

Richard fell in beside her without objection. Without speaking, they left the village and went north out onto the flat, open grasslands. As they walked, the sounds of the people and boldas and drums faded steadily into the night. The moon wasn’t near full, but it gave them enough light to see by as they walked through the waist-high, dry grass. She hoped that it was dark enough to make them poor targets.

Richard finally glanced over. “Kahlan, I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For forgetting who you are. That you are the Mother Confessor, and that this is your job. I was just worried for you.”

She was surprised by his apology. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. I shouldn’t have done that. I just don’t want there to be any fighting. I’m supposed to keep the people of the Midlands from fighting. It makes me angry when they insist on killing one another. Richard, I’m so tired of seeing people killed. I thought it was over. I can’t bear it anymore. I swear I can’t.”

He put an arm around her. “I know. Me, too.” He gave her shoulder a squeeze as they walked. “The Mother Confessor will put a stop to it.” He looked over. She thought he was frowning, but it was too dark to be sure. “With my help.”

She grinned. “With your help.” She leaned her head against him a moment. “From now on, always with your help.”

They walked a long way from the village without seeing anything but the black ground and starlit sky. Richard would stop once in a while to watch the surrounding grassland and take out a few of Nissel’s leaves to chew. Sometime past the middle of the night they came to a slight depression in the landscape. He looked around again and then decided they should wait where they were. It would be better for the Bantak to come upon them, he said, than for the two of them to walk into a surprise.

Richard flattened out a small patch of grass and they sat down to wait. They each took turns taking little naps while the other watched to the north. With her hand over his, she watched him sleep and scanned the horizon, and thought about all the times they had done this before, one standing watch, the other sleeping. She longed for the day they could just sleep, and not have to watch. Sleep together. It would happen, she decided, soon enough. Richard would figure out how to close the veil, and then it would be over. They could be at peace.

Kahlan slept nuzzled against him with her cloak wrapped tight against the cold. His warmth made her all the more sleepy. She began to wonder if he was right, if the Bantak would come from the north. If they came from the east, there would be a lot of killing. Chandalen would show no mercy. She didn’t want the Mud People to be hurt, but she didn’t want the Bantak hurt either. They, too, were her people. She drifted into worried sleep, her last thoughts of Richard.

He brought her awake, pressing his arm around her and his hand over her mouth. The sky was just beginning to lighten to their right, to the east. Thin wisps of dark purple clouds bunched near the horizon, as if trying to mask the sunrise with their dark hue. Richard was watching to the north. She was lower than he, and couldn’t see anything, but she knew by the tenseness of his muscles that someone was coming.

They lay still, close to the ground, waiting. Gentle breezes rustled the dry grass around them. Kahlan quietly, slowly, slid the cloak from her shoulders. She didn’t want there to be any mistake about who she was. The Bantak would recognize her long hair, but she wanted them to see her Confessor’s dress, too. She didn’t want there to be any doubt who she was and that she was here as the Mother Confessor. Richard shrugged his cloak off his shoulders. Shadows slid through the grass around them.

When there seemed to be men all around, the two of them stood up. Men with spears and bows closest leapt back and screamed yells of surprise. The Bantak were spread out in a long, thin line, advancing toward the Mud People’s village.

There were excited shouts. Men swept in from the line, a few surrounding them, most bunched in front. Kahlan stood tall, her hands at her sides. She wore her Confessor’s face, a calm that showed nothing, as her mother had taught her. Richard was tight at her side, his hand on the hilt of his sword. Most of the men, in simple hide clothes trimmed with grass, leveled weapons at the two of them. They were clearly nervous about doing so.

“You would dare to threaten the Mother Confessor?” she called out. “Lower your weapons. Now.”

Eyes flicked around, looking to see if the two of them were alone. The men seemed to become less sure about pointing spears and arrows at the Mother Confessor; they were doing something unheard of, and they knew it. They looked as if they couldn’t decide to keep doing what they were doing, or drop their weapons and fall to their knees. A few of them crouched lower, in half bows.

Kahlan took an aggressive stride toward them. “Now!”

The men flinched, cowering back a little. The points of all the weapons moved from her—to Richard. They appeared to hope this would be an acceptable compromise. It was not what she had expected.

She stepped in front of Richard. All the weapons were once again pointing at her.

“What do you think you are doing,” he whispered to the back of her head.

“Just stay quiet. Let me try to do this. We don’t have a chance if we can’t get them to lower their weapons and talk.”

“Why are they doing this? I thought everyone was afraid of the Mother Confessor.”

“They are afraid, but they are used to seeing a wizard with me. They may be more bold because they don’t see one now. Even so, they shouldn’t be doing this.” She took another step forward. “Who speaks for the Bantak? Who among you takes responsibility for allowing the Bantak to threaten the Mother Confessor?”

Not being able to point their weapons at Richard with her in the way, the Bantak lost a bit of their confidence and lowered the points a little. Not all the way, but a little.

At last, an old man approached, pushing through, stopping in front of her. He wore simple hide clothes like the other men, but around his neck hung a gold medallion worked with Bantak symbols. She knew him. He was Ma Ban Grid, the Bantak’s spirit guide. His scowl made his heavily wrinkled loose skin seem even more deeply creased than she remembered. She also didn’t remember him scowling like this; she remembered only his easy smile.

“I speak for the Bantak,” Ma Ban Grid said. He had only two bottom teeth in front. His jaw wobbled easily with the difficult-to-pronounce Bantak words. He glanced at Richard. “Who is this one?”

Kahlan returned Ma Ban Grid’s scowl. “Now Ma Ban Grid would question the Mother Confessor before she is welcomed before his eyes?”

The Bantak men shuffled their feet uneasily. Ma Ban Grid did not. His gaze was solid and unwavering. “These are not right times. These are not our lands. We are not here to welcome visitors before the eyes of the Bantak. We have come to kill the Mud People.”

“Why?”

Ma Ban Grid peered down his nose at her. “They have invited war, as our spirit brethren have warned us they would. They have proven it by killing one of mine. We must kill them before they can kill us all.”

“There will be no war! There will be no killing! I am the Mother Confessor and I will not allow it! The Bantak will suffer by my hand if they do this!”

The band of men broke into worried whispers and moved back a pace. The spirit guide stood his ground.

“The spirit brethren have also told me that the Mother Confessor no longer holds command over the people of the Midlands. They say that as proof, she has been stripped of the company of a wizard.” He gave her a smug look. “I see no wizard. As always, the spirits speak true to Ma Ban Grid.”

Kahlan stared speechless at the old man.

Richard leaned toward her. “What are they saying?” Kahlan told him what Ma Ban Grid had said. He stepped up next to her. “I want to speak to them. Translate for me?”

Kahlan nodded. “They wanted to know who you are. I didn’t tell them.”

Richard’s eyes turned cold with menace. “I will let them know who I am.” His voice took on the same cold quality as his eyes. “And they aren’t going to like it.”

He turned his hawklike glare on the men, deliberately ignoring Ma Ban Grid, and she saw in those eyes the rage of the sword’s magic. He was calling the magic forth even as the sword sat in its scabbard. “You men are following an old fool, an old fool by the name of Ma Ban Grid, who is not wise enough to know true spirits from false spirits.” The men gasped at the insult. Richard turned his penetrating gaze to Ma Ban Grid. “Is this not true, old fool?”

Ma Ban Grid stammered with anger a moment before he could get any words out. “Who are you to dare to insult me like this!”

Richard glared at him. “Your false spirits told you the Mud People killed one of yours. The false spirits lied to you, and you, in your foolishness, believed them.”

“Lie! We found his head! The Mud People killed him! They want war with us! We will kill them all. Every last one! They have killed one of mine!”

“I am growing tired of talking to one as stupid as you, old man. The Bantak are a witless people if they put one such as you in charge of talking to the spirit brethren.”

“Richard, what are you doing?” she whispered.

“Translate.”

When she did, Ma Ban Grid’s face reddened more with each word. He looked ready to burst into flames.

Richard leaned closer to him. “The Mud People didn’t kill the one that was yours. I did.”

“Richard! I can’t tell them that. They will kill us.”

He continued to glare at Ma Ban Grid as he spoke softly to her. “Something is frightening these people into doing this. They are going to kill us and then go and kill a lot of the Mud People unless I can make them even more frightened of us. Translate.”

She let out a noisy breath at him and then told the Bantak what Richard had said. The weapons came back up.

“You! You killed one of mine!”

Richard shrugged. “Yes.” He pointed at his forehead. “I put an arrow right here. One arrow. Right here. Right through his head, as he was about to put his spear in the back of a man. A man who had no hate in his heart for the Bantak. I killed him as I would kill a coyote sneaking up to steal one of my lambs. One who would take a life by such cowardice deserves to die. One who would listen to false spirits, and send one of his own to do such a thing, does not deserve to lead a people.”

“We will kill you!”

“Really? Maybe you will try, but you cannot kill me.” Richard turned his back to the old man and walked about twenty paces away, the men opening up to let him pass. He turned back. “I used one arrow to kill one of yours. Use one arrow to try to kill me, and we will see who the good spirits protect. Pick any man you wish. Have him do to me as I did to yours. Shoot me with an arrow.” He pointed angrily at his forehead again. “Right here, where I shot the coward who would kill for false spirits!”

“Richard! Have you lost your mind? I’m not going to tell them to shoot you.”

“Kahlan, I can do this. I can feel it.”

“You did it once. What if it doesn’t work this time? I’m not going to stand here and let you be killed.”

“Kahlan, if we don’t stop these people, here, now, both of us are going to be killed, and then the Keeper is going to escape. Tonight is the gathering; that is what’s important. I’m using the Wizard’s First Rule; the first step to believing is wanting to believe something is true, or being afraid it is. Up until now, they have been believing something because they wanted to. I have to make them afraid that what I am going to say is true.”

“What are you going to say?”

“Hurry up. Translate before I lose their interest and they decide to kill us and then go after the Mud People.”

She turned back to Ma Ban Grid and, reluctantly, translated. The men all started shouting that they wanted to be the one to shoot the arrow. Ma Ban Grid’s eyes moved among them as they yelled and waved their arms.

He smiled. “All you men may shoot this evil one who has killed one of mine. Everyone! Shoot him!”

The bows came up. Richard glared. “Coward! Do you men see how foolish this old man is? He knows he listens to false spirits! He would have you listen to them also! He knows the good spirits protect me in my challenge. He is afraid to have you see he is a fool. This proves it!”

Ma Ban Grid’s jaw tightened. He held his arm up for his men to halt. At last he turned to a man with a bow and snatched it from his hands. “I will show you the spirits I hear are true! You will die for killing one of mine! For saying our spirit brethren are false spirits!”

He drew a poison arrow back and in a blink shot it at Richard. A cheer rose from the men. Kahlan’s breath caught in her throat. She went cold with fear.

Richard snatched the arrow out of the air right in front of his face.

The men gasped and then fell silent as Richard marched back to the spirit guide, the arrow in his hand, and fire in his eyes. He stopped before Ma Ban Grid and snapped the arrow in front of his face to the sound of fearful murmurs.

His voice was deadly. “The good spirits protect me, old fool. You listen to false spirits.”

“Who are you?” Ma Ban Grid whispered, wide-eyed.

Richard slowly drew the Sword of Truth. The soft ring of steel filled the quiet dawn. He placed the sword’s point at Ma Ban Grid’s throat.

“I am Richard, the Seeker. Mate to the Mother Confessor.” Worried whispers drifted through the cold air. “And, I am a wizard. Her wizard.”

Eyes as far as she could see widened. Jaws dropped. Ma Ban Grid’s face slackened a little. He glanced to the sword.

“Wizard? You?”

“Wizard!” Richard’s angry glare swept across the gathered men. “Wizard. I command the magic. The gift. It would seem, old fool, your false spirits have lied to you. They said the Mother Confessor had no wizard. They sent one of yours to start a war the Mud People do not want. They have used you for their own purposes. Perhaps a wise spirit guide would have known this, perhaps an old fool would not.” Grumbling broke out among the men. “If you persist in this, if you disobey the Mother Confessor, I will use my magic to destroy you. I will use terrible magic to burn the Bantak’s land to ashes and put a blight upon it for all time. Each Bantak will die a horrible death; a death by my magic. I will kill every last Bantak. Young, and old.” His cold gray eyes returned to Ma Ban Grid. “But I will start with the old.”

“Magic?” Ma Ban Grid whispered. “You would kill us with magic?”

Richard leaned closer. “If you disobey the Mother Confessor, I will kill you all with magic more frightful than anything you can imagine.” As the men all listened in rapt attention to her translation, Richard recited a litany of horrors he would bring to them. Most of the things she remembered Zedd telling a mob that had come to kill him when they thought he was a witch. Richard was using the same things now to scare the Bantak. The more he spoke, the wider their eyes became.

Ma Ban Grid’s gaze left the sword and returned to Richard’s face. He looked less sure of himself, but wasn’t entirely ready to concede. “The spirits told me there was no wizard with the Mother Confessor. Why should I believe you are a wizard?”

All of the anger left Richard’s face. She had never seen him hold the sword without the fury of the sword’s magic in his eyes. There did seem to be something in his eyes, but it wasn’t hate, or rage; he looked at peace. Somehow, it was more frightening than the anger. It was the peace of a man committed to a course.

In the dim dawn light, the blade of Richard’s sword changed. It began to glow white. White hot with magic. It brightened until no one could miss seeing the bright white luminescence.

Richard was using the only magic he knew and could depend on. The magic of the sword.

It was enough. Fear swept the crowd. Men fell to their knees, dropping their weapons, muttering for forgiveness, beseeching the spirits to protect them. Others stood frozen, not knowing what to do.

“Forgive me, old man,” Richard whispered, “but I must kill you to save a great many more lives. Know that I forgive you, and regret what I must do.”

As she translated, Kahlan put a hand on Richard’s arm to keep him from doing anything. “Richard, wait. Please, give me a chance?”

He nodded slightly. “One chance. Fail, and I kill him.”

She knew he was trying to scare the Bantak, to break the spell they seemed to be under, but he was scaring her too. He was beyond the rage of the sword, to something worse. She looked back to the spirit guide.

“Ma Ban Grid, Richard will kill you. He does not lie about this. I have asked him to wait, so I may grant you my forgiveness, if you will see the truth of what we say. I can ask him not to kill you, and he will do as I ask. But only once. After that, I will have no control over him. If you are insincere in your change of heart, there will be much death and suffering. Richard is a man of his word. He has made a promise to you, and if you try to trick him with your answer, he will keep his promise.”

“I give you this one chance to hear the truth. It is not yet too late. The Mother Confessor does not want any of her people to die. Every life in the Midlands holds dear value in my heart. But sometimes, I must let a few lose their lives, so that many more may live. I will hear your answer.”

The men all stood stooped and still. They looked as if they had gotten themselves into something they no longer wanted. The Bantak were a peaceful people and they seemed to regret their foray, even seemed confused by it. Richard had succeeded in giving them a bigger fright than whatever brought them to this.

The breeze fluttered the dry grass and in its passing pulled a stray wisp of hair across her face. Kahlan reached up and pulled it back as she waited. With eyes that seemed to have gone empty of passion, Ma Ban Grid searched her face. The spell had been broken.

His voice came soft and sincere. “I heard the spirits speak. I thought they were speaking the truth. It is as he says. I am an old fool.” He looked around at his silent men. “The Bantak have never before sought to bring death to others. We will not start now.”

He bowed his head and pulled his medallion over his wispy gray hair. He brought it up in both hands, offering it to her. “Please, Mother Confessor, give this to the Mud People. Tell them it is given in peace. We will start no war with them.” He glanced over. Richard returned the sword to its scabbard. Ma Ban Grid looked back to her. “Thank you for stopping us, for stopping me, from listening to false spirits and doing a terrible thing.”

Kahlan bowed her head to the old man. “I am thankful I was able to serve in time to prevent anyone from being hurt.”

Richard glanced to her. “Ask him how the spirits convinced him to do something against the nature of his people.”

“Ma Ban Grid, how did the spirits put the lust for war in your heart? The lust for killing?”

He stared off, unsure. “Their whispers came to me in the night. Made me feel the need. I have felt an urge to violence before, but never acted on it. This time, it seemed I could not hold it back. I had never felt this need so strongly before.”

“The veil to the underworld, the spirit world, is torn.” Whispers spread back through the men as she told them Richard’s words. “False spirits may seek to speak to you again. Be on guard against them. I understand how you were tricked, and will hold no anger against you for it. But I expect you to be more cautious now that you have learned the truth and have been warned.”

“Thank you, wizard.” Ma Ban Grid nodded. “I will make it so.”

“Did the spirits’ voices tell you anything else?”

The old man frowned in thought. “I don’t really remember their voices telling me what must be done. It was more of a feeling that filled me with the need. My son”—he looked up—”the one who died ... he was with me, and heard them also. I felt that the spirits spoke differently to him, somehow. His eyes were wild with hate. Even more than mine. He went as soon as we were visited by the spirits.” His gaze sank to the ground.

Richard regarded the spirit guide a long moment. His voice came softly. “I am sorry, Ma Ban Grid, that I had to kill your son. It wounds my heart to have done so. Know that had there been any other path, I would have taken it.”

The old man nodded, but couldn’t bring forth words. He looked around at his men. He seemed suddenly ashamed. “I don’t know what we are doing here,” he whispered. “This is not the Bantak way.”

“It is the fault of false spirits. I am glad we were here to help you see the truth of it,” Richard said.

He nodded again and turned to his men, looking about at them, and then walked off toward their homeland. Kahlan let out a heavy sigh. Richard watched warily as the Bantak plodded off into the sunrise, dragging spears behind.

“What do you make of that?” she asked when he turned to her at last.

He rested his hand on the hilt of the sword and turned to watch the Bantak. “The Keeper is getting ahead of us.” He looked back to her eyes. “He has taken the effort to discredit you. To discredit the Mother Confessor. He is laying traps for us. He has plans, and I don’t have the slightest idea what they are.”

“What are we going to do?”

“What we planned to do. Tonight we have the gathering, and tomorrow we are married and leave for Aydindril.”

She studied his face. “You really are a wizard,” she said softly. “You used magic to break the Keeper’s spell.”

His expression didn’t change. “No, I’m not. It was just a little trick Zedd taught me. He said once that people are more afraid to die from magic than anything else, as if they would somehow be more dead. I used that fear and the Wizard’s First Rule to make them believe it. It was a stronger fear than the one the spirits gave them.”

“And what of turning the Sword of Truth white?”

He regarded her a long moment. “Do you remember when Zedd showed us how the sword works? How it couldn’t harm anyone you think innocent?” She nodded. “Well, he was wrong. When it is white, you can kill anyone. Anyone. Even one you know to be innocent. Even one you love.” His eyes hardened. “I hate magic.”

“Richard, the gift has just helped you save the lives of many people.”

“At what cost?” he whispered. “Whenever I even think of turning the sword white, all I can remember is how I did it to you, how I almost killed you with it.”

“But you didn’t. Almost doesn’t make bread rise.”

“That doesn’t stop the pain of it. Or of having killed with the sword’s white magic, and of knowing what I am capable of. It makes me feel like a Rahl.” He let out a heavy breath and changed the subject. “I think we had better be very careful at the gathering tonight.”

“Richard ... this puts a new light on things. We have been warned twice now of the danger of dealing with the spirits. Won’t you reconsider the gathering?”

He looked away. “What choice do I have? The Keeper seems to be ahead of us. Events are moving fast. The more we find out, the more we realize we don’t know. We must learn what we can.”

“But maybe the ancestors’ spirits won’t be able to help us.”

“Then we will have learned something. We can’t pass up the chance; too much is at risk. We have to try.” He gently took her hand. “Kahlan ... I can’t allow myself to be responsible for this. To know it’s my fault.”

She waited until his eyes came up. “Why? Because Darken Rahl is your father? You think you are responsible because you are a Rahl?”

“Maybe. But Rahl or not, I can’t be responsible for the Keeper having everyone. For having you. I have to find a way to stop it. Darken Rahl haunts me from the grave. Somehow I have caused this. I don’t know how, but it’s my fault. I have to do whatever it takes to stop it, or everyone will suffer. And the Keeper will have you, forever. That thought scares me more than anything in my life has ever scared me. It wakes me with nightmares. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to stop him from getting you. I won’t take a chance of missing anything, no matter the risk. I have to have the gathering.” His gaze held hers. “Even though I fear it might be a trap, I have to try.”

“A trap? ... You think it might be a trap?”

“It could be. We have been warned. At least we can be alert for it.” He looked down at her hand in his. “I won’t have the sword in the gathering. Do you think you can call down the lightning if you have to?”

Kahlan shook her head. “I don’t know, Richard. I don’t know how I did it. It just happened. I don’t know how to control it.”

He nodded as he rubbed the back of her hand with his thumbs. “Well, maybe you won’t have to try. Maybe the ancestors’ spirits will be able to help us. They helped us before.”

Richard reached up and gripped the Agiel. His gray eyes were filled with the pain of the headache. He sank down and put his head in his hands as she sat next to him. “I have to rest awhile before we go back. This headache is killing me.”

She feared he was right, that the headache really was killing him. She ached for the next day, when they could get to Zedd, get to help.

It was late afternoon by the time they returned to the celebration, the banquet. Richard’s head was a little better, but still hurt him enough to leave the pain in his eyes. The elders stood as the two of them approached the open pole shelter. The Bird Man stepped forward.

“What of the Bantak? Did you see them? There has been no word from Chandalen.”

Kahlan held the gold medallion out to him and let it drop in his hand when it came up.

“We found them, to the north, as Richard said we would. Ma Ban Grid sent this as a gift to tell the Mud People that the Bantak will not make war with them. They made a mistake, and are sorry. We made them see that the Mud People mean them no harm. Chandalen has also made a mistake.”

The Bird Man nodded solemnly, and turned to a hunter standing nearby, telling him to bring back Chandalen and his men. Kahlan didn’t think he looked as pleased as she thought he would be.

“Honored elder, is something wrong?”

His brown eyes seemed heavy. He glanced to Richard and back to her. “Two of the Sisters of the Light have returned. They wait in the spirit house.”

Kahlan’s heart jumped. She had hoped they wouldn’t be back so soon. What had it been, only a few days? She turned to Richard.

“The Sisters of the Light are waiting in the spirit house.”

Richard sighed. “Nothing is ever easy.” He addressed the Bird Man. “Tonight is the gathering. Will you be ready?”

“Tonight the spirits will be with us. We will be ready.”

“Be careful. Take nothing for granted. All our lives depend on it.” He took her arm. “Let’s see if we can put a stop to this.”

They walked together across the field, past the roar of the fires. People were still everywhere, eating, dancing, playing the boldas and drums. There were fewer children about. Some were off napping, but some still managed to dance and play.

“Three days,” he muttered.

“What?”

“It’s been three days, almost, since they were here last. I will send them away, and tomorrow, we will be gone. When they come back in another three days, we will have been in Aydindril for two.”

She stared ahead as they walked. “That is if they keep to the same schedule. Who says they won’t show up for the third time after only one day. Or one hour.”

She could feel his eyes on her, but she didn’t look over when he spoke. “Are you trying to make a point?”

“You only get three chances, Richard. I’m afraid for you. I’m afraid of the headaches.”

This time, she did look over, but he didn’t. “I won’t wear a collar. Not for any reason. Not for anyone.”

“I know,” she whispered.

He yanked the door open and strode into the spirit house. His jaw was set with determination. His eyes fixed on the two women standing in the center of the dimly lit room as he marched up to them. Both wore their cloaks with the hoods pushed back. Their faces, in mild frowns, seemed almost calm.

Richard stopped in front of the two. “I have questions, and I want answers.”

“We are glad to see you are still well, Richard,” Sister Verna said. “Still alive.”

“Why did Sister Grace kill herself? Why did you allow it?”

Sister Elizabeth stepped in front of Sister Verna. She held the open collar in her hands. “We told you before, discussion is over. It is by the rules now.”

“I have rules too.” With his fists on his hips, he looked to each woman in turn. “My first rule is that neither of you is going to kill herself today.”

They ignored him. “You will listen. I, Sister of the Light, Elizabeth Myric, give the second reason for the Rada’Han, give the second chance to be helped. The first of the three reasons for the Rada’Han is to control the headaches and open your mind so you may be taught to use the gift. You have refused the first chance to be helped. I bring the second reason and offer.”

She watched his eyes as if to be sure she had his full attention. “The second reason for the Rada’Han is so that we can control you.”

Richard glared at her. “Control me? What does that mean, to control me?”

“It means what it says.”

“I’m not putting a collar around my neck so you can ‘control’ me.” He leaned a little closer. “Or for any other reason.”

Sister Elizabeth held the collar up. “As you were told before, it is more difficult for you to accept the second offer. Please believe us, you are in great danger. Your time is running out. Please Richard, accept the second offer now, on the second of the three reason and offers. It will only be much more difficult to accept on the third of the three reasons.”

There was something in his eyes Kahlan had seen only once before—the last time the collar was held out to him. Something alien, something frightening. It sent a chill through her. Goose bumps rose on her arms. The anger left his voice.

“I told you before,” he whispered. “I will not wear a collar. For anyone. For any reason. If you want to teach me to use the gift, to control it, we can talk about it. There are things going on you know nothing about: important things, dangerous things. I have responsibilities as the Seeker. I am not a child like you are used to dealing with. I am an adult. We can talk about it.”

Sister Elizabeth stared at him with fierce intensity. Richard retreated a half step. His eyes closed, and he shook slightly. At last, he straightened. His eyes came open as he took a deep breath. He returned the Sister’s stare. Something had happened, and Kahlan had no idea what it was.

The strength in Sister Elizabeth’s eyes waned. Her hands lowered the collar. Her voice came in a fearful whisper. “Will you accept the offer and the Rada’Han?”

Richard stood staring at her. The power was back in his voice. “I refuse.”

Sister Elizabeth went pale as she stared back for a moment before turning to the woman behind her. “Forgive me, Sister, I have failed.” She put the Rada’Han in Sister Verna’s outstretched hand. Her voice came in a whisper. “It is upon you now.”

Sister Verna kissed her on each cheek. “The Light forgives you, Sister.”

Sister Elizabeth turned back to Richard, her face gone slack. “May the Light cradle you always with gentle hands. May you someday find the way.”

Richard stood with his fists on his hips as he watched her eyes. She lifted her chin. As Sister Grace had done, she brought her arm up and with a flick of her wrist brought the silver-handled knife to her hand. Richard continued to watch her as she flipped it around toward herself. Kahlan watched, holding her breath, spellbound, as the woman prepared to kill herself. The silence seemed thick. For a heartbeat, everyone was stone still.

The instant the knife began to move, Richard did too. His speed was shocking. Before Sister Elizabeth realized what had happened, Richard had her by her wrist. His other hand came up and began prying the odd knife from her fingers as she struggled to keep ahold of it. She was no match for his strength.

“I told you my rule. You are not allowed to kill yourself today.”

Her face twisted with futile effort. “Please! Let go—”

Her body flinched. Her head jerked back. There was a flash of light that seemed to come from within her, from within her eyes. Sister Elizabeth crumpled forward to the ground, Sister Verna pulling her own knife from the woman’s back as she fell.

Sister Verna’s gaze rose from the dead woman to Richard. “You must bury her body yourself. If you let another do it for you, you will have nightmares for the rest of your life, nightmares caused by magic. There is no cure for them.”

“You killed her! You murdered her! What’s the matter with you! How could you kill her!”

She tucked her knife up her sleeve as she glared at him. She reached out, snatched the silver knife from his hand, and slipped it in her cloak.

“You killed her,” Sister Verna whispered.

“Your hands have the blood on them!”

“So does the executioner’s axe, but it doesn’t wield itself.”

Richard lunged for her throat. She didn’t move; she simply continued to stare at him. His hands stopped before reaching her. Richard shook, straining against an invisible barrier as she watched him.

In that instant, Kahlan knew what the Sisters were.

Richard relaxed the pressure of pushing against the barrier. He pulled his hands back a little. He visibly relaxed.

Gently, his face gone calm, he reached one hand toward Sister Verna. His fingers clutched around her throat. Her eyes went wide with shock.

“Richard,” she whispered angrily, “take your hand from me.”

“As you have said, this is no game. Why did you kill her?”

His weight came off his feet. Richard floated a few inches into the air. He tightened his grip on her throat. When he didn’t release her, fire ignited all around them, roaring to life, a whorl of flame closing around him.

“I said, take your hand from me.”

In a moment more, the fire would consume Richard. Before she realized what she was doing, Kahlan had her fist out toward the Sister. Blue light crackled all around her wrist and hand. Little threads of blue lightning escaped from the sides as she struggled to restrain herself from releasing the bolt of power. Wisps of blue fire sizzled forth, throughout the spirit house, up the walls, across the ceiling and floor, everywhere except where the other two stood. She shook with the strain of holding back the power.

“Stop it!” The threads of blue lightning sucked the fire into them. “There will be no more killing today.” The blue light extinguished.

Silence again filled the room as Sister Verna stared at Kahlan. A hard edge of anger stole into her eyes. Richard settled to the ground and took his hand from the woman’s throat.

“I wouldn’t have harmed him. I only meant to frighten him into releasing me.” She turned her glare to Richard. “Who taught you to break a web?”

“No one taught me. I taught myself. Why did you kill Sister Elizabeth!”

“You taught yourself,” she mocked. “I told you. This is no game. It must go by the rules.” Her voice lost its edge. “I have known her for many years. If you had ever turned that sword of yours white, you would understand what it took for me to do as I did.”

Richard didn’t tell her he had turned the sword white. “You would expect me to put myself in your hands, after what you have done?”

“Your time is running out, Richard. After what I have seen today, I would be surprised if the headaches don’t soon kill you. I don’t know why it is that the pain hasn’t already put you down. Whatever is protecting you won’t last much longer. I know you don’t like to see anyone die. Neither do we, but please believe that what is done is done for you, to save you.”

She turned to Kahlan. “Be very careful with that power of yours, Mother Confessor. I doubt you have the slightest idea how dangerous it is.” Sister Verna pulled her hood up as her brown eyes turned to Richard. “You have been offered the first and second of three chances, and refused. I will return.” She leaned a little closer. “You only have one chance left. If you refuse it, you will die. Think on it carefully, Richard.”

After the door closed behind Sister Verna, Richard squatted next to the dead Sister. “She was doing something to me. Magic. I could feel it.”

“What did it feel like?”

Richard shook his head a little. “The first time they were here, I thought I felt something pulling me to accept their offer, but I was so afraid of the collar, I paid it no attention. This time, it was much stronger. It was magic. The magic was trying to force me to say yes, to accept the offer from the Sisters. I just thought about the collar until the force left and I was able to say no.”

He looked up at her. “You have any idea what’s going on? What she was doing, and what Sister Verna did, with the fire, and the rest of it?”

Kahlan’s hand still tingled from the blue lightening. “Yes. The Sisters are sorceresses.”

Richard rose smoothly to his feet. “Sorceresses.” He watched her eyes for a long moment. “Why would they kill themselves when I said no?”

“I think it is to pass their power on to the next Sister, to make her stronger for when they try again.”

He looked down at the body. “Why would I be so important, that they would kill themselves to get me?”

“Maybe it is as they say. To help you.”

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “They don’t want one man, a stranger, to die, yet two of them have already died trying to get me to accept their help so a life wouldn’t be lost? How does that add up?”

“I don’t know, Richard, but I’m so scared it hurts. I’m afraid they could be telling the truth: that you don’t have much time, and the headaches are killing you. I’m afraid you won’t be able to control them much longer.” Her voice broke with emotion. “I don’t want to lose you.”

Richard slipped his arms around her. “It will be all right. I will bury her. The gathering will be in a few hours. Tomorrow we will be in Aydindril and then I will be safe. Zedd will know what to do.”

She could only nod against his shoulder.

Chapter 16

Kahlan sat naked in the circle with eight naked men. Richard was to her left, painted, as were she and the elders, with the black and white mud except in a small circle in the center of his chest. In the dim light coming from the small fire behind her, she could see the wild jumble of lines and swirls sweeping diagonally across his face. They all wore the same mask, so that the ancestors’ spirits might see them. She wondered if she looked as savage to him as he looked to her. The unfamiliar, acrid smell from the fire made her nose itch. None of the elders scratched their noses; they only stared at nothing and chanted sacred words to the spirits.

The door slammed shut by itself, making her jump.

The Bird Man’s distant eyes came up. “From now, until we are finished, near dawn, no one may go out, no one may come in. The door is barred by the spirits.”

Kahlan didn’t like the idea that, as Richard had said, this could be a trap. She squeezed his hand more tightly. He returned the squeeze. At least, she thought, she was with him. She hoped she could protect him. She hoped she could call the lightning if she had to.

The Bird Man fished out a frog and then passed the woven basket to the next elder. Kahlan stared at the skulls arranged in a circle in the center as each elder took a frog and began rubbing its back against the bare circle of skin on his chest. As they did so, each rolled his head back and chanted different words. Without looking over, Savidlin passed her the basket.

Closing her eyes, she reached inside and finally caught a squirming, kicking spirit frog. Its smooth, slimy skin was revolting. Swallowing hard, and taking a mental grip on her Confessor’s power to try to keep from releasing it unintentionally, she pressed the frog’s back to the skin between her breasts as she passed the basket to Richard.

Tingling tightness spread across her skin. She freed the frog and took up Richard’s hand once more as the walls began to waver, as if seen through heat and smoke. Her mind tried in vain to hold on to the images of the spirit house around her. They drifted away as she felt herself spinning around the skulls.

Soft sensations caressed her skin. Light danced from the skulls in the center and filled her eyes. Sounds of the boldas and drums and chanting filled her ears. The pungent smell from the fire filled her lungs. As once before, the light from the center brightened, taking them into it, into the silken void, spinning them around.

And then there were shapes around them. Kahlan remembered them, too, from before: the ancestors’ spirits. She felt a gossamer touch on her shoulder: a hand; a spirit hand.

The Bird Man’s mouth moved, but it wasn’t his voice. It was the joined voices of the ancestors’ spirits, flat, hollow, dead.

“Who calls this gathering?”

Kahlan leaned toward Richard, and whispered, “They want to know who calls this gathering.”

He nodded. “I do. I call this gathering.”

The touch left her shoulder and the spirits all floated from behind them into the center of the circle.

“Speak your name.” The echo of their voices sent ripples of pain along the skin of her arms. “Your full and true name. If you are certain that you wish this gathering, despite the danger, speak the request after your name. You get but this one warning.”

Richard stared at her translation. “Richard, please ...”

“I have to.” He looked back to the spirits in the center and took a deep breath. “I am Richard ...” He swallowed and closed his eyes for a moment. “I am Richard Rahl, and I request this gathering.”

“So be it,” came the empty whispers.

The door to the spirit house crashed open.

Kahlan jumped with a little shriek. She felt Richard’s hand flinch, too. The doorway stood open, a black maw in the soft light around them. The elders all looked up, their eyes no longer glazed with the distant vision. They seemed confused, dazed.

The spirit voices came again, this time not through the elders, but from the center, from the spirits themselves. The sound of it was even more painful than before.

“All but the one who calls the ancestors’ spirits may leave. Leave while you still can. Heed our warning. Those who remain behind with him risk forfeiting their souls.” They turned as one to Richard. Their voices were a hiss. “You may not leave.”

The elders’ frightened eyes flicked around to each other as she translated for Richard. Kahlan knew: this had never happened before.

“Everyone out,” Richard whispered. “Have everyone get out. I don’t want them hurt.”

Kahlan looked to the Bird Man’s worried eyes. “Please. All of you, leave now. While you can. We don’t want harm to come to any of you.”

The elders all looked to the Bird Man. He stared at her a moment, glanced at Richard, and then back to her.

“I can offer you no guidance, child. This has never happened before. I don’t know what it means.”

Kahlan nodded. “I understand. Go now, before it is too late.”

Savidlin touched her shoulder, and then the elders vanished as they walked through the black void of the doorway. She sat in the quiet with Richard; with the spirits.

“Kahlan, I want you out of here, too. Go. Now.” His voice was calm, almost cold. Fear danced in his eyes. And magic.

She watched his face as he stared at the spirits.

“No,” she whispered. She turned once more to the center. “I will not leave you. Not for any reason. Though no words have been spoken over us, we are joined in our hearts, by my magic. We are one. What happens to one, happens to both. I am staying.”

Richard didn’t look over. He continued to stare at the spirits as they floated in the center of the room, above the skulls. She thought he would yell at her to leave. He didn’t. His voice came soft and gentle.

“Thank you. I love you, Kahlan Amnell. Together, then.”

The door banged closed.

Kahlan jumped, and a little sound escaped from her throat before she could catch it. Her heart pounded in her ears. She tried to slow her breathing, but couldn’t. She swallowed instead.

The image of the spirits dimmed. “What you have called forth, Richard Rahl, we cannot stay to witness. We are sorry.”

Their forms seemed to evaporate as she watched. As they vanished, the light went with them, until the two of them were left in total blackness. She could hear the slow crackle of the fire off beyond that blackness, Richard’s quick breathing, her own breathing, and nothing else. Richard’s hand found hers. In the darkness, they sat together, alone, naked.

As Kahlan began to think, to hope, that nothing was going to happen, she became aware of a slight brightening in front of her. There was light beginning to glow.

Green light.

A shade of green light she had seen from only one place.

The underworld.

Her breaths came in ragged pulls. The green light brightened, and with it, distant wails.

From the air all about came an earsplitting crack, like a clap of thunder, sudden, hard, painful. The ground shook with the impact of it.

From the center of the green light, a white brilliance oozed through, to coalesce into a form and stand before them. Her breath caught in her throat. The fine hairs on the back of her neck stood out stiffly.

The white form took a step closer. She only dimly realized Richard’s grip on her hand was hurting her. Kahlan knew the white robes, the long blond hair, the painfully handsome face that stood before them, smiling that small, gruesome smile.

“Dear spirits protect us,” she whispered.

It was Darken Rahl.

As one, she and Richard came slowly to their feet. The glowing blue eyes watched them rise. Relaxed, unhurried, Darken Rahl brought a hand up and licked his fingertips.

“Thank you, Richard, for calling me back.” His cruel smile widened. “How thoughtful of you.”

“I ... didn’t call you back,” Richard whispered.

Darken Rahl laughed a quiet laugh. “Once again, you make a mistake. Call me back you did. You called a gathering. A gathering of ancestors’ spirits. I am your ancestor. Only you could have brought me back, through the veil. Only you.”

“I denounce you.”

“Denounce me all you will.” He held his arms out, out in the white light around him. “I am still here.”

“But I killed you.”

The glowing, shimmering, white robed form laughed again. “Killed me? So you did. And, you used magic to send me to a different place. A place where I am known. A place where I have ... friends. And now you have called me back. Again with magic. Not simply called me back, Richard, but torn the veil further to do so.” He slowly shook his head. “Is there no end to your stupidity?”

Darken Rahl seemed to float, and at the same time walk, toward Richard. Richard let go of Kahlan’s hand as he backed away. She couldn’t make her legs move to go with him.

Richard’s eyes were wide. “I killed you. I defeated you. I won. You lost.”

The blond head nodded slowly. “You won a small battle, in a timeless war, by using the gift, and the Wizard’s First Rule. But in your ignorance, you violated the Wizard’s Second Rule, and in so doing, you have lost it all.” His slow, wicked smile came back. “Such a shame. Didn’t anyone ever tell you? Magic is dangerous. I could have taught you. Could have shared it all with you.” He shrugged. “But it doesn’t matter. You have helped me win even without being taught. I couldn’t be more proud of you.”

“What is the Wizard’s Second Rule? What did I do!”

Rahl’s eyebrows lifted as he took another step closer.

“Why, Richard, don’t you know? You should,” he whispered. “You have broken it a second time, today. And in violating it a second time, you have torn the veil once more, a second time, and brought me here, so that I might tear it the rest of the way and free the Keeper.” His mocking smile returned. “All by yourself.” He gave a taunting laugh. “My son. You should never have meddled in things you don’t understand.”

“What do you want!”

Rahl drifted closer. “You, my son. You.” His hand began to rise toward Richard. “You sent me to another world, and now, in turn, I am going to send you there. You are for the Keeper. He wants you. You are his.”

Without even realizing it, Kahlan’s fist was up, the Con Dar igniting in the depths of her being. Rage exploded through her, and blue lightning erupted from her fist. The dark void around them was ripped away in a fury of light and sound that shook the ground under her feet. The spirit house was back, lit by the blue bolt as it arced toward Darken Rahl.

Effortlessly, his hand came up, deflecting the strike. The bolt of lightning split. One shaft blasted through the roof, into the black sky, sending a shower of tile fragments raining down. The other fork struck the ground, throwing dirt hurtling everywhere.

Darken Rahl’s eyes met hers. His gaze seared her very soul. He smiled the most wicked smile she had ever seen. It seemed to make every fiber of her being ache. She tried to call forth the power again, but nothing happened. He had done something. Kahlan tried, but she couldn’t move a muscle. Richard seemed as paralyzed as she.

Her world was collapsing in a frightening rush. Richard, she wailed in her mind. My Richard. Oh, dear spirits, don’t let this happen.

His eyes burning with rage, Richard managed to take a step forward, but Darken Rahl put his hand to the left side of his chest, above his heart, stopping him stone still.

“I mark you, Richard. For the Keeper. With the Keeper’s mark. You are his.”

Richard threw his head back. His scream seemed to rend the very fabric of the air, and tear her heart and soul with its despair. Kahlan felt as if she died a thousand deaths in that instant.

As Darken Rahl held his hand to Richard’s chest, wisps of smoke curled away. Kahlan’s nostrils filled with the stench of burning flesh.

Darken Rahl pulled his hand back. “The price of ignorance, Richard. You are marked. You are the Keeper’s, now. Now, and forever. The journey begins.”

Richard collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been out. Kahlan didn’t know if he was unconscious, or dead. Something held her up, but it wasn’t her legs. It was the strings held by Darken Rahl.

He glided closer to her. He loomed over her, crushing her in blinding brilliance. Kahlan wanted to shrink away, to close her eyes, but she could not.

Finally, she regained her voice. “Kill me too,” she whispered. “Send me where you have sent him. Please.”

His glowing hand reached toward her. The agony in her heart tore her mind senseless. His fingers fanned open. His touch on her flesh sent fire and ice through her in a wave of shock.

The hand pulled back.

“No.” Darken Rahl’s pitiless smile spread anew. “No. That would be too easy. Better to let him see what happens to you. Better to let him watch, helpless.” The smile showed teeth for the first time. “Better to let him suffer it.” His eyes had an intensity that seemed to impale her. It was the same frightening glare Richard had inherited.

“You live, for now. Soon enough, you will twist in a different pain, living, and dead,” he whispered in a measured, merciless tone. “He will watch. Forever. I will watch. Forever. The Keeper will watch. Forever.”

“Please,” she cried, “send me with him.”

A finger reached out and touched a tear. The pain of the touch made her flinch. “Since you love him so much, I will give you a gift.” He turned and drew his arm smoothly through the air in Richard’s direction. His frightening blue eyes returned to her. “I will let him live a short time longer. Long enough for you to watch as the Keeper’s mark bleeds the life from him. Bleeds his soul from him. Time is nothing. The Keeper will have him. I give you this spark of time in forever to watch the one you love die.”

He leaned toward her. She struggled to back away, but couldn’t. His lips left a kiss on her cheek. The pain of it sent a silent shriek through her and filled her mind with a vision of being raped. Luminous fingers lifted her hair from her neck. His mouth was by her ear.

“Enjoy my gift,” he whispered intimately. “In time, I will have you, too. Forever. Between life and death. Forever. I would like to tell you how much you will suffer, but I am afraid you would not be able to comprehend it. Soon enough, I will show you.” He gave a whispering laugh in her ear. “After I have torn the veil the rest of the way, and freed the Keeper.”

As she stood helpless, he left another kiss on her neck. The horror of the visions it seared through her mind left her feeling defiled beyond anything she had thought possible. “Just a tiny taste. Good-bye, for now, Mother Confessor.”

As he turned from her, she was able to move again. She snatched desperately for the power. It wouldn’t come. She cried and shook as she watched him glide through the doorway of the spirit house and disappear.

And then she collapsed to the ground with a wail of agony. Convulsing in ragged sobs, she clawed across the dirt to Richard.

He lay on his side, away from her. She pulled him over on his back. His arm flopped to his side, limp. His head rolled toward her. He looked ashen, dead. On his chest was a burned handprint—the Keeper’s mark. The blackened skin was cracked and bleeding. His life, his soul, was bleeding away.

She fell on him, clutched at him, as she wept and shook uncontrollably.

Kahlan gripped her fingers into a fist in his hair and pressed her face against his cold cheek. “Please, Richard,” she cried in choking sobs, “please don’t leave me. I would do anything for you. I would die in your place. Don’t die. Don’t leave me. Please, Richard. Don’t die.”

She crouched against him, her world ending. Dying. She could think of nothing to do, other than cry that she loved him. He was dying, and she could do nothing to stop it. She could feel his breathing slow.

She willed herself to die with him, but death wouldn’t come. She lost all sense of time. She didn’t know if she had been there a few minutes, or a few hours. She didn’t know what was real anymore. It all felt like a nightmare. With trembling fingers, she stroked his face. His skin was dead cold.

“You would be Kahlan.”

She spun around, sitting up, at the sound of the woman’s voice coming from behind her. The door to the spirit house was closed again. In the darkness, a white, spiritlike glow towered over her. It appeared to be a spirit, a woman, her hands clasped in front of her. She watched with a pleasant smile. Her hair, as best as Kahlan could make of it, was plaited in a single braid.

“Who are you?”

The figure sank down to sit in front of her. The spirit had no clothes Kahlan could make out, but didn’t appear to be naked either. The woman looked at Richard. A glaze of both longing and anguish came over her fair features. The spirit turned to Kahlan.

“I am Denna.”

The shock of the name, and her proximity to Richard, brought Kahlan’s fist up in a jerk. Lightning screamed to be released. Before Kahlan could let it go, Denna spoke again.

“He is dying. He needs us. Both of us.”

Kahlan hesitated. “You can help him?”

“We both can, maybe. If you love him enough.”

Kahlan’s hopes flared. “I would do anything. Anything.”

Denna nodded. “I hope so.”

Denna looked back to Richard and tenderly stroked his chest. Kahlan was a blink away from releasing the power. She didn’t know if Denna was trying to hurt him, or help him. She hoped against hope. This was her only chance to save Richard. Richard took a deep breath. Kahlan’s heart leapt.

Denna withdrew her hand and smiled. “He is still with you.”

Kahlan lowered her fist a little, and wiped tears from her cheek with the fingers of her other hand. She didn’t like the look of longing Denna had as she watched Richard. Not one bit. “How did you get here? Richard couldn’t have called you; you are not his ancestor.”

Denna turned, her small, dreamy smile fading. “It would be impossible to relate it to you accurately, but perhaps I could explain it enough that it would help you to understand. I was in a place of darkness and peace. It was disturbed as Darken Rahl passed through. His passing through is something that is not supposed to happen. As he neared, I sensed that Richard had somehow called him, and enabled him to pass from where he was, held by a veil, and to come here.”

“I know Darken Rahl all too well, so I followed him. I would never have been able to pass through my own veil, but by latching on to him, I was able to come through, too, to follow in his wake. I came because I knew what Darken Rahl would do to Richard. I don’t know how to explain it better.”

Kahlan nodded. She wasn’t seeing a spirit; she was seeing a woman who had taken Richard as her mate. The power boiled angrily inside her. She struggled to put it down, telling herself that this was to save Richard. She didn’t know any other way; she had to let Denna help, if she could. Kahlan had said she would do anything, and she meant it. Even if it was not to try to kill someone who was already dead. Someone she wanted to kill a thousand times and then another thousand.

“Can you help him? Can you save him?”

“The Keeper’s mark has been placed upon him. The mark will take the holder to the Keeper. If another’s hand is placed over the mark, it will transfer to them, and take them instead, in his place. Richard will not then be pulled to the Keeper. He will live.”

Kahlan knew in that instant what she must do. Without hesitation, she leaned over Richard, stretching her hand out. “Then I will take the mark. I will go in his place so that he will live.” She spread her fingers to match the black mark. Her hand was only a scant inch above it.

“Kahlan, don’t do that.”

She looked over her shoulder. “Why? If it will save him, then I am willing to go in his place.”

“I know you are, but it is not that simple. We must talk first. It will not be easy, for either of us. It will hurt both of us to really help him.”

Kahlan reluctantly sat back down and nodded. She would have agreed to anything, paid any price, even talking to this ... woman. She put a hand protectively on Richard as she sat facing Denna. “How do you know who I am?”

Denna grinned, almost laughed. “To know Richard is to know who Kahlan is.”

“He told you about me?”

Denna’s smile faded. “In a way. I heard your name countless times. When I hurt him until he was delirious, he cried your name. Never another. Not his mother’s, nor his father’s. Only yours. I hurt him until he didn’t know his own name, but he always knew yours. I knew he would find a way to be with you despite your Confessor’s power.” A little of her smile came back. “I think Richard could find a way to make the sun rise at midnight.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I am going to ask you to help him, and I want you to understand exactly how much you will be hurting him before you agree to it. You must understand what it is you will have to do in order to save him. I won’t trick you into doing it. It must be with your full knowledge. Only in that way will you know how to save him. If you don’t understand, you could fail.”

“He is in danger from more than this mark. He is sick with a madness, madness I put there. It will kill him as surely as will the Keeper’s mark.”

“Richard is probably the most sane person I know. He has no madness. It is the mark we must remove.”

“He is marked in other ways: he has the gift. I knew from the moment he came to kill me. I can see it in him now, the aura of it. I know it is killing him, and I know his time is very short. I don’t know how long, only that there is not much time left. We can’t save him from the Keeper just to have him die anyway from the gift.”

Kahlan nodded as she wiped her nose on the back of her hand. “The Sisters of the Light say they can save him. They say he must put a collar on to save himself. Richard will not put it on. He told me what you did to him, why he won’t wear a collar. But Richard is not crazy. He will see in the end what must be done, and do it. That is the way he is. He will see the truth.”

Denna shook her head. “What he told you does not scratch the surface of it. You cannot imagine what he has not told you. I know his madness. He will not tell you the rest of it. I must.”

Kahlan’s anger boiled. “I don’t think it would be wise for you to tell me. If he doesn’t want to tell me, then I don’t think I should know it.”

“You must. You must understand him if you are to help him. In some ways, I understand him better than you. I have taken him to the edge of madness, and beyond. I have seen him in a wasteland of insanity. I have stood over him and held him there.”

Kahlan glared. She recognized the look in Denna’s eyes when she looked at Richard. She didn’t trust her. “You love him.”

Denna stared at her. “He loves you. I used that love to hurt him. I took him to the brink of death and held him there, on the cusp. Others would bring a man to the edge faster, but they couldn’t hold him there. They always went one step too far, too quickly, and killed them, ending it before they could extract the most exquisite pain, inflict the crudest of the insanity. Darken Rahl chose me because I had a talent for keeping them alive and giving them that pain, and then more, and then even more. Darken Rahl himself taught me.”

“I had to sit for hours, sometimes, and wait, knowing that if I touched him just once more with the Agiel, it would be one touch too many; it would kill him. As I sat, waiting for him to recover enough so that I might hurt him more, he would whisper your name, over and over, for hours. He wasn’t even aware he was doing it.”

“You were the thread that kept him alive. It was the one thread that allowed me to give him that extra pain. Allowed me to take him further toward death, deeper into madness. I used his love for you to punish him beyond anything otherwise possible.”

“As I would sit there, listening to him whisper your name, I wished it would once, just once, have been my name he called out. It never was. I hurt him more for that than for anything else.”

Tears ran down Kahlan’s cheeks, falling from her face. “Please, Denna, I don’t want to hear any more. I can’t bear to hear any more—to know I made it possible for you to do what you did.”

“You must. I have not yet even begun to tell you what you must hear if you want to help him. You must understand how I used magic against him; why he hates the magic within himself. I understand, because what I did to him was also done to me, by Darken Rahl.”

As Kahlan sat shaking, staring blankly at nothing, almost in a trance, Denna began telling her what she had done to Richard. How she used the Agiel. She flinched at the description of every kind of touch, at everything it could do.

Kahlan remembered all too well what its touch felt like, the maddening pain. She learned that what she had felt was the least of it.

She cried as Denna told her how Richard had hung in shackles as she pulled his head back by his hair and made him stay perfectly still while she pushed the Agiel in his ear, or risk damage inside his head. And how he had been able to do it because of his love for Kahlan. She shook, when she heard the horrifying description of what it did to him, what the magic did to him; what his own magic did to him. She couldn’t look at Denna as the other spoke. Couldn’t meet her eyes. And that was only the beginning.

She clutched her stomach and held a trembling hand to her mouth to keep from vomiting as Denna described one unspeakable act after another. Kahlan couldn’t make herself stop crying. She gagged as she closed her eyes tight.

As she listened, she prayed to the good spirits that Denna wouldn’t tell her the one thing she knew she couldn’t bear to hear.

But then Denna told her. Told her what a Mord-Sith did to her mate, why their mates didn’t live long. Every intimate detail. And what she had done to Richard that she had done to no other mate.

With a wail, Kahlan turned away, crawled a short distance, and started throwing up. With one hand holding herself up, and the other across her abdomen, she cried and heaved and gagged. Denna’s hands were there, holding her hair back as Kahlan emptied the contents of her stomach onto the dirt. She vomited until her insides were heaved dry.

She felt Denna’s warm tingling touch on her back. She wanted to call forth the lightning, but was too sick to find the power. She was torn between wanting to throw herself on Richard and comfort him, and ripping this woman apart with the magic of the Con Dar, the Blood Rage.

Between gagging, and panting, and crying, Kahlan managed to get the words out. “Take ... Your hands ... off me.” The hand holding her hair slipped away. The one on her back lifted. Her stomach heaved again in a dry convulsion. “How many times did you do that to him?”

“Enough. It does not matter.”

Kahlan turned in a rage, clenching her fists as she screamed. “How many times!”

Denna’s voice was soft and calm. “I’m sorry, Kahlan, I don’t know. I didn’t keep a tally. But he was with me a long time. Longer than any other mate. I did it almost every night. The things I did, I did to no other, because none had the strength Richard did, the strength of his love for you. The others would have died the first time. He fought me, for a long time. I did it enough, that’s all. Enough.”

“Enough! Enough for what!”

“Enough to drive a part of him mad.”

“He’s not mad! He’s not! He’s not!”

Denna watched as Kahlan shook with pain and rage. “Kahlan, listen to me. Anyone else would have been broken by what I did. Richard saved himself by partitioning his mind. He locked the core of himself away where I couldn’t get to it, where the magic couldn’t get to it. He used the gift to do that. It saved the core of himself from the insanity. But in the darkest corners of his mind lurks madness. I used his magic against him, to drive him insane. He couldn’t protect all of himself from the things I did.”

“I told you what I did so you could see the truth of his madness. He had to sacrifice that part to save the rest. To save the rest for you. I wish I could have done the same when it was done to me.”

Kahlan lifted Richard’s hand in hers, holding the back of it to her heart. “How could you do those things?” she cried. “Oh, my poor Richard. How could you? How could you do that to anyone?”

“We all have our own little bits of insanity. Some more than others. My life was a darkness of it.”

“Then how could you! How could you, knowing what it was like!”

Denna watched her from under her eyebrows. “You have done terrible things too. You have used your power to hurt people.”

“But they were people guilty of horrible crimes!”

“All of them?” she asked quietly. “Every one?”

Kahlan’s breath caught with the memory of using her power against Brophy.

“No,” she whispered. “But I didn’t do it because I wanted to. I had to. It is my job. Who I am. What I am.”

“But you did it. And what of Demmin Nass?”

The words cut through her. Her mind flooded with the memory, the sweet memory, of castrating that beast of a man. She sank forward with a wail. “Oh, dear spirits, am I no better than you?”

“We all do what we must, whatever the reasons.” Her glowing, diaphanous fingers lifted Kahlan’s chin. “I do not tell you these things to hurt you, Kahlan. The telling of them wounds me more than you can know. I tell you because I want to save Richard, so that he doesn’t die before his rightful time, and so that the Keeper does not escape.”

Kahlan clutched Richard’s hand tighter to her breast as she wept. “I’m sorry, Denna ... but I don’t have it in me to forgive you. I know Richard does ... but I do not. I hate you.”

“I would not expect you to forgive me. I only wish you to understand the truth of what I am telling you, the truth of Richard’s madness.”

“Why! To what purpose!”

“So that you will understand what you must do. Wearing a collar is the core of that insanity. It symbolizes everything I did to him. In his mind, magic is madness, torture. A collar is madness, torture. Insanity. The thought of having a collar around his neck brings that madness out of the darkest corners of his being, brings out his deepest fears. He is not exaggerating when he says he would rather die than put a collar around his neck. He will not do it to save himself. If he doesn’t, he will die. There is only one thing in the world that will make him put on the collar.”

Kahlan’s head snapped up. Her eyes were wide. “You want me to ask him to put a collar around his neck.” She went weak with dread. “You would have me do that to him? After what you have told me?”

Denna nodded. “He will do it if you tell him to. He will not do it for any other reason. None.”

Richard’s limp arm slipped from Kahlan’s shaking hands. Her fingers covered her mouth. Denna was right. After what she knew now, what she had heard, she knew Denna was right.

She knew now what it had been that she had seen in Richard’s eyes when he looked at the collar the Sisters held out to him. It had been madness. Richard would never put a collar around his neck of his own accord. Never. She knew that now. Really knew it.

A small cry escaped her throat. “If I make him put on the collar, he will think I have betrayed him. In his madness, he will think I want to hurt him.” Pain welled up inside her, and she started to cry all over again. “He will hate me.”

Denna’s voice came in a soft whisper. “I am sorry, Kahlan. That could be the truth of it. We can’t know for sure, but he may very well see it that way. I don’t know how much the madness will take over when he knows he must put on the collar, when you tell him he must. But he loves you more than life itself, and will put it on for no other reason.”

“Denna, I don’t know if I could do that to him. Not after what you have told me.”

“You must, or he will die. If you love him enough, you must do this. You must be strong enough in your love for him to force him to do it, knowing the pain it will bring him. You may have to act as I would have acted, to frighten him enough to do as you say. You may have to bring the madness to full flower, make him think the way he did when he was with me, when he would have done anything he was told.”

“You may lose his love. He may hate you forever. But if you really love him, you will see that you are the only one who can help him; the only one who can save him.”

Kahlan snatched desperately for a way out. “But in the morning, we were going to go to Zedd, a wizard, who might be able to help him control the gift. Richard thinks Zedd will know what to do; that he will be able to help him.”

“That may be true. I’m sorry, Kahlan, I don’t know the answer to that. It may work. But I do know that the Sisters of the Light have the power to save him. If they come, and he turns them down for the third time, he will forever lose the opportunity to get their help. If it turns out that this wizard can’t help Richard, then he will die. His time is short, days at most.”

“Do you understand what that means, Kahlan? He won’t just die; the Keeper will have him, have everyone. Richard is the only one who can close the veil.”

“How? Do you know how he can close it?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t. I know only that it must be torn the rest of the way from this side. That is why the Keeper has agents on this side. That is why Darken Rahl came here. Somehow, Richard is the only one who can stop them, and also the only one with the power to repair what has been rent.”

“If he turns the Sisters down, and this wizard can’t help him, then he dies, soon, and it will be as if the mark itself took him to the Keeper. If he can get to this wizard before he turns the Sisters down for the third time, he can learn whether he can be helped without them ... without the collar. But if they come before he can get to Zedd, I must have your promise you will do what must be done to save him.”

“There is time. The Sisters won’t be back for at least a few days. We can get to Zedd first. There is time!”

“I hope you are right, I really do. I’m sure you won’t believe me, but I don’t want Richard to ever have to wear a collar, to ever face that madness again. But if you can’t get to Zedd, then you must promise me you won’t allow him to miss the chance at life the Sisters offer.”

Tears streamed from Kahlan’s burning eyes. Richard would hate her if she made him put on the collar; she knew he would. He would think she had betrayed him.

“But what of the mark? He still has the mark on him.”

Denna watched her a long time. Her voice came so softly Kahlan could scarcely hear it. “I will take the mark. I will go to the Keeper in his place.” A shimmering tear ran down her cheek. “But I will only do it, I will only give up my soul, if I know it gives him a chance.”

Kahlan stared incredulously. “You would do that for him?” she whispered. “Why?”

“Because after all I had done to him, he cared about my pain. He is the only one who ever did anything to stop my pain. When Darken Rahl beat me, he cried, and he made a potion to take away my pain, though I had never once stopped torturing him no matter how much he begged. Not once. And after all the things I have told you I did to him, he forgave me. He understood what I had suffered. He took my Agiel to wear around his neck and promised to remember me, to remember that I was more than a Mord-Sith; to remember that I was once just Denna.”

Another shimmering tear ran down. “And because I love him. Even in death, I love him. Though I know my love will never be requited, I still love him.”

Kahlan looked at Richard as he lay on his back, unconscious, helpless, with the Keeper’s mark, black and bleeding, on his chest. The black and white mud painted everywhere on him made him look wild, savage, but he wasn’t; he was the gentlest person she had ever known. She realized then that she would do anything to save him. Anything.

“I will do it,” she whispered. “I promise. If we can’t find Zedd before the Sisters come back for the third time, I will make him put on the collar, no matter what it takes. Even if it makes him hate me. Even if it kills me.”

Denna’s hand reached out to her. “An oath then, between the living and the dead, to do what must be done to save him.”

Kahlan stared at the hand before her. “I still can’t forgive you. I won’t forgive you.”

The hand stayed where it was, waiting. “The only forgiveness I need has already been granted.”

Kahlan stared at the hand, and then reached out and took it. “An oath then, to save the one we love.”

They clasped hands, and shared a silent joining.

Denna took away her hand. “Time is short for him. It must be now.” Kahlan nodded. “When it is done, get help for him. Though the pull of the mark will be removed, the wound will still be there, and it is a serious one.”

Kahlan nodded. “There is a healer here. She will help him.”

Denna’s eyes were filled with compassion. “Thank you, Kahlan, for loving him enough to help him. May the good spirits be with you both.” She gave a small, frightened smile. “Where I am going, I will never see any of them, or I would send them to help you.”

Kahlan touched the back of the other’s hand, offering a silent prayer for strength.

Denna returned the touch to Kahlan’s cheek, and then knelt next to Richard. Her hand went to the mark, covering it, dissolving into it. Richard’s chest heaved.

Denna’s features twisted in pain. She threw her head back with a piercing scream that shot through Kahlan.

And then she was just gone.

Richard groaned. Kahlan bent over him, caressing him. Crying.

“Kahlan?” he moaned. “Kahlan, what happened? It hurts. It hurts so ...”

“Lie still, my love. Everything is all right. You are safe, with me. I’ll get help.”

He nodded and she ran to the door, throwing it open. The elders were sitting in a small circle in the dark, just outside the door. They looked up expectantly.

“Help me!” she screamed. “Carry him to Nissel! There’s no time to get her!”

Chapter 17

When he stirred, Kahlan lifted her head.

His gray eyes blinked and searched around the small room until they found her face. “Where are we?”

She gave his shoulder a little squeeze. “At Nissel’s. She tended your burn.”

His right hand came up and touched the bandage-covered poultice. He winced. “How long ... What time is it?”

Kahlan looked up from where she was crouched on the floor next to him, rubbed her eyes, and squinted out the partly opened door at the gray light. “It has been light for an hour or two. Nissel is in the back room, sleeping. She was up most of the night, tending your wound. The elders are all outside, watching over you. They haven’t left since we brought you here.”

“When? When did you bring me here?”

“In the middle of the night.”

Richard looked around again. “What happened? Darken Rahl was there.” His big hand grasped her arm. “He touched me. He ... marked me. Where did he go? What happened after he touched me?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. He just left.”

His hand squeezed her arm painfully. His eyes were wild. “What do you mean he left! Did he go back into the green light? Back into the underworld?”

She pulled at his fingers. “Richard! you’re hurting me.”

He let go. “I’m sorry.” He cradled her head to his good shoulder. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry.” He let out a noisy breath. “I can’t believe how stupid I am.”

She kissed his neck. “It didn’t hurt that much.”

“That’s not what I mean. I mean I can’t believe how stupid I was to call him back from the underworld. I can’t believe I did something that stupid. I was warned. I should have thought. I should have figured it out. I let myself focus on one thing so strongly that I didn’t look around and see what was coming from a different direction. I must be mad to have done that.”

“Don’t say that,” she whispered. “You’re not mad.” She pushed herself up and looked down at him. “Don’t you ever say that about yourself.”

He blinked, then pushed himself up to sit facing her. He winced when he touched the bandage again. He reached out to run his hand down her cheek, through her hair. He smiled the smile that made her heart melt.

He sought her eyes. “You are the most beautiful woman in the world. Did I ever tell you that?”

“All the time.”

“Well, you are. I love your green eyes, your hair. You have the most beautiful hair I ever saw. Kahlan, I love you more than anything in the world.”

She forced herself to hold back tears. “I love you more than anything else, too. Please, Richard, promise me you won’t ever doubt my love. Promise me that no matter what happens, you won’t ever doubt how much I love you.”

He cupped her cheek. “I promise. I promise I will never doubt your love. No matter what. All right? What’s the matter?”

She leaned against him, laid her head on his shoulder, and wrapped her arms carefully around him so as not to hurt him. “Darken Rahl frightened me, that’s all. I was so afraid when he burned you with his hand. I thought you were dead.”

He stroked her shoulder. “So what happened? I remember him telling me how he got here, because I called him, and he was my ancestor, and then he said something about marking me for the Keeper. Then I don’t remember anything else. What happened?”

Kahlan’s mind raced. “Well ... he said he was going to mark you, kill you, that the mark would send you to the Keeper. He said he was here to tear the veil the rest of the way. He put his hand against you. Burned you. But before he could do it enough, before he could kill you, I called the lightning, the Con Dar.”

He missed a breath. “I don’t suppose that we could be lucky enough that it killed him, or destroyed him, or whatever it is that can be done to a spirit.”

She shook her head. “No. It didn’t destroy him. He was able to block it, partly anyway. But I think it frightened him. He left. Not back into the green light, but out the door. Before he could finish what he was going to do to you. He just left, that’s all.”

He grinned and hugged her tighter. “My heroine. You saved me.” He was quiet a moment. “Here to tear the veil,” he whispered to himself. His brow was set in a thoughtful frown. “And then what happened?”

Kahlan steeled herself for the lie of omission. But she couldn’t bear the scrutiny of his eyes. She nestled her face against his shoulder, frantically trying to think of a way to get him off the subject. “And then the elders and I carried you here, so Nissel could tend to your burn. She said that it’s bad, but that the poultice will make it well. You have to leave it on for a few days, until it begins to heal over enough.”

She angrily shook a finger at him. “I know you. You will want to take it off sooner. You always think you know best. Well, you don’t. You will just leave it on like I tell you, Richard Cypher.”

His smile faded a little. “Richard Rahl.”

She stared at him. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Richard Rahl.” She forced a smile. “My Richard. Maybe you could change it when we’re married. You could be Richard Amnell. Mates to Confessors sometimes take their wife’s family name.”

He grinned. “I like it. Richard Amnell. Husband to the Mother Confessor. Devoted husband. Loving husband.” The haunted look returned to his eyes. “Sometimes I fear I don’t know who, or what, I am. Sometimes I think ...”

“You are part of me, and I am part of you. That’s all that is important.”

He nodded absently, his eyes glistening with tears. “I wanted to help, with a gathering. I wanted to find a way to stop all this. Instead, as Darken Rahl said, I’ve only made it worse. He was right; I am stupid. It’s going to be my fault ...”

“Richard, stop it. You’ve been hurt. You’re just exhausted. When you’ve rested, you’ll figure it out. You’ll know what to do.”

He gave himself a mental shake. He threw the blanket off and looked down. “Who washed the mud off me and dressed me?”

“The elders washed off the mud. Nissel and I were going to dress you,” she said, as his face turned red, “but you were too big and heavy for us. The elders did that too. They had quite a time of it. It took all of them.”

He nodded absently; he had stopped listening. He reached up to the spot on his chest where the whistle, Scarlet’s tooth, and the Agiel usually hung, but didn’t find them. “We have to get out of here. We have to get to Zedd. Right now, before anything else happens. I need Zedd’s help. Where is Scarlet’s tooth? I have to call her. Where’s my sword?”

“All of our things are in the spirit house.”

He scrubbed his hands over his face, thinking, then combed his fingers through his hair. “All right.” His solid gaze came to her eyes. “I’ll go get the tooth and call Scarlet, and get our things together, get them ready to leave.” He gently squeezed her upper arm. “You go to Weselan, and put on your wedding dress. While we wait for Scarlet to come, we can be married. We’ll leave when Scarlet gets here.” He kissed her cheek. “We will be married, and we’ll be in Aydindril with Zedd before dark. Everything will be all right, you’ll see. Everything will be all right. I’ll find out what I did wrong, and fix it. I promise.”

She put her arms around his neck. “We will fix it,” she corrected. “Together. Always together.”

He laughed quietly in her ear. “Together. I need you. You light my way.”

She slipped away from him, and looked at him sternly. “Well, I have instructions for you, and you are going to do as you are told. You are going to wait here until Nissel says you can get up. She said that when you wake, she has to change the poultice and bandage and give you medicine. You are going to stay here until she is finished. Understand? I don’t want you getting sick and dying on me now, not after I have gone to all the trouble of saving you; and a great deal of trouble it was.”

“I’ll go to Weselan so she can finish fitting my dress. When Nissel is finished with you, then” —she shook a finger at him— “and only then, may you leave to go call Scarlet. When you are finished here with Nissel, and when you have called Scarlet and gotten our things together, come get me, and I will marry you.” She kissed the end of his nose. “If you also promise to love me always.”

“Always,” he said with a grin.

She rested her wrists on his shoulders, to each side of his strong neck, and clasped her fingers together behind his head. “I’ll wake Nissel, and ask her to hurry with you. But please, Richard, don’t waste any time after that. Call Scarlet quickly, quick as you can. I want to get away from here. I want to get away before Sister Verna even comes close. I don’t want to take any chances, even if she isn’t supposed to be back for a few days. I want us away from here. Away from the Sisters of the Light. I want to get you to Zedd so he can help you with the headaches before they can get any worse.”

He gave her a boyish, lopsided smile. “What about your big bed in Aydindril? Don’t you want to get to that in a hurry, too?”

With a finger, she gently squashed his nose flat. “I’ve never had anyone else in my big bed before. I hope I don’t disappoint you.”

He gripped her waist in his strong hands and pulled her to him hard enough to make her grunt. He pushed her hair back off her neck and gave it a tender kiss—right where Darken Rahl’s lips had been. “Disappoint me? That, my love, is the only thing in the world it would be impossible for you to do.” He gave her neck one more tickling kiss. “Now, go get Nissel. We are wasting time.”

Kahlan pulled on the fabric, trying to bring it up as much as she could. “I’ve never worn anything cut this low. You don’t think it ... shows too much?”

Weselan looked up from the floor where she was fussing with the hem of the blue dress. She took the fine bone needle from her mouth as she rose to appraise her client’s fit. She studied the expanse of flesh a moment.

“You don’t think he will like it?”

Kahlan felt her face flush. “Well, I think he will. I hope so, but ...”

Weselan leaned a little closer. “If you are worried about him seeing that much, maybe you had better reconsider this.”

Kahlan lifted an eyebrow. “He is not the only one who will be looking. I’ve never worn anything like this before. I’m ... worried that I don’t do it justice.”

Weselan smiled and patted Kahlan’s arm. “You wear the dress well. It looks beautiful on you. It’s perfect.”

Kahlan still fretted as she glanced down at herself. “Really? Are you sure? I fill it out properly?”

Weselan’s smile widened. “Really. You have fine breasts. Everyone says so.”

Kahlan felt her face redden. She was sure of the truth of the casual statement. Among the Mud People, commenting favorably on a woman’s breasts, in public, was no more odd than a man elsewhere telling a woman she had a pleasant smile. It was an uninhibited attitude that more than once had caught her off-guard.

Kahlan held the skirt out to the sides. “It’s the most beautiful dress I’ve ever worn, Weselan. Thank you for all your hard work. I will treasure it always.”

“Maybe someday, if you have a daughter, she will wear it when she weds.”

Kahlan smiled and nodded. Please, dear spirits, she was thinking, if a child comes, let it be a daughter and not a son. She reached up and touched the delicate necklace she wore, her fingers turning the small, round bone strung among a few red and yellow beads.

Adie, the bone woman, had given her the necklace to protect her from the beasts that dwelt in the pass through the boundary that at the time had separated Westland from the Midlands. The old woman had told her it would help protect her child one day.

Kahlan dearly loved the necklace. It was just like the one her mother had received from Adie, and had, in turn, given to Kahlan. Kahlan had buried it with her closest childhood friend, Dennee. Since Dennee’s death she had missed her mother’s necklace.

This one was all the more special because the night before they had gone through the pass, Richard had added his oath to the necklace, to protect any future child she might have. Neither she nor Richard had suspected at the time that there was any way that child might possibly be his.

“I hope so. Weselan, will you stand with me?”

“Stand with you?”

Kahlan pulled some of her hair self-consciously over her half-exposed chest. “Where I come from, it is the custom to have a friend stand by you when you wed. To stand as a representative of the good spirits watching over the joining. Richard would like Savidlin to stand with him. I would like it if you stood by me.”

“That seems a strange custom. The good spirits always watch over us. But if it is your custom, I would be honored to be the one who stands by you.”

Kahlan beamed. “Thank you.”

“Now stand up straight. I am almost finished.”

Weselan again bent to her task at the hem. Kahlan tried to stand with her back straight. It hurt from sitting on the floor next to Richard the last half of the night. She wished she could sit, or lie down, she was that sleepy. But mostly, her back hurt.

Suddenly, she wondered how much Denna was hurting right now.

She didn’t care, she told herself. Whatever was happening to her would never be enough, after what she had done to Richard. Her stomach lurched at the memory of what Denna had told her.

Kahlan could still feel the place on her neck where Darken Rahl had put his lips. A shiver ran up her spine at the memory.

She remembered the mask of agony on Denna’s face the instant before she disappeared. It didn’t matter: she deserved it.

It could have been Richard, though. If it hadn’t been for Denna, it could have been Richard.

“Don’t be afraid, Kahlan.”

“What?” She focused her eyes. Weselan was standing in front of her, smiling. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

Weselan reached out and wiped a tear from Kahlan’s cheek. “I said not to be afraid. Richard is a good man. You will have a happy life with him. It is natural to fear being wedded, but do not worry. It will be fine, you will see. I cried too, before I wedded my Savidlin. I didn’t think I would, because I wanted him so, but I found myself crying, just like you.” She winked. “I never had reason to cry again. Sometimes I find reason to complain, but never to cry.”

Kahlan wiped the other cheek. What was the matter with her? She didn’t care what was happening to Denna; she didn’t. Not one bit.

She nodded to Weselan and forced a smile. “That would be my greatest hope in life. Never to cry again.”

Weselan gave her a comforting hug. “Would you like something to eat?”

“No, I’m not ...”

Savidlin burst through the door. He was sweating and panting. Kahlan went cold with fright at the look on his face. She started shaking even before his words came.

“When Nissel finished with Richard, I went with him to the spirit house, like you told me to, so he could call the dragon. The Sister of the Light came for him. She is there, with him. I didn’t understand his words, but I knew their meaning, and your name. He wanted me to come for you. Hurry.”

“Noooo!” Kahlan wailed, as she shot past him and out through the doorway.

As she ran, she held the hem of her dress up in her fists so she wouldn’t trip on it. She had never run so fast. Her breath couldn’t keep pace as she raced down the narrow passageways. Her hair streamed behind her as she ran. The winter air was frigid on her skin. The sound of Savidlin running behind her faded away.

She couldn’t form a thought, except that she must get to Richard. This couldn’t be happening. It was too soon. The Sister shouldn’t be here. The two of them were leaving, almost gone. It wasn’t fair at all. Richard.

Big white snowflakes drifted down; not enough to turn the ground white, but enough to bring an icy foreboding of the winter that was coming—the winter that was here. The wet flakes melted instantly as they touched her hot skin. Some caught in her lashes until she blinked them away. A light breeze curled around a corner, swirling into a white curtain. Kahlan flew through it and down a passageway.

She skidded to a stop and looked around. It was the wrong way. She ran back and took the correct turn. Tears ran down her face with the melted snowflakes. It was too much. It couldn’t be.

Panting and desperate, she broke from the buildings, into the clearing around the spirit house. The Sister’s horses were tethered on the other side of the short wall, the wall with the gash through it from when Richard had tried to kill the screeling.

People were standing around, but she didn’t see them. Everything except the door to the spirit house grayed in her vision. She ran desperately for it.

It took forever, as if she were running in a dream and couldn’t make any headway. Her legs ached with the strain. Her hand stretched for the latch. Her heart pounded in her ears.

“Please, dear spirits,” she begged, “don’t let me be too late.”

Grunting through gritted teeth, she yanked the door open and threw herself through.

Kahlan jerked to a halt. She gulped air. Richard stood before Sister Verna, beneath the hole ripped through the roof by the lightning. The two of them stood in a shaft of gray light, in the gently drifting snowflakes floating down. The rest of the room dimmed into darkness around them. At his hip, Richard’s sword glinted in the light. He didn’t have the tooth, or whistle, or Agiel around his neck. He hadn’t had time to call Scarlet yet.

In one hand, Sister Verna was holding the collar out to him. Her gaze went to Kahlan in silent warning for a moment, and then slid back to Richard. “You have heard the three reasons for the Rada’Han. This is your last chance to be helped, Richard. Will you accept the offer?”

Richard left the Sister’s steady gaze, and turned slowly toward Kahlan, toward where she stood panting. His bright gray eyes followed down her dress and came back up to her face. His voice was gentle, reverent. “Kahlan ... that dress ... is beautiful. Beautiful.”

Kahlan couldn’t find her voice. Her heart was pounding, breaking. Sister Verna spoke his name in a tone of serious warning.

For the first time, Kahlan saw that Sister Verna held something in her other hand. It was the silver knife. But she wasn’t pointing it at herself; it was held toward Richard. Kahlan knew: if he didn’t accept, she intended to kill him. He didn’t even seem to be aware of the knife as it flashed in the dim light. Kahlan wondered if she had used a spell to block it from his vision.

Richard turned back to the Sister. “You have done your best. You have tried your best. It is not enough. I told you before, I will not ...”

“Richard!” Kahlan took another step toward him as he turned to the sound of her shriek. Her eyes locked on his. “Richard,” she whispered as she took another step. Her voice broke. “Accept the offer. Take the collar. Please.”

Sister Verna didn’t move. She watched calmly.

Richard frowned a little. “What? Kahlan ... You don’t understand. I told you, I won’t ...”

“Richard!” He fell silent as he looked at her in puzzlement. She glanced at the Sister standing motionless, the knife still in her hand. She watched as Kahlan stepped closer. Their eyes met. Kahlan knew: the other would wait to see what would happen. There was a hardness in those eyes that spoke of what she was prepared to do if Kahlan didn’t change Richard’s mind. “Richard, listen carefully to me. I want you to accept the offer.”

His frown deepened. “What ...?”

“Take the collar.”

His eyes flashed anger. “I told you before. I will not ...”

“You said you loved me!”

“Kahlan, what’s the matter with you? You know I love ...”

She cut him off. “Then you will accept the offer. If you really love me, you will take the collar and put it on. For me.”

He stared at her in disbelief. “For you ...? Kahlan, I can’t ... I won’t...”

“You will!” She was being too gentle, and knew it. It was only confusing him. She had to be stronger. She had to act more like Denna if she was to save him. Dear spirits, she begged in her mind, please give me the strength to do this, to save him.

“Kahlan, I don’t know what’s gotten into you. We can talk about it later. You know how much I love you, but I’m not going to ...”

She clenched her hands into fists and screamed at him. “If you love me, you will! Don’t stand there and tell me you love me if you aren’t willing to prove it! You disgust me!”

He blinked in surprise. The way his voice sounded made her ache. “Kahlan ...”

“You aren’t worthy of my love if you aren’t willing to prove it! How dare you say you love me!”

His eyes were rilling with tears.

With madness.

With the memory of what Denna had done to him.

He sank slowly to his knees. “Kahlan ... please.”

She leaned over him as she held out clenched fists. “Don’t you dare talk back to me!” His arms flinched up, covering his head. He thought she was going to strike him. He really thought she was going to strike him. Her heart felt as if it ripped. Tears streamed down her face as she let the rage loose. “I told you to take the collar! How dare you talk back to me! If you love me you will take it!”

“Kahlan, please,” he cried. “Don’t do this. You don’t understand. Don’t ask me to ...”

“I understand perfectly well!” she screamed. “I understand that you say you love me! But I don’t believe you! I don’t believe you! You’re lying to me! Your love for me is a lie if you won’t take the collar! A lie! A filthy lie!”

He couldn’t look up at her, look up at her as she stood over him in the blue dress she was to wed him in. He struggled to get the words out as he fixed his eyes on the ground. “It’s not ... it’s not a lie. Please, Kahlan, I love you. You mean more to me than anything in the world. Please believe me. I would do anything for you. But please ...”

Dying inside, she grabbed a fistful of his hair and jerked his head up, making him look at her. Madness danced in his eyes. He was gone. But only for now, she prayed. Please dear spirits, only for now.

“Words! That’s all you offer me! Not love! Not proof! Just words! Worthless words!”

As she held him by his hair, she drew her other hand back to slap him. His eyes winced shut. She couldn’t make herself do it; she couldn’t hit him. It was all she could do just to stay on her feet, not to fall to her knees and throw her arms around him and tell him how much she loved him, that everything was all right.

But it wasn’t all right. If he didn’t do this, he would die.

She was the only one who could save him. Even if it killed her.

“Don’t hit me anymore,” he whispered. “Please, Denna ... Don’t.”

Kahlan swallowed back the wail that tried to escape her throat and made herself speak. “Look at me.” He did as she ordered. “I’m not going to tell you again, Richard. If you love me, you will accept the offer and put on the collar. If you don’t, I will make you regret disobeying me more than anything you have ever regretted in your life. Do it now, or it’s over. Everything is over.” His eyes faltered. She gritted her teeth. “I’m not going to tell you again, my pet. Put on the collar. Now!”

Kahlan knew, knew that “my pet” was what Denna had called him. Denna had told her with the rest of it. She knew what those two words meant to him. She had hoped she wouldn’t have to use them. Whatever link he had to sanity dissolved in that instant. She saw it in his eyes: the thing she feared more than death.

Betrayal.

She released her grip on his hair as, on his knees, he turned to Sister Verna. She lifted the collar a little, holding it out to him. It looked dull, gray, dead in the cold light. Richard stared at it. Snowflakes drifted down in the still, quiet light. Expressionless, Sister Verna watched him.

“All right,” he whispered. His shaking hand reached for the collar. His fingers touched it, curled around it. “I accept the offer. I accept the collar.”

“Then put it around your neck,” Sister Verna said in a soft voice, “and close it.”

He turned to Kahlan. “I would do anything for you,” he whispered.

Kahlan wanted to die.

His hands shook so much she thought he might drop the collar as he took it from Sister Verna. He held it, staring at it.

But then his hands stopped shaking. He took a deep breath and put the collar around his neck. It closed with a snap, and the seam disappeared, leaving a smooth ring of metal.

The shaft of light dimmed as if to twilight even though it was still day. Deep, ominous thunder rumbled in every direction out across the grasslands. It didn’t sound like any thunder Kahlan had ever heard before. She could feel it in the ground beneath her feet. She thought that maybe it had something to do with the magic of the collar, something to do with the Sisters.

She knew, when she glanced at Sister Verna and saw her eyes glide around, that it wasn’t.

Richard smoothly rose to his feet before the Sister. “You may find, Sister Verna, that holding the leash to this collar is worse than wearing it.” He gritted his teeth. “Much worse.”

Sister Verna’s voice remained calm. “We only want to help you, Richard.”

He nodded slightly. “I take nothing on faith. You will have to prove it.”

In a panic, a sudden thought came to Kahlan. “What is the third reason? What is the third reason for the collar?”

Richard turned to her with a glare that even his father could not have matched. For a moment, she forgot how to breathe.

“The first reason is to control the headaches and open my mind so that I may be taught to use the gift. The second reason is to control me.” His hand came up and grabbed her by the throat. His eyes sliced through her. “The third reason is to give me pain.”

She closed her eyes with a wail. “No! Dear spirits, no!”

He released her throat. His expression went slack, lost. “I hope I have proven my love for you, Kahlan. I hope you believe me now. I have given you everything. I hope it is enough; I have nothing else to offer. Nothing.”

“You have. More than you could ever realize. I love you more than anything in the world, Richard.”

She reached out to touch his cheek. He pushed her hand away. His eyes said it all; she had betrayed him.

“Do you?” He looked away. “I would like to believe you.”

She tried to swallow the painful, burning lump in her throat. “You promised me you would never doubt my love.”

He nodded slightly. “So I did.”

If she could have called lightning down on herself, she would have done it. “Richard ... I know you don’t understand right now, but I only did what I had to—to help you live. To keep you from being killed by the headaches, the gift. I hope that someday you will understand. I will always wait for you; I love you with all my heart.”

He nodded tearfully. “If that’s true, then find Zedd. Tell him what you have done. Tell him.”

Sister Verna’s voice broke in. “Richard, take your things and go wait with the horses.”

Looking back at her, he nodded. He went to the far corner and picked up his cloak, bow, and pack. Reaching in, he pulled out the three leather thongs, the one with the Bird Man’s whistle, the one with Scarlet’s tooth, and the one with Denna’s Agiel. As Kahlan watched him hang the three of them around his neck, she wished she had something of her own to give him. She tried desperately to think of something.

As he went past her, she put a hand to his arm and stopped him. “Wait.” Kahlan pulled the knife from his belt. She held out a long lock of her hair and severed it with the knife. She didn’t even think about what she was doing, what happened when Confessors cut their own hair.

With a scream of pain, she found herself on the ground. The magic seared through her, burning every nerve in its passing. She fought to remain conscious as she gulped for air. She struggled against the wrenching pain of it.

She had to remain conscious, or Richard might leave before she could give it to him. She thought of only that, and forced herself to her feet. As she did so, the pain finally abated.

Still panting, Kahlan pulled a small blue ribbon from the waist of the dress, cut it too, and after wrapping the long strand of hair around two fingers, tied it together in the middle with the ribbon. As he watched, she returned the knife to its sheath at his belt and put the lock of hair in his shirt pocket.

“To remind you always that my heart is with you ... that I love you.”

Expressionless, he looked at her a long moment. “Find Zedd,” was all he said before turning and going through the doorway.

Kahlan stood, staring at the door after he was gone. She felt numb, empty, lost.

Sister Verna stopped next to her, watching the door with her. “That was probably the most courageous act I have ever witnessed,” she said softly. “The people of the Midlands are fortunate to have you as their Mother Confessor.”

Kahlan continued to stare at the door. “He thinks I betrayed him.” She turned and looked at the Sister, tears welling up in her eyes. “He thinks I betrayed him.”

The Sister studied her face for a time. “You have not. I promise you that in time I will help him to see the truth of what you have done this day.”

“Please,” she begged, “don’t hurt him.”

Sister Verna clasped her hands in front of herself and took a deep breath. “You have just hurt him to save his life. Would you have me do any less?”

A tear ran down her cheek. “I guess not. And I doubt you could do anything as cruel as what I have just done.”

Sister Verna nodded. “I fear you are right. But I will give you my promise that I will personally watch over him, and see to it that what is done is only what is necessary. I promise you that I will not let it go one inch beyond that. Not one breath. On my word as a Sister of the Light.”

“Thank you.” She looked down at the knife in the other’s hand. The sister pushed it back up her sleeve. “You would have killed him. If he said no, you would have killed him.”

She nodded. “If he had said no, the pain and madness at the end would have been grotesque. I would have spared him that. But it doesn’t matter now. You have saved his life. Thank you, Mother Confessor ... Kahlan.”

Sister Verna stepped toward the door. “Sister? How long? How long will you have him? How long will I have to wait?”

The Sister didn’t turn. “I’m sorry, I can’t say. It takes as long as it takes. Much of it is up to him. It depends on how fast he learns.”

Kahlan smiled for the first time. “I think you will be surprised at how fast Richard learns.”

Sister Verna nodded. “That is what I fear most. Knowledge before wisdom. It frightens me more than anything else.”

“I think, too, that Richard’s wisdom may surprise you.”

“I pray you are right. Good-bye, Kahlan. Don’t try to follow, or he will die.”

“Sister, one more thing.” The cold danger in her own voice surprised her. “If you are lying to me about any of it, if you kill him, I will hunt down every Sister of the Light. I will kill every last one. But not before each of you begs endlessly to die.”

The Sister stood still as stone a moment before nodding and then going on her way.

Kahlan followed her out and stood with the people outside as she watched the sister mount her horse. Richard already sat tall on a big bay gelding. His back was to her as he waited.

Kahlan’s heart was breaking. She wanted to see his face one more time, but he didn’t turn as the two of them started away.

Kahlan sank to her knees. “Richard,” she cried. “I love you.”

He seemed not to hear her as he and Sister Verna disappeared into the snowy grasslands. Kahlan sat on the ground, in her wedding dress, her head hanging down, crying. Weselan put an arm around her, comforting her.

Kahlan remembered what he had said: Find Zedd. She forced herself to her feet. The elders were all there. She looked around at them all.

“I must leave at once. I must get to Aydindril. I need some men to go with me, to help me, to be sure I make it.”

Savidlin came up next to her. “I go. And as many of my hunters as you wish. All of them, if you wish. We will take a hundred.”

Kahlan put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a little smile. “I do not wish it to be you, my friend, or your hunters. I will take only three men.” Everyone mumbled in confusion. “More would bring attention, maybe trouble. It will be easier with three to slip unnoticed. It will take less time that way.”

Kahlan took the hand away and pointed at a man who stood watching, glaring. “I choose you, Chandalen.” The two brothers were standing to his side. “And you, Prindin and Tossidin”

Chandalen stormed forward. “Me! Why would you want me!”

“Because I must not fail. I know that if I took Savidlin, he would try his hardest, but if he failed, the Mud People would know he did his best. You are a better hunter of men. Richard told me once that if he had to pick one man to fight beside him, it would be you, even though you hate him.”

“Where we go, men are the danger. If I don’t make it, if you fail me, everyone will think it is because you didn’t try your hardest. They will always think you let me die—let another Mud Person die—because you hate me and Richard. If you let me be killed, you will never be welcomed back to the Mud People. Your people.”

Prindin stepped forward, his brother right next to him. “I will go. My brother, too. We will help you.”

Chandalen glared. “I will not! I will not go!”

Kahlan looked to the Bird Man. His brown eyes met hers, and then he turned an iron gaze on Chandalen. “Kahlan is a Mud Person. You are the bravest, most cunning fighter among us. It is your responsibility to protect us. All of us. You will do this. You will go with her. You will follow her orders and you will get her safely to where she wishes to go. Or, you will leave now, and never return. And Chandalen, if she is killed, don’t come back. If you do, we will kill you as we would kill any outsider with black painted on his eyes.”

Chandalen shook with rage. He threw his spear on the ground. Seething, he put fists to his hips. “If I am to leave our land there will have to be a ceremony to call the spirits to protect us on our journey. It will take until tomorrow. We leave then.”

All eyes went to Kahlan. “I leave in one hour. You will be with me. You have until then to prepare.”

Kahlan turned to the spirit house to change out of her wedding dress, into her traveling clothes, and to get her things together. She gratefully accepted Weselan’s offer to help.

Chapter 18

Fat, wet flakes of snow drifted down, sometimes falling harder, gathering in gusts and swirling into white curtains. Richard rode in a numb haze, behind Sister Verna, the third horse tethered to his and trotting along behind. When the snow swept down in dense flurries, the Sister was no more than a gray shape ahead of him.

It never occurred to him to wonder where they were going, or to close his cloak against the cold, biting wind. It didn’t matter; nothing mattered.

His thoughts seemed to float and dance with the snow, unable to settle. He had never loved anything in his life the way he loved Kahlan. She had become his life.

And she had sent him away.

He hurt too much to think of anything else. He was stunned that she would doubt his love, that she would send him away. Why would she send him away?

His mind drifted in and out of dense, desperate thoughts. He couldn’t understand how she could ask him to put on a collar to prove his love. He had told her what wearing a collar meant to him. Maybe he should have told her all of it. Maybe then she would have understood.

His chest ached where Darken Rahl had burned him. When he reached up and touched the bandage, he finally noticed that the snow flurries had stopped. The low, scudding clouds were broken in places, letting shafts of sunlight shine through. The grassland was a flat, dead brown, and the clouds a dull, dead gray. The landscape was a colorless, empty expanse.

By the angle of the sun he realized it was getting to be late afternoon. They had been riding for a long time, in silence; Sister Verna had said nothing to him.

He reached up and experimentally touched the collar for the first time. It was smooth, seamless, cold. He had said he would never wear a collar again. He had promised himself. Yet here he was wearing one. Worse, he had put it on himself, put it on because Kahlan had asked him to. Because she doubted him.

For the first time since he had put it on, he forced himself to think of something else. He couldn’t think about Kahlan anymore, couldn’t stand the pain. He was the Seeker; he had other things to think about, important things. With a gentle squeeze of his lower legs to the horse’s girth, he urged it ahead, pulling it close beside the Sister’s chestnut gelding.

Richard reached up to push back the hood of his cloak, and realized it wasn’t even up, so he ran his fingers through his wet hair instead. He looked over at Sister Verna.

“There are some things we have to talk about. Important things you don’t know about.”

She glanced over without emotion. The edge of her hood partially blocked her face. “And what would those things be?”

“I am the Seeker.”

She looked away, returning her eyes to where they had been. “That is hardly something I don’t know.”

Her calm, unconcerned attitude annoyed him. “I have responsibilities. I told you before: there are important things going on you know nothing about. Dangerous things.” She didn’t respond. It was as if he hadn’t spoken. He decided to cut right to the heart of it. “The Keeper is trying to escape the underworld.”

“We do not speak his name. You are not to speak it as you have just done. It brings his attention. When we must speak of him, he is addressed as the Nameless One.”

She was talking to him as if he were a child. Kahlan’s life was in danger and this woman was treating him like a child. “I don’t care what you call him, he’s trying to get out. And I assure you, I already have his attention.”

At last she looked over, unconcerned. “The Nameless One is always trying to get out.”

Richard took a deep breath and tried again. “The veil to the underworld is torn. He is going to get out.”

Sister Verna turned to him once more, this time pulling the edge of the hood back to get a better look. Curly brown hair peeked out the edge of the dark, heavy hood. She had an odd frown. A frown of amusement. There was a wisp of a smile at the corners of her mouth.

“The Creator himself put the Nameless One where he is. The Creator himself placed the veil with His own hand to keep him there.” Her smile swelled a little as her eyebrows came closer together, creasing her weathered brow. “The Nameless One cannot escape the prison the Creator has placed him in. Do not be afraid, child.”

Exploding in rage, Richard wheeled his bay mare around toward the Sister. The two horses jostled, whinnying and tossing their heads. Richard firmly snatched the reins of the Sister’s surprised horse to keep it from rearing, or bolting.

He leaned toward her, his chest heaving in fury. “I will not be called names! I will not have names put to me because I wear a collar! I am Richard! Richard Rahl!”

Sister Verna didn’t flinch. Her voice remained calm and smooth. “I’m sorry, Richard. It was only force of habit. I am used to dealing with ones much younger than you. I meant nothing demeaning by it.”

The way she stared at him made him feel suddenly foolish, embarrassed. Made him feel like a child. He released the reins. “I apologize for yelling. I’m not in a very good mood.”

She frowned again. “I thought your name was Cypher.”

He tugged his cloak over his chest where the bandage covered his burn. “It’s a long story. George Cypher raised me as his son. I only found out a short time ago that I am in truth the son of Darken Rahl.”

Her frown deepened. “Darken Rahl. The one with the gift you killed? You killed your father?”

“Don’t look at me like that. You didn’t know him. You have no idea what kind of man he was. He imprisoned and tortured and killed more people than you or I could imagine. The idea of him being with my mother makes me sick. But that is the truth of it. I am his son. If you expect me to be sorry I killed him, you will have longer than eternity to wait.”

Sister Verna shook her head with what seemed genuine concern. “I’m sorry, Richard. Sometimes the Creator weaves a tangled cloth for our lives, and we are left to wonder why. But I am sure of one thing: He has reasons for what He does.”

Babble. He was getting babble from this woman. He urged his horse around and started out again. “I’m telling you, the veil is torn, and the Keeper is going to get out.”

Her voice lowered dangerously. “The Nameless One.”

He glanced over, annoyed. “Fine. The Nameless One. I couldn’t care less what you want to call him, but he is going to get out. We are all in great danger.”

Kahlan was in great danger.

He didn’t care if this sorceress of a Sister burned him to a cinder; his life meant nothing to him anymore. His only concern was Kahlan’s safety.

Sister Verna’s quizzical frown and smile returned. “Who told you such a thing?”

“Shota, a witch woman, she told me the veil was torn.” He left out that Shota had also told him he was the one who had torn it. “She said it was torn and if it wasn’t fixed, the Kee—the Nameless One would escape.”

Sister Verna smiled. Her eyes sparkled. “A witch woman.” She laughed a little. “And you believed her? You believed a witch woman? You think witch women speak the truth in such simple fashion?”

Fuming, Richard glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “She seemed pretty sure of it to me. She wouldn’t lie about something this important. I believe her.”

Sister Verna seemed to think the whole thing amusing. “If you had ever had occasion to deal with a witch woman before, Richard, you would know that they have an odd view of the truth. They can be well intentioned at times, but witch women speak in words that rarely come to pass the way they sound.”

The truth of that took some of the steam out of him. Sister Verna certainly seemed to know about witch women. In fact, she seemed to share his own view of them. “She seemed pretty sure of what she was saying. She was afraid.”

“I am sure she was. A wise person is always afraid of the Nameless One. But I wouldn’t put much stock in what she says.”

“It’s not just what she says. Other things have happened, too.”

She looked over curiously. “Such as?”

“A screeling.”

She set her calm brown eyes back ahead. “A screeling. You have seen a screeling, yes?”

“Seen it! It attacked me! Screelings are from the underworld. They are sent by the Nameless One. It was sent through a tear in the veil, to kill me!”

Her smile returned. “You have quite an imagination, Richard. You have listened to too many children’s songs.”

He restrained his renewed anger. “What do you mean?”

“Screelings are indeed from the underworld, as are other beasts. The heart hounds, for example. But they are not ‘sent.’ They simply escape. We live in a world that lies between good and evil; between the light and the dark. The Creator did not intend this to be a perfect world, safe from all harm. We cannot understand His reasons, always, but He has them, and He is perfect. Perhaps the Screelings are meant to show us the dark side. I don’t know. But I do know they are simply an evil that sometimes comes. I have seen this happen before to ones with the gift. It is possible that the gift draws them. A test perhaps. A warning, perhaps, of the rancid evil that awaits those who stray from the light.”

“But ... there are prophecies that say they are sent when the veil is torn, sent by the Nameless One.”

“How could that be, Richard? Has the veil ever been torn before?”

“How should I know?” He thought a minute. “But I don’t see how it could have been. If it were, how could it have been mended? And it wouldn’t have gone unnoticed. What are you getting at?”

“Well, if the veil has never been torn, how could the screelings have been sent before? How would we know what they were? How could they have a name already put to them?”

It was Richard’s turn to frown. “Maybe we only know them as screelings because they have been named in the prophecy.”

“You have read this prophecy?”

“Well, no. Kahlan told it to me.”

“And she read it herself, with her own eyes, yes?”

“No. She learned it when she was young.” Richard’s irritated frown deepened. “In a song. She learned it from wizards.”

“In a song.” Sister Verna didn’t look over, but her smile widened. “Richard, I do not mean to belittle your fears, but things repeated, over and over, especially in a song, have a way of changing.”

“As for prophecies, well, they are harder to understand than a witch woman. We have vaults full of them at the palace. As part of your studies, perhaps you will be allowed to work with them. I have read all of them we have, and I can tell you that they are beyond the minds of most. If you aren’t cautious, you can find a prophecy that will say whatever you want to hear. Or at least you will think it is what you want to hear. Some wizards devote their lives to the study of them, and yet even they understand only a tiny fraction of their truth.”

“This is a danger not to be taken so lightly.”

“Do you think the veil is torn that simply? Have faith, Richard. The Creator placed the veil. Have faith in Him.”

Richard rode in silence for a time. Sister Verna did seem to make sense. He felt as if his understanding of the world was tilting.

But it was difficult for him to think too hard on the subject; Kahlan kept creeping back into his mind. His anguish at her wanting him to put on a collar to prove his love, knowing it would take him from her, tore at his heart. The betrayal burned painfully in his chest.

He picked at the reins with his thumbnail. At last he turned once more to the Sister. “That’s not all. I haven’t told you the worst of it.”

She smiled a motherly smile. “There is more? Tell me then. Perhaps I can put your fears to rest.”

Richard let out a deep breath, trying to release at least a little of the pain with it. “The man I killed, Darken Rahl, my father, well, when he died, he was sent to the underworld. To the Kee ... the Nameless One. Last night, he escaped. Escaped through the tear in the veil. He is back in this world, back to tear the veil the rest of the way.”

“And you know he was sent to the Nameless One. You were in the underworld to see him arrive there, at the side of the Nameless One, yes?”

The woman had a way of poking his temper awake. He tried to ignore the sting of the jab. “I talked to him when he came back to this world. He told me. He told me he was here to tear the veil the rest of the way. He said the Keeper would have us all. A dead man, come back to this world. Do you see? The only way his spirit could be here is if he came through the veil.”

“You were just sitting there, and this dead man walked up and spoke to you, yes?”

Richard frowned deeply at her, but she didn’t look over to see it. “It was at a gathering, with the Mud People. I was trying to talk to their ancestors’ spirits, to try to find out how to close the veil, and he appeared.”

“Ahhh.” She nodded in satisfaction. “I see.”

“What does that mean!”

Sister Verna’s face set into an expression of tolerance, born of explaining things to children. “Did the Mud People have you drink or eat some sacred potion before you saw this spirit?”

“No!”

“You simply sat down with them and saw spirits, yes?”

“Well, not exactly. There is a banquet first. For a couple of days. The elders eat and drink special things. But I never did. Then we were painted with mud, and then I went into the spirit house with the seven elders. We sat in a circle, and they chanted awhile. Then they passed around a basket and we took out a spirit frog, and rubbed the slime from its back onto our skin ...”

“Frogs.” Sister Verna looked over. “Red frogs, yes?”

“Yes. Red spirit frogs.”

With a smile she looked back ahead. “I know of them. And it made your skin tingle, yes? And it is then you saw spirits?”

“That’s a pretty simplistic version, but I guess you could distill it down like that. What are you trying to say?”

“You have traveled the Midlands often? You have seen many of her peoples?”

“No. I’m from Westland. I don’t know much about the people of the Midlands.”

She nodded to herself again. “There are many peoples in the Midlands, unbelievers, who do not know of the light of the Creator. They worship all sorts of things. Idols and spirits and such. They are savages who hold to customs of worship centered around these false beliefs. They mostly have one thing in common. They use sacred food or drink to help them ‘see’ their ‘spirit protectors.’“

She looked over to make sure he was paying attention. “The Mud People apparently use the substance on the red frogs to help them have these visions of what they wish to see.”

“Visions?”

“The Creator has placed many plants and animals in our world for us to use. The power of these things work in invisible ways. A tea, for example, of the bark of willow can help reduce a fever. We can’t see it work, but we know it does. There are many things that if eaten will make us sick, even kill us. The Creator gave us minds to learn the difference. There are some things that if eaten, or in the case of the red frogs, rubbed into our skin, will make us see things, just as we see things when we dream.”

“Savages who don’t know better think the things they see are real. That is what happened to you. You rubbed the slime of a red frog into your skin and it gave you visions. Your rightful fear of the Nameless One made it all the more real to you. If these ‘spirits’ were real, why would you need to use some special plant, or food, or drink, or in this case, red frogs, to see and talk to them?”

“Please don’t think I am mocking you, Richard. The visions can seem very real. When you are under their influence, they can seem as real as anything. But they are not.”

Richard was reluctant to believe the Sister’s explanation, but he understood what she was talking about. From a young age, Zedd had taken him into the woods to find special plants to help people: aum to take away pain and help minor wounds heal faster, and wattle root to ease the pain of deeper wounds. Zedd had showed him other plants that would help fevers, digestion, the pain of childbirth, dizzy spells, and he had also told him about plants to avoid, plants that were dangerous, and plants that would make people see things that weren’t there: visions.

But he didn’t think he had imagined Darken Rahl. “He burned me.” Richard tapped his shirt where the bandage was. “I couldn’t have been having visions. Darken Rahl was there, he reached out and touched me, and it burned my skin. I’m not imagining that.”

The Sister gave a little shrug. “That could be one of two things. After you rubbed the frog on your skin, you couldn’t see the room you were in, could you?”

“No. It just seemed to disappear into a dark void.”

“Well, see it or not, it was still there. And I’m sure the savages would have had a fire burning when you had this gathering. And when you were burned, you were not sitting in the same place, but you were standing, moving about, yes?”

“Yes,” he admitted reluctantly.

She pursed her lips. “In the deluded state you were in, you probably fell and burned yourself on a stick in the fire and imagined that it was this spirit doing the burning.”

Richard was beginning to feel decidedly foolish. Could the Sister be right? Was it all this simple? Was he really this gullible?

“You said it could be two things. What is the other?”

The Sister rode in silence for a moment. When her voice came, it came lower, darker, than it had before. “The Nameless One always seeks to have us side with him. Though he is locked behind the veil, his tentacles can still reach into this world. He can still harm us. He is dangerous. The dark side is dangerous. When ignorant people dabble in things dark, they can call forth danger, call forth the attention of the Nameless One or his minions. It is possible you really were touched, burned, by one of the evil ones.” She glanced over. “There are dangerous things people are too foolish to avoid. Sometimes, those things can kill.”

Her voice brightened a bit. “That is one of our jobs; trying to teach those who have not yet seen the light of the Creator to go toward that light, and stay away from the things dark, and dangerous.”

Richard couldn’t think of anything to counter the Sister’s explanations of events. The things she said made sense. If she were right, that would mean that Kahlan wasn’t really in danger; that Kahlan was safe. He wanted to believe that. He desperately wanted to believe that. But still ...

“I will admit that you could be right, but I’m not sure. There seems to be more to it than I can put into words.”

“I understand, Richard. It’s hard to admit we have been wrong. No one wants to admit they have been tricked, or made to look the fool. That view of ourselves hurts. But part of growing, learning, is being able to hold the truth above all else, even when it means we must admit to having held foolish ideas.”

“Please believe me, Richard, I do not see you as a fool for having believed as you did. Your fear was understandable. The mark of a wise person is being able to reach beyond for the truth, to admit they can learn more than they already know.”

“But all of these things are connected ...”

“Are they? A wise person doesn’t string together the beads of unrelated events into a necklace simply to have something they wish to see. A wise person sees the truth even if it is something unexpected. That is the most beautiful necklace to wear—the truth.”

“The truth,” he muttered to himself. He was the Seeker. The truth was what the Seeker was all about. It was woven in gold wire into the hilt of his sword: the Sword of Truth. Something about the things that had happened were more than he could put into words for her. Could it be as she said? Could he simply be fooling himself?

He remembered the Wizard’s First Rule: people will believe anything, either because they want it to be true, or are afraid it might be. He knew from experience that he was as susceptible to it as anyone else. He wasn’t above believing a lie.

He had believed Kahlan loved him. He had believed she would never do anything to hurt him. And she had sent him away. Richard felt the lump rising in his throat again.

“I’m telling you the truth, Richard. I am here to help you.” He didn’t answer. He didn’t believe her. As if to answer his thoughts, she asked, “How are your headaches?”

The question stunned him. Not the question so much as the realization. “They’re ... gone. The headache is completely gone.”

Sister Verna smiled and nodded in satisfaction. “As I promised you, the Rada’Han would take away the headache. We only want to help you, Richard.”

His eyes turned to watch her. “You also said the collar is to control me.”

“So we may teach you, Richard. You must have a person’s attention to teach them. That’s all it is for.”

“And to hurt me. You said it is to give me pain.”

She shrugged, opening her palms to the sky, the reins woven through her fingers. “I have just given you pain. I showed you how you were believing in something foolish. Does that not give you pain? Does it not hurt you to learn you have been wrong? But isn’t it better to know the truth than to believe a lie? Even if it hurts?”

He looked away, thinking of the truth of Kahlan making him put on a collar, sending him away. That truth hurt more than anything: the truth that he wasn’t good enough for her. “I guess so. But I don’t like wearing a collar. Not one bit.”

He was sick of talking. His chest hurt. His muscles were all cramped. He was tired. He missed Kahlan. But Kahlan had made him put on a collar and sent him away. He let his horse and the one tethered to his saddle fall back to trail behind the Sister’s once more as tears ran down his cheeks, feeling like ice on his skin.

He rode in silence. His horse tore off wads of grass and chewed as it plodded along. Ordinarily, Richard wouldn’t have let his horse eat while it had a bit in its mouth. It couldn’t chew properly with the bit, and could end up with colic. You could lose a good horse to colic. Instead of stopping it, Richard stroked its warm neck and gave reassuring pats.

It felt good to have company that didn’t tell him he was stupid; company that didn’t judge or make demands. He didn’t feel like doing the same to the horse. Better to be a horse than a man, he thought. Walk, turn, stop. Nothing more. Better to be anything than what he was.

Despite what Sister Verna said, he knew he was nothing more than a captive. Nothing she said could change that.

If he was ever going to be set free, he would have to learn to control the gift. Once the Sisters were satisfied he could control the gift, maybe they would free him. If Kahlan didn’t want him, at least he would be free.

That was what he would do, he decided. Learn to use the gift as fast as he could, so he could get the collar off and be set free. Zedd had always told him he was a fast learner. He would learn everything. Besides, he had always liked learning. He had always wanted to know more. There was never enough for him. He brightened the slightest bit at the idea. He liked learning new things. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. He could do it. Besides, what else was there?

He thought of the way Denna trained him, taught him.

His mood sank. He was just deluding himself. They would never set him free. He wasn’t going to learn because he wanted to, or what he wanted to; he was going to learn what the Sisters of the Light wanted him to learn, and he didn’t necessarily believe that what they taught was the truth. They were going to teach him about pain. It was hopeless.

He rode with his dark, brooding thoughts. He was the Seeker. The bringer of death.

Every time he killed someone with the Sword of Truth, he knew that that was what he was. That was what the Seeker did, what the Seeker was: the bringer of death.

As the sky began flaming into pinks, yellows, and golds, he noticed white patches in the distance ahead. It wasn’t snow; the snow hadn’t stuck. Besides, these things moved. Sister Verna didn’t say anything about them; she simply rode along. The sun at their backs sent long shadows ahead of them. For the first time, Richard realized they were traveling east.

When they were closer, he recognized the white forms spread across their way, turning pink in the last rays of the sun. It was a small flock of sheep. As they passed among them, Richard saw that the people tending the animals were Bantak. He recognized their manner of dress.

Three Bantak men approached to the side of Richard, ignoring Sister Verna. They mumbled something he didn’t understand, but their words and faces seemed to hold a certain reverence. The three dropped to their knees and bowed down, stretching their arms out, their hands on the ground toward him. Richard slowed his horse to a walk as he looked down at them. They came back up on their knees, chattering at him, but he didn’t understand the words.

Richard lifted his hand in greeting. It seemed to satisfy them. The three broke into grins and bowed a few more times as he rode past. They came to their feet and trotted next to his horse, attempting to push things into his hands: bread, fruit, strips of dried meat, a drab, dirty scarf, necklaces made of teeth, bone and beads, even their shepherd’s crooks.

Richard forced a smile and, with signs he thought they would understand, tried to decline the offers without offending the men. One of the three was particularly insistent he take a melon, offering it repeatedly. Richard didn’t want trouble, so he took the melon and bowed his head several times. They seemed proud, nodding and bowing as he rode on. He gave them a last bow from his saddle as he rode past, and slipped the melon into a saddlebag.

Sister Verna had her horse turned toward him, waiting for him to catch up. She scowled as she waited. Richard didn’t hurry his horse along; he simply let it go at its own pace. What now, he wondered.

When he finally reached her, she leaned toward him. “Why are they saying those things!”

“What things? I don’t understand their language.”

She gritted her teeth. “They think you are a wizard. Why would they think that? Why!”

Richard shrugged. “I would guess it’s because that’s what I told them.”

“What!” She pushed the hood of her cloak back. “You are not a wizard! You have no right telling them you are! You lied!”

Richard folded his wrists over the high pommel of the saddle. “You’re right. I’m not a wizard. Yes, I told them a lie.”

“Lying is a crime against the Creator!”

Richard heaved a weary sigh. “I did not do it to play at being a wizard. I did it to stop a war. It was the only way I could keep a lot of people from dying. It worked and no one was hurt. I would do the same thing again if it would prevent killing.”

“Lying is wrong! The Creator hates lies!”

“Does this Creator of yours like killing better?”

Sister Verna looked like she was ready to spit fire at him. “He is everyone’s Creator. Not just my Creator. And He hates lies.”

Richard calmly appraised her heated expression. “Tell you that himself, did he? Come right up and sit down next to you and say ‘Sister Verna, I want you to know I hate lies’?”

She ground her teeth and growled the words. “Of course not. It is written. Written in books.”

“Ahh.” Richard nodded. “Well then, of course it is the truth. If it is written in books, then it has to be true. Everyone knows that if something is written down and attributed, then it must be true.”

Her eyes were fire. “You treat lightly the Creator’s words.”

He leaned toward her, some of his own heat surfacing. “And you, Sister Verna, treat lightly the lives of people you consider heathens.”

She paused and with an effort calmed herself a little. “Richard, you must learn that lying is wrong. Very wrong. It is against the Creator. Against what we teach. You are as much a wizard as an infant is an old man. Calling yourself a wizard when you are not is a lie. A filthy lie. It is a desecration. You are not a wizard.”

“Sister Verna, I know very well that lying is wrong. I am not in the habit of going around telling lies, but in perspective, I consider it preferable to people being killed. It was the only way.”

She took a deep breath and nodded, causing the curls in her brown hair to spring up and down a little. “Perhaps you are right. So long as you know that lying is wrong. Don’t make a habit of it. You are no wizard.”

Richard stared at her as his grip tightened on the reins. “I know I’m not a wizard, Sister Verna. I know exactly what I am.” He gave his horse’s ribs a squeeze with his legs, urging it ahead. “I’m the bringer of death.”

Her hand darted out and snatched a fistful of his shirtsleeve, yanking him around in his saddle. He snugged the reins back as he was pulled around to her wide eyes.

Her voice was an urgent whisper. “What did you say? What did you call yourself?”

He gave her an even look. “I’m the bringer of death.”

“Who named you that?”

Richard studied her ashen face. “I know what wearing this sword means. I know what it is to draw it. I know it better than any Seeker before me has known. It is part of me, I am part of it. I used its magic to kill the last person who put a collar around my neck. I know what it makes me. I lied to the Bantak because I didn’t want people to be killed. But there is another reason. The Bantak are a peaceful people. I did not want them to learn the horror of what it means to kill. I know all too well that lesson. You killed Sister Elizabeth ; perhaps you know, too.”

“Who named you ‘bringer of death’?” she pressed.

“No one. I named myself, because that is what I do, what I am. I am the bringer of death.”

She released her grip on his shirt. “I see.”

As she began turning her horse around, he called out her name in a commanding tone. It brought her to a halt. “Why? Why do you want to know who named me that? Why is it so important?”

Her anger seemed to have vanished, and left a shadow of fear in its passing. “I told you I read all the prophecies at the palace. There is a fragment of one that contains those words. ‘He is the bringer of death, and he shall so name himself.’“

Richard narrowed his eyes. “And what does the rest of the prophecy say? Did it also say that I will kill you, and anyone else I have to, to get this collar off?”

She looked away from his glare. “Prophecies are not for the eyes or ears of the untrained.”

With a sharp kick, she surprised her horse and sent it surging ahead. As he followed behind, Richard decided to let the matter drop. He didn’t care about prophecies. They were nothing more than riddles as far as he was concerned, and he hated riddles. If something was important enough to need saying, why couch it in riddles? Riddles were stupid games, and not important.

As he rode, he wondered how many people he was going to have to kill to get the collar off. One, or a hundred, it didn’t matter. His rage boiled at the thought of being led around by the Rada’Han. He gritted his teeth at the thought. His jaw muscles flexed at the thought. His fists tightened on the reins.

Bringer of death. He would kill as many as it took. He would have the collar off, or he would die trying. The fury, the need to kill, surged through every fiber of his being.

With a start, he realized he was calling forth the magic from the sword, even as it sat in its scabbard. He no longer had to hold the sword to do it. He could feel its wrath tingling through him. With an effort, he put it down and calmed himself.

Besides the rage of hate from the sword, he also knew how to call forth its opposite side, its white magic. The Sisters didn’t know he could do that. He hoped he would have no reason to teach them. But if he had to, he would. He would have the collar off. He would use either side of the sword’s magic, or both, to have the collar off his neck. When the time came. When the time came.

In the violet afterglow of twilight, Sister Verna brought them to a halt for the night. She had said nothing further to him. He didn’t know if she was still angry, but he didn’t really care.

Richard walked the horses a short distance to a line of small willows at the bank of a creek and removed their bridles, replacing them with halters. His bay tossed her head, glad to have the bit out of her mouth. Richard saw it was an aggressive spade bit. Few bits were more cruelly punishing.

People who used them, it seemed to him, were people who thought horses were nothing more than beasts humans had to conquer and control. He thought maybe they should have to have a bit in their mouths to see how they liked it. Properly trained, a horse needed nothing more than a jointed snaffle. If it was properly trained, and given a little understanding, it didn’t even need a bit. He guessed some people preferred punishment to patience.

He reached up experimentally to stroke the horse’s black-tipped ear. It lifted its head firmly away from his hand. “So,” he muttered, “they like to twitch your ear, too.” He scratched and patted the horse’s neck. “I won’t do that to you, my friend.” The horse leaned against his scratching.

Richard retrieved water in a canvas bucket and let each horse have only a few swallows, as they weren’t cooled down. In one of the saddlebags, he found brushes, and took his time carefully currying each of them and then picking their hooves clean. He took longer than he needed to, because he preferred their company to the Sister’s.

After he finished, he cut a section of rind from the melon the Bantak had given him, and gave each horse a piece. Horses loved few things in life as much as a melon rind. Each showed eagerness for the treat. It was the first eagerness any of them had shown. After seeing the spade bits, he knew why.

When he decided his chest hurt too much to stand around any longer, he went over to where Sister Verna sat on a small blanket and put his own blanket on the ground opposite her. He folded his legs as he sat and pulled a piece of the flat tava bread from his pack, more for something to do than because he was hungry. She accepted his offer of a piece. He cut up the melon and put the remaining rind aside, saving it for later. Richard offered Sister Verna a piece of melon.

She looked at it coolly as he held it out. “It was given under false pretenses.”

“It was given as thanks for preventing a war.”

She took it at last, but not eagerly. “Perhaps.”

“I’ll take first watch, if you wish,” he offered.

“There is no need to stand watch.”

He appraised her in the near darkness as he chewed a juicy piece of melon. “There are heart hounds in the Midlands. Other things, too. I could draw another screeling. I think a watch would be wise.”

She pulled off a piece of tava bread without looking up. “You are safe with me. There is no need for a watch.”

Her voice was flat. It wasn’t angry, but it wasn’t far from it, either. He ate in silence for a while, and then decided to try to lighten the mood. He tried to make his voice sound cheerful, even though he felt no cheer.

“I’m here, you’re here, I’m wearing the Rada’Han, how about if you start teaching me to use the gift?”

She looked up from under her eyebrows as she chewed. “There will be time enough to teach you when we reach the Palace of the Prophets.”

The air felt as if it had suddenly cooled. His anger heated. The sword’s anger tugged at him to be released. Richard put it down. “As you wish.”

Sister Verna lay down on her blanket, pulling her cloak tightly around herself. “It’s cold. Build a fire.”

He put the last bite of tava bread in his mouth and waited until he had swallowed before speaking softly. Her eyes watched him.

“I’m surprised you don’t know more about magic, Sister Verna. There is a word that is magic. It can accomplish more than you might think. Maybe you have heard it before. It is the word ‘please.’“ He rose to his feet. “I’m not cold. If you want a fire, build it yourself. I’m going to go stand watch. I told you before, I will take nothing on faith. If we are killed in the night, it won’t be without warning on my watch.”

He turned his back to her without waiting for a response. He didn’t want to hear anything she had to say. Walking off a good distance through the dry grass, he found a mound of dirt around a ground-hog hole and flopped down on top of it to watch. To think.

The moon was up. It stared down at him and cast a pale silver light upon the surrounding empty land, enough light to enable him to see without any trouble. He looked out over the deserted countryside, brooding. As much as he tried to think of other things, it did no good. He could think of only one thing: Kahlan.

He drew up his knees and wrapped his arms around them, after he had wiped some tears from his face. He wondered what she was doing, where she was, whether she would get Zedd. He wondered if she still cared for him enough to go get Zedd.

The moon moved slowly across the sky as it stared down on him. What was he going to do? He felt lost.

He pictured Kahlan’s face in his mind. He would have conquered the world to see her smile at him. To bask in the warmth of her love. Richard studied her face in his mind. He pictured her green eyes, her long hair. Her beautiful hair.

At that thought, he remembered the lock of her hair she had put in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at it in the moonlight. It was a circle she had pulled together and tied in the middle with the ribbon from her wedding dress, so that it reminded him of a figure eight turned sideways, as he held it in his fingers. Turned sideways like that, it was also the symbol for infinity.

Richard rolled the lock of hair between his finger and thumb, watching it as it spun. Kahlan had given it to him to remember her by. Something to remember her by. Because he would never see her again. Racking grief choked his breathing.

He gripped the Agiel as hard as he could, until his fist shook with the effort. The pain from the Agiel, and his heartache, twisted together into burning agony. He let it distort his perception until he could stand it no longer, and then he let it go on longer yet, let it go on until he collapsed to the base of the dirt mound, barely conscious.

He gasped for air. The pain had swept all the thoughts from his mind. If only for a few minutes, his mind had been free of the anguish. He lay on the ground a long time, recovering.

When he was finally able to sit up once more, he found the lock of hair still in his hand. He stared at it in the moonlight, remembering what Sister Verna had said to him, that he had told the Bantak a lie. A filthy lie. Those had been Kahlan’s words. She had said that his love for her was a “filthy lie.” Those words hurt more than the Agiel.

“It’s not a lie,” he whispered. “I would do anything for you, Kahlan.”

But it wasn’t good enough. Putting on the collar wasn’t good enough. He wasn’t good enough. Son of a monster. He knew what she wanted. What she really wanted. She wanted to be free of him.

She wanted him to put on the collar so he would be taken away. So she would be free. “I would do anything for you, Kahlan,” he cried. He stood up and looked out over the empty grassland. The dark horizon wavered in a watery blur. “Anything. Even this. I set you free, my love.” Richard threw the lock of Kahlan’s hair as far as he could out into the night.

He sank to his knees and fell face-first to the ground, sobbing. He cried until he could cry no more. He continued to lie on the cold ground, groaning in agony until he realized he was gripping the Agiel again. He let it go and at last sat up, flopping back in exhaustion against the dirt mound. It was over, finished. He felt empty. Dead. After a time he rose to his feet. He stood a moment, and then slowly drew the Sword of Truth.

Its ring was a soft song in the cold air. The anger came out with the steel, and he let it fill the void in him, rage freely through him. He welcomed the anger into himself, letting it fill him until he was submerged in its wrath. His chest heaved with lethal need.

His eyes glided to where the Sister lay sleeping. He could see the dark hump of her body as he approached silently. He was a woods guide; he knew how to stalk silently. He was good at it.

His eyes carefully watched the ground as he moved fluidly, watched the sleeping form of Sister Verna as he closed the distance. He didn’t hurry. There was no need to hurry. He had as much time as he needed. He tried to slow his breathing to keep from making noise. He was nearly panting with all-consuming fury.

The thought of wearing a collar again fed the raging fire within him, fueled the inferno.

Rage from the sword’s magic seared through him like molten metal. Richard recognized the feeling all too well, and gave himself over to it. He was beyond reason, beyond being stopped. Nothing short of blood would now satisfy the bringer of death.

His knuckles were white on the hilt. His muscles knotted with restrained need aching to be set free. But they wouldn’t be restrained for long. The magic of the Sword of Truth screamed to do his bidding.

Richard stood, a silent shadow, over Sister Verna, looking down at her. The fury pounded in his head. He drew the sword along the inside of his forearm, wiping both sides in the blood, giving the steel a taste of it. The dark stain ran down the fuller, dripping from the tip. It ran wet and warm down his arm. His chest heaved as he gripped the hilt in both hands again.

He felt the weight of the collar around his neck; the blade rose, glinting in the moonlight.

He watched the sleeping Sister at his feet. She was drawn up almost into a ball. She was cold, and she shivered as she slept.

He stood with the blade raised, watching her as he gritted his teeth and shook with raging need. Kahlan didn’t want him. Son of a monster.

No. Just monster. He saw himself standing over the sleeping woman, his sword in the air, ready to kill.

He was the monster.

That was what Kahlan saw. And she had sent him away in a collar to be tortured. Because he was a monster that needed to be collared, a beast.

Tears ran down his face. The sword slowly sank until the tip touched the ground. He stood staring at the Sister as she slept, shivering with the cold. He stood a long time, watching.

Richard finally slid the sword quietly back into its scabbard. He retrieved his blanket and laid it over Sister Verna, tucking it carefully around her, being gentle so as not to wake her. He sat and watched until she stopped shivering and then he lay down, wrapping himself in his cloak.

He was exhausted, and he hurt all over, but he couldn’t sleep. He knew they were going to hurt him. That was what the collar was for. When she got him to the palace, they were going to hurt him.

What difference did it make?

Memories danced and darted through his mind, memories of what Denna had done to him. He remembered the pain, the helpless agony, the blood: his blood.

The visions went on and on. As long as he lived he would never be able to forget them. It had only just ended, and now it was going to start all over again. There would never be an end to it.

There was only one thought in all the turmoil of his mind that comforted him. He had learned from Sister Verna that he was wrong about the Keeper escaping. That meant Kahlan was safe. She was safe, and that was all that really mattered. He tried to keep everything else away and think only of that. That thought allowed him to drift, at last, into sleep.

Chapter 19

His eyes opened. The sun was just breaking the horizon. When he sat up, the pain from his burn caught his breath short. He put his hand over his shirt, where the bandage was, and held it there until that pain subsided. The residual effects of the Agiel left the rest of him feeling as if he had been beaten with a club. He ached everywhere. He remembered from the time when Denna had “trained” him using the Agiel, feeling a lot worse when he awoke, only to have her start using the Agiel on him all over again.

Sister Verna was sitting on her blanket, her legs folded beneath her, watching him as she chewed something. She had her cloak around her shoulders with the hood down. Her curly brown hair looked freshly brushed.

She had neatly folded Richard’s blanket, and placed it back next to where he slept. She said nothing about it. Richard pushed himself to his feet, taking a moment to steady himself and stretch his hurting, cramped muscles. The sky was a clear, cold, deep blue. The grass smelled sweet and damp with dew. The vapor of his breath drifted lazily in the still, crisp air.

“I’ll go saddle the horses, and we can be on our way.”

“Don’t you want something to eat?”

He shook his head. “I’m not hungry.”

“What happened to your arm?” she asked without looking up.

There was dark, dried blood all down his arm and hand. “I was polishing my sword. It was dark. I cut myself. It’s nothing.”

“I see.” She glanced up as he scratched the stubble on his face. “I hope you are more careful when you shave your neck.”

Richard decided in that instant that as long as he was held captive in a collar, he would not shave. It would be his way of proclaiming to them that a collar was unjust, that he knew he was nothing more than their prisoner, and that he would not believe their spurious protestations to the contrary. There could be no justification for a collar, and there would be no compromising of that basic truth—none, not ever.

Richard glowered at the Sister. “Prisoners don’t shave.” He turned toward the horses.

“Richard.” He looked over his shoulder. “Sit down.” Her voice was gentle, but he glared at the order nonetheless. She gestured to a place in front of her. “Sit down. I was thinking about what you said. You are here; I am here. Sit down and I will begin teaching you how to control the gift.”

He was caught off-guard. “Now? Here?”

“Yes. Come and sit.”

He didn’t really care about using the gift; he hated magic. He had only asked about it before because he had been trying to ease the tension. His eyes darted about before he finally sat and folded his legs, imitating the way she was sitting.

“What do you want me to do?”

“There is much to teach you about using the gift. You will learn about balance in all things, especially magic. You must heed all our warnings, and follow what we tell you. There are dangers to using magic. Perhaps you already know this from using the Sword of Truth, yes?” Richard didn’t move. She went on. “There is greater danger in using the gift. It can have unanticipated results. Results that can be disastrous.”

“I have already used the gift. You said I used it in three specific ways.”

She leaned forward a little. “And look what happened. It brought an unanticipated result. It resulted in you having that collar around your neck.”

Surprised, Richard stared at her. “That wasn’t a result of my using the gift. You were already looking for me; you said so. If I hadn’t used the gift, the result would have been the same.”

Sister Verna slowly shook her head; her eyes stayed on his. “We had been looking for you for years. Something hid you from us. If you hadn’t used the gift in the ways you did, I doubt we ever would have found you. Using the gift put that collar around your neck.”

Years. They had been searching for him for years. All that time he had lived peaceably in Westland, first with his brother and father and Zedd, and then on his own as a woods guide, they had been looking for him, and he never knew it. The thought gave him a chill. He brought it on himself, by using magic. He hated magic.

“Although I would agree that that is disastrous, for me, how could you? It’s what you want.”

“It is what we had to do. But you have threatened my life. You have threatened the lives of anyone else who keeps that collar around your neck. That would be all the Sisters of the Light. I never take the warnings of wizards, even untrained wizards, lightly. Your use of the gift, allowing us to find you, could end up being a disaster for all of us.”

He felt no satisfaction that his threats had not gone unnoticed. He felt nothing. “Then why are you doing this?” he whispered. “Making me wear it?”

“To help you. You would have died otherwise.”

“You have already helped me. The headaches are gone. You have my thanks. Why can’t you let me go now?”

“If the collar is removed too soon, before you learn enough of controlling the gift, they will come back. You will die.”

“Then teach me, so I can get it off.”

“We must be cautious in teaching magic. You must have patience in your studies. We are careful in our training because we know more of the dangers of magic than you, and we don’t want you to be hurt through ignorance. But that is not a problem for now, because it will take time before you are advanced enough to really use the gift and risk these dangers, as long as you adhere to what we say. You can have patience, yes?”

“I have no desire to use magic; I guess that could be construed as patience.”

“Good enough, for now. We will begin then.” She squirmed a little, rearranging her legs. There is a force within us all. It is the force of life. We call it Han.” Richard frowned. “Lift your arm.” He did as she asked. “That is the force of life, given us by the Creator. It is encased within you. You have just used Han. Those with the gift can extend that force outside themselves. Such an external force is called a web. Those with the gift, like you, have the ability to cast a web. With the web, you can do things outside your body, much as the life force can do within your body.”

“How can that be?”

Sister Verna picked up a small stone in her fingers. “Here, my mind is using Han to make my hand lift the stone. My hand is not doing it of its own accord, but rather, my mind is directing the life force to use my hand to accomplish what my mind wishes done.” She set the stone back on the ground and folded her hands in her lap. The stone floated into the air and hung between them. “I have just accomplished the same thing, only this time I did it by projecting the life force outside of my body. That is the gift.”

“You can do what a wizard can?”

“No. Only some of it. That is how we are able to teach its use. We understand the feel of it. The Sisters have some control of the life force, and the gift, but nothing like a wizard who knows how to control his Han.”

“How do you get this life force to go outside your body?”

“That can’t begin to be explained until you learn to recognize the force within yourself, learn to touch the Han.”

“Why?”

“Because every person is different. Every person uses the force differently. It isn’t used the same in any two people. Love is a form of Han being projected outside one’s self, into another. It is, though, a very mild, weak form. Even though love is universal, it is used and felt differently by all. Some use it to bring out the best of the Han in another. Some use it to bring out the best in themselves. Some use it to control, to dominate another. It can heal or wound.”

“Once we understand how the gift works within you, how you use it, we can guide you through exercises called forms. The forms are a method of practice that will help you learn to control the power once it is free of your body. But for now, that is not important. First you must learn to feel the Han within yourself, before you can project it anywhere outside your body. After you are able to touch the Han, then we must discover what it is you can do with it. Every wizard is different, and uses Han differently. Some can use it only through the use of mind, like wizards who study the prophecies. The use of their Han to understand prophecies is the major way the gift manifests itself with them. It is their unique talent. Some can only use their Han to create beautiful, inspiring objects. Some use their Han to create things invested with magic. It is their unique talent, how they are able to express Han. Some are able to use their thoughts to influence the world about them, as I showed you when I lifted the rock. Some can do other things with Han. Some are able to do a little of everything.”

Her frown returned. “The truth is of the utmost importance in this, Richard. You must be completely truthful in telling us how the Han feels within you. Lying will cause grave difficulty.” She relaxed a bit. “But first, you must be able to call upon your Han before we can discover what sort of wizard you are.”

“I told you: I don’t want to be a wizard. I just want to learn to control the gift so I can stop the headaches and get this collar off my neck. You said I didn’t have to be a wizard.”

“Controlling Han, with the gift, is what it means to be a wizard. When you learn to control it, you will be a wizard. That is the very essence of a wizard. But wizard is only a word. You should not fear a word. If you choose not to use the gift, that is your business, we can’t force you, but a wizard you will be.”

“Teach me what I need to know, but I’ll not be a wizard.”

“It is not something evil, Richard. It is just learning to know yourself, what you are capable of, what your talents are.”

Richard sighed. “Fine. So how do I control it?”

Teaching control of the gift is a process taken in steps. I cannot explain it to you all at once because you would be unable to understand steps further along. Each step must be mastered before you can move on to the next.

“Before we can show you how to project the Han outside yourself, you must first recognize it, and then be able to touch it, join with it within yourself. You must know what it is. You must be able to feel it. You must be able to reach, for it, touch it, at will. You understand what I am saying, yes?”

Richard nodded. “A little, I guess. So what is it? How will I know it? What is it like to know it, to touch it?”

Sister Verna’s eyes became distant, seeming to go out of focus. “You will know it,” she whispered. “It is like seeing the light given off by the Creator. It is almost like joining with Him.”

Richard watched her glazed expression. She seemed enthralled by what she was seeing within herself.

“So how do I find it?” he asked at last.

Her eyes focused on him. “You must search for it, within yourself.”

“How?”

“You simply sit, and search within. You put all other thoughts aside, and seek the quiet, the calm, within yourself. At first, it is helpful if you close your eyes, breathe slowly, evenly, and let yourself find the peace of nothingness. In the beginning, it helps to focus on a single thing, in order to exclude all distracting thoughts.”

“A single thing? Like what?”

She shrugged. “Whatever you wish. It is only a device to help you reach the end, not the end in itself. Everyone is different. Some use a single word, repeating it over and over to the exclusion of all else. Some use a mental picture of a simple object, using it to bring their mind into focus. Eventually, after you learn to recognize the power, to touch it and become one with it, you won’t need to focus on a device first. You will know the nature of Han, and be able to reach directly for it. It will become second nature to you. I know it sounds strange and difficult to you now, Richard, but in time you will find it as easy as it is for you to call forth the magic of your sword.”

Richard had the uneasy feeling that he already knew what she was talking about. He could almost understand what she was saying. The words seemed strange, but they described something that was somehow familiar, yet different.

“So you just wish me to sit and close my eyes and seek the quiet within?”

She nodded. “Yes.” Sister Verna pulled her heavy brown cloak tighter around her shoulders. “You may begin.”

Richard let out a breath. “All right.”

He closed his eyes. It seemed his thoughts were scattering in all directions at once. He tried to herd them away. He tried to think of a word or a picture to focus on. He thought of Kahlan’s name before anything else. He let it flow like liquid through his mind. Kahlan. He rejected the idea. He hated his magic, and didn’t want to associate her with anything he hated. Besides, the thought of her only brought pain, the pain of loving her enough to give her what she wanted, of having set her free.

He thought of simple words, simple objects, but none held any interest for him. He calmed his mind and relaxed his breathing. He sought peace within himself, a calm center, the way he had always done when he needed to think of a solution to a problem. In the quiet, he tried to think of an image he could use. It popped into his mind, almost of its own accord.

The Sword of Truth.

It was already magic, and therefore he wouldn’t be tainting it. It was a simple image. It seemed to fit the requirements. It was settled. It would be the Sword of Truth.

Richard pictured it floating by itself on a field of black. He studied the details he knew so well: the polished blade with the fuller down its length, the aggressive, downswept crossguards, the hilt covered in fine, twisted silver wire with twisted gold wire woven through it forming the raised letters of the word Truth.

As he pictured it, fixing it in his mind, floating on a black background, something fought him. It was the background, not the sword. Around the edge of the black was white, forming the black into a square. Richard remembered it from before.

It was one of the instructions in the Book of Counted Shadows, the book he had memorized when he was a boy. Clear your mind of all thought, and in its place put nothing but the image of white with a square of black in its center. It was part of the instructions for removing the covers from the boxes of Orden and using the magic of the book. He had used that magic to show Darken Rahl how to remove the cover from a box to prove to him he truly did know the book. But why would it be in his mind now? Just a random memory forcing its way to the surface, he decided.

It was as good a background as any to put the sword on. After all, he was trying to use magic. If his mind wanted to use it, it made no difference to him; he would let it be. At that thought, the image of the sword and a square black background with white around it solidified and became still.

Richard concentrated on the mental image of the sword against the black square with the white border. He concentrated as hard as he could. Something began to happen.

The sword, the black square, and the white border all began to shimmer as if seen through heat waves. The solid form of the sword softened. It became transparent, and then it was gone. The background dissolved. He was looking into a place he knew.

The Garden of Life, at the People’s Palace.

Richard thought it odd, and somewhat annoying, that he wasn’t able to hold his concentration enough to keep the image of the sword in his mind. The memory of the place where he killed Darken Rahl must have been so strong that it forced its way into his mind while he was relaxed.

He was about to try to force the image of the sword to come back when he smelled something. Burned flesh. The stench made his nostrils flare. He almost gagged. His stomach turned sickeningly.

He searched the image of the Garden of Life. It was like looking through a dirty windowpane. There were bodies lying over the short walls, fallen, partly hidden, in bushes, and sprawled on the grass. All were hideously burned. Some held weapons, swords or battle-axes, in charred fists. Others lay with open hands, their weapons resting where they had tumbled as their owners fell dead. Choking apprehension swelled in Richard’s chest.

Richard saw the back of a white, glowing figure standing before the stone altar, before the three boxes of Orden. One of the boxes stood open, as Richard remembered. The white figure with long blond hair lifted his face away from the boxes.

Darken Rahl turned and looked right into Richard’s eyes. His blue eyes glowed. A smile spread slowly on his lips. It seemed as if Richard was helplessly pulled closer. Closer to the grinning face.

Darken Rahl lifted a hand to his mouth and licked the tips of his fingers. “Richard,” he hissed. “I’m waiting for you. Come watch while I tear the veil.”

Unable to draw a breath, Richard slammed the image of the sword back into his mind, like slamming a door. He held it there, rigidly, without the background, as he tried to make himself breathe.

It was just a stray memory, and his fear, making him see the image, he told himself. He concentrated on the sword as he finally decided that what he had seen wasn’t real, but maybe a manifestation of his heartache over Kahlan, and his lack of sleep.

That’s what it had to be. It couldn’t have been real. That would be impossible. He would have to be insane to believe it had been real.

He opened his eyes. Sister Verna was sitting calmly watching him. She gave a heavy sigh—he thought maybe out of displeasure.

Richard swallowed. “I’m sorry. Nothing happened.”

“Don’t be discouraged, Richard. I did not expect anything to happen. It takes a long time to learn to touch the Han. It will happen when it happens. There is no way to rush it. It does no good to push too hard; it comes from finding the inner peace and not by force. That is long enough for today.”

“A few minutes? That’s all you want me to try?”

She lifted an eyebrow. “You have had your eyes closed for over an hour.”

He stared at her, and then glanced to the sun. It seemed to have jumped up into the sky. Over an hour. How was that possible? A tingle of apprehension spread through him.

She cocked her head. “It seemed only a few minutes to you?”

Richard stood. He didn’t like the frown on her face. “I don’t know. I wasn’t paying any attention. I guess it did feel like an hour.”

He started packing the few things he had taken out. The more he thought about what he had seen, the more unreal it seemed. It began to feel like a dream after waking, the fear, the hard edges, the reality, fading. He began to feel foolish for being so frightened by a dream.

A dream? He hadn’t been sleeping. How could he have been dreaming when he was awake?

Maybe he hadn’t been awake. He had been dead tired. Maybe while he was sitting there concentrating on the sword, he had fallen asleep. That’s how he went to sleep, sometimes: by concentrating on something until he drifted off. That was the only explanation for the time going so fast. He was asleep, and the rest of it had been a dream.

He let out a heavy breath. He felt silly for having been so frightened, but he felt relieved, too. When he turned, Sister Verna was still watching him.

“Do you wish to shave now? Now that I have shown you I only wish to help you.”

Richard straightened. “I told you: prisoners don’t shave.”

“You are not a prisoner, Richard.”

He stuffed his blanket into his pack, tucking in the corners to make it fit. “Will you remove the collar?”

Her answer was slow in coming, but firm. “No. Only when it is time.”

“May I leave, and go where I wish?”

She sighed impatiently. “No. You must go with me.”

“And if I don’t, if I try to leave you?”

Her eyes narrowed a little. “Then I would be forced to prevent it. You would find you did not like that.”

Richard nodded solemnly. “That fits my definition of a prisoner. As long as I’m a prisoner, I will not shave.”

The horses nickered at his approach, their ears pricking toward him. Sister Verna eyed them suspiciously. He returned the greeting with gentle words and a stiff scratch to the side of each horse’s neck. Taking out the brushes, he gave each a quick grooming, paying particular attention to their backs.

Sister Verna folded her arms. “Why are you doing that? You groomed them last night.”

“Because horses like to roll in the dirt. They could have something under where the saddle goes. Feels kind of like walking around with a rock in your boot, only worse; it could give them a sore, and then we won’t be able to ride them. So, I like to check them over before I put their saddles on.”

When he finished, he cleaned the brushes against each other. “What are their names?”

Sister Verna gave a sour frown. “They don’t have names. They are just horses. We don’t give names to dumb animals.”

He pointed with the curry brush at the chestnut gelding. “You don’t even give your own a name?”

“He is not my own. They all belong to the Sisters of the Light. I ride whichever one is available. The bay you rode yesterday is the one I rode before you came with me, but it makes no difference. I simply ride whichever one is available.”

“Well, from now on, they’re going to have names. Avoids confusion. Yours is the chestnut, and he will be Jessup, my bay will be Bonnie, and the other bay will be Geraldine.”

“Jessup, Bonnie, and Geraldine,” she huffed. “No doubt from The Adventures of Bonnie Day.”

“Glad to hear you read something other than prophecies, Sister Verna.”

“As I told you before, ones with the gift who come to the palace are brought when they are young. One boy brought The Adventures of Bonnie Day with him. I read it to see if it was appropriate for young minds, and to see if it was of good moral teachings. I found it to be a preposterous story of three people who would have had no troubles if a one of them had been blessed with brains.”

Richard smiled a little. “Perfect names for ‘dumb animals’ then.”

She scowled at him. “It was a book of no intellectual value. No value of any kind. I destroyed it.”

Richard’s smile tried to fade, but he didn’t let it. “My father ... Well, the man who raised me as his son, and who I think of as my father, George Cypher, well, he traveled often. One time, when he came home, he brought me The Adventures of Bonnie Day, as a gift for learning to read. It was the first book I ever had. I read it many times. It brought me pleasure, and made me think, each time I read it. I, too, thought the three heroes did foolhardy things, and I always vowed not to repeat the same mistakes they made. You may have seen no value in it, but it taught me things. Things of value. It made me think. Perhaps, Sister Verna, that is something you don’t like your students to do?”

He turned away from her and started taking apart the bridles. “My real father, Darken Rahl, came to my house, just this autumn, looking for me. He wanted to cut my belly open and read my entrails—to kill me. Just as he killed George Cypher.” He stole a quick glance over his shoulder. “Anyway, I wasn’t at home, and while he was waiting for me, he tore that book apart and threw the pages all around. Maybe he didn’t want me learning any of its lessons or thinking for myself either.”

Sister Verna didn’t say anything, but he could feel her eyes watching him take the bridles apart, undo the headstalls and reins from the bits. After he had them apart, he packed the headstalls away and flipped the reins over his shoulder.

He could hear her let out a little, angry breath. “I’ll not be calling horses by names.”

Richard stacked the three spade bits atop one another on the dirt, where the horses had pawed the ground bare. “You might want to reconsider the wisdom of that, Sister Verna.”

She stepped out to the side of him, where he could see her, pointing at the ground. “What are you doing? Why did you take the bridles apart? What are you doing with those bits?”

Richard drew the sword. Its distinctive ring filled the cold, bright air. The rage of the magic instantly flooded through him. “I’m destroying them, Sister.”

With a scream of fury, and before she could make a move, he brought the sword down with a powerful swing. The tip whistled through the air. The blade shattered the three bits into flying shards of hot metal.

She rushed forward, her cloak flapping. “What’s the matter with you! Have you lost your mind! We need those bits to control the horses!”

“Spade bits can be cruel. I won’t allow you to use them.”

“Cruel! They are just stupid beasts! Beasts that need to be controlled!”

“Beasts,” he muttered, shaking his head and sliding his sword back into its scabbard. He snugged up the halter on Bonnie and began attaching the reins to the side rings. “You don’t need a bit to control a horse. I’ll teach you how. Besides, without a bit in their mouths they can eat while we travel. They’ll be happier that way.”

“That’s dangerous! Spade bits give you control over a headstrong beast.”

He arched an eyebrow to her. “With horses, as with many other things, Sister, you often get what you expect to get.”

“Without bits, you don’t have any control.”

“Nonsense. If you ride properly, you control with your legs and body. You just have to teach the horse to pay attention and trust you.”

She stepped close, commanding his attention. “That’s foolish! And dangerous! There are dangers out here. If you get into a dangerous situation, and the horse is frightened, it could bolt. Without a spade bit you won’t be able to stop a runaway horse.”

He halted what he was doing and looked to her intense brown eyes. “Sometimes, Sister, we get the opposite of what we intend. If we do get in a dangerous situation, and you get overanxious, and jerk too hard on a spade bit, you could tear the horse’s mouth. If you do that, the pain, terror, and anger can be so intense that he won’t respond to anything you do. He won’t understand. He will only know that you hurt him, and that you’re hurting him more with each pull on the reins. You’ll be the threat. He will throw you in a heartbeat.”

“Then, if he is simply frightened, he will bolt. Worse, he could be angry. Angry horses are dangerous. In trying to avoid danger with a spade bit, you will have brought it upon yourself.” He held her startled eyes in his gaze. “If we get to a town or something, and can find a jointed snaffle bit, I’ll let you use that. But I will not allow you to put a spade bit in any horse’s mouth as long as I’m with you.”

She took a deep breath, releasing it carefully as she folded her arms again. “Richard, we can’t control them without a bit. It’s that simple.”

He gave her a one-sided smile. “Sure we can. I’ll teach you. The worst thing that can happen without a bit is that he can run away with you, and you’ll have a time of stopping him, but sooner or later, you will be able to. Your way, you and the horse could be hurt, or killed.”

He turned and scratched Bonnie’s neck. “First thing you have to do is make friends with them. They have to trust you not to hurt them, or let anything happen to them, though you are in charge. If you’re their best friend, they won’t let anything happen to you. They’ll do what you ask.”

“It’s surprisingly easy; all you have to do is show them a little respect and kindness along with a firm hand. If they’re going to be your friend, they need names, to get their attention, and so they know when you’re talking to them.”

He scratched a little harder, the horse leaning into it. “Isn’t that right, Bonnie? You’re a good girl, aren’t you? Sure you are.” He looked over his shoulder at the Sister. “Jessup likes it when you scratch under his chin. Give it a try, show him you want to be friends.” He gave her a humorless grin. “Like it or not, Sister, we don’t have the bits anymore. You need to learn a new way.”

Sister Verna stared at him with a cold look. At last she unfolded her arms and went over to the chestnut gelding. She stood in front of him a moment and then reached out and stroked the side of his head, finally moving her hand under his jaw to give him a scratch. “There’s a good boy,” she said in a flat tone.

“You may think horses are dumb, Sister Verna, because they don’t understand most of your words, but they understand tone of voice. If you want him to believe you, you had better at least pretend you’re sincere.”

She moved her hand up and rubbed his neck. “You are a dumb beast,” she said in a syrupy sweet voice. “Happy?” she snapped over her shoulder.

“As long as you’re nice to him. You need to gain his trust. Horses aren’t as dumb as you think. Look at the way he’s standing; he doesn’t trust you. From now on, I’m assigning you to Jessup. You’ll tend to all his needs. He must come to depend on you, to trust you. I’ll take care of Bonnie and Geraldine. You’ll be the only one to groom Jessup, and you will do it after he is ridden, and before he is ridden the next morning.”

“Me! Most certainly not! I’m in charge. You are quite capable of grooming all three, and will do so.”

“This has nothing to do with who’s in charge. Among other things, grooming helps build a bond between you and the horse. I already told you: the bits are gone, you need to learn a new way. I need to teach you how, for your own safety.” He handed her a set of reins. “Tighten up the halter and attach these to this ring, here.”

While she was doing it, he cut up the leftover melon rind into small pieces. “Talk to him. Call him by name, and let him know you like him. It doesn’t matter what you say, you can describe what you’re doing if you want, but make it sound like he’s important to you. If you have to, pretend; treat him like he’s one of your little boys.”

She glared over her shoulder at him, then turned back to hooking up the reins. She started talking, softly, so Richard couldn’t hear her, but he could tell it was gentle. When she finished, he handed her some of the pieces of melon rind.

“Horses love this. Give him a piece, tell him what a good boy he is. The idea is to change his feelings about having the reins on. Let him know it’s going to be pleasant, instead of that bit he hates.”

“Pleasant,” she repeated in a flat tone.

“Sure. You don’t need to show him how much you can hurt him to make him do as you wish. That’s counterproductive. Just be firm but gentle. The idea is to try to win him over with kindness and understanding, even if it isn’t sincere, and not by using force.”

Richard’s smile vanished, and he let his features slide into a glare. He leaned closer to her as she stood looking up at him. “You should be able to do that, Sister Verna; you seem pretty good at it. Just treat him like you treat me.”

Her stunned expression hardened. “I swore on my life to bring you back to the Palace of the Prophets. When they see you at last, I fear I may be hung for doing my duty.”

She turned and gave the melon rind to the eager horse, stroking his neck and encouraging him with motherly pats. “There’s a good fellow. Good boy. You like that, Jessup? Good boy.”

Her voice was heavy with compassion and tenderness. The horse liked it. Richard knew it lacked sincerity. He didn’t trust her, and wanted her to know it. He didn’t appreciate people thinking they were so easily fooling him. He wondered if her attitude toward him would change, now that he had let her know he hadn’t swallowed her act.

Kahlan had told him that Sister Verna was a sorceress. He had no idea what she was capable of, but he had felt the web she had thrown around him in the spirit house. He had seen the fire she started with a thought. She could have easily started a fire the night before, without telling him to do it. He had the strong feeling she could break him in half with her Han, if she so chose.

She was just trying to train him; get him accustomed to doing as she said, without thinking. Just like training a horse.

Or a “beast,” as she had called it. He doubted she had any more respect for him than she did for her horses.

But instead of using a spade bit to control him, she had the Rada’Han around his neck, and that was much worse. But he would have it off, when the time came. Even if Kahlan didn’t want him and had sent him away, he would have it off.

While Sister Verna was making friends with Jessup, Richard started saddling the horses. “How far to the Palace of the Prophets?”

“It is a long way to the southeast. A long and difficult way.”

“Well, then we will have plenty of time to teach you how to handle Jessup without a bit. You won’t have as hard a time as you think. He will defer to and follow Bonnie. Bonnie is the dominant horse.”

“The male is dominant.”

Richard lifted the saddle up onto Bonnie. “A mare is always at the top of the hierarchy. Dams teach and protect the foals; their influence lasts a lifetime. There isn’t a stallion a mare can’t intimidate and chase away. Mares can run off any unwanted stallion. A stallion may drive a predator away from the herd, but a mare will chase it and try to kill it. A male horse will always defer to the authority of the lead mare. Bonnie is the lead mare. Jessup and Geraldine will follow her and do as she does, so I’ll take the lead. Just follow me, and you won’t have any trouble.”

She swung herself up into the saddle. “The beam in the central hall. It’s the highest. Everyone will be able to see it.”

“What are you talking about?”

She gave him a solemn look. “The beam in the central hall. That is where they will probably hang me from.”

Richard swung up into his saddle. “It’s your choice, Sister. You don’t have to take me there.”

She sighed. “Yes, I do.” She gave him her most gentle and concerned look. He thought it quite convincing, if a little strained. “Richard, I only wish to help you. I want to be your friend. I think you need a friend right now. Very much.”

Richard bristled. “That is a kind offer, Sister Verna. But I decline. You seem a little too quick to put that knife you keep up your sleeve in the back of your friends. Did it bother you at all, Sister Verna, to steal the life from Sister Elizabeth, a friend and companion? It didn’t seem so. I decline to offer you my friendship, Sister. Or my back.”

“If you’re sincere in your wish to be my friend, then I would advise you to truly commit to it before I call upon you to prove it. When the time comes, you are only going to get one chance. There are no shades of gray in this matter. Only friends and enemies. Friends don’t keep a friend in a collar, and hold them prisoner. I intend to have this collar off. When I decide it’s time, any friend will help me. Those who try to stop me won’t be my friends; they will be dead enemies.”

Sister Verna shook her head and urged Jessup in behind him as he started away. “The beam in the central hall. I’m sure of it.”

Chapter 20

The sound of her heart pounded in her ears. Struggling to control her panicked breathing, she ducked behind the fat trunk of an old pine, pressing up against the rough bark. If the Sisters had discovered she was following them ...

The dark, damp air filled her lungs in ragged pulls. Her lips moved soundlessly with prayers to the Creator beseeching protection. With eyes as big as gold pieces, she stared into the darkness and swallowed, trying to wet her throat.

The dark form glided silently closer. She could just see it as she peeked out past the edge of the tree. She suppressed the urge to scream, to run, and prepared herself to fight. She reached for the sweet light; she embraced her Han.

The shadow slipped closer, hesitating, searching. One more step, just one more, and she would spring. She would have to do it right—make sure there was no chance to raise an alarm. It had to be fast, and it would take different kinds of webs, all thrown at once, but if she could be precise and quick, there would be no chance of a scream, no alarm, and she would know for sure who it was. She held her breath.

The dark shape finally took another step. Spinning out from behind the tree, she threw the webs. Cords of air, strong as dock line, whipped around the form. As the mouth came open, she jammed a solid knot of air into it, gagging it, before it had a chance to cry out.

She slumped a little with relief when no sound came forth, but her heart still raced nearly out of control as she gasped for air. With an effort, she managed to bring calm back to her mind, although she maintained a firm grip on her Han, fearful to let her caution slip; there could be others about. She took a deep breath and stepped closer to the immobilized shape. When she was close enough to feel its breath on her face, she extended her palm up, and in its center released a thread of fire, to light a tiny flame, just enough to see the face.

“Jedidiah!” she whispered. She pressed her hand to the back of his neck, her fingers feeling the smooth, cool metal of the Rada’Han, and leaned her forehead against his as she closed her eyes. Tears ran down her cheeks. “Oh, Jedidiah. You gave me a such a fright.”

She opened her eyes and looked up at his terrified face, lit by the tiny, flickering flame. “I will release you,” she whispered softly, “but you must be very quiet. Promise?”

He nodded, as best he could, considering how tightly she had him bound. She slipped off the webs, pulling out the gag of air. Jedidiah sagged with relief.

“Sister Margaret,” he whispered in a shaky voice, “you very nearly made me soil myself.”

She laughed soundlessly. “I’m sorry, Jedidiah, but you very nearly did the same to me.”

She snipped the thin thread of Han fueling the small flame and they both sank to the ground, leaning against one another, recovering from the fright. Jedidiah, several years younger, was bigger than she, a handsome young man. Painfully handsome, she thought.

She had been assigned to him when he had first come to the palace and she had been a novice. He had been eager to learn, and had studied hard. He had been a pleasure from the first day. She knew others had been difficult, but not Jedidiah. He had done everything she had asked of him. She had only to ask, and he threw himself into it.

Others thought he was more eager to please her than to please himself in what he did, but none could deny that he was a better student than any other, and was becoming a better wizard, and that was all that mattered. This was one area where the results were what counted, not the method, and she had quickly earned her full Sisterhood for the way she had brought him along.

Jedidiah had been more proud of her than she had been of herself when she had been named a Sister of the Light. She was proud of him, too; he was probably the most powerful wizard the palace had seen in a thousand years.

“Margaret,” he whispered, “what are you doing out here?”

“Sister Margaret,” she corrected.

“No one is around.” He kissed her ear.

“Stop that,” she scolded. The tingle from the kiss ran all the way down her spine; he had added a wisp of magic to the kiss. Sometimes she wished she hadn’t taught him that. But other times she ached to have him do it. “Jedidiah, what are you doing here? You have no business following me, following a Sister, out of the palace.”

“You’re up to something, I know you are, and don’t you try to tell me you’re not. Something dangerous. At first, I was only a little concerned, but when I realized you were headed out into the Hagen Woods, I became frightened for you. I’m not going to let you go wandering into a dangerous place like this. Not by yourself anyway. Not without going along to protect you.”

“Protect me!” she whispered harshly. “Might I remind you of what just happened? You were helpless in a heartbeat. You weren’t able to fight off even a single one of my webs. You weren’t able to break one of them. You are hardly able to touch your Han, much less use it effectively. You have a lot to learn before you are wizard enough to go around protecting anyone. It’s all you can do at this point to keep from stepping on your own feet!”

The rebuke silenced him. She didn’t like to reprimand him so harshly, but this was far too dangerous for him to be involved in, if what she suspected was true. She feared for him, and didn’t want him hurt.

The things she had said weren’t entirely true, either. He was already more powerful than any Sister, when he could bring everything together properly, even though that wasn’t often. Already, there were Sisters who were afraid to push him too far. She could feel him look away.

“I’m sorry, Margaret,” he whispered. “I was afraid for you.”

Her heart ached at the hurt in his voice. She kept her head close to his so they could speak in soft whispers. “I know you are, Jedidiah, and I appreciate your concern, I really do. But this is Sister business.”

“Margaret, the Hagen Woods are a dangerous place. There are things in here that could kill you. I don’t want you in here.”

The Hagen Woods were indeed dangerous. They had been for thousands of years, and had been left that way by decree of the palace. As if they could do anything about it.

It was said the Hagen Woods were a training ground for a very special kind of wizard. That kind of wizard was not sent there, but went in by choice. Because he wanted to. Craved to ... needed to.

But that was only what was said. She knew of no wizard going off to spend time in the Hagen Woods, at least not for the last few thousand years. If it was true any ever did. The tales said that in ancient times there were wizards of that kind, with that much power, and that they went into the Hagen Woods. Few ever came out, it was also said. But there were rules, even to this place.

“The sun didn’t set while I was here. I came after dark. If you don’t let the sun set on you in the Hagen Woods, you can leave, and I don’t intend to stay long enough for the next sun to set on me. It’s safe enough. For me, anyway. I want you to go home. Right now.”

“What’s so important that you would go in here? What are you doing? I expect an answer, Margaret. A truthful answer. I won’t be put off. There is danger for you in this and I won’t be put off.”

She fingered the finely worked gold flower she kept on a chain around her neck. Jedidiah had made it for her himself, not with magic, but with his own hands. It was a morning glory, meant to represent his awakening awareness of the gift, an awareness she had helped to blossom. That little gold flower meant more to her than anything else she had.

She took up his hand and leaned against him. “All right, Jedidiah, I will tell you. But I can’t tell you all of it. It’s too dangerous for you to know everything.”

“What’s too dangerous? What can’t you tell me?”

“Be quiet and listen, or I will send you back right now. And you know I can do it.”

His other hand went to the collar. “Margaret, you wouldn’t do that. Tell me you wouldn’t do that, not since we have been...”

“Hush!” He fell silent. She waited a moment to be certain he was going to stay hushed before she went on. “I have suspected for a time that some of the ones with the gift who have gone away, or died, have not done so as it has been put to us. I think they have been murdered.”

“What!”

“Keep your voice down!” she whispered angrily. “Do you want to get us killed, too?” He fell silent once more. “I think something awful is going on in the Palace of the Prophets. I think some of the Sisters murdered them.”

He stared at her in the darkness. “Murdered? By Sisters? Margaret, you must be crazy to even suggest such a thing.”

“Well, I’m not. But everyone would think I was if I were to say such a thing aloud inside the palace walls. I have to figure out a way to prove it.”

He thought a moment. “Well, I know you better than anyone, and if you say it’s true, then I believe you. I’ll help. Maybe we could dig up the bodies, find something to go against what was said about their deaths, find somebody who saw something. We could carefully question the staff. There are ones I know who ...”

“Jedidiah, that’s not the worst of it.”

“What could be worse?”

She held the gold flower in the crook of a finger and rubbed her thumb against it. Her voice came even lower than before. “There are Sisters of the Dark in the palace.”

Even without being able to see him in the darkness, she knew bumps were running up his arms. The night bugs chirped around them as she watched the dark shape of his face. “Margaret... Sisters of the ... that can’t be. There is no such thing. That is only a myth ... a fable.”

“It is no myth. There are Sisters of the Dark in the palace.”

“Margaret, please don’t keep saying that. You could be put to death for making an accusation like that. If you accuse a Sister of that, and can’t prove it, you would be put to death. And you can’t prove it because it isn’t possible. There is no such thing as a Sister of the ...”

He couldn’t even say the words. The thought of it frightened him so much, he couldn’t even say it out loud. She knew his fear. She had felt it herself until she had happened on things she could no longer ignore. She wished she hadn’t gone to see the Prophet that night, or at least not listened to him.

The Prelate had been angry that Margaret wouldn’t give the Prophet’s message to one of her aides. When she had finally granted an audience, the Prelate had only stared blankly at her and asked what the “pebble in the pond” was. Margaret didn’t know. The Prelate had lectured her sternly for bothering her with Nathan’s nonsense. Margaret had been furious at Nathan when he had denied remembering giving any such message for the Prelate.

“I wish it were as you say, but it is not. They’re real. They are among us. They are in the palace.” She watched the dark shadow of him a moment. “That’s why I’m out here. To get the proof.”

“How are you going to do that?”

“They’re out here. I followed them. They come out into the Hagen Woods to do something. I’m going to find out what.”

His head turned about, searching the darkness. “Who? Which Sisters? Do you know which ones?”

“I know. Some of them anyway.”

“Which ones are they?”

“Jedidiah, I can’t tell you. If you knew, and you made even the slightest mistake ... You would not be able to defend yourself. If I’m right and they really are Sisters of the Dark, they would kill you for knowing. I can’t bear the thought of you being hurt. I won’t tell you until I go to the Prelate’s office with the proof.”

“How do you know they are Sisters of the ... And what proof have you? What proof could you get?”

She searched the darkness for any sign of danger. “One of the Sisters has something. A thing of magic. A thing of dark magic. I saw it in her office. It’s a little statue. I noticed it one time because she has a number of things, old things everyone thinks are just ancient curiosities. I had seen it before, and like all the rest of the things, it was covered with dust.”

“But this one time, after one of the boys died, I went to her office to talk to her about it, about her report. That little statue was tucked back in a corner, with a book leaning against it, hiding it, and it wasn’t covered with dust. It was clean.”

“That’s it! This Sister dusted a statue, and you think ...”

“No. No one knows what that statue is. After I saw she had dusted it, I had reason to question what it was. I had to be careful, not let anyone know what I was up to, but I finally found out what it is.”

“How? How did you find out?”

She remembered her visit to Nathan, and her vow never to reveal how she had learned what that statue was. “Never you mind. That is not for you to know.”

“Margaret, how could you ...”

She cut him off. “I said I’m not telling you. And it isn’t important anyway. What is important is what the statue is, not how I found out about it. It’s a man holding up a crystal. The crystal is quillion.”

“What’s quillion?”

“It’s an exceedingly rare magic crystal. It has the power to bleed the magic from a wizard.”

The surprise of that left him speechless for a moment. “How do you know it’s quillion, if it’s so rare? How would you be able to recognize it? Maybe it is just some other crystal that looks similar.”

“That might be true if it hadn’t been used. When quillion is used to bleed the magic from a wizard, it glows orange with the power of his gift, his Han. For just a brief second as I left her office, I saw that statue, all clean, hiding behind that book. The quillion was glowing orange. But that was before I knew what it was. After I found out, I went back, to take it to the Prelate, as proof, but it no longer was glowing.”

“What could that mean?” he whispered in a fearful voice.

“It means that the wizard’s power had passed out of the crystal, into somebody. A host. Quillion is just a vessel for the gift until it can be placed into someone else. Jedidiah, I think the Sisters are killing those with the gift, and stealing it for themselves. I think they are absorbing the power into themselves.”

His voice trembled. “On top of what they already are? They now have the power of a wizard’s gift?”

She nodded. “Yes. That makes them more dangerous than we could even believe, more powerful than we can imagine. That’s what scares me the most, not being put to death for making the accusation, but being found out by these Sisters. If they really are taking the power into themselves, I don’t know how we can stop them. None of us can match them.”

“I need proof, so the Prelate will believe me. Maybe she will know what to do. I certainly don’t.”

“What I can’t understand is how the Sisters are absorbing the gift from the quillion. The gift of a wizard, his Han, is male. The sisters are female. A female can’t just absorb the male Han. It’s not that simple; otherwise they would simply have bled the Han into themselves when they killed him. If they are really taking the Han from the males into themselves, I don’t know how they’re doing it.”

“So what are you doing out here?”

She folded her arms against an inner chill, even though the air was warm. “Do you remember the other day, when Sam Weber and Neville Ranson had completed all the tests and were to have their collars off and leave the palace?”

He nodded in the dark. “Yes. I was really disappointed because Sam had promised to come say good-bye, and show me he had his Rada’Han off. I wanted to wish him well after he was a true wizard. He never came. They told me he left in the night, because he didn’t want any tearful good-byes; but Sam was my friend, he was a gentle person, a healer, and it just wasn’t like him to leave in that fashion, without telling me good-bye. It just wasn’t. I was hurt he didn’t come by. I really wanted to wish him well.”

“They killed him.”

“What?” He sagged down a little. “Oh, dear Creator, no.” His voice broke with tears. “Are you sure? How do you know?”

She put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “The day after he supposedly left in such a strange manner, I suspected something terrible had happened. I went to see if the quillion was glowing again, but the door was shielded.”

“That doesn’t prove anything. Sisters shield their rooms or offices sometimes. You do it yourself when you don’t want to be disturbed, like when we are together.”

“I know. But I wanted to see the quillion, so I waited around a corner, until the Sister came to her office. I came out from where I waited, timing it so that as I walked past, she would be entering. As I went by, and just before she closed the door behind herself, I saw into her dark office. I saw the statue on the shelf behind the book. It was glowing orange. I’m sorry, Jedidiah.”

His voice lowered with anger. “Who was it? Which Sister?”

“I’m not going to tell you, Jedidiah. Not until I can take proof to the Prelate. It’s too dangerous.”

He thought a moment. “If this crystal really is quillion, and it would prove what she is, why wouldn’t she hide it better?”

“Maybe because she didn’t think there was a chance of anyone knowing what it was. Maybe because she isn’t afraid and doesn’t take the time to be any more careful than she thinks necessary.”

“Then let’s go back, break the shield, get the cursed thing and take it to the Prelate. I can break the shield, I know I can.”

“I was going to do that myself. I went back to do it tonight, but the room wasn’t shielded anymore. I snuck in to take the statue, but it was gone. That was when I saw her leaving the palace, and I saw others leaving too. I followed them out here.”

“If I can steal the quillion while it’s glowing, I can prove they are Sisters of the Dark. I have to stop them before they can suck the life out of anyone else. Jedidiah, They’re murdering people, but worse, I fear the reason they are doing it.”

He let out a soft sigh. “All right. But I’m going with you.”

She gritted her teeth. “No, you are going back.”

“Margaret, I love you, and if you send me back to worry all alone, I will never forgive you. I’ll go to the Prelate myself and make the accusation, to bring you help. Though I may be put to death for making the accusation, I know it would raise suspicions, and maybe an alarm. That’s the only other way I’ll be able to protect you. Either I go with you, or I go to the Prelate; I promise you I will.”

She knew he was telling the truth. Jedidiah always kept his promises. Powerful wizards always did. Rising to her knees, she leaned over and put her arms around his neck. “I love you too, Jedidiah.”

She kissed him deeply as he rose up on his knees to meet her. His hands went under the back of her dress and he gripped her bottom, pulling her against him. The feeling of his hands on her flesh made her moan softly. His hot lips kissed her neck and then her ear, sending shimmers of magic tingling through her. His knee forced her legs apart, giving his hands access to her. She gasped at the contact.

“Come away with me now,” he whispered in her ear. “Let’s go back, and you can shield your room and I’ll give you more until you scream. You can scream all you want and no one will hear you.”

She pushed away from him and pulled his hands out from under her dress. He was breaking down her resistance. She found she had to force herself to stop him. He was using his magic to seduce her away from the danger, trying to save her by drawing her away. She knew that if she let it go on for another second, it would work.

“Jedidiah,” she panted in a hoarse whisper, “please don’t make me have to use the collar to stop you. This is too important. Lives are at stake.” He tried to reach out to her once more, but she sent a cord of power through her hands on his wrists to stop him. She firmly held his hands away.

“I know, Margaret. Your life is one of them. I don’t want anything to harm you. I love you more than anything in the world.”

“Jedidiah, this is more important than my life. This is about the lives of everyone. I think this is about the Nameless One.”

He froze stiff. “You can’t be serious.”

“Why do you think these Sisters want this power? What do they need with it? Why would they be willing to kill for it? To what end? Who do you think Sisters of the Dark serve?”

“Dear Creator,” he whispered slowly, “don’t let her be right.” His hands came up and held her by her shoulders. “Margaret, who else knows these things? Who have you told?”

“Only you, Jedidiah. I know who four, maybe five, of the Sisters of the Dark are. But there are others, and I don’t know who they are. I don’t know who I can trust. There were eleven I followed out here tonight, but there could easily be more.”

“What about the Prelate? Maybe you shouldn’t go to her, she could be with them.”

She shook her head with a sigh. “You may be right, but it’s the only chance we have. There is no one else I can think of who can help me. I have to go to her.” She touched her fingertips to his face. “Jedidiah, please go back. If anything were to happen to me, then you would be able to do something. There would be someone who knew.”

“No. I won’t leave you. If you make me go back, I will tell the Prelate. I love you. I would rather die than live without you.”

“But there are others to think of. Other lives at stake.”

“I don’t care about anyone else. Please, Margaret, don’t ask me to leave you to this danger.”

“Sometimes you can be infuriating, my love.” She took his hands up in hers. “Jedidiah, if we are caught ...”

“If we are together, then I accept the risk.”

She twined her fingers through his. “Then be my husband? As we have talked about? If I die tonight, I want it to be as your wife.”

He put a hand behind her head and drew her against him. Pulling her hair away from her ear he whispered softly into it. “That would make me the happiest man in the world. I love you so much, Margaret. But how can we be married here, now?”

“We can say the words. Our love is all that counts, not some other person saying words for us. Words coming from our hearts will bond us better than anyone else could do.”

He squeezed her tight. “This is the happiest moment in my life.” He pulled back, taking up her hands again. In the darkness they looked at each other. “I, Jedidiah, pledge to be your husband, in life and in death. I offer you my life, my love, and my eternal devotion. May we be bonded in the Creator’s eyes and heart, and in our own.”

She whispered the words back to him as tears streamed down her cheeks. She had never been so afraid and so happy in all her life. She shook with the need of him. When they finished the words, they kissed. It was the most tender, loving kiss he had ever given her. Tears continued to run down her face as she pressed against him, against his lips. Her hands clutched the back of his broad shoulders, holding him to her. His arms around her made her feel safer and more loved than she had ever felt. At last, they parted.

She struggled to catch her breath. “I love you, my husband.”

“I love you, my wife, always and forever.”

She smiled. Even though she couldn’t see it in the dark, she knew he was smiling, too. “Let’s go see if we can get some proof. Let’s see if we can put a stop to the Sisters of the Dark. Let’s make the Creator proud of the Sisters of the Light, and a wizard-to-be.”

He squeezed her hand. “Promise me you won’t do anything foolish. Promise me you won’t try to do anything that might get you killed. I want to spend some time with you in bed, not the woods.”

“I need to see what they are up to. See if I can find a way to prove all this to the Prelate. But they are more powerful than I am, to say nothing of the fact that there are at least eleven of them. On top of that, if they truly are Sisters of the Dark, they have the use of Subtractive Magic. We have no defense against that.”

“I don’t know how we are to get the quillion away from them. Maybe we will see something else that will help us. If we just keep our eyes open, and let the Creator guide us, maybe He will reveal what it is we can do. But I don’t want either of us taking any more of a chance than we have to. We must not be discovered.”

He nodded. “Good. That’s the way I want it too.”

“But Jedidiah, I’m a Sister of the Light. That means I have responsibilities, responsibilities to the Creator, and all his children. Though we are now husband and wife, it’s still my job to guide you. In this, we are not equals. I’m in charge, and I will only allow you to go with me if you promise to abide by that. You are not yet a full wizard. If I tell you something, you must obey. I’m still better with my Han than you are with yours.”

“I know, Margaret. One reason I wanted to be your husband is because I respect you. I wouldn’t want a weak wife. You have always guided me, and that will not change now. You’ve given me everything I have. I will follow you always.”

With a smile, she shook her head. “You are a marvel, my husband. A marvel of the best kind. You will make a remarkable wizard. Truly remarkable. I’ve never told you, because I always feared you would let the knowledge swell your head, but some of the Sisters say that they think you may prove to be the most powerful wizard in a thousand years.”

He didn’t speak, and she couldn’t see his face, but she was sure he was blushing. “Margaret, your eyes are the only ones I need to see filled with pride.”

She kissed his cheek, and then took his hand. “Let’s go see how we can put a stop to this.”

“How do you know where they went? How can we follow them? It’s dark as pitch in these woods. The trees hide the moon.”

She pinched his cheek. “A trick my mother taught me. I’ve never shown it to anyone. When I saw them leaving the palace, I cast a pool of my Han at their feet. They stepped through it. It leaves tracks of my own Han. Only I can see them. Their footprints are as bright as the sun on a pond to me, but to no other.”

“You must teach me this trick.”

“Someday, I promise. Come on.”

She led him by the hand as she followed the glow of the Sisters’ footprints through the dense woods. Distant night birds called in haunting voices, owls hooted, and other creatures made low screams and clicks. The ground was uneven, tangled with roots and brush, but the glowing footprints helped her to see the way.

The damp heat made her sweat, causing her dress to cling to her wet skin. When she got home, she would shield her room and she would have a bath. A long bath. With Jedidiah. Then she would let him use his magic on her, and she would use hers on him.

They went deeper into the Hagen Woods, deeper than she had ever gone before. Vapor drifting from boggy areas carried the pervasive stench of rotting vegetation. They passed through dark gullies veiled with hanging roots and moss that brushed against her face and arms, making her flinch at the unexpected contact. The footprints led up and over sparsely wooded, rocky ridges.

At the top of one, standing in the still, damp air, she looked back, out across the somber landscape. In the far distance, she could see the flickering lights of Tanimura, and set among the lights, rising up in the silvery moonlight, the Palace of the Prophets, its dark shape blocking out the lights of the city beyond.

She longed to be back there, to be home, but this was something that had to be done. There was no one else to do it. The lives of everyone depended on her. The Creator was depending on her. Still, she longed to be home, and safe.

But home was no longer safe. It was as dangerous as the Hagen Woods, if there really were Sisters of the Dark. Even with as much as she knew, it was difficult for her to accept the idea. The Prelate had to believe her, she just had to. There was no one else she could turn to for help. She wished there were even just one Sister she could trust, confide in, but she didn’t dare trust anyone. Nathan had warned her not to trust anyone.

Even though she wished Jedidiah were home, and safe, she was glad to have him with her. She knew there was nothing he could do to help, but it still felt good to have him to confide in. Her husband. She smiled at the thought. She would never forgive herself if anything happened to him. She would protect him with her life, if she had to.

The ground pitched into a descent. Through gaps in the trees, she could see they were going down into a deep bowl in the earth. The edge was steep and they had to move slowly so as not to send any rocks tumbling through the woods. One started to slide as her foot touched it, and she quickly used a handful of air to stop it, and then push it firmly into the ground. She sighed in relief.

Jedidiah followed her, a silent, comforting shadow. Her tension relaxed a little when they passed from the loose rock, back into denser woods where the ground was mossy and silent to step on.

The faint sound of chanting drifted to them through the thick woods, carried on heavy, fetid air. Low, rhythmic, guttural tones of words she couldn’t understand resonated in her chest. Even without understanding the words, she felt revulsion at them, as if they made the air reek.

Jedidiah gripped her upper arm, dragging her to a halt. He put his mouth close to her ear. “Margaret, please,” he whispered, “let’s go back now, before it’s too late. I’m afraid.”

“Jedidiah!” she growled as she reached up and snatched him by the collar. “This is important! I’m a Sister of the Light. You’re a wizard. What do you think I’ve been training you for? To stand on a street down in the market and perform tricks? To have people throw coins at you? We serve the Creator. He has given us everything we have so we may use it to help others. Others are in danger. We must help. You’re a wizard. Act like one!”

She could just see his wide eyes in the faint light. He sagged slightly as the tension went out of his muscles. “I’m sorry. You’re right. Forgive me. I will do what I must, I promise.”

Her anger cooled. “I’m afraid, too. Touch your Han, keep a firm grip on it, but not too tight. Hold it so you can release it in an instant, as I’ve taught you. If anything happens, don’t hold back. Don’t be afraid of how much you might hurt them. If you do need your power, anything less than all of it will not be enough. If you keep your head, you’re strong enough to defend yourself. You can do it, Jedidiah. Have faith in what I’ve taught you, what all the Sisters have taught you. Have faith in the Creator, in what He has given you. You have it for a reason, we all do. This may be the reason. Tonight may be what you’ve been called for.”

He nodded again and she turned back to the glowing footprints, following them into the thick forest. They wandered through the trees toward the center of the bowl, toward where the chanting was coming from. The closer they got, the more the voices made her skin prickle. The voices were Sisters’. She thought she recognized some of them.

Dear Creator, she prayed, give me the strength to do what I must to help you. Give Jedidiah strength, too. Help us serve you, to help others.

Little flickers of light came through the leaves. They crept closer. The trees around her were huge. The two of them glided from one trunk to another, no longer following the footprints. They could see glimpses now of something through openings in the underbrush. Slowly, they tiptoed forward across the open forest floor beneath large, spreading spruce trees. The needles were soft and quiet to walk on. Shoulder to shoulder, they slid behind low, heavy brush at the edge of woods. It was as close as they could go. Beyond lay a flat, round, open area.

At least a hundred candles were set on the ground in a ring, like a fence, or boundary, as if holding back the dark forest. Inside the candles was a circle drawn on the ground. It looked to be made of white sand that sparkled with little points of prismatic light. It looked like the descriptions of sorcerer’s sand she had heard, although she had never actually seen any. It stood out clearly in the candlelight, and the light of the moon overhead.

Symbols were drawn with the same white sand. They were inside the circle, points of them touching the outer boundary of the circle at irregular intervals. Margaret had never seen the symbols before, but she knew some of the elements of them from an old book. They spoke to the underworld.

About halfway in from the outer white line and candles, eleven sisters sat in a circle. Margaret stared harder, trying to see in the dim, flickering light. It looked as if each had a hood over her head, with holes cut for the eyes. They chanted in unison. Shadows from the Sisters extended inward to a point in the center.

In the center lay a woman, naked, except for a hood like the others. She lay on her back, her hands crossed over her breasts, her legs pressed together.

Twelve. With the one in the center, that made twelve. She searched the circle of Sisters again. Even with the candles, it was still dark, and the candles were to the Sisters’ backs.

Her eyes stopped on a form on the opposite side of the circle. Her breath caught in her throat. That form was larger than the rest. It was hunched, its head lowered, and without a hood. It sat at a convergence of lines in the symbols.

It was not a Sister. With a start, she saw the faint orange glow. The statue with the quillion was resting in its lap.

She and Jedidiah crouched, frozen, watching the circle of Sisters as they chanted. After a time, one of them, to the side of the hunched form, stood. The chanting stopped. She spoke short, sharp words in a language Margaret didn’t know. At points in the speech, her hand shot into the air, flinging sparkling dust over the naked woman in the center. The dust ignited, bathing the hooded Sisters with brief, harsh light. At the flash, they all answered with odd, rhyming words. She and Jedidiah exchanged looks, her own confused, frightened feelings reflected in his eyes.

The standing Sister flung both hands up, calling out a list of strange words. She went to the naked woman, stood at her head, and threw up her arms again. The sparkling dust caught fire once more. This time, the orange glow from the quillion brightened.

The head of the hunched form slowly rose. Margaret made a silent gasp when she saw the face of the beast. Its fanged mouth opened with a low growl. The Sister drew a delicately wrought silver scepter from her cloak, and gave it sharp shakes as she chanted again, sprinkling water over the prone woman.

Something was happening to the quillion. It brightened, and then dimmed. The dark eyes of the beast watched the naked woman. Margaret stared, wide-eyed. Her heart pounded so hard it felt as if it would tear a hole in her chest.

As the quillion faded, the beast’s eyes began to glow orange—the same color orange as the quillion. As the quillion dimmed, the glow in the beast’s eyes intensified, until the little statue was dark, and the thing’s eyes shined bright.

Two more Sisters stood. They moved to each side of the first.

The first knelt. Her hooded head lowered, looking down to the naked woman. “It is time, if you are sure. You know what must be done; the same as has been done to us. You are the last to be offered the gift. Do you wish to accept it?”

“Yes! I’m entitled. It’s mine. I want it.”

Margaret thought she knew both voices, but she wasn’t sure because the hoods muffled their words.

“Then it shall be yours, Sister.” The other two knelt beside her as she pulled a cloth from her cloak, twisting it between her fists. “You must pass this test of pain to gain the gift. We cannot touch you with our magic while it is being done, but we will help you as best we can.”

“I will do anything. It’s mine. Let it be done.”

The naked woman spread her arms. The sisters to each side leaned with all their weight on her wrists.

The Sister at her head held the twisted cloth over the hooded face. “Open your mouth, and bite down on this.” She put the cloth between the woman’s teeth. “Now, open your legs. You must keep them open. If you try to close them, it will be a rejection of what you are being offered, and you will lose the chance. Forever.”

The naked woman stared fixedly up at nothing. She panted with fear, her breast heaving. Slowly, she spread her legs.

The beast stirred, giving a low grunt.

Margaret gripped Jedidiah’s forearm, her fingers digging into him.

The beast sniffed the air. As it slowly unfolded itself, Margaret saw that it was larger than it had looked when it was all hunched over. It was powerfully built, looking mostly like a man. Flickers of candlelight reflected off sweat-slicked, knotted muscles of its arms and chest. Downy hair started at the narrow hips, growing coarser farther down the legs, to the ankles, where it was the longest, thickest. But the head was something other than a man. It was a horror of anger and fangs.

A long, thin tongue flicked out, tasting the air. The eyes glowed orange in the dim light, orange with the power of the gift it had absorbed from the quillion.

As it stretched out on its hands and knees toward the naked woman, Margaret almost gasped aloud; she recognized the beast. She had seen a drawing of it in an old book. The same book in which she had seen drawings of some parts of the spells before her. She wanted to scream.

It was a namble. One of the Nameless One’s minions.

Oh, dear Creator, she prayed fervently, please protect us.

Growling in a low rumble, its powerful muscles flexing, its haunted eyes glowing orange, the namble edged like a huge cat toward the woman on the ground. Head low, it crawled between her legs. In a state of ragged fear, the woman still stared up at nothing.

The namble sniffed at her crotch. Its long tongue flicked out, running over her. She flinched, making a small jerk of a sound against the cloth in her teeth, but she kept her legs open. Her eyes did not move. She did not look at the namble. The Sisters in the circle began a soft chant. The namble licked her again, slower, grunting this time as it did so. She squealed against the rag. Beads of sweat shimmered on her flesh. She kept her legs wide apart.

Rising up on its knees, the beast gave a throaty roar to the black sky. Its pointed, barbed, erect phallus stood out, plainly silhouetted against the candles beyond. Muscles bulged in knotted cords along its arms and shoulders as the namble bent forward, putting a fist to each side of the woman. Its tongue licked out around her throat as it gave a vibrating rumble of a growl, and then it lowered itself, covering her with its massive form.

Its hips hunched forward. The woman’s eyes winced shut as she screamed against the cloth in her teeth. The namble gave a quick, powerful thrust and her eyes snapped open in a panic of pain. Even with the cloth clenched in her teeth, her screams could be heard over the chanting each time the beast knocked the wind from her, adding more force to the shrieks.

Margaret had to force herself to take a breath as she watched. She hated these women; they had given themselves over to something unspeakably evil. Still, they were her Sisters, and she could hardly bear to watch one being hurt. She realized she was shaking. She clenched the gold flower at her neck in one fist and Jedidiah’s arm with her other as tears streamed down her face.

The beast thrashed at the Sister on the ground as the three Sisters held her. Her muffled screams of torment ripped at Margaret’s heart.

The Sister holding the cloth finally spoke. “If you want the gift, you must encourage him to give it to you. He will not surrender it unless you overcome his control—unless you take it from him. You must win it from him. Do you understand?”

Crying, her eyes shut tight, the woman nodded.

The Sister pulled the cloth away. “Then he is yours now. Take the gift, if you will.”

The other two released her arms and the three of them returned to their places in the circle, taking up the chanting with the others. The woman let out a wail that turned Margaret’s blood to ice. It made her ears hurt.

The woman flung her arms and legs around the namble, clutching herself to it, moving with it, moving with the chanting. Her screams died away as she panted with the effort.

Margaret could watch no longer. She closed her eyes and swallowed back a wail of her own that tried to force itself from her throat. But even with her eyes closed, it was no better. She could still hear it. Please, dear Creator, she begged in her mind, let it end. Please let it end.

And then, with a husky grunt, it did. Margaret opened her eyes to see the namble still, its back hunched. It shuddered, and then slowly went limp. The woman struggled to breathe under its weight.

With strength that seemed impossible, she at last pushed the namble off her. Chest heaving, it rolled to its hands and knees and slunk back to its place in the circle, folding itself into a dark bundle. The chanting had stopped. The woman lay on the ground for a time, panting, recovering. She was covered with a glistening sheen of sweat that reflected the yellow light of the candle flames.

Taking one last, deep breath, the woman came smoothly to her feet. A dark stain of blood ran down her legs. With a calm awareness that sent a chill up Margaret’s spine and caught her breath short, the woman turned to face her, pulling off her hood.

The menacing orange glow in her eyes faded, and they returned to the pale blue with dark violet flecks that Margaret knew so well.

“Sister Margaret.” Her tone was as mocking as the smile on her thin lips. “Did you enjoy watching? I thought you might.”

Wide-eyed, Margaret rose slowly to her feet. Across the circle, the Sister who had held the cloth also rose, and pulled off her hood. “Margaret dear, how nice of you to show such interest in our little group. I didn’t know you were that stupid. Did you think I let you see the quillion in my office by accident? That I wasn’t aware someone was interested? I had to know who was skulking about, looking into things that were none of their concern. I let you see it. I wasn’t sure though, until you followed us.” Her smile froze Margaret’s breathing. “Think we are fools? I saw the pool of Han you cast for us to step in. I obliged you. Such a shame. For you.”

Margaret’s hand was clutched tightly around the gold flower at her neck, her fingernails digging into her palm. How could they have seen the pool of her Han? The answer was tragically simple: she had underestimated them. Underestimated what they could do with the gift. Her mistake was going to cost her her life.

But only her. Only her. Please, dear Creator, only her. She could sense Jedidiah close at her side.

“Jedidiah,” she whispered, “run. I’ll try to hold them off while you escape. Run, my love. Run for your life.”

His powerful hand came up and gripped her upper arm. “I don’t think so, ‘my love’.” Her eyes were captured by his cruelly empty expression. “I tried to save you, Margaret. I tried to get you to turn back. But you wouldn’t listen.” He glanced to the Sister across the clearing. “If I got her oath, couldn’t we just ...” The Sister glared back. He sighed. “No, I suppose we couldn’t.”

He gave her a strong shove into the clearing. She came to a stumbling stop at the edge of the candles. She had gone numb. Her mind refused to work. Her voice refused to work.

The Sister across the circle clasped her hands together, looking to Jedidiah. “Has she told anyone else?”

“No. Just me. She was looking for proof before she went to anyone else for help.” His eyes returned to her. “Isn’t that right, my love?” He shook his head again, the smirk of a smile touching his lips. Lips she had kissed. She felt sick. She felt like the biggest fool the Creator had ever seen. “Such a shame.”

“You have done well, Jedidiah. You will be rewarded. And as for you, Margaret ... Well, tomorrow Jedidiah will report that after trying to avoid the insistent affections of an older woman, he finally and firmly rejected you for good, and you ran away in shame and humiliation. If they come here and find your bones, it will confirm their fears that you chose to end your life because you felt unworthy to live any longer as a Sister of the Light.”

The dark-flecked eyes glided back to Margaret. “Let me have her. Let me test my new gift. Let me taste it.”

Those eyes kept Margaret frozen, her hand still clutching the gold flower at her neck. She could hardly breathe through the numbing agony of knowing Jedidiah had betrayed her.

She had prayed to the Creator to give Jedidiah strength, strength to help others. She had had no idea who those others would be. The Creator had answered her prayers, foolish as they had been.

When the Sister consented, the thin lips widened in a greedy grin. Margaret felt naked, helpless, in the penetrating gaze of those flecked eyes.

At last, Margaret made her mind work. Her thoughts sprang to a terrified groping for a way of escape. She could only think of one thing to do, before it was too late. With panicked abandon, she let her Han explode through every fiber of herself, and brought forth a shield; the most powerful shield she knew—a shield of air. She made it hard as steel. Impenetrable. She poured her hurt and hate into it.

The thin smile never left. The flecked eyes didn’t move. “Air, is it then? With the gift, I can see it now. Shall I show you what I can do with air? What the gift can do with it?”

“The Creator’s power will protect me,” Margaret managed.

The thin smile turned to a sneer. “You think so? Let me show you the Creator’s impotence.”

Her hand came up. Margaret expected a ball of Wizard’s Fire. It wasn’t; it was a ball of air so dense she could see it, see it coming. It was so dense it distorted what was seen through it. Margaret could hear the whoosh of its approach, the wail of its power. It went through her shield like flaming pitch through paper.

It shouldn’t have been able to do that; her shield was air. Air should not have been able to break a shield of air, not a shield as strong as she had made. But this was air made not by a mere Sister, but one with the gift. A wizard’s gift.

Confused, Margaret realized she was lying on the ground, looking up at the stars, pretty stars: the Creator’s stars. She couldn’t draw a breath. Simply couldn’t.

She thought it odd; she didn’t remember the air hitting her. Only her breath being ripped violently from her lungs. She felt cold, but there was something warm against her face. Warm and wet. It was a comfort.

Her legs didn’t seem to work. Try as she might, she couldn’t make them move. With the greatest of effort, she managed to lift her head a bit. The Sisters hadn’t moved, but now somehow, they were farther away. They all watched her. Margaret looked down at herself.

Something was terribly wrong.

Below her ribs, there was mostly nothing there. Just the shredded, wet remains of her insides, and then nothing. Where the rest of her should have been, there was nothing. Where had her legs gone? They must be somewhere. They had to be somewhere.

There they were. They lay a little distance away, where she had been standing.

So. That was why she couldn’t take a breath. Air shouldn’t have been able to do that. It was impossible. At least air wielded by a Sister shouldn’t have been able to do that. It was a wonder.

Dear Creator, why have you not helped me? I was doing your work. Why have you let this be done!

It should hurt, shouldn’t it? Shouldn’t it hurt to be ripped in half? But it didn’t. It didn’t hurt the least little bit.

Cold. She felt only cold. But the warm rope of her guts lying against her face felt good. Warm. She took comfort in the warmth.

Maybe it didn’t hurt because the Creator was helping her. That must be it. The Creator had taken her pain. Dear Creator, thank you. I did my best. I am sorry I failed you. Send another.

Boots were near: Jedidiah. Husband Jedidiah; monster Jedidiah.

“I tried to warn you, Margaret. I tried to keep you away. You can’t say I didn’t try.”

Her arms lay sprawled out to her sides. In her right hand she could feel the little gold flower. She hadn’t let go of it. Even as she was torn in half, she never let go. She tried to now, but she couldn’t make her hand open. She wished she had the strength to open her hand. She didn’t want to die with that in her hand. But she just couldn’t open her fingers.

Dear Creator, I have failed in this, too.

Since she couldn’t release it, she did the only other thing she could think of. She sent the rest of her power into it. Maybe someone would see, and ask the right question.

Tired. She was so very tired.

She tried to close her eyes, but they wouldn’t close. How could a person die, if they couldn’t close their eyes?

There were a lot of stars. Pretty stars. There seemed to be fewer than she remembered. Hardly any at all. She thought her mother had told her once how many there were. But she couldn’t remember.

Well, she would just have to count them.

One ... two ...

Chapter 21

“How long?” Chase asked.

The seven fierce-looking men that were squatted down in a half circle before her and Chase just stared at him and blinked. None of the seven had any weapons except belt knives, and one didn’t even have that. But there were a lot of other men standing behind them, and they all had bows or spears, or both.

Rachel tugged her thick, brown, woolen cloak tighter around herself and shifted her weight as she squatted, wiggling her toes, wishing her feet weren’t so cold. They were starting to tingle. She stroked her fingers over the big, amber stone hanging on the chain from her neck. Its smooth teardrop shape felt warm against her fingers.

Chase mumbled something Rachel couldn’t understand as he pushed his heavy black cloak back over his shoulders and then pointed with a stick at the two people drawn in the dirt. All the leather belts for his weapons creaked as he leaned forward on boots big enough for any of the other men to fit both of their feet into just one. He tapped his stick on the ground again, then turned and pushed his hand out toward the grassland.

“How long?” He pointed at the drawing and pushed his hand out a few more times. “How long since they left?”

They chattered something Chase and she couldn’t understand, and then the man with long silver hair falling down around his sun brown face, the one who didn’t have a coyote hide around his shoulders but wore only simple buckskin clothes, drew another picture in the dirt. She could tell what it was easy this time. It was the sun. He made marks under it. Chase watched as the man drew three rows of marks under the picture of the sun. He stopped.

Chase stared at the picture. “Three weeks.” He looked up at the man with the long hair. “Three weeks?” He pointed at the sun on the ground and held up most of his fingers three times. “They’ve been gone three weeks?”

The man nodded and made some more of those funny words.

Siddin handed her another piece of flat bread with honey. It tasted wonderful. She tried to eat it slowly, but it was gone before she knew it. She had tasted honey only once before, back at the castle when she lived there as the Princess’s playmate. The Princess never let her have honey, said it wasn’t for the likes of her, but one of the cooks had given her some once.

Her stomach fluttered at the memory of how mean the Princess had been to her. She never wanted to live in a castle again. Now that she was Chase’s daughter, she would never have to. Every night she lay in her blankets, before she went to sleep, and wondered what the rest of her new family was like.

Chase said she would have sisters and brothers. And a real mother. He said she would have to mind her new mother. She could do that. It was easy to mind when someone loved you.

Chase loved her. He never really said it, but it was easy to tell. He put his huge arm around her, and stroked her hair, when she was afraid of sounds in the dark.

Siddin smiled at her as he licked the honey off his fingers. It was nice to see him again. When they had first come here she thought there was going to be trouble. Scary men, all painted with mud, and with grass stuck all over themselves, came up to them when they were still out on the grassland. She didn’t even see where they came from. They were just there all of a sudden.

Rachel was afraid at first, because the men pointed arrows at them, and their voices sounded scary and she couldn’t understand what they said, but Chase just got off the horse and held her in his arms while he watched them. He didn’t even draw his sword or anything. She didn’t think anything scared him. He was the bravest man she ever saw. The men had looked at her as she stared at them, and Chase stroked her hair and told her not to be afraid. The men stopped pointing the arrows at them, and led them to the village.

When they got here, she saw Siddin. Siddin knew her and Chase, from before when Kahlan had saved him from Queen Milena back in the castle. Zedd, Kahlan, Chase, Siddin, and she had all been together when they were running with the box. She couldn’t speak Siddin’s language, but he knew them, and told his father who they were. After that, everyone was real nice to them.

Chase pointed with one finger to one of the pictures of a person, the finger of his other hand to the other picture, and then held the fingers together and pointed away, moving his hands like they were going over hills. “Richard and Kahlan left three weeks ago, and they went north? To Aydindril?”

The men all shook their heads and started jabbering again. Siddin’s father held up his hand for quiet. He pointed at himself and the other men and held up three fingers, then he pointed at the picture on the ground that had a dress and said Kahlan’s name, and then he pointed north.

Chase pointed at the picture of the sun, then the picture of Kahlan, then at the men, holding up three fingers, then north. “Three weeks ago, Kahlan and three of your men went north, to Aydindril?”

The men all nodded and said “Kahlan” and “Aydindril.”

Chase put a knee to the ground as he leaned forward, tapping the picture of the other person. “But Richard went, too.” He pointed north again. “Richard went to Aydindril too. With Kahlan.”

The men all turned to the man with the long silver hair. He looked at Chase and then shook his head. The carved piece of bone hanging from a leather thong around his neck swung back and forth. He pointed down at the picture of the man with a sword, and then pointed in a different direction.

Chase stared at the man for a long minute; then he frowned, as if he didn’t understand. The man leaned over with the stick and drew three more people, each with a dress. He looked up from under his eyebrows as if he wanted to make sure Chase was watching, and then he drew an X across two of the figures. His eyes returned to Chase again as he folded his arms over his knees, waiting.

“What does that mean? Dead? Is that what you mean, they are dead?” The men stared, not moving. Chase pulled a single finger, like a knife, across his throat. “Dead?”

The man with the silver hair gave one nod and said “dead,” but it sounded a little funny, the way he made the word seem longer than it should. He pointed with his stick to the picture of the sun, then the picture of Kahlan, and then he pointed over his shoulder to the way they went. He pointed to the sun again, then at the picture of Richard, then at the picture of the woman without the X, then he pointed in a different direction.

Chase stood. His chest rose and then fell as he let out the deep breath. He was awfully tall. He stared in the direction the man with the silver hair said Richard had gone. “East. That’s deeper into the wilds,” he whispered to himself. “Why isn’t he with Kahlan?” He rubbed his chin. Rachel thought he looked worried. It couldn’t be that he looked scared. Nothing scared Chase. “Dear spirits, why would Richard go deeper into the wilds? What could possess Kahlan to let that boy go into the wilds? And who is he with?” The men all glanced at each other, as if they were wondering why Chase was talking to the air.

Chase squatted back down, all his leather creaking, and pointed at the drawing of the third woman and frowned and shrugged at the men. He pointed at the picture of Richard and the woman and pointed east again. He held the palms of his hands up near his shoulders as he shrugged and made faces to show he didn’t understand.

The man with the long silver hair gave Chase a sad look as he let out a long breath. He pointed at the third woman, the one without an X, and then he turned and took a rope from a man behind him. He wrapped the rope around his own neck. He looked to Chase’s frown and then he pointed to the picture of Richard. When Chase looked up and their eyes met, the man pulled the rope tight with a snap. He pointed east. He touched the stick to the picture of Kahlan and then pulled his fingers down his cheeks, from the corners of his eye, like tears, then pointed north.

Chase stood. It was almost a jump. His face was pale. “She took him,” he whispered. “This woman captured Richard, and took him into the wilds.”

Rachel stood next to him. “What does it mean, Chase? Why didn’t Kahlan go with him?”

He looked down at her. His face had an odd, still look that made her stomach knot up. “She went for help. She went to Aydindril. To get Zedd.”

No one made a sound. He stared back out to the east as he hooked a thumb behind his big silver belt buckle.

“Dear spirits,” he whispered to himself, “if Richard really did go into the wilds, turn him north. Don’t let him go to the south, or even Zedd won’t be able to help him.”

Rachel hugged her doll tight. “What’s the wilds?”

“A very bad place, little one.” He stared out unblinking toward the darkening sky. “A very bad place.”

The way he said it, all calm and quiet, gave her goose bumps.

Zedd could feel the muscles in the horse’s back flexing under him as he ducked beneath a branch while slowing the animal. Zedd favored riding bareback. If he needed to ride a horse, he preferred to let the animal feel as unencumbered as possible. He thought it only fair. Most seemed to appreciate his consideration, this one especially. She gave him more than she ever would have under a saddle, and he had taken everything she had given.

He had proffered his saddle and the rest of the tack to a man named Haff. Haff had the biggest ears Zedd had ever seen. How a man with ears the like of those had ever found a wife was a wonder. But have a wife he did, and four children, too, and he looked to have more need of the tack than Zedd. Not to ride, of course, but to sell. His crops and stores had been carried off by soldiers of the D’Haran army.

It was the least Zedd could do. After all, Rachel was soaked to the bone, and Haff offered them a dry place to sleep, even if it was in a dilapidated little barn, and his wife offered them a cabbage soup, thin as it was, asking nothing in return. It was worth a saddle just to see the look on Chase’s face when Zedd said he wasn’t hungry.

The big man ate enough for three men, though, and he should have known better. There was going to be much hunger this winter. The tack wouldn’t bring its worth, not with hunger spreading like a dark wind before a thunder-head, but it would bring something, maybe enough to take the hardest edge off the winter.

Zedd saw Chase put a coin in each of the four children’s pockets, when he thought no one was looking, growling at them in a tone that would make a grown man blanch, but which for some odd reason made children only smile, not to look in the pocket until he was gone. He hoped it wasn’t gold. The boundary warden could smell a thief open a window in the next town and probably tell you his name, too, but he had no wits about him around children.

Haff suspiciously wanted to know what he was to do in return for the tack. Zedd told him he was to swear his undying loyalty to the Mother Confessor, and the new Lord Rahl of D’Hara, both of whom had put a stop to things the like of which had been done to him. The man had stared at him, his big ears sticking out under that ridiculous knit hat with a tassel on each side that only served to draw attention where it wasn’t needed, and had said, “Done,” with a firm nod.

A small start: one loyal, for the price of a saddle. That it would all be so easy. But that was weeks ago. Now, he was alone.

The sweet smell of a birch fire drifted to him through the thick woods, the horse lifting her nose to it as she stepped carefully along the narrow path. In the still air, gathering darkness sent deepening shadows across the way. Even before the small house came into view, he could hear the racket: the sound of furniture being overturned, the crash of pots and pans, and demons being cursed. The horse’s ears pricked toward the commotion as they rode down the twisting trail. Zedd gave her a reassuring pat on the neck.

The little house, wood walls dark with age, and a roof thickly layered with ferns and dry pine needles, was set back into the towering trees, nestled among rough trunks dark in the day’s end. He dismounted to the side of the brown, dead ferns spreading like a garden in front of the house. The horse rolled her eyes toward him as he came around to give her a scratch under her jaw.

“Be a good girl and find yourself something to eat.” He put a finger under the horse’s chin, forcing her head up. “But stay close?” The horse nickered. With a smile, Zedd rubbed her gray nose. “Good girl.”

From inside the house came a low growl interspersed with angry clicks. Something heavy thudded to the floor, accompanied by a thick oath in a foreign tongue.

“Come out from under there, you vile beast!”

Zedd grinned at the sound of the familiar, raspy voice. He watched the horse stroll off a ways to graze on tufts of dry grass, lifting her head, while she chewed, to look back toward the house at each sharp thump.

Zedd sauntered up the curving walk toward the house. He paused, turning full around twice to admire the beauty of the surrounding woods. They truly were a wonder, calm and peaceful in a place that had been a pass through one of the most dangerous spots in the world: the boundary. But the boundary was gone now. Yet, the woods were a serene refuge, imbued with an almost palpable tranquillity that Zedd knew wasn’t natural. They had been infused with those qualities at the skilled hands of the woman who at that very moment was throwing curses bold enough to make a battle-hardened Sandarian lancer blush.

And he had seen one of those curse his own queen into a dead faint. That, of course, had only earned the man the rope. The fellow had had a few things to say to the hangman, too, which in turn didn’t bring him a clean drop, but did offer him the opportunity to get off one last eloquent, if vulgar, oath. The other lancers seemed to think the trade worth the price.

For her part, the queen never seemed to fully recover her delicate air, and thereafter always flushed a fabulous red at the mere sight of one of her lancers, needing to be fanned furiously by her attendants in order to remain conscious. She would probably have had them all hanged had they not saved her throne, to say nothing of her dainty neck, on more than one occasion. But that was a long time ago, in another war.

Clasping his hands together behind himself, Zedd inhaled deeply, relishing the clean, crisp air. Bending over, he plucked a dry, wilted wild rose, and with a wisp of magic brought it to fresh bloom. The yellow petals spread and swelled with new vitality. Closing his eyes, he took a deep whiff of the flower and then idly stuck it in his robes, over his breast. He was in no hurry.

It was not wise to interrupt a sorceress in a snit.

Through the open door came a more serious curse as the object of the sorceress’s ire was at last brought to account. With a whack from the blunt end of an axe, the thing was sent flying through the doorway. The small, armored beast landed on its back at Zedd’s feet. Wobbling, it clicked and growled as it raked the air with its claws, trying to right itself. It appeared no worse for the axe, or for its brief flight and rough landing.

Filthy gripper. It was a gripper that had attached itself to Adie’s ankle before. Once a gripper had you, there was virtually no way to get it off. It held on with those claws and rasped its teeth into you, down to bone, sucking your blood with its puckered, fang-ringed mouth. They never let go as long as there was blood to feed on, and that armor shed any counterattack.

Adie had used an axe to chop off her foot where the gripper had been attached, chopped off her own foot to save her life. Thinking about it turned his stomach. He watched the beast at his feet for a moment, then gave it a casual kick, sending it a goodly distance. Landing right side up, it waddled off into the woods in search of easier prey.

Zedd looked up at the figure standing in the doorway, scowling at him with her completely white eyes, her breast still heaving. She wore robes the same light burlap color as his, but unlike his, hers were decorated at the neck with yellow and red beads sewn in the ancient symbols of her profession. She put her fists on her hips. The scowl held a firm grip on her features, not that it diminished in the least how handsome they were.

She still held the axe in one hand, though, a worrisome sign. Best not to trouble her too quickly with what he wanted.

Zedd smiled. “You really shouldn’t play with grippers, Adie. That’s how you lost your foot the last time, you know.” He plucked the yellow rose from its place at his chest. His thin lips pushed his wrinkled cheeks back farther as his smile widened. “Got anything to eat? I’m starving.”

She watched him silently for a moment without moving, then slipped the axe head to the floor and leaned the handle against the wall just inside the door. “What do you be doing here, wizard?”

Zedd stepped onto the tiny porch and gave a dramatic bow. When he came up, he offered her the flower as if it were a priceless jewel. “I just couldn’t stay away from your tender embrace, dear lady.” He flashed his most irresistible smile.

Adie studied him a moment with those white eyes. “That be a lie.”

Zedd cleared his throat and pressed the flower closer. He thought maybe he needed to practice his smile. “Is that stew I smell?”

Without taking her gaze from him, she accepted the flower, sticking it in her straight, jaw-length black and gray hair. She truly was handsome. “It be stew.”

Her soft, thin hands took his. A small smile stole onto her finely wrinkled face, and she gave a slight nod. “It be good to see you again, Zedd. For a time, I feared I never would. I spent many a night in a sweat, knowing what would happen had you failed. When winter came and the Magic of Orden didn’t sweep the land, I knew you had succeeded.”

Zedd was encouraged that his best smile hadn’t been wasted after all, but he was careful with his answer. “Darken Rahl has been defeated.”

“What of Richard and Kahlan? Do they be safe?”

Zedd puffed up with pride. “Yes. In fact, Richard was the one who defeated Darken Rahl.”

She nodded again. “I think there be more to the story.”

He shrugged, trying to make it seem less important than it was. “A bit of a tale.”

Though the small smile still rested easily on her face, her white eyes seemed to be weighing his soul. “And there be a reason you be here. A reason I fear I won’t like.”

He pulled his hands out of hers and pushed some of his unruly, wavy white hair back while frowning. “Bags, woman, are you going to feed me any of that stew or not?”

Adie finally withdrew her white eyes from him and turned back into her home. “I think there be enough stew, even for you. Come in and shut the door. I do not wish to see another gripper tonight.”

Invited in. Well, things were going smoothly. He wondered how much he was going to have to tell her. Not all, he hoped. Wizard’s work: using people. The worst of it was using people he liked. Especially people he liked deeply.

As Zedd helped her right the chairs and table, and pick up the pots and tin plates strewn about the floor, he began telling her of the things that had happened since he had been with her last. He started with the harrowing tale of going through the pass, protected, somewhat, by the bone she had given him to hide him from the beasts. He still had the bone on a thin leather thong around his neck, seeing no need to be rid of it after he had gotten safely through.

She listened without comment as he wove the tale, and when he told of Richard’s capture by the Mord-Sith, she didn’t turn to show her face, but he saw the muscles in her shoulders tense for the briefest of moments. With no small amount of emphasis to make his point, he related how Darken Rahl had taken the night stone from Richard, the night stone she had given him to see him safely through the pass.

He scowled at her back as she picked a plate off the floor. “I was nearly killed by that stone. Darken Rahl used it to trap me in the underworld. I escaped by the thinnest of hairs. You almost got me killed, giving that thing to Richard.”

“Do not be a thickheaded fool,” she scoffed. “You be smart enough to save yourself. Had I not given the night stone to Richard, he would have died in the pass, and then Darken Rahl would have won, and right now would no doubt be torturing you. You would soon be dead. By giving the stone to Richard, I saved your life.”

He shook a leg bone of some sort at the glance she cast over her shoulder. “That thing was dangerous. You shouldn’t go handing out dangerous things as if they were a stick of candy. Not without warning people, anyway.” He had a right to be indignant. He had been the one sucked into the underworld by that wretched stone. The woman could at least pretend to be contrite.

Zedd went on with the story of how Richard had escaped, although he had a web around him hiding his identity, and how the quads had attacked Chase, Kahlan, and himself. He had to make an effort to control his voice at the telling of what had almost happened to Kahlan, and how she had called forth the Con Dar and killed their attackers. He finished with how Richard had tricked Darken Rahl into opening the wrong box. He told her how the Magic of Orden had taken Darken Rahl for his mistake. Zedd smiled to himself as he reached the end of his story, telling her that Richard had somehow gotten past Kahlan’s power, that they were free to love each other—he wasn’t about to tell her how, that was not for anyone to know—and they were happily together now.

He was pleased that he had managed to tell the story without having to delve too deeply into some of the more painful events. He didn’t want to have to revisit some of those hurts. She didn’t ask any questions, but came and put a hand on his shoulder, saying that she was relieved all of them had survived, and won.

Zedd was silent after the telling, at least as much as he wanted to tell, of the tale. He set to stacking the pile of loose bones into the corner where she said they belonged. By the way they were scattered about, the gripper must have sought refuge in them. A sorry mistake.

That people called Adie the bone woman was small wonder; the house had little else in it. Her life seemed devoted to bones. A sorceress dedicated to bones was a troubling concept. He saw little evidence of potions, powders, or the usual type of charms, any of the typical things he knew to expect from a woman of her talents. He knew what she was probing into, just not why.

Sorceresses usually confined their concerns to things living. She was a searcher into things dark and dangerous. Things dead. Unfortunately, that was what he was doing, too. If you wanted to know about fire, you had to study it, he guessed. Of course, it was a good way to get burned. He knew he didn’t like the analogy the moment it popped into his head.

He looked up from the bone pile as he placed the last of them. “If you don’t want grippers in your house, Adie, you should keep your door closed.”

His perfectly apt, scolding frown was wasted, as she didn’t turn from her task of stacking the firewood back in its bin at the side of the hearth. “The door be closed. And bolted,” she said in her dry rasp, in a tone seemingly meant to wither his unseen scowl. “This be the third time.”

Picking up a bone that had been hiding behind a stick of firewood, she straightened and carried it to him. “Before, the grippers never came near my house.” Her voice lowered as if in a threat to unseen ears. “I saw to that.” She handed over the thick, white rib bone, peering down at him as he squatted on the floor next to the bone pile. “Now, since winter, they come near. The bones no longer seem to keep them away. The reason be a mystery to me.”

Adie had lived in this pass a long time. No one knew as well as she its dangers, its quirks, its vagaries. None knew better than she what it took to be safe here, to live on the cusp between the world of the living and the world of the dead, at the edge of the underworld. Of course, the boundary was gone now. It should be safe here now.

He wondered what else was going on that she wasn’t telling him; sorceresses never told all they knew. What was she doing still living here with strange, and dangerous, things happening? Stubborn women, sorceresses, the lot of them.

Adie limped slightly as she walked across the room lit only by the fire. “Light the lamp?”

Following behind, Zedd swept a hand in the direction of the table. The lamp lit itself, adding a soft glow to that of the fire in the large hearth made of smooth river stones, and helped illuminate the dark walls of the room. Every wall held white bones. Shelves lined one wall, and were stuffed to overflowing with the skulls of dangerous beasts. Many of the bones had been made into ceremonial objects, some had been made into necklaces, decorated with feathers and beads, and some had been inscribed with ancient symbols. Some had spells drawn on the wall around them. It was the oddest collection he had ever seen.

Zedd pointed a bony finger down at her foot. “Why are you limping?”

Adie gave him a sidelong glance as she stopped and lifted a spoon from a hook set into the mortar at the side of the fireplace. “The new foot you grew me be too short.”

Zedd stood with one hand on a knobby hip, and the stick-like fingers of the other holding his smooth chin as he looked down at her foot. He hadn’t noticed it wasn’t long enough when he had grown it back; he had needed to leave soon after it was done. “Maybe I could grow the ankle a little longer,” he wondered aloud. He took his hand from his chin and flourished it in the air. “Make them even.”

Adie glared over her shoulder as she stirred the stew. “No, thank you.”

Zedd arched an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t you appreciate having them both even?”

“I appreciate you growing my foot back for me. Life be easier with two of them. I did not realize how much I hated that crutch. But the foot be fine the way it is.” She lifted the long-handled spoon to her lips, blowing on the hot stew.

“It would be easier if they were even.”

“I said no.” She tasted the stew.

“Bags, woman, why not?”

Adie tapped the spoon clean on the edge of the iron kettle and hung it back on its hook, then lifted a dented tin from the side of the mantel, unscrewing the lid. Her voice was quiet, her rasp softer. “I do not wish to revisit that pain. Had I known what it would be like, I would have chosen to live the rest of my life without the foot.” Reaching her hand into the tin, she took a three-finger-and-thumb pinch of five-spice and flung it into the stew.

Zedd tugged at his ear. Perhaps she was right. Growing the foot back for her had nearly killed her. He hadn’t expected what had happened, her reaction to his using that much magic on her. Still, he had been successful, and managed to draw away the pain of the memories, though he still didn’t know what they had been about. But he should have taken into account that she could have had memories that held that much pain.

He should have taken the Wizard’s Second Rule into account, but he had been intent on doing something good for her. That was the way it worked with the second rule; it was usually hard to tell if you were violating it.

“You know the price of magic, Adie, almost as well as a wizard. And besides, I made it up to you. For the pain, I mean.” He knew it wouldn’t take as much magic to make the ankle longer as it had to grow the foot back, but after what she had suffered, he could understand her reluctance. “Perhaps you are right. Maybe I have done enough.”

Her white eyes settled on him again. “Why be you here, wizard?”

He gave her an impish grin. “I wanted to see you. You are a hard woman to forget. And I wanted to tell you about Darken Rahl being defeated, by Richard. That we won.” He frowned at her stare. “Why do you think the grippers are coming here?”

She shook her head with a sigh. “You talk like a drunk man walks: in every direction but where he be headed.” She flicked a finger toward the table, indicating that she wanted him to get the bowls. “I already knew we won. The first day of winter has come and past. Had Rahl won, things wouldn’t be so peaceful as they are. Though I be pleased to see your bones again.”

Her voice lowered, became even more raspy. “Why be you here, wizard?”

He strode over to the table, glad to elude the scrutiny of those eyes for a moment. “You didn’t answer my question. Why do you think the grippers are coming here?”

Her voice lowered into a deeper, harsher rasp, bordering on anger. “I think the grippers be here for the same reason you be here: to cause an old woman trouble.”

Zedd grinned as he returned with bowls. “My eyes don’t see an old woman. They see only a handsome woman.”

She regarded his grin with a helpless shake of her head. “I fear your tongue be more dangerous than a gripper.”

He handed her a bowl. “Have the grippers ever come here before?”

“No.” She turned and began spooning stew into the bowl. “When the boundary be in place, the grippers stayed in the pass, with other beasts. After the boundary went down, I not see them for a time, but when winter came, so did the grippers. That not be right. I think something be wrong.”

He exchanged the empty bowl for the full, holding it to his nose and inhaling the aroma. “Maybe when the boundary finally failed, there was no longer any hold over them, and they simply came out of the pass.”

“Maybe. When the boundary failed, most of the beasts went with it, back into the underworld. Some were freed of their bonds and escaped into the surrounding country. I never saw any grippers until the winter came, nearly a month ago. I fear something else happened, for them to be here.”

Zedd knew very well what had happened, but didn’t say so. Instead, he asked, “Adie, why don’t you leave? Come away with me. To Aydindril. It would be ...”

“No!” Her mouth snapped closed. She seemed almost surprised by her own voice. She smoothed her robe with her hand, letting the anger leave her face and then took the spoon out of the hand with the bowl and returned to dishing out stew. “No. This be my home.”

Zedd watched silently as she worked over the kettle. When finished, she carried her bowl to the table, set it down, and retrieved a loaf of bread from over the counter, from a shelf behind a blue-and-white-striped curtain. She pointed with the bread to the other empty chair. Zedd set his bowl on the table and sat, hiking his robes up as he folded his legs underneath himself. Adie lowered herself into the chair opposite him and sliced off a chunk of bread, using the knifepoint to push it across the table before she looked up to meet his eyes.

“Please, Zedd, do not ask me to leave my home.”

“I am only worried for you, Adie.”

Adie dunked a chunk of bread in her stew. “That be a lie.”

He looked up from under his eyebrows as he picked up his bread. “It’s not a lie.”

She ate without lifting her head.” ‘Only’ be a lie.”

Zedd went back to his stew and ate in earnest. “Umm. Thish ish womerful,” he mumbled around a hot chunk of meat. She nodded her thanks. He ate until his bowl was empty, then took it to the fireplace and filled it once more.

On his way back to the table, he swept his hand around at the room, pointing with his spoon. “You have a lovely home, Adie. Quite lovely.” He sat and picked up the bread she passed to him. He put his elbows on the table, his sleeves slipping up his forearms as he broke the bread in half. “But I don’t think you should be living here, all alone. Not with the grippers and all.” He gestured with the bread to the north. “Why don’t you come with me to Aydindril? It’s a lovely place, too. You would like it there. There’s plenty of room. Kahlan could see to it you have your choice of places to live. Why, you could even stay at the Keep, if you preferred.”

Her white eyes stayed on her meal. “No.”

“Why not? We could have a good time there. A sorceress could have a grand time in the Keep. There are books and ...”

“I said no.”

He watched her as she went back to eating stew. He pushed his sleeves up farther and did the same. He couldn’t eat long. He set the spoon in the bowl and looked up from under his eyebrows.

“Adie, there is more to the story, more I haven’t told you.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “I hope you do not expect me to look surprised. I not be good at pretending.” She bent back over her bowl.

“Adie, the veil is torn.”

Her hand paused with the spoon halfway to her mouth. She didn’t look up. “Baa. What do you know of the veil. You do not know what you speak of.” The spoon completed its journey.

“I know it’s torn.”

She scooped up the last piece of potato from her bowl. “You speak of things that are not possible, wizard. The veil not be torn.” She stood, picking up her empty bowl. “Be at ease, old man, if the veil be torn, we would have a lot more than grippers to be worried about. But we don’t.”

Zedd turned, putting a hand on the back of his chair, watching her limp toward the kettle hanging from the crane in the fireplace. “The Stone of Tears is in this world,” he said in a quiet voice.

Adie halted. Her bowl fell to the floor, clattering in the thick silence, and rolled away. Her hands were held out before her as if she still held it. Her back was stiff. “Do not say such a thing aloud,” she whispered, “unless you be certain beyond doubt. Unless you be certain on your honor as First Wizard. Unless you be willing to offer your soul to the Keeper if you be lying.”

Zedd’s fierce, hazel eyes watched her back. “I pledge my soul to the Keeper if I’m telling you a lie. May he take me this instant. The Stone of Tears is in this world. I have seen it.”

“Dear spirits, protect us,” she whispered weakly. Still, she did not move. “Tell me what fool thing you have done, wizard.”

“Adie, come and sit down. First, I want you to tell me what you are doing living here, in the pass, or what used to be the pass. What you have been doing living at the edge of the underworld, and why you won’t leave.”

She spun to face him, one hand gripping the skirt of her robe. “That be my business.”

With his hand on the chair back, Zedd pushed himself to his feet. “Adie, I must know. This is important. I must know what you have been doing, so that I may know if it can be a help.”

“I know very well the pain you live with. I saw it, remember? I don’t know what caused it, but I know how deep it is. I would ask you to share the story with me. I ask you as a friend to confide in me. Please don’t make me ask as First Wizard.”

Her eyes rose to meet his at the last of what he said. The flash of anger faded and she nodded. “Very well. Perhaps I have kept it to myself too long. Perhaps it would be a relief to tell someone ... a friend. Perhaps you will not want my help, after you hear. If you still do, I expect you to tell me all that has happened.” She thrust a finger in his direction. “All.”

Zedd gave her a small smile of encouragement. “Of course.”

She limped to her chair. Just as she sat down, the largest skull on the shelves suddenly thudded to the floor. Both stared at it. Zedd walked over and picked it up in both hands. His thin fingers stroked tapered, curved fangs as long as his hand. The skull was flat on the bottom; it shouldn’t have been able to roll off the shelf. He replaced it solidly as Adie watched.

“It seems,” she said in her rasp, “that the bones want to be on the floor lately. They keep falling down.”

Zedd returned to his chair after a final frown to the skull. “Tell me about the bones, why you have them, what you do with them; everything. Start at the beginning.”

“Everything.” She folded her arms across her lap, briefly looking as if she wanted to run for the door. “It be a painful story to tell.”

“Not a word of it will ever touch my lips, Adie.”

Chapter 22

Adie drew a long breath. “I be born in the town of Choora, in the land of Nicobarese. My mother did not have the gift of sorcery. She be a skip, as it be called. My grandmother Lindel be the one before me to have it. My mother be grateful to the good spirits she be a skip, but bitter at them that I be gifted.”

“In Nicobarese, those with the gift be loathed and distrusted. It be thought the gift be allied to the flows of power not only from the Creator, but also from the Keeper. Even ones using the gift for good be suspected of being a baneling. You know of the banelings, yes?”

Zedd tore off a piece of bread. “Yes. Ones turned to the Keeper. Sworn to him. They hide in the light, as well as the shadows, serving his wishes, working to his ends. They can be anyone. Some work for good for years, hiding, waiting to be called. But when they are called, they do the Keeper’s bidding. They are also called by different names, but they are all agents of the Keeper. Some books call them that: agents. Some are important people, like Darken Rahl, used for important tasks. Some are everyday people, used for dirty little deeds. Those with the gift, like Darken Rahl, are the most difficult for the Keeper to turn. Those without it are easier, but even they are rare.”

Adie’s eyes widened. “Darken Rahl be a baneling?”

Zedd lifted an eyebrow as he nodded. “Admitted it to me himself. He said he was an agent, but it’s the same thing, whatever the word, and I’ve heard any number. They all serve the Keeper.”

“This be dangerous news.”

Zedd sopped up some stew with the piece of bread. “I bring very little of any other kind. You were saying about your grandmother Lindel?”

“In the time of Grandmother Lindel’s youth, sorceresses be put to death for anything that fate brought: sickness, accidents, still births. Put to death, wrongly, for being banelings. Some of the gifted fought back at being wrongly persecuted. They fought well. It deepened the hatred, and only served to confirm the fears of many of the Nicobarese people.”

“At last, there was a truce. Nicobarese leaders agreed to let the gifted women be, if they would give a soul oath, as a way of proving they not be banelings, an oath not to use their power unless permission be granted by a governing body, the king’s circle of their town, for instance. It be an oath to the people. An oath not to use the gift and bring the Keeper’s notice.”

Zedd swallowed a mouthful of stew. “Why would people think sorceresses were banelings?”

“Because it be easier to blame a woman for their troubles than to admit the truth, and more satisfying to accuse than to curse the unknown. Those with the gift use power that can help people, but it can also be used to harm them. Because it can be used to harm, it be believed the power must be given, at least in part, by the Keeper.”

“Superstitious nonsense,” he growled.

“As you well know, superstition needs no grounding in truth, but once rooted, it grows a strong though twisted tree.”

He grunted his assent. “So no sorceress used her power?”

Adie shook her head. “No. Unless it be for some common good, and they went before the king’s circle of their town first and asked permission. Every sorceress went before the circle of their town or district and swore an oath to the people, an oath on her soul, to abide by the wishes of the people. Swore a solemn oath not to use her power on or for another unless asked to do so by the agreement of the circle.”

Zedd put his spoon down in disgust. “But they had the gift. How could they not use it?”

“They used it, but only in private. Never where anyone could see, and never on another.”

Zedd leaned back in his chair, shaking his head in silent wonder at the Wizard’s First Rule, at the things people would believe, while Adie went on.

“Grandmother Lindel be a stern old woman who lived by herself. She never wanted anything to do with teaching me about using the gift. She told me only to let it be. And my mother, of course, could teach me nothing. So I learned on my own as I grew, as the gift grew, but I knew very well the wickedness of using it. I be lectured on that almost every day. To use the gift in a manner not permitted was made to seem like touching the taint of the Keeper himself, and I believed it so. I feared greatly going against what I be taught. I be a fruit of the tree of that superstition.”

“One day, when I be eight or nine, I be in the town square with my mother and father, on market day, and across the square, a building caught fire. There be a girl, about my age, on the second floor, trapped by the flames. She screamed for help. No one could reach her because the fire be all through the first floor. Her screams of terror burned every nerve in me. I started to cry. I wanted to help. I could not stand the screams.” Adie folded her hands in her lap and looked down at the table. “I made the fire to go out. The girl be saved.”

Zedd watched her placid expression as she stared at the table. “I don’t suppose anyone, except the girl and her parents, were happy?”

Adie shook her head. “Everyone knew I had the gift. They knew it be me who had done it. My mother stood and cried. My father just stood looking the other way. He would not look at me, at an agent of the Keeper’s evil.”

“Someone went for Grandmother Lindel; she was respected because of how she stood by the oath. When Grandmother Lindel came, she took me and the girl before the men of the king’s circle. Grandmother Lindel switched the girl who I saved. She bawled a good long time.”

Zedd was incredulous. “She beat the girl! Why?”

“For letting the Keeper use her to bring forth the use of the gift.” Adie sighed. “The girl and I had known each other, had been friends, of a sort. She never spoke to me again.”

Adie hugged her arms across her stomach. “And then Grandmother Lindel stripped me naked in front of those men, and switched me until I was covered with welts and blood. I screamed more than the girl had in the fire. Then she marched me, naked and bloody, through the town, to her house. The humiliation be worse than the beating.”

“When we got to her house, I asked how she could be so cruel. She looked down her nose at me, looked at me with that puckered, angry face of hers, and said, ‘Cruel, child? Cruel? You got not one switch more than you deserved. And not one less than what it took to keep you from being put to death by those men.’

“Then she made me give the oath. ‘I swear on my hope of salvation, never to use the gift on another, for any reason, without the permission of the king or one of his circles, and upon forfeit of my soul to the Keeper, should I ever use the gift to harm another.’ And then she shaved my head bald. I be kept bald until I grew to the age of a woman.”

“Bald? Why?”

“Because in the Midlands, as you know, the length of a woman’s hair shows her social standing. It be meant to show me, and everyone else, that there be no one lower than I. I had used the gift, publicly, without permission. It be a constant reminder of the wrong I had done.

“I lived with Grandmoster Lindel from then on. I only rarely saw my mother and father. At first, I missed them greatly. Grandmother Lindel taught me how to use the gift, so I would be able to know it well, to be able to know what I was not to do.

“I did not like Grandmother Lindel much. She be a cold woman. But I respected her. She be fair, after a fashion. If she punished me, and she did, it be only because I broke her rules. She switched me, hard, but only for an infraction I be warned of. She taught me, she guided me in the gift, but she never gave me a kindness. It be a hard life, but I learned discipline.

“Most of all, I learned to use the gift. For that, I will always be thankful for her, for that be my life. The gift be touching something higher, something more noble, than what I be.”

“I’m sorry, Adie.” He started eating his cold stew because he didn’t know what else to do. He wasn’t hungry anymore.

Adie rose from her chair and walked to the fireplace, staring into the flames for a time. Zedd waiting silently for her to find the words.

“After I reached the age of a woman, I be allowed to let my hair grow.” She smiled a small smile. “At that age, as I filled into my form, I be thought an attractive woman.”

Zedd pushed the bowl of stew away and went to stand by her, putting a hand on her shoulder. “No less attractive now, dear lady.”

She put a hand over his without looking from the flames. “In time, I fell in love with a young man. His name be Pell. He be an awkward young man, but a good and noble man, and he be kindness itself to me. He would have brought me the ocean, one spoonful at a time, if he thought it would please me. I thought the sun rose to show me his face, and the moon came out to let me taste his lips. Every beat of my heart be for him.

“We wanted to be wed. The king’s circle of Choora, led by a man named Mathrin Galliene, had other ideas.”

She took her hand away and gripped a knot of robes at her stomach. “They had decided I was to be wed to a man from the next town, the son of their mayor. I was a prize to the people of Choora. Having a sorceress bonded to a people by her oath was seen as a sign of virtue of those people. To give me to an important man from a larger town was cause for excitement, joy, expectation. It would seal our towns in many ways, not the least of which was valuable trade.

“I be in a panic. I went to Grandmother Lindel and begged her to intercede for me. I told her of my love for Pell, and that I did not wish to be a prize in return for trade. I told her the gift was mine, and not to be used to bind me into slavery. A sorceress not be a slave. Grandmother Lindel was a sorceress. The gift in her be disdained, but people respected her because she be devoted to her oath, and they held more than a healthy respect for her: she be feared. I pleaded for her help.”

“Doesn’t seem like the kind of person to help you.”

“There be no one else to turn to. She made me leave her for one day, so she could think on it. It be the longest day of my life. When I came to her at the end of the day, she told me to kneel before her, and give the oath. She told me I had better mean it more than any time I had ever said it before, and she had made me say it often. I knelt and said the oath, meaning every word.

“When I finished, I held my breath and waited. I still be on my knees. She looked down her nose at me, that sour frown of hers still on her face. And then she said, ‘Though you be wild of spirit, child, you have worked to tame it. The people have asked for your oath, and you have given it. May I not live to see you break it. You owe no debt beyond that. I will take care of the circle and see to Mathrin Galliene. You will wed Pell.’ I wept into the hem of her dress.”

Adie was silent, staring into the fire, lost in the memories. Zedd lifted an eyebrow. “Well, did you wed your love?”

“Yes,” she whispered in her soft rasp. She took the spoon off its hook and stirred the stew while Zedd watched her. At last, she hung it back at its place. “For three months, I thought life be beyond bliss.”

Her mouth worked soundlessly as she stared into nothingness. Zedd put an arm around her shoulder and gently led her back to the table. “Sit, Adie. Let me bring you a cup of tea.”

She was still sitting, her hands folded together on the table, staring off, when he returned with the steaming cups. He placed one in her thin hands as he sat opposite her. He didn’t press her to go on before she was ready.

At last, she did. “One day, the day of my birth and nineteen years, Pell and I had taken a walk in the country. I be with child.” She lifted the cup in both hands and took a sip. “We spent the day walking past farms, thinking of names for our child, holding hands, and ... Well, you know the foolishness of love at that age.”

“On our way back, we had to walk past the Choora mill, just outside of town. I thought it strange no one be there. Someone always be at the mill.” Adie closed her eyes for a moment and then took another sip of tea. “As it turned out, there be people there. The Blood of the Fold. They be waiting for us.”

Zedd knew of them. In the larger cities of Nicobarese, the Blood of the Fold were an organized corps of men who hunted banelings; rooted out evil, as they saw it. In other lands, there were men like them, who went by other names, but they were the same. None were especially picky about proof. A corpse was the only proof they need show of their job well done. If they said the body was that of a baneling, then it was. In the smaller towns, the Blood were usually selfappointed toughs and thugs. The Blood of the Fold were widely feared. With good reason.

“They took us ...” Her voice broke, but only that once.... “into separate rooms in the bottom of the mill. It be dark, and smelled of the damp stone walls and grain dust. I did not know what be done to Pell. I be almost too terrified to breathe.”

“Mathrin Galliene said Pell and I be banelings. He said I would not wed as I should have because I wished to bring the Keeper’s notice to Choora. There be a sickness, a fever, in the country that summer, and it brought death to many a family. Mathrin Galliene said Pell and I brought the sickness. I denied it be so, and spoke the oath to show proof.” Adie turned the cup in her fingers as she stared at it.

Zedd touched her hand. “Drink, Adie. It will help you.” He had put a pinch of cloud leaf into her tea, to help relax her.

She took a long swallow. “Mathrin Galliene said Pell and I be banelings, and the graveyard be full of the proof of that. He said he wanted only for Pell and I to tell the truth, to confess. The other men of the Blood be growling like hounds around a rabbit, ready to tear us apart. I be terrified for Pell. As they beat me, I knew they would be doing worse to him, to make him name me a baneling. Nothing be better for the Blood than to have someone name a loved one as a baneling. They would not listen when I denied it.” She looked up into his eyes. “They would not listen.”

“Anything you said,” Zedd offered quietly, “would have made no difference, Adie. It wouldn’t have mattered. When you are in a leghold trap, reasoning with the steel does no good.”

She nodded. “I know.” Her face was a calm mask over a thunderhead. “I could have stopped it, had I used the gift, but it be against everything I be taught, believed. It be as if using the gift would prove to myself that what the men said be true. I felt it would have been blasphemy against the Creator. I be as helpless while the men beat me as if I did not have the gift.”

She drained the tea from her cup. “Even as I screamed, I could hear Pell’s screams echoing from another room.”

Zedd went to the fire and brought the pot back, filling her cup again. “It wasn’t your fault, Adie. Don’t blame yourself.”

She flicked a glance up at him as he poured himself another cup. “They wanted me to name Pell as a baneling. I told them I would not, that they could kill me, but they could not make me say that it be so.”

“Mathrin bent close to me, put his face close to mine. In my head, I can still see his smile. He said, ‘I believe you, girl. But it doesn’t matter, because it not be you we want to name the baneling. It be Pell we want to speak the name of the baneling. It be you we want Pell to name. You be the baneling.’ Then the men held me down. Mathrin tried to pour something down my throat. It burned my mouth. He held my nose. It be swallow or drown. I wished to drown, but I swallowed without wanting to. It burned my throat like swallowing fire. I could not speak. I could not make a sound. I could not even scream. No sound be there. Only burning pain. More pain than I had ever known.” She took a sip of tea, as if to soothe her throat.

“Then the men took me in the room with Pell and tied me to a chair in front of him. Mathrin held me by my hair so I could not move. It broke my heart to see what they had done to my Pell. His face be white as snow. They had cut off most of his fingers, one knuckle at a time.” Her own fingers tightened around her cup as she stared into the vision.

“Mathrin told Pell that I had confessed that Pell be a baneling. Pell’s eyes be big, looking at me. I tried to scream that it not be true, but no sound came. I tried to shake my head that it not be true, but Mathrin held me so I could not.”

“Pell told them he did not believe them. They cut off another finger. They told him they only do it because I named him. Only do it on my word. Pell kept his eyes on me as he shook, and kept telling them he did not believe them. They told Pell I had told them I wished him to be killed because he be a baneling. Still Pell said he did not believe them. He said he loved me. Then he told Pell I had named him a baneling, and that if it not be so, I could deny it and they would let us both go free. He told Pell that I had promised I would not deny it because he be a baneling, and I wanted him to die for it. Pell screamed for me to tell them. Screamed for me to deny it. He screamed my name, screamed for me to say something.”

“I tried, but I could say nothing. My throat be fire. My voice did not work. Mathrin held me by my hair; I could not move. Pell’s eyes be big as he stared at me. As I sat silent. Then Pell spoke to me. ‘How could you do that to me, Adie? How could you name me a baneling?’ Then he cried.”

“Mathrin asked him to name me a baneling. He said that if he did, they would believe him over me, because I had the gift, and he would be freed. Pell whispered, ‘I will not say that of her to save my life. Even though she has betrayed me.’ Those words broke my heart.”

As she stared off at nothing, Zedd noticed a candle on the counter behind her melt into a puddle. He could feel the waves of power radiating from her. He realized he was holding his breath. He eased it out.

“Mathrin cut Pell’s throat,” she said simply. “He severed Pell’s head and held it before me. He said he wanted me to see what following the Keeper had brought on Pell. He said it be the last thing he wanted me to ever see. The men held my head back and pulled my eyes open. Mathrin poured the burning liquid in them.”

“I be blinded.”

“In that moment, something happened inside me. My Pell was gone, he died thinking I had betrayed him, my life was about to end. I suddenly realized how it be my own fault, for holding to an oath. The life of my love, for an ignorant oath, for a foolish superstition. Nothing mattered anymore; everything be gone to me.”

“I turned the gift loose, turned the rage loose. I broke my oath not to use the gift to harm another. I could not see, but I could hear; I could hear their blood hit the stone walls. I struck out wildly. I shredded every living thing in that room, be it man or mouse. I could not see, so I simply struck at any life I could feel. I could not tell if any had escaped. In a way, I be glad to be blind, or seeing what I be doing, I might have stopped before I finished.”

“When all be still, dead, I felt my way around the room, counting the bodies. One be missing.”

“I crawled to my grandmother Lindel’s. How I made my way, I cannot imagine, except to think the gift guided me. When she saw me, she be furious. She pulled me to my feet and demanded to know if I had broken my oath.”

Zedd leaned forward. “But you couldn’t speak. How did you answer?”

Adie smiled a small, cold smile. “I picked her up by the throat, with the power of the gift, and slammed her against the wall. I walked up to her and nodded my head. I squeezed her throat in anger. She fought me. She fought me with all her power. But I be stronger, much stronger. I never knew until that moment that the gift be different in different people. She be as helpless as a stick doll.”

“But I could not hurt her, as much as I wished to for her asking that question before any other. I released her and sagged to the floor; I could stand no longer. She came to me and began tending to my wounds. She told me I had done wrong, by breaking my oath, but that what was done to me was a more grievous wrong.”

“I never feared Grandmother Lindel again. Not because she be helping me, but because I had broken the oath, I be beyond the laws I had been taught, and because I knew I was stronger than she. From that day on, she be afraid of me. I think she helped me because she wanted me well, so I could leave.”

“A few days later, Grandmother Lindel came home to tell me that she had been called before the king’s circle and questioned. She said all the men at the mill, all the Blood of the Fold, be dead, except Mathrin. He had escaped. She told the circle she had not seen me. They believed her, or said they did because they did not want to confront her and additionally a sorceress who had killed that many men in such a shocking manner, so they let her go about her business.”

Some of the tension seemed to ease from her shoulders. She studied the teacup a moment and then took another sip. She held the cup out for him to warm. Zedd poured a little more. He idly wished he had put some of the powdered cloud leaf in his own tea. He didn’t think that was the end of the story.

“I lost my child,” Adie said in a soft rasp.

Zedd looked up. “I’m sorry, Adie.”

She looked up to meet his eyes. “I know.” She took one of his hands in both hers after he set down the kettle. “I know.” She took her hands back. “My throat healed.” She touched her fingers lightly to her neck, then knitted them together. “But it left me with a voice like dragging iron over rock.”

He smiled at her. “I like your voice. Iron fits the rest of you.”

The ghost of a smile passed across her face. “My eyes, though, did not grow better. I be blind. Grandmother Lindel not be as strong as me, but she be old, and had seen many a trick with the gift. She taught me to see without my eyes. She taught me to see with the gift. It not be the same as eyes, but in some ways, it be better. In some ways, I see more.”

“After I be healed, Grandmother Lindel wanted me to leave. She not be fond of living with one who had broken the oath, even though I be of her blood. She feared I would bring trouble. Whether from the Keeper, for breaking my oath, or from the Blood of the Fold, she did not know, but she feared trouble would come because of me.”

Zedd leaned back in his chair, stretching his tense muscles a bit. “And did trouble come?”

“Oh, yes,” Adie hissed, raising her eyebrows as she leaned forward. “Trouble came. Mathrin Galliene brought them: twenty Blood of the Fold. Ones paid by the Crown. Professionals. Battle-hard men; big men, grim-faced, savage men, all pretty on horseback in neat ranks with swords, shields, and banners, every spear held just so, at the same angle. All pretty in their chain mail and polished breastplates shining with the embossed crest of the Crown, and all wearing helmets with red plumes that flicked as they rode. Every horse white.”

“I stood on the porch and watched with the eyes of the gift as they spread rank before me with perfect precision, like they be performing for the king himself. Every horse put every foot the same, stopping in a line at the lifting of a finger from the commander. They be spread out before me, ready, eager, to do their grisly duty. Mathrin waited behind them on his horse, watching. The commander called out to me, ‘You be under arrest as a baneling, and are to be executed as such.’“

Adie lifted her head from the specters of her memory, her eyes meeting Zedd’s. “I thought of Pell. My Pell.”

Her expression hardened into an iron mask. “Not one sword cleared a scabbard, not one spear be leveled, not one foot touched the ground, before they died. I swept the line, from left to right, one man at a time, everything I had, into each in turn, quick as a thought. Thump thump thump. Every one, except the commander. He sat still and stone-faced upon his white horse as men in armor crashed to the ground to each side of him.”

“When it be finished, when the last shield had clattered into silence, I met his eyes. ‘Armor,’ I told him, ‘be of no use against a true baneling. Or a sorceress. It only be of use against innocent people.’ Then I told him he was to deliver a message to the king for me, from one sorceress named Adie. In a calm, firm voice, he asked the message. I said, ‘Tell him that if he sends another of the Blood of the Fold to take me, it will be the last living order he ever gives.’ He looked at me for a moment without a hint of emotion in his cold eyes, and then he turned his horse and walked it away without looking back.”

Her gaze sank to the table. “My grandmother turned her back to me. She told me to leave the shelter of her roof and never to return.”

A little wince touched Zedd’s face before he caught it, at the thought of a sorceress with enough power to kill men in that fashion. It was exceedingly rare for a sorceress to be that strong in the gift. “What of Mathrin? You didn’t kill him?”

She shook her head. A humorless smile played across her lips.

“No. I took him with me.”

“Took him with you?”

“I bonded him to me. Bonded his life to mine. Bonded him so that he always knew where I be, and so that every new moon he was compelled to come to me, no matter where I be, no matter what he wished. He had to follow me, at least close enough so that he could come to me every new moon.”

Frowning, Zedd studied the dregs in his tea cup. “I met a man, once, in Winstead, the capital and Crown seat of Kelton. His name was Mathrin. He was a beggar, missing the fingers on one hand, as I recall. He was blind. His eyes had been ...” Zedd’s eyes suddenly fixed on hers. She was watching him. “His eyes had been gouged out.”

Adie nodded. “Indeed they had.” Her face was iron again.

“Every new moon, he came to me, and I cut something off him, letting his screams try to fill the emptiness in me.”

Zedd leaned back, his hands pressed to the tabletop. Iron indeed. “So you made a new home in Kelton?”

“No. I made no home. I traveled, seeking out women with the gift, ones who could help me in my studies. None knew very much of what I sought, but each knew at least a little that others did not.”

“Mathrin followed, and every new moon he came to me, and I cut something else from him. I wanted him to live forever, to suffer forever. He be the one who beat me, down there, with his fists, so I would lose Pell’s child. He be the one who killed Pell. He be the one who blinded me.”

Her white eyes shone red in the lamplight as she stared off again. “He be the one who made Pell believe I had betrayed him. I wanted Mathrin Galliene to suffer forever.”

Zedd gestured vaguely with his hand. “How long did he ... last?”

Adie sighed. “Not long enough, and too long.” Zedd frowned. “One day, a thought occurred to me: I had never used the gift to prevent Mathrin from killing himself. Why would he still come to me? Let me make him to suffer like I did? Why would he not simply end it? So, the next time he came, and I cut something else off, I also cut the bond. Cut his need to come the next time. But I did it in a way so as he would not notice, so he could simply forget about me, if he wished.”

“So that was the last you saw of him?”

She gave a grim shake of her head. “No. I thought it would be, but he returned with the next new moon. Returned when he needn’t have. It made my blood run cold, to wonder why. I decided that it be time for him to pay with his life for what he had done to me, and Pell, and all the others. But I resolved that before he gave me his life, he would give me the answer.”

“In my travels, I had learned many things. Things for which I thought I would never have use. That night I found use. I used them to learn what torture Mathrin feared above all others. The trick be used to learn fears, but be useless to learn other secrets. Against his will, the words tumbled out of him, his fears spilled out.”

“I left him to sweat all that night and the whole next day while I went in search of the things I needed: the things he feared above all else. When I finally returned with them, he be nearly insane with fright. His fears be well founded. I asked him to confess his secret. He said no.”

“I dumped out the sack, put the little cages and the other things in front of him as he sat naked and helpless on the floor. I picked up each, held it before his sightless face, and described it, told him what be in each little cage or basket or jar. Again I asked him to confess. He be sweating and panting and shaking, but he said no. Mathrin thought I be bluffing, that I did not have the courage. Mathrin be wrong.”

“I steeled myself, and brought his worst fears to life for him.”

Zedd’s brow bunched up into wrinkles. Curiosity won out over dread. “What did you do?”

She lifted her head to look into his eyes. “That be the one thing I will not tell you. It not be important anyway.”

“Mathrin would not talk, and suffered so much that I almost stopped several times. Each time I wanted to stop, I thought about the last thing my eyes had seen before he blinded me: Pell’s head held in Mathrin’s fist before me.” Adie swallowed, her voice so low Zedd could hardly hear her. “And I remembered Pell’s last words: ‘I will not say that of her to save my life. Even though she has betrayed me.’“

She closed her eyes for a moment. They came open and she went on. “Mathrin be on the edge of death. I thought he was not going to tell me why he came to me. But just before he died, he became still, despite what was being done to him. And then he said he would tell me, because he be about to die, because this, too, had been by plan. I asked him again why he had come back.”

“He leaned toward me. ‘Don’t you know, Adie?’ he asked me. ‘Don’t you know what I be? I be a baneling. I have been hiding right under your nose all this time. You have kept me near you all this time, and the Keeper knew right where you be. The Keeper lusts for those with the gift above all else.’ I had thought that that be it, that he be a baneling. I told him he had failed, it had done him no good, as he be about to die for his crimes.”

“He smiled at me.” She leaned forward. “Smiled! And he said, ‘You be wrong Adie. I have not failed. I have done the Keeper’s bidding. I have fulfilled my task. Perfectly. All this be by plan. I have made you do exactly as he wished. I shall be rewarded. I be the one who started the fire when you be little. I be the one who did those things to Pell. Not because I thought him or you a baneling. I be the baneling. I did it to make you break your oath. To make you welcome the Keeper’s hate into your heart.’“

“‘Breaking your oath be the first step, and look what you have done since. Look at what you be doing right now. Look at how far you have slipped toward him. You be within his grasp now. You may not have given him your oath, but you do his bidding. You have become what you hate. You have become me; you be a baneling. The Keeper smiles upon you, Adie, and thanks you for welcoming him into your heart.’ Mathrin slumped, and fell back, dead.”

Adie dissolved into tears, her head sagging into her hands. Zedd unlocked his joints and swept around the table, holding her to him as he stood next to her, holding her head against his stomach, stroking her hair, comforting her as she cried.

“Not so, dear lady. Not so at all.”

She wept against his robes, shaking her head. “You think you be so smart, wizard? You not be so smart as you think. You be wrong about this.”

Zedd knelt beside her chair, holding her hands in his, looking up into her stricken face. “I’m smart enough to know that the Keeper, or one of his minions, would not let you have the satisfaction of knowing you had won a battle against him.”

“But I ...”

“You fought back. You struck out from your hurt, not for a lust of the things you did. Not for a want to help the Keeper.”

Her brow wrinkled together with her effort to stop the tears. “You be so sure? Sure enough to trust one such as I?”

Zedd smiled. “I’m sure. I may not know everything, but I know you are no baneling. You are the victim, not the criminal.”

She shook her head. “I not be so sure as you.”

“After Mathrin died, did you go on killing? Seeking vengeance against any innocent?”

“No, of course not.”

“Had you been an agent, you would have given yourself over to the Keeper, to his wishes, and gone on to hurt those who fought him. You are no baneling, dear lady. My heart weeps for the things the Keeper took from you, but he did not take your soul, that is still yours. Put those fears aside.”

He held her hands and gave them soft squeezes. She didn’t try to take her hands back, but let them stay in his, as if to soak up the comfort as they trembled.

Adie wiped the tears from her cheek. “Pour me some more tea? But no more powdered cloud leaf, or I will fall asleep before I can finish the story.”

Zedd arched an eyebrow. She had known what he had done. He patted her shoulder as he rose to his feet. He poured her tea and then pulled his chair forward and sat again while she sipped.

After she drank half of her cup, she looked to have regained her control. “The war with D’Hara be burning hot, but it be near the end. I felt the boundary go up. Felt it come into this world.”

“So you came here right after the boundary went up?”

“No. I studied with a few women first. Some taught me a few things about bones.” She pulled a little necklace from under her robes. She fingered the small, round bone, with red and yellow beads to each side. It was just like the one she had given him to get him through the pass. He still wore it around his neck. “This be a bone from the base of a skull like that on the shelf over there; the one that fell on the floor. The beast be called a skrin. Skrin be guardian beasts to the underworld, something like the heart hounds, except they guard in both directions. The best way to explain it is that they be part of the veil, though that not be accurate. In this world they be solid, have form, but in the other, they be only a force.”

Zedd frowned. “Force?”

Adie held out her spoon and let it drop on the table. “Force. We cannot see it, but force be there. It makes the spoon drop, and keeps it from flying up into the air. It cannot be seen, but it be there. Something like that with the skrin.”

“On rare occasions, in their duty to repel all from the cusp where the world of the living and the world of the dead touch, they be pulled into this world. Few people know of them because it so rarely happens.” Zedd was frowning. “It be very complex. I will explain it better another time. The important thing be that this bone from the skrin hides you from them.”

Adie took a sip of her tea while Zedd pulled his necklace out of his robes, taking a new look at it. “And it must hide you from other beasts, too, to get through the pass?” She nodded. “How did you know about the pass? I put the boundary up, and I didn’t know the pass existed.”

She turned the teacup around and around in her fingers. “After I left my grandmother, I sought out women with the gift, women who could teach me things about the world of the dead. After Mathrin died, I studied harder, with more urgency. Each woman could tell me only what small bit she knew, but they usually knew one who knew more. I traveled the Midlands, going among them, gathering knowledge. I collected all those bits of knowledge, piecing them together. In this manner, I learned a little of how the worlds interact.”

“By putting up a boundary across parts of this world, it be a little like stoppering up a teakettle and then putting it on the fire. Without a vent, something will blow off. I knew that if there be magic wise enough to know how to bring the underworld into this, it must have a way to equalize each side of the boundary. A vent of some sort. A pass.”

Zedd lifted an eyebrow, staring off into his thoughts, as he drew his thumb down his chin. “Of course. That makes sense. Balance. All force, all magic, must be balanced.” He focused his eyes on her. “When I brought up the boundary, I was using magic I didn’t fully understand. It was in an ancient book, from the wizards of old, who had more power than I can fathom. Using their instructions to bring up the boundary was an act of desperation.”

“It be hard for me to imagine you being desperate.”

“Sometimes, that’s all life is: one desperate act after another.”

Adie nodded. “Perhaps you be right. I was desperate to hide from the Keeper. I remembered what Mathrin had said: he be hiding right under my nose. I reasoned that the safest place for me to hide from the Keeper would be where he wouldn’t look: right under his nose, right at the edge of his world. So I came to the pass.”

“The pass did not be this world, yet it did not be the underworld either. It be a mix of both. A place where both worlds boiled together a little bit. With the bones, I be able to hide from the Keeper. He and the beasts from his world could not see me.”

“Hide?” The woman had more iron in her than the kettle hanging on the fire. If he knew Adie, there was more to it. Zedd gave her a stern stare. “You came here, simply to hide?”

She averted her eyes as she fingered the small, round bone on her necklace, and then at last tucked it back into her robes. “There be another reason. I made an oath. To myself. I swore I would find a way to contact my Pell, to tell him I did not betray him.” She took a long swallow of tea. “I have spent most of my life here, in the pass, trying to find a way to reach into the world of the dead, to tell him. The pass be part of that world.”

Zedd pushed at his cup with a finger. “The boundary, the pass, is gone, Adie. I need your help in this world.”

She laid her arms on the table. “When you grew my foot back for me, it brought back everything that had happened, made it fresh, as if I be reliving it. It made me remember some things I had forgotten for a long time. It made me remember hurts that still be there, though time had dimmed them.”

“I’m sorry, Adie,” he whispered. “I should have taken your past into consideration, but I didn’t suspect you had lived through that much pain. Forgive me.”

“There be nothing to forgive. You gave me a gift by giving me my foot back. You did not know the things I have done. It not be your fault I did them. You did not know I be a baneling.”

He cast her a harsh glare. “You think that because you have fought back against wickedness, you have become wicked?”

“I have done worse than a man like you can understand.”

Zedd nodded slightly. “Is that so. Let me tell you a little story. I had a love once, like your Pell. Her name was Erilyn. My time with her was like your time with Pell.” A slow smile came to his lips, as his memory touched the mist of those pleasant times. The smile withered. “Until Panis Rahl sent a quad after her.”

Adie reached out and laid a hand on his. “Zedd, you do not need to ...”

Zedd brought his other fist down on the table, making the cups jump. “You can’t imagine what the four of them did to her.” He leaned forward, his face standing out red against his white hair. He ground his teeth together. “I hunted them down. What I did to each of them would make whatever you did to Mathrin seem a lark. I went after Panis Rahl, but couldn’t reach him, so I went after his armies. For every man you killed, Adie, I killed a thousand. Even my own side feared me. I was the wind of death. I did what was needed to stop Panis Rahl. And maybe more.”

He settled his weight back in the chair. “If there is such a thing as a man of virtue, you do not sit with him now.”

“You did only what you had to. That does not diminish your virtue.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Wise words, spoken by a wise woman. Perhaps you should listen to them.” She remained silent. He put his elbows on the table and idly picked up the cup, rolling it in his palms as he went on. “In a way, I was luckier than you. I had more time with my Erilyn. And I didn’t lose my daughter.”

“Panis Rahl did not try to kill your daughter, too?”

“Yes. Indeed, he thought he had. I ... cast a death spell. To make them think they had seen her death. It was the only way to protect her, to keep them from trying until they succeeded.”

“A death spell ...” Adie whispered a benediction in her native tongue. “That be a dangerous web. I would not reproach you for doing such a thing, you had cause, but such a thing does not go unnoticed by the spirits. You be lucky it worked, and it saved her. You be very fortunate the good spirits be with you on that day.”

“I guess sometimes it’s hard to tell which side of luck you’re looking at. I raised her without a mother. She had grown into a fine young woman when it happened.”

“Darken Rahl had been standing next to his father when I sent the Wizard’s Fire through the boundary. He was standing next to his father when my fire found him. Some of it burned Darken Rahl. He spent his growing years learning, so he could finish what his father had started, and extract his vengeance. He learned how to cross the boundary; he was coming into the Midlands, and I never knew.”

“He raped my daughter.”

“He didn’t know who she was—everyone thought my daughter was dead—or he would have killed her sure. But he hurt her.” He pressed his palms together. The cup shattered. He turned his hands up, to see if they had been cut, and was a little surprised they weren’t. Adie said nothing.

“After that, I took her to Westland, to hide, to protect her. I never knew if it was more of that bad luck, or if somehow wickedness found her, but she died. Burned to death in her house. Though I always suspected the irony was more than coincidence, I never found proof it was so. Perhaps, after all, the good spirits hadn’t been with me on the day I cast her death spell.”

“I be sorry, Zedd,” Adie said in a soft rasp.

He waved off her pity with a flourish of his hand. “I still had her boy.” With the side of his finger, he pushed the shards of the cup into a little pile in the center of the wooden tabletop. “Darken Rahl’s son. The spawn of an agent of the Keeper. But my daughter’s son too, and my grandson. Innocent of the crimes that brought him to be. A fine boy.”

He looked up at her from under his bushy eyebrows. “I believe you know him. His name is Richard.”

Adie lurched forward in her chair. “Richard! Richard is your ...” She leaned back, shaking her head. “Wizards and their secrets.” She scowled a little, but then softened her expression. “Perhaps you had just cause for a secret such as this. Does Richard have the gift?”

Zedd lifted his eyebrows as he nodded. “Indeed he does. That was one reason I hid him in Westland. I feared he had the gift, though I wasn’t sure, and I wanted him to be safe from danger. As you said, the Keeper lusts for those with the gift more than any other. I knew that if I began teaching him, used magic very much myself, the gaze of danger would settle on him.”

“I wanted to let him grow, become strong of character, before I tested him, and if he had the gift, taught him. I had always suspected he had the gift. Sometimes, I hoped he did not. But I now know he does. He used it to stop Darken Rahl. Used magic.”

He leaned forward. “I suspect he has the gift from both his grandfather and his father. From two different lines of wizards.”

“I see,” was all she said.

“But we have more important things to worry about right now. Darken Rahl used the boxes of Orden. He opened one, the wrong one, for him anyway. But maybe the wrong one for us too. There are books back at the Keep that speak of it. They warn that if the boxes are used, if the Magic of Orden is used, and even if the person who put them in play makes a mistake and it kills him, it can still tear the veil.”

“Adie, I don’t know as much about the underworld as you. You have been studying it most of your life. I need your help. I need you to come to Aydindril with me to study the books to see what can be done. I’ve read many of them and don’t understand much of their meaning. Perhaps you will. Even if you only see one thing I miss, it could be important.”

She stared at the table with a bitter expression. “I be an old woman. I be an old woman who has welcomed the Keeper into my heart.”

Zedd watched her, but she didn’t meet his eyes. He pushed his chair back and stood. “An old woman? No. A foolish woman, maybe.” She didn’t reply. Her gaze stayed pointedly on the table.

Zedd strolled across the room and inspected the bones hanging on the wall. He clasped his hands behind his back as he studied the talismans of the dead.

“Maybe I am just an old man then. Hmm? A foolish old man. Maybe I should let a young man do this work.” He glanced over his shoulder. She was watching him. “But if a young man is good, then even younger would be better. In fact, why not let a child do it? That would be better yet. Maybe there is a ten-year-old-boy somewhere who will be willing to do something to stop the dead from swallowing the living.”

He threw his hands up in the air. “According to you, it would seem, knowledge is of no use, only youth.”

“Now you are being foolish, old man. You know what I mean.”

Zedd stepped back to the table and gave a shrug of his bony shoulders. “If you just sit here in this house instead of helping with what you know, then you might as well be the thing you fear most: an agent of the Keeper.”

He put his knuckles to the table and glowered as he leaned over her. “If you don’t fight him, then you help him. That is what his plan has been all along. Not to turn you to him, but to make you fear stopping him.”

She looked into his eyes, uneasiness stealing into her expression. “What do you mean?”

“He has already done all he needed, Adie. He made you afraid of yourself. The Keeper has an eternity of patience. He doesn’t need you to work for him. It takes effort to turn one with the gift. You weren’t worth the trouble. He needed only for you not to work against him. He did all that was necessary. He didn’t waste an effort to do more.”

“In some ways he is as blind to this world as we are to his. He has only so much influence here; he must choose his tasks carefully. He doesn’t spend what power he has here frivolously.”

Realization took the place of unease. “Perhaps you not be such an old fool.”

Zedd smiled as he pulled the chair forward and sat. “That has always been my opinion.”

Hands nestled in her lap, Adie studied the tabletop as if hoping it would come to her aid. The house was silent, except for the slow crackle of the fire in the hearth. “All these years, the truth be hiding right under my nose.” She lifted her head, giving him a puzzled frown. “How did you come to be so wise?”

Zedd shrugged. “But one of the advantages of having lived so long. You view yourself as just an old woman. I see a striking, dear lady, who has learned much in her time in this world, and has gained wisdom from what she has seen.”

He pulled the yellow rose from her hair and held it before her. “Your loveliness is not a mask, layered over a rotten core. It blossoms from the beauty inside.”

She lifted the flower from his fingers and laid it on the table. “Your clever tongue cannot cover the fact that I have wasted my life....”

Zedd shook his head, cutting her off. “No. You have wasted nothing. You simply have not seen the other side of things yet. In magic, in all things, there is a balance if we look for it. The Keeper did as he did, sending a baneling to you, to keep you from interfering in his work, and to plant a seed of doubt in you that would perhaps turn you to him one day.”

“But in that too, there was something to balance what he did. You came here to learn about the world of the dead in order to contact your Pell. Don’t you see, Adie? You were manipulated to prevent you from interfering with the Keeper’s plans, but in so doing, the balance is that you have learned things that might be of aid in stopping him. You must not surrender to what he had done to you; you must strike back with what he has inadvertently given you.”

Her eyes glistened as she cast her gaze about her house, looking to the bone pile, the walls covered with talismans of the dead she had collected over the years, and to the shelves holding more yet. “But my oath ... my Pell. I must reach him, tell him. He died thinking I betrayed him. If I cannot redeem myself in his eyes, then I be lost, my heart be lost. If I be lost, then the Keeper will find me.”

“Pell is dead, Adie. Gone. The boundary, the pass, is gone. You would know better than I if it would have ever been any use in what you wanted, but in all these years, you have not found a way to make it so. If you wish to continue the pursuit of your oath, you will find no help here. Perhaps in Aydindril, you will.”

“Helping to stop the Keeper does not mean you must break your oath to yourself. If my knowledge and help can be of any aid in what you seek, I offer it gladly. Just as you know things I do not, I know things you don’t. I am, after all, the First Wizard. Perhaps what I know will help you. Pell would not want you to bring him your message that you did not betray him, if it meant you must betray everyone else.”

Adie picked up the yellow flower, twirling it between her finger and thumb a moment before setting it down again. Gripping the edge of the table, she pushed herself to her feet. She stood a moment, and then lifted her head to gaze with her white eyes around the room once more.

Smoothing her robes at her hips, as if to make herself presentable, she limped around the table to stand behind his chair. Zedd felt her hands rest on his shoulders. Unexpectedly, she leaned over and kissed the top of his head and smoothed his unruly hair with gentle fingers. Zedd was relieved the fingers hadn’t gone around his throat. He thought they might, after some of the things he had said.

“Thank you, my friend, for hearing my tale, and for helping me to find the meaning in it. My Pell would have liked you. You both be men of honor. I accept your word that you will help me tell my Pell.”

Zedd twisted around in his chair and raised his face to her soft smile and kind eyes. “I will do whatever I can to help you keep your oath. You have my oath on that.”

Her smile widened as she smoothed down a stray lock of his white hair. “Now. Tell me of the Stone of Tears. We must decide what is to be done with it.”

Chapter 23

“The Stone of Tears? Well, it is hidden.”

She gave a single, firm nod. “Good. It not be something to be loose in this world.” Her brow wrinkled in a little frown. “It be hidden well? It be safe?”

Zedd winced a little. He didn’t want to tell her, he knew what she would say, but he had promised. “I put it on a chain. Put it on a chain and hung it around the neck of a little girl. I don’t know ... exactly ... where she is right now.”

“You touched it!” Adie’s eyes widened. “The Stone of Tears? You touched it, and hung it around the neck of a little girl!”

She gripped his chin firmly in her suddenly powerful fingers and leaned close to his face. “You have hung the Stone of Tears, the Stone that it be told was hung by the Creator Himself around the Keeper’s neck to lock him in the underworld ... You hung that around a little girl’s neck? And let her wander off!”

Zedd scowled defensively. “Well, I had to do something with it. I couldn’t just leave it lying about.”

Adie smacked the palm of her hand to her forehead. “Just as he makes me think him wise, he shows me he be a fool indeed. Dear spirits, save me from the hands you have placed me in.”

Zedd shot to his feet. “And just what would you have done with it!”

“Well, I would have certainly given it more thought than you seem to have done. And I wouldn’t have touched it! It be a thing from another world!” She turned her back to him, shaking her head and whispering things in her foreign tongue.

Zedd shifted his robes, straightening them with a firm tug. “I didn’t have the luxury of time to give it any thought. We were attacked by a screeling. If I had left it there ...”

Adie spun around. “A screeling! You be full of good news, old man.” She jabbed a finger against his chest. “That still be no good excuse. You still should not have ...”

“Not have what? Not have picked it up? I should have let the screeling pick it up, instead?”

“Screelings be assassins. They not be there to take the Stone.”

Zedd jabbed a finger right back at her. “You know that? Are you so sure? Would you have been willing to have risked everything on it? And if you were wrong, let the Keeper have the Stone to do with as he would? Are you so sure, Adie?”

Her hand dropped to her side as she stared at his frown. “No. I guess not. It could be as you say. There be a chance the screeling may have taken it. Perhaps you did the only thing you could do.” She shook the finger at him. “But to hang it around the neck of a little girl ...!”

“And where would you have had me keep it? In my pocket? In the pocket of a wizard? In the pocket of one with the gift, where the Keeper is sure to look first? Or perhaps you would have had me hide it, in a place only I knew, where, if a baneling gets his hands on me and somehow makes me talk, I could tell him it would be, so he could go and collect it?”

Adie folded her arms with a muttered curse. At last her expression relaxed. “Well... perhaps ...”

“Perhaps nothing. I had no choice. It was an act of desperation. I did the only thing I could do, given the circumstances.”

She let out a tired sigh, then nodded. “You be right, wizard. You did the best you could have done.” She patted the top of his shoulder. “Foolish as it be,” she added under her breath. Her hand gave a gentle push. “Sit. Let me show you something.”

Zedd sat as he watched her limp across the room toward the shelves. “I would rather have done anything else, Adie,” he said sorrowfully, “than what I had to do.”

She nodded as she walked. “I know....” She stopped and turned. “A screeling, you say?” Zedd nodded. “You be sure it be a screeling?” He arched an eyebrow. “Yes, of course you be sure.” Her brow creased in thought. “Screelings be the Keeper’s assassins. They be singleminded, and extremely dangerous, but they not be very smart. They must have something to show them the one they be after, a way to find them. They not be good at searching in this world. How could the Keeper know where you be? How could the screeling know to find you? Know it be you he be after?”

Zedd shrugged. “I don’t know. I was where the boxes had been opened. But it had been some time since it had happened. There would be no way to know I was still there.”

“And did you destroy the screeling?”

“Yes.”

“That be good. The Keeper will not waste the effort to send another, not after you have proven you be able to defeat it.”

Zedd threw his hands up. “Oh yes, just wonderful. Screelings are sent to eliminate a threat to the Keeper. It was probably sent to rid the Keeper of my meddling, just as the Keeper sent a baneling to rid himself of your interference. You’re right: he will not send another screeling, now that I’ve proven that I can defeat one. He will send something worse.”

“If indeed it be sent for you.” She touched a finger to her lower lip as she mumbled to herself. “Where be the Stone when you found it?”

“Next to the box that had been opened.”

“And where came the screeling?”

“In the same room as the boxes, as the Stone.”

She shook her head in puzzlement. “Perhaps it could be as you say, that it came to get the Stone, but it makes no sense for a screeling to come for the Stone. I wonder how he found you.” She limped on toward the shelves. “Something had to guide him.”

Balancing on her toes, she peered to the back of a shelf, carefully pushing aside various objects, at last retrieving what she sought. Holding it in one hand, she limped back and placed it carefully on the table. It was a little bigger than a hen’s egg, round, and age-darkened with a deep patina that was a brownish black in the recesses. It was masterfully carved into the shape of a vicious beast, all balled up, but glaring with eyes that seemed to watch you no matter which way it was held. It looked to be bone, and very old.

Zedd picked it up, testing its weight. It was much heavier than he thought it should have been. “What’s this?”

“A woman, a sorceress, gave this to me when I went to her, to learn. She be on her deathbed. She asked if I knew of the skrin. I told her what I knew. She sighed with relief, and then said something that made my skin prickle. She said she had been waiting for me, as the prophecies had told her to do. She placed this in my hand, saying it be carved from the bone of a skrin.”

Adie flicked her hand toward the walls, and then toward the bone pile. “I have a whole skrin here, among the bones. I did battle with one once, in the pass. His bones be here. His skull be on the shelf. It be the one that fell on the floor.”

She put a thin finger on the carved bone sphere in Zedd’s hand as she leaned toward him and lowered her raspy voice. “This, the old one said, must be guarded, by one who understands. She told me it be of ancient magic, made by wizards of old, possibly with their hand guided by the Creator Himself. Made because of prophecies.”

“She said it may be the most important thing of magic I would ever touch. That it be invested with more power than she or I would ever understand. She said that it be of skrin bone, and of skrin force, that it be a talisman that be of importance if the veil ever be in danger.”

“I asked how it was to be used, how the magic worked, and how it had come into her hands. She be very exhausted from the excitement of my coming to her, and said she must rest. She told me to come back to her in the morning and she would tell me everything she knew. When I returned, she had died.” Adie gave him a meaningful look. “Her death be a little too timely to suit me.”

Zedd had had the same thought. “But you have no idea what it is, or how it is to be used?”

“No.”

Already, Zedd was using magic to lift it on a cushion of air, floating it in space, watching it slowly spin. The whole time the finely carved eyes of the beast peered back as the ball revolved before him. “Have you tried using any magic on it?”

“I be afraid to try.”

Zedd held his bony hands to each side of the floating carving, probing gently with different kinds of force, different sorts of magic, letting them shift and slide over the round bone, testing, searching gingerly for a crack, a shield, a trigger.

It had the oddest feel to it. The magic reflected back as if it had touched nothing, as if the thing weren’t there at all. Perhaps it could be a shield he had never seen before. He increased the force. It slipped against the carving like new shoe leather on ice.

Adie wrung her hands. “I do not think you should be ...”

The flame of the lamp puffed out. A thin thread of greasy smoke curled from the abruptly dead wick. The room was left to the flickering shadows cast from the fire in the hearth. Zedd frowned at the dark lamp.

A sudden crash brought both their heads jerking around. The skull rolled across the floor toward where they sat. Halfway there, it wobbled and rocked to a stop, right side up. Empty eye sockets stared up at the two of them. Long fangs rested on the wood floor.

The carved bone ball thumped to the table, bouncing twice, as Zedd and Adie came to their feet.

“What foolish thing did you do, old man?”

Zedd stared at the skull. “I didn’t do anything.”

More bones tumbled from the shelves. Bones hanging on the wall clattered to the floor, some bouncing and flipping back into the air as they struck.

Zedd and Adie both turned to a racket behind them. The bone pile rattled apart, bones toppling and spilling over one another as the pile pulled itself apart. Some of the bones, as if alive, slid or rolled across the floor, toward the skull. Sliding along the floor, a rib bone caught the leg of a chair and spun around, but continued on.

Zedd twisted to Adie, but she was hurrying to the shelf above the counter behind the table, the one covered with the blue-and-white-striped cloth.

“Adie, what are you doing? What’s going on?”

Bones collected in increasing number around the skull.

She yanked the cloth away, ripping it from its hooks. “Leave! Before it be too late!”

“What’s going on!”

Jars and tins clanged together as she shoved them aside. She pushed her hand farther along the shelf, fingers searching blindly. Canisters thudded to the floor. A jar tumbled out, shattering on the edge of the counter, throwing sparkling shards of glass over the table and chairs. A thick, dark mass from the jar oozed over the edge of the counter, carrying splinters of glass with it, making it look like nothing more than a melting porcupine.

“Do as I say, wizard! Leave! Now!”

Zedd rushed toward her, glass crunching under his feet. He jerked to a halt when he glanced over his shoulder toward the skull.

It was level with his eyes, bones collecting and assembling under it as it rose into the air. A few rib bones ranked themselves, vertebrae slipped into line, talons tipped claws, leg bones erected to the side of each flank. The jaw snapped into place as the skull rose toward the ceiling.

Zedd spun toward Adie, snatched her by the arm, yanking her toward him. She came away from the counter clutching a small tin in her other hand.

“Adie, what’s happening!”

Her head tilted up toward the skull brushing the ceiling. “What do you see?”

“What do I see! Bags, woman! I see a bunch of bones come to life!”

The shoulders of the skrin hunched as the thing grew with the addition of more bones. More yet were sliding across the floor toward it.

Adie gaped at him. “I don’t see bones. I see flesh.”

“Flesh! Bags! I thought you said you killed that thing.”

“I said I battled it. I do not know that a skrin can be killed. I do not think they be alive. You be right about one thing, wizard: since you be able to defeat a screeling, the Keeper sent worse.”

“How did he know where we were? How does the skrin know where we are? All these bones are supposed to hide us!”

“I do not know. I cannot understand how ...”

A skeletal arm swept toward them. Zedd lurched back, pulling her with him. Yet more bones assembled. Adie was frantically unscrewing the tin as he dragged her around the back of the table. The lid came off, dropping to the floor, spinning like a top. The skrin lunged, bringing an arm down. With a loud crack, the table shattered into splinters.

The round, carved ball bounced across the floor. Zedd tried to snatch it with a magic, but it was like trying to pinch a pumpkin seed with greased fingers. He tried to scoop it up with air compressed around it, but it slipped away and rolled into the corner.

The skrin skeleton leapt at them. They both went down in a heap as he yanked her back. Zedd hauled her to her feet as she thrust her hand into the little tin. The skrin was having trouble moving quickly; it had grown too large to fit beneath the ceiling.

The jaws of the beast opened wide, as if to roar. No sound came forth, but Zedd could feel a blast of air. It made their robes flap and fly as if in a wind.

Adie’s hand came out of the tin, flinging sparkling white sand at the beast.

Sorcerer’s sand. The fool woman had sorcerer’s sand.

The skrin staggered back a step, shaking its head. It recovered in an instant, lurching forward again. Zedd unleashed a ball of fire. It passed among the bones to splatter liquid flame against the far wall. The tongues of flame sputtered out, leaving behind a sooty splotch. Zedd tried air, since fire didn’t work. It had no effect.

The two of them sidestepped across the room as the beast whirled to attack again. Zedd tried different elements of magic while he pulled Adie along with him. She ignored the danger as she poured the rest of the sorcerer’s sand into her hand. When the skrin made another silent roar, she flung the sand with a foreign incantation. The blast of air from the roar died as she spoke the words. The skrin seemed to inhale, taking in the sparkling white sand. The jaws snapped closed as the head drew back.

“That be all I have,” she said. “I hope it be enough.”

The skrin shook its head, then spat out the sand in a cloud of sparkles. It came for them again, but when he tugged on her sleeve she yanked her arm away. Zedd tried sending logs and chairs flying into the bone beast, trying to distract it while she scurried around behind it. They simply bounced off.

Stabbing a hand into a pocket, he brought out a handful of sparkling dust of his own. With a quick flick, he sent it into the center of the bone collection standing before him. It had no more effect than had Adie’s sorcerer’s sand. Nothing he could do seemed to be much of a distraction, and it soon turned its attention to Adie. She was snatching an ancient bone from the wall. Feathers dangled from one end, strings of red and yellow beads from the other.

Zedd grabbed a bone arm, but the beast flung him away.

As the skrin reeled to her, she shook the bone at the thing, casting spells in her own tongue. The skrin snapped at her. She yanked her hand back just in time to save it, but not the bone talisman. It was splintered in half.

That was it. He had no idea how to fight the thing, and Adie wasn’t having any success. He dove under the head toward her, rolling to his feet.

“Come on! We have to get out of here!”

“I can’t leave. There be things of great value here.”

“Grab what you can, we’re leaving.”

“Get the round bone I showed you.”

Zedd tried to dodge and lunge toward the corner, but the skrin snapped and swept talon-tipped claws at him. He fought back with blasts of every kind of magic he had. Before he realized it, he was losing ground, and had nowhere to retreat.

“Adie, we have to get out now!”

“We cannot leave that bone! It be important for the veil!”

She ran for the corner. Zedd grabbed for her but missed. The skrin almost did, too. It caught her with a claw, ripping a gash down her arm. She cried out as she was flung against the wall, rebounding to sprawl facedown on the floor. More bones crashed down around her.

Zedd caught a handful of the hem of her robe, dragging her back as talons raked the wall, just missing his head. Adie clawed at the floor, trying to get away from him, to get to the round bone in the corner.

The skrin reared back with a silent roar. The ceiling ripped open as the beast stood to its full height. Huge chunks and splinters of wood rained down. Claws raked wildly, tearing the wood of the walls. Fangs ripped at the roof. Zedd pulled Adie toward the door as she fought him.

“There be things here I must take! Important things! It has taken me a lifetime to find them!”

“There’s no time, Adie! We can’t save them now!”

She tore away from his grasp, lunging toward the bone talismans on the wall. The skrin went for her. Zedd used magic to yank her back. He grabbed her in both arms and fell backward with her through the doorway just as a claw splintered it.

They rolled to their feet. Zedd scrambled into a run, pulling her along as she fought him. She tried using magic on him, but he shielded against it. The night air was frigid. Clouds of their breath streamed away with the cold wind as they both ran and fought each other.

Adie wailed like a mother watching her child being slaughtered. Her arms, one soaked with blood, stretched toward the house. “Please! My things! I must not leave them! You do not understand! They be important magic!”

The skrin tore at the walls to get out, to get at the two of them.

“Adie!” He pulled her face close to his. “They are no good to you dead. We will come back for them, after we get away from that thing.”

Her chest heaved. Tears welled up in her eyes. “Please, Zedd. Please, my bones. You don’t understand. They be important. They have magic. They may help us to close the veil. If they fall into the wrong hands ...”

Zedd whistled for the horse. He was moving again, pulling her along with him. She protested every step of the way.

“Zedd, Please! Don’t do this! Don’t leave them!”

“Adie! If we die, we can’t help anyone!”

The horse galloped up, skidding to a stop. Her wide eyes rolled in near panic as she saw the thing pulling itself through the walls of the house, splintering and snapping boards and beams. She gave a frightened scream, but held her ground as Zedd gripped her mane and threw himself on her back, hauling Adie up behind.

“Go! Fly like the wind, girl!”

Hooves flung chunks of dirt and moss high into the air as the horse leapt out, fangs snapping at her flanks. Zedd crouched forward, Adie clutching him around the waist as they galloped into the darkness. The skrin wasn’t ten strides behind, and looked to be as fast as the horse. At least it wasn’t faster. Zedd could hear the teeth snapping. The horse squealed when they did, stretching to run with everything she had. He wondered who could run the longest, the horse or the skrin, and he was afraid he knew the answer.

Chapter 24

Richard’s eyes opened. “I think someone is coming.”

Sister Verna was sitting on the other side of the small fire, writing in the little book she kept tucked behind her belt. She looked up from under her eyebrows. “You have touched your Han, yes?”

“No,” he admitted. His legs ached. He must have been sitting without moving for at least an hour. “But I’m telling you, I think someone is coming.”

They did this every night, and it was no different this time. He would sit and picture the sword, on a blank background, and try to reach that place within himself that she said was there, but he could not find, while she watched him, or wrote in her little book, or touched her own Han. He had not visualized the sword on a black square with a white border since the first night. He had no desire to chance revisiting that nightmare.

“I am beginning to think I’m not able to touch my Han. I’m trying my best, but it just isn’t working.”

She drew the book close to her face in the moonlight and resumed writing. “I have told you before, Richard, it is something that takes time. You have not yet begun to have had enough practice. Do not be discouraged. It comes when it comes.”

“Sister Verna, I’m telling you, someone is coming.”

She kept writing. “And if you are not able to touch your Han, Richard, how would you know this? Hmm?”

“I don’t know.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I’ve spent a lot of time alone in the woods. Sometimes I can just feel when someone is near. Don’t you ever know when someone is near? Haven’t you ever felt someone’s eyes on you?”

“Only with the aid of my Han,” she said as she wrote.

He watched as firelight flickered across her dispassionate face. “Sister Verna, you said we were in dangerous lands. I’m telling you, someone is coming.”

She leafed back through the book, squinting as she read in the dim light. “And how long have you known this, Richard?”

“I told you as soon as I had the feeling, just a moment ago.”

She lowered the book to her lap and looked up. “But you say you did not touch your Han? You felt nothing within yourself? You felt no power? Saw no light? Did not sense the Creator?” Her eyes narrowed. “You had better not be lying to me, Richard. You had better never lie to me about touching your Han.”

“Sister Verna, you’re not listening! Someone is coming!”

She closed the book. “Richard, I have known since you began your practice that someone approaches.”

He stared at her in surprise. “Then why are we just sitting here?”

“We are not just sitting here. You are practicing reaching your Han, and I’m tending to my business.”

“Why haven’t you said anything? You told me this land is dangerous.”

Sister Verna sighed and began tucking her book back behind her wide belt. “Because they were still some distance off. There was nothing else for us to do but to continue. You need the practice. You must keep trying until you are able to touch your Han.” She shook her head with resignation. “But I suppose you are too agitated now to continue. They are still ten or fifteen minutes away; we may as well begin packing our things.”

“Why now? Why didn’t we leave as soon as you sensed them?”

“Because we had been spotted. Once we have been discovered, there is no way to escape these people. This is their land; we would not be able to outrun them. It’s probably a sentinel who has found us.”

“Then why do you want to pack to leave now?”

She regarded him as if he were hopelessly thick. “Because we can’t spend the night here after we kill them.”

Richard leapt to his feet. “Kill them! You don’t even know who is coming, and already you plan to kill them?”

Sister Verna stood, drawing herself up straight, and peered into his eyes. “Richard, I have done my best to prevent this. Have we seen anyone else before now? No. Even though these people cover this land like a swarm of angry ants, we have seen no one. I have led us between anyone I could sense with my Han, in an effort to avoid contact. I have done my best to avoid trouble. Sometimes, even when you do your best, trouble cannot be avoided. I do not want to kill these people, but they are intent on killing us.”

That certainly explained why they had been traveling such a peculiar route. Although they had been heading steadily southeast for weeks, they had done so in an odd fashion. Without ever explaining, she had directed them first one way, then another, occasionally backtracking, but always, relentlessly, southeast.

The barren land had become progressively rockier and more desolate. He had not bothered asking about their route because he didn’t think she would tell him, and because he didn’t care. Wherever they went, he was still a prisoner.

Richard scratched his new beard as he started kicking dirt over the fire. It was a warm night, as most had been lately. He wondered what had happened to winter. “We don’t even know who they are yet. You can’t just go killing anyone that shows up.”

“Richard.” She clasped her hands together. “Not all the Sisters who try to return are successful. Many are killed trying to cross these lands. In every case, there were three Sisters. I am but one. Not good odds.”

The horses nickered and began moving about, tossing their heads and pawing their hooves. Richard strapped the baldric over his shoulder. He checked that the sword was clear in its scabbard.

“You were wrong, Sister, not to try to get away as soon as you knew. If you have to fight, it should be because there is no other way. You didn’t even try.”

Hands still clasped together, she watched him. Her voice was soft but firm. “These people are intent upon killing us, Richard. Both of us. If we had tried to run, this one would have alerted the others, and brought hundreds, thousands, to bring us down. I have not run so as to embolden this one into trying to take us himself, so we can end the threat.”

“I’m not killing people for you, Sister Verna.”

As they glared at each other, he heard a scream: a woman’s scream. He stared out into the night, trying to see into the shadows of the rocky spires, trying to see where the scream came from. He couldn’t see anyone, but the screams and cries were coming closer.

Richard kicked dirt over the last of the flames and sprinted to the horses, calming them with reassuring words and gentle strokes. He didn’t care what she said, he wasn’t killing people on her word. The woman was crazy not to want to try to escape.

She probably wanted a fight, just to see what he would do. She was always watching him as if he were a bug in a box. She questioned him every time he practiced trying to touch his Han. Whatever the Han was, he hadn’t been able to sense it, much less touch it or call it forth. Just as well, as far as he was concerned.

Richard was starting toward the saddlebags, to gather the rest of their things, when a woman came running out of the night. Cloak flying behind, and crying in terror, she ran headlong into their camp. She let out a wail and dashed desperately for him.

“Please!” she cried out. “Please help me! Please don’t let them get me!”

Her loose hair streamed behind as she ran. The naked fear on her face ran a shiver up Richard’s spine. She stumbled as she reached him. Richard caught her frail form in his arms. Her dirty face was streaked with sweat and tears.

“Please, sir,” she sobbed, looking up at him with dark eyes, “please don’t let them get me. You don’t know what those men will do to me.”

Richard’s mind filled with the fright of remembering Kahlan being pursued by the quads. He remembered how terrified she had been of those men, and how she had spoken almost the same words: You don’t know what those men will do to me.

“No one is going to get you. You are safe now.”

The woman’s arms came out from under her cloak, slipping around him. Her dark eyes stayed on his as he held her weight.

She opened her mouth as if to speak, but instead gave a little grunt and jerked. Light seemed to flash from within her eyes. She went slack and heavy in his arms.

Richard looked up into Sister Verna’s unwavering gaze as she yanked the silver knife from the woman’s back. Richard felt himself letting the dead weight slip to the ground. The woman slumped fluidly and rolled onto her back.

The night air rang with the sound of steel as Richard drew the sword.

“What’s the matter with you?” he hissed. “You have just murdered this woman.”

Sister Verna returned his glare in kind. “I thought you said you held no foolish prohibitions against killing women.”

The wrath of the sword’s magic pounded through him, raging to be set free. “You are mad.” He was rushing toward a lethal precipice. The sword’s point rose in anger.

“Before you would think to kill me,” Sister Verna said in a measured tone, “you had better make sure you are not making a mistake.” Richard didn’t answer. He was incapable of speaking through the fury. “Look in her hand, Richard.”

He looked down at the lifeless body. Her hands were covered by her heavy woolen cloak. Using the sword, he flicked the cloak back off her arm to reveal a knife still gripped in her dead fist. The point had a dark stain on it.

“Did she scratch you with the knife?”

Richard’s chest still heaved with anger. “No. Why?”

“Her knife is coated with poison. All it would take is a scratch.”

“What makes you think it was meant for me! She was probably hoping to defend herself from the men who are chasing her!”

“There are no men chasing her. She is a sentry. You are always telling me to stop treating you like a child, Richard. Stop acting like one. I know about these people, how they do things. She meant to kill us.”

He could feel the muscles in his jaw flex as he gritted his teeth. “We could have tried to get away when she first spotted us.”

She nodded. “Yes, and we would have died. I am telling you, Richard, I know these people. The wilds are layered like an onion with different peoples, all of whom, will kill us if they find us. Had we let her reach her kind, they would have caught us and killed us.”

“Don’t let the anger of your sword close your eyes. She has a poison knife in her hand, she had it to your back, and she fell into your arms to be able to get close enough to use it. You foolishly let her do so.” She turned a little and swept an arm behind. “Where are the ones chasing her?” She let the arm drop to her side. “There is no one else. I could sense them with my Han if there were. She was alone. I have just saved your life.”

He drove the Sword of Truth back into its scabbard. “You have done me no great favor, Sister Verna.”

He didn’t know what to believe. He knew only that he was sick of magic, and weary of death. “What is that knife you keep up your sleeve? What’s the light in their eyes when you kill with it?”

“It’s called a dacra. I guess it could be compared to the poison blade she was carrying. With the dacra it’s not the wound itself that kills; the dacra extinguishes the spark of life.” Her eyes lowered. “It’s a painful thing to steal a life. Sometimes, it is the only way. This, tonight, was the only way to save our lives, whether you choose to believe it or not.”

“All I know, Sister Verna, is that you use it without hesitation, and that you didn’t even try anything else.” He started to turn away. “I’m going to bury her.”

“Richard.” She smoothed her skirt. “I hope you understand, and that you don’t misinterpret our actions, but when we reach the palace, we may have to take the Sword of Truth from you. For your own good.”

“Why? How could that be for my own good?”

She clasped her hands together again. “The prophecy that you have invoked, the one that says ‘He is the bringer of death, and he shall so name himself,’ is a very dangerous prophecy. It goes on to say that the holder of the sword is able to call the dead forth, call the past into the present.”

“What does that mean?”

“We don’t know.”

“Prophecies,” he muttered. “Prophecies are just stupid riddles, Sister. You invest too much concern in them. You admit that you don’t understand them, yet try to follow them. Only a fool follows blindly what he doesn’t understand. If it were true, I would call the dead forth and give this woman’s life back to her.”

“We know a lot more about them than you think. I believe it would be for the best if we took the sword, just for safekeeping, until we understand the prophecy better.”

“Sister Verna, if someone took the dacra from you, would you still be a Sister?”

“Of course. The dacra is simply a tool to help us in our job. It doesn’t make us who we are.”

He smiled a cold smile. “It’s the same with the sword. With or without it, I am still the Seeker. I would be no less a danger to you. Taking it away from me will not save you.”

Her fists tightened. “It is not the same.”

“You are not taking the sword,” he said flatly. “You could never understand how much I hate this sword, hate its magic, and how much I wish to be rid of it, but it was given to me when I was named Seeker. It was given to me to be mine for as long as I wish to hold it. I am the Seeker, and I, not you, or anyone else, will decide when I am to give it up.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Named Seeker? You did not find the sword? Or purchase it? It was given by a wizard? You were named Seeker? A real Seeker? By a wizard?”

“I was.”

“Who was this wizard?”

“The one I told you of before: Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander.”

“You met him just this once, when he gave you the sword?”

“No. I have spent my whole life with him. He practically raised me. He is my grandfather.”

There was a long moment of dead silence. “And he named you Seeker, because he refused to teach you to control the gift? To be a wizard?”

“Refused! When he realized I had the gift, he practically begged to teach me to be a wizard.”

“He offered?” she whispered.

“That’s right. I told him I didn’t want to be a wizard.” Something was wrong. She seemed disturbed by this news. “He said the offer still stands. Why?”

She rubbed her hands absently. “It is just ... unusual, that’s all. Many things about you are unusual.”

Richard didn’t know if he believed her. He wondered if maybe he didn’t need the collar, if Zedd could have helped him without it.

But Kahlan had wanted it on him. She had wanted him taken away. His insides twisted with that pain.

The sword was the only thing he had of Zedd. It was given to him when he was still back in Westland, when he was home. He missed his home, his woods. The sword was the only thing left of Zedd, and home.

“Sister, I was named Seeker, and given this sword, for as long as I wish to keep it and be Seeker. I will be the one to decide when the time has come to give it up. If you wish to take it away from me, then try to do it now. If you try, one of us is going to die in the attempt. At the moment, I don’t much care which one of us it is. But I intend to fight to the death. It’s mine by right, and you are not taking it as long as there is a breath of life in me.”

He listened to the distant howl of an animal dying a sudden, violent death, and then to the long, empty silence that followed.

“Since you were given the sword, and did not simply find it, or purchase it, you may keep it. I will not take it from you. I cannot speak for the others, but I will try to see to your wishes. It is the gift we must tend to. It is that magic we must teach you to control.”

She drew herself up and regarded him with an expression of such cold danger it made him have to fight the urge to shrink back. “But if you ever again draw it against me, I will make you rue the day the Creator let you take your first breath.” Her jaw muscles tightened. “Do we understand each other?”

“What’s so important about me that you would kill to capture me?”

Her cold composure was more frightening than if she had yelled at him. “Our job is to help those with the gift, because the gift is given by the Creator. We serve the Creator. It is for him we die. I’ve lost two of my oldest friends because of you. I’ve wept myself to sleep with grief for them. I’ve had to kill this woman tonight, and I may have to kill others before we reach the palace.”

Richard had the feeling it would be best to keep quiet, but he couldn’t. She had a way of stirring the coals of his anger to flame. “Don’t try to assuage your guilt over what you’ve done at my expense, Sister.”

Her face heated with color that he could see, even in the moonlight. “I’ve tried to be patient with you, Richard. I’ve given you leeway because you’ve been pulled from the only life you have known, and been thrust into a situation you fear and don’t understand, but my patience is near its end.”

“I’ve tried my best not to see the lifeless bodies of my friends when I look into your eyes. Or when you tell me I’m heartless. I’ve tried not to think about you being the one standing at their burial, not me, and about the things I would have said over their fresh graves. There are things going on that are beyond my understanding, beyond my expectations, beyond what I was led to believe. Were it up to me, I’m of a mind to grant you your wish and remove your Rada’Han, and let you die in madness and pain. But it’s not up to me. It is the Creator’s work I do.”

Although the hot coals of his temper hadn’t been doused, they had cooled. “Sister Verna, I’m sorry.” He wished she would scream at him. That would be better than her calm anger, her quiet displeasure.

“You are angered because you think I treat you as a child, and not as a man, and yet you have given me no reason to do otherwise. I know where you stand, in your abilities, and where you have yet to travel. In that journey you are no more than a babe who bawls to be turned loose in the world, yet cannot even walk. The collar you wear is capable of controlling you. It is also capable of giving you pain. Great pain. Up until now, I have avoided using it, and have tried instead to encourage you in other ways to accept what must be done. But if I have to, I will use it. The Creator knows I’ve tried everything else.”

“We will soon be in a land much more dangerous than this. We will have to deal with the people there to get through. The Sisters have arrangements with them, to be allowed to pass. You will do as I tell you, as they tell you. You will do the things you are told, or there will be a great deal of trouble.”

Richard’s suspicion flared anew. “What things?”

She glared at him. “Do not test me further tonight, Richard.”

“As long as you understand you’re not getting my sword without a fight.”

“We are only trying to help you, Richard, but if you draw a weapon on me again, I will see to it you greatly regret it.” She glanced to the Agiel hanging at his neck. “Mord-Sith hold no monopoly in giving pain.”

Cold confirmation of his suspicions spread through his gut. They intended to train him the way a Mord-Sith trained him. That was the real reason for the collar. That was how they intended to teach him: with pain. For the first time, he felt as if she had inadvertently let him see the bones of her intentions.

She pulled the little book from her belt. “I have some work to do before we leave. Go bury her. And hide her body well; if it’s found, it will tell them what happened, and they will be after us, and then I will have killed for nothing.”

She sat in front of the cold jumble of firewood. With a smooth sweep of her hand over the dark coals, it burst into flame. “After you’ve buried her, I want you to go for a walk and let your temper cool. Do not return until it has done so. If you try to wander away, or if you don’t bring some reason into that thick head of yours by the time I’m ready to leave, I will bring you back by the collar.” She gave him a menacing look from under her eyebrows. “You will not like it if I have to do that. I promise you, you will not like it one bit.”

The dead woman was slight, and little burden to carry. He hardly noticed the weight as he walked away from the camp into the low, rocky hills. The moon was up and the way easy to see. His mind swirled with his brooding thoughts as he trudged along, kicking an occasional stone.

Richard was surprised at his pang of pain for Sister Verna. She had never before revealed how heartsick she was over the deaths of Sisters Grace and Elizabeth. He had thought that because she hadn’t said anything, she was callous. He felt sorry for her now, sorry for her anguish. He wished she hadn’t let him know. It was easier to rail against his situation when he thought she was heartless.

He found himself a long way from their camp, at the crest of a hump of ground, with rocky walls and spires rising around him. His mind came out of his twisting thoughts and returned to the body he carried on his back. Though the stab wound from the dacra might not have been what had killed her, blood had nonetheless seeped down her back, matting her hair and soaking his shoulder. He felt sudden revulsion at carrying a dead woman around on his back.

He laid the body gently on the rocky ground and looked about, searching for a place to lay her to rest. He had a small shovel hooked to his belt, but there didn’t look to be easy digging anywhere. Maybe he could wall her up in one of the rocky crags.

While he peered into the shadowed gullies, he absently rubbed the still sore burn on his chest. Nissel, the healer, had given him a poultice, and every day he spread it on before covering the wound once more with a bandage. He didn’t like looking at it. He didn’t like seeing the scar of a handprint burned into his flesh.

Sister Verna had said it could have been that he had burned himself in the fireplace in the spirit house, or that they might have indeed called forth the dark minions of the Nameless One. It obviously wasn’t a burn from the fire; it was the mark of the underworld. Of Darken Rani.

He was somehow ashamed of it, and never let Sister Verna see it. The scar was a constant reminder of his father’s true identity. It seemed an affront to George Cypher, the man he thought of as his father, the man who had raised him, trusted and taught him, given him his love, and whom he had loved in return.

The mark was also a constant reminder of the monster he really was—the monster Kahlan had wanted collared and sent away.

Richard swatted at a bug buzzing around his face. He looked down. They were buzzing around the dead woman, too. He went cold with a jolt of fright even before he felt the sting of a bite on his neck.

Blood flies.

He drew his sword in a rush as the huge, dark shape lunged from behind the rock. The ringing sound of steel was drowned out by a roar. Wings spread wide, the gar dove for him. For an instant, he thought he saw a second, hunched in the shadows behind the first, but his attention was immediately seized by the immense thing descending on him, by the fierce, glowing, green eyes locked on him.

It was too big to be a long-tailed gar, and by the way it anticipated and avoided his first stab, too smart. It would have to be a short-tailed gar, he cursed silently. It was thinner than short-tailed gars he had seen before, probably the result of poor hunting in this desolate land, but thin or not, it was still huge, towering half again as tall as he.

Richard stumbled and fell over the dead woman as he lurched back to escape the swipe of a massive claw. He came up swinging the sword in fury, letting the anger of the sword’s magic surge through him. The tip of the sword sliced a gash across the smooth, taut, pink stomach. The gar howled in rage as it rushed him again, unexpectedly batting him to the ground with a leathery wing.

Richard rolled to his feet, whirling the sword as he came up. The blade flashed in the moonlight, taking off a wingtip in a spray of blood. That only enraged the gar into lunging toward him. Long, wet fangs ripped at the night air. Its eyes were ablaze with a furious green glow. The howling roar hurt his ears. Claws swept in to each side of him.

The magic pounded through him, demanding blood. Instead of dodging the advance, Richard ducked. He sprang up, driving the sword through the chest of the great, fur-covered beast. He yanked the blade back with a twisting cut to the sound of a scream of mortal pain.

Richard pulled the sword behind, prepared to take the hideous head off with a powerful stroke, but the gar didn’t come at him. Claws clutched to the gushing wound at its chest, it teetered a moment, and then toppled heavily onto its back, bones in its wings snapping as it fell on them.

A keening wail came from the shadows. Richard retreated a few paces. A small, dark form darted across the ground, to the vanquished monster, falling on top of it. Little wings wrapped around the heaving chest.

Richard stared in disbelief. It was a baby gar.

The wounded beast lifted a shaking claw to clutch weakly at the whimpering form. It drew a gurgling breath that lifted the little gar sprawled atop its chest. The arm dropped to the side. Faintly glowing green eyes drank in its little one, and then looked up at Richard with pleading pain. A froth of blood bubbled as it expelled its last, rattling breath. The glow in its eyes waned, and then it was still. With plaintive cries, the little creature seized small fistfuls of fur.

Little or not, Richard thought, it is still a gar. He stepped close. He had to kill it. The rage pounded through him. He lifted the sword over his head.

The little gar drew a trembling wing over its head as it shrank back. As frightened as it was, it would not leave its mother. It whimpered in anguish and fear.

A terrified little face peered over the trembling wing. Wide, wet, green eyes blinked up at him. Tears ran down the deep creases in its cheeks as it sobbed in distress with a purling wail.

“Dear spirits,” Richard whispered, as he stood paralyzed, “I can’t do this.”

The little gar quivered as it watched the sword’s point sink to the ground. Richard turned his back and closed his eyes. He felt sick, both from the sword’s magic, which inflicted upon him the pain of his vanquished foe, and from the dreadful prospect of what he had been ready to do.

As he replaced the sword, he drew a deep breath to steady himself, then lifted the dead woman over his shoulder and started off. He could hear the choking sobs of the little gar as it clung to its still mother. He couldn’t kill it. He just couldn’t. Besides, he told himself, the sword wouldn’t allow it. The magic only worked against threat. It wouldn’t allow him to kill the little gar. He knew it wouldn’t.

Of course, it would work if he turned the blade white, but he couldn’t bear that pain. He would not subject himself to that agony, not for no more purpose than to kill a defenseless pup. He carried the dead woman’s body toward the next rise as he listened to the whimpers grow faint. Laying the body down again, he sat to catch his breath. He could just see the great beast in the moonlight, a dark blotch against the light-colored rock, and the small form atop it. He could hear the slow sounds of anguish and confusion. Richard sat a long time, watching, listening.

“Dear spirits, what have I done?”

The spirits, as usual, had nothing to say.

Out of the corner of his eye, movement caught his attention. Two distant silhouettes passed in front of the big, bright moon. They banked into a slow turn, and began to descend. Two gars.

Richard came to his feet. Maybe they would see the baby and help it. He found himself cheering them on, and then realized how absurd it was to hope a gar would live. But he was beginning to feel an odd sympathy for monsters.

Richard ducked down. The two gars overhead came close to him as they swept in a wide circle around the scene on the next hill. Their spiral tightened.

The little gar fell silent.

The dark shapes dove down, landing a ways apart with a flutter of wings. They moved cautiously around the dead gar and its offspring. Wings held open, they suddenly leapt toward the silent baby gar. It broke its silence with a scream. There was a flurry of wings, vicious roars, and frightened shrieks.

Richard stood. Many animals ate the young of another of their own kind. Especially males, and especially if food was scarce. They weren’t going to save it; they intended to eat it.

Before he even realized what he was doing, Richard was racing down the hill. He ran heedless of the foolishness he intended. He pulled the sword free as he charged up the hill to the little gar. Its terrified wails urged him on. The savage snarls of its attackers ignited the wrath of the sword’s magic.

Steel first, he rushed into the fur and claws and wings. The two gars were bigger than the one he had killed, confirming his suspicion that they were males. His blade caught only air as they leapt back, but one of them dropped the little gar. It skittered across the ground and clutched its mother’s fur. The other two circled him, charging and darting and swiping with their claws. Richard swung and stabbed with the sword. One of them snatched at the baby. Richard scooped it away with his free arm and quickly retreated a dozen paces.

They fell on the dead gar. With a cry, the baby stretched its arms toward its mother, its wings flapping against his face in an effort to free itself. In a frenzy, the two gars tore at the carcass.

Richard made a calculated decision. As long as the dead gar was there, the pup wouldn’t leave it; the pup would have a better chance at survival if it had nothing to hold it to this place. It squirmed mightily in his arm. Though fully half his size, at least it was lighter than he would have thought.

He feigned a charge to hurry the two along. They snapped at him, too hungry to be frightened off without a meal. They fought each other. Claws slashed and pulled, ripping the body asunder. Richard charged again as the little gar tore free, running ahead of him with a shriek. The two leapt into the air, each with half a prize. In a moment they were gone.

The little gar stood where its mother had been, keening as it watched the two disappear into the dark sky.

Panting and weary, Richard returned his sword to its scabbard and then slumped down on a short ledge, trying to catch his breath. His head sunk into his hands as tears welled up. He must be losing his mind. What in the world was he doing? He was risking his life for nothing. No, not for nothing.

He raised his head. The little gar was standing in the blood where its mother had been, its trembling wings held out limply, its shoulders slumped, and its tufted ears wilted. Big green eyes watched him. They stared at each other for a long moment.

“I’m sorry, little one,” he whispered.

It took a tentative step toward him. Tears ran down the gar’s face. Tears ran down his. It took another small, shaky step.

Richard held his arms out. It watched, and then with a miserable wail, fell into them.

It clutched its long, skinny arms to him. Warm wings wrapped around his shoulders. Richard hugged it tightly to himself.

Gently stroking its coarse fur, he hushed it with comforting whispers. Richard rarely had seen a creature in such misery, a creature so in need of comfort that it would even accept it from the one who had caused its pain. Maybe, he thought, it was only recognizing him as the one who had saved it from being eaten by two huge monsters. Maybe, given the terrible choice, it chose to see him as a savior. Maybe the last impression, of saving it from being eaten, was simply the strongest.

The little gar felt like nothing more than a furry sack of bones. It was half starved. He could hear its stomach grumbling. Its faint musky odor, while not pleasant, was not repulsive either. He cooed succor as the thing’s whimpering slowed.

When it had at last quieted with a heavy, tired sigh, Richard stood. Sharp little claws tugged at his pant leg as it looked up to his face. He wished he had some food to leave with the pup, but he hadn’t brought his pack and had nothing to offer.

He pulled the claw from his pants. “I have to go. Those two won’t come back now. Try to find yourself a rabbit or something. You’ll have to do the best you can on your own now. Go on.”

It blinked up at him, its wings and one leg slowly stretching as it yawned. Richard turned and started off. He looked over his shoulder. The little gar followed after.

Richard stamped to a halt. “You can’t come with me.” He held his arms out and shooed it away. “Go on. Be off with you.” He started walking backward. The gar followed. He stopped again and shooed it more firmly. “Go! You can’t come with me! Go on!”

The wings wilted again. It took a few shaking steps back as Richard started off again. This time it stayed put as he went on his way.

Richard had the woman’s body to bury, and he needed to get back to camp before Sister Verna decided to use the collar to bring him back. He had no desire to give her an excuse; he knew she would find one soon enough. He glanced behind to make sure the gar hadn’t followed. He was alone.

He found the body, laid on its back, where he had left it. He noted with relief that there were no blood flies about. He had to find either a patch of ground soft enough to dig a hole, or else a deep crevice of some sort to hide her body in. Sister Verna had been explicit about hiding it well.

As he was surveying the scene, there was a soft flutter of wings and the little gar thumped to the ground nearby. He muttered a quiet lament as the creature folded its wings and squatted comfortably before him, peering up with big green eyes.

Richard tried to shoo it away again. It didn’t move. He put his hands on his hips.

“You can’t come with me. Go away!”

It tottered to him and clutched his legs. What was he going to do? He couldn’t have a gar tagging after him.

“Where are your flies? You don’t even have any blood flies of your own. How can you expect to catch your dinner without your own blood flies?” He gave a rueful shake of his head. “Well, it’s not my concern.”

The small, wrinkled face peeked around his legs. A low growl came from its throat as its lips pulled back to reveal sharp little fangs. Richard looked around. It was growling at the dead woman. He closed his eyes with a groan. The pup was hungry. If he buried the body, the gar would dig it up.

Richard watched as the gar hopped over to the body, pawing at it as its growls grew louder. Richard tried to swallow back the dryness in his throat, or maybe the things he was thinking.

Sister Verna had said to get rid of the body. They mustn’t know how the woman had died, she had said. He couldn’t stand the thought of the remains being eaten. But even if he buried it, it would be eaten anyway—by worms. Why were worms better than a gar? Another ghastly thought came to him: who was he to judge—he had eaten human flesh. Why was that any different? Was he any better?

And besides, if the pup was busy eating, he could be off, and they would be gone before it had time to follow. It would be on its own then. He would be rid of it.

Richard watched as the little gar cautiously inspected the body. It experimentally tugged at an arm with its teeth. The pup wasn’t experienced enough to know what to do with a kill. It growled louder. The sight made Richard sick.

The teeth dropped the arm and the gar looked at him, as if to ask for help. The wings fluttered with excitement. It was hungry.

Two problems at once.

What difference did it make? She was dead. Her spirit had departed her body and wouldn’t miss it. It would solve two problems at once. Gritting his teeth at the task in mind, he drew the sword.

Pushing back the hungry gar with a leg, Richard took a mighty swing, slashing open a great rent. The little gar pounced.

Richard walked quickly away without looking back. The sounds turned his stomach. Who was he to judge? Lightheaded, he broke into a trot back to the camp. Sweat soaked his shirt. The sword had never felt so heavy at his hip. He tried to put the whole incident out of his head. He thought about the Hartland Woods and wished he were home. He wished he could still be who he had once been.

Sister Verna had just finished currying Jessup and was lifting on his saddle. She eyed him with a sidelong glance before moving to her horse’s head, speaking softly and privately to him as she scratched his chin. Richard took up the curry comb and brushed quickly at Geraldine’s back, cautioning her sharply to stand still and quit turning about. He wanted to be away quickly.

“Did you make sure they wouldn’t find the body?”

His hand with the comb froze on Geraldine’s flanks. “If they find what’s left, they won’t know what happened. I was attacked by gars. They got the body.”

She thought this over silently for a moment. “I thought I heard gars. Well, I guess that will do.” He went back to brushing as she spoke again. “Did you kill them?”

“I killed one.” He considered not telling her, but decided it didn’t matter. “There was a baby gar. I didn’t kill it.”

“Gars are murderous beasts. You should have killed it. Perhaps you should go back and finish it.”

“I can’t. It ... won’t let me get close enough.”

With a little grunt she pulled the girth strap tight. “You have a bow.”

“What difference does it make? Let’s just be off. All by itself, it will probably die anyway.”

She bent, checking that the strap wasn’t pinching her horse. “Perhaps you’re right. It would be best if we were away from here.”

“Sister? Why haven’t the gars bothered us before?”

“Because I shield against them with my Han. You were too far away, beyond my shields, and so they came for you.”

“So this shield will keep all gars away from us?”

“Yes.”

Well, at least there was one thing the Han was good for.

“Doesn’t that take a lot of power? Gars are big beasts. Isn’t it hard?”

The question brought a small smile to her lips. “Yes, gars are big, and there are other beasts I must shield against, too. All this would take much power. You must always search for the way to accomplish the task using the least amount of Han.”

She stroked her horse’s neck as she went on. “I keep the gars away not by repelling the beasts themselves, but by shielding against their blood flies. It’s much easier. If the flies can’t get through the shield, the gars won’t think there is anything worthwhile and so won’t come to us either. It uses little of my strength this way, yet achieves my aim.”

“Why didn’t you use this shield against the people here? Against the woman tonight?”

“Some of the people in the wilds have charms against our power. That’s why many Sisters die trying to cross. If we knew how these charms or spells worked, we might be able to counter them, but we don’t. It’s a mystery to us.”

Richard finished saddling Geraldine and Bonnie in silence. The Sister waited patiently. He thought she had more to say, about their argument before he had gone to bury the woman, but she remained silent. He decided to speak first, and get it over with.

“Sister Verna, I’m sorry about Sisters Grace and Elizabeth.” He idly stroked Bonnie’s shoulder as he studied the ground. “I said a prayer over their graves. I just wanted you to know that. A prayer to the good spirits to watch over them and treat them well. I didn’t want them to die. You may think otherwise, but I don’t want anyone to die. I’m sick of death. I can’t even eat meat anymore because I can’t stand the thought of anything having to die just to feed me.”

“Thank you for the prayer, Richard, but you must learn that it is only the Creator we must pray to. It is His light that guides. Praying to spirits is heathenish.” She seemed to think better of her harsh tone, and softened it. “But you are unschooled, and would not know that. I can’t fault you for doing the best you could. I’m sure the Creator heard your prayer, and understood its benevolent intent.”

Richard didn’t like her narrow-minded attitude. He thought that perhaps he knew more about spirits than she did. He didn’t know much about this Creator of hers, but he had seen spirits before, both good and bad. He knew you ignored them at your own peril.

Her dogmas seemed as foolish to him as the superstitions of the country people he knew when he had been a guide. They had been full of stories of how people came to be. Each remote area he had visited had its own version of man created from this or that animal or plant. Richard had liked listening to the stories. They were filled with wonder and magic. But they were just stories, rooted in a need to understand how the teller fit into the world. He was not going to accept on faith the things the Sisters said.

He did not think that the Creator was like some king, sitting upon a throne, listening to every petty prayer to come his way. Spirits had been alive once, and they understood the needs of mortals, understood the exigencies of living flesh and blood.

Zedd had taught him that the Creator was simply another name for the force of balance in all things, and not some wise man sitting in judgment.

But what did it matter? He knew people held tightly to their doctrines and were closed-minded about it. Sister Verna believed what she did and he wasn’t going to change it. He had never faulted people for the beliefs they held; he was not about to start now. Such beliefs, true or not, could be a balm.

He pulled the baldric off over his head and held the sword out to her. “I’ve thought about the things you said before. I’ve decided I don’t want the sword anymore.”

Her hands came up and he laid the weight of the sword, scabbard, and baldric in them.

She showed no emotion. “Do you really mean this?”

He nodded. “I do. I am finished with it. The sword is yours now.”

He turned to check his saddle. Even without the sword at his hip, he could still feel the tingle of its magic. He could give up the sword, but the magic was still within him; he was the true Seeker, and could not be rid of that. At least he could be rid of the blade, and thereby the things he did with it.

“You are a very dangerous man, Richard,” she whispered.

He looked back over his shoulder. “That’s why I’m giving you the sword. I don’t want it any longer, and you do, so it’s yours. We’ll see now how you like killing with it.”

He tucked the end of the girth strap through the buckle and drew it tight. He gave Bonnie a gentle pat before turning around. Sister Verna was still holding out the sword.

“Until now I had no idea just how dangerous you are.”

“Not anymore. You have the sword now.”

“I cannot accept it,” she whispered. “It was my duty to take the sword from you when you came back—to test you. There was only one thing you could have done to prevent losing it. And you have done it.” She lifted the sword to him. “There is no man more dangerous than one who is unpredictable. There is no way to forecast what you will do when pushed. It is going to be great trouble. For you. For us.”

Richard didn’t know what she was talking about. “There’s nothing unpredictable about it. You wanted the sword, and I’m weary of the things I do with it, so I gave it to you.”

“You understand, because it is the way you think. Others don’t think that way. You’re an enigma. Worse, your inexplicable behavior comes at the times you need it most. That is the gift at work. You’re using your Han without understanding what you are doing. That is dangerous.”

“One reason for the collar is to open my mind to the gift. That’s what you said. If I’m using the gift, which is what you want me to do, and if it is what I need, then I don’t see how that is dangerous.”

“What you need and what’s right are not necessarily the same. Just because you want something, that does not make it right.” She nodded to the sword. “Take it back. I cannot accept it now. You must keep it.”

“I told you, I don’t want it.”

“Then throw it in the fire. I cannot take it. It’s tainted.”

Richard snatched it out of her hands. “I’m not throwing it in the fire.” He put his head through the baldric and straightened the scabbard at his hip. “I think you’re too superstitious, Sister. It’s just a sword. It is not tainted.”

She was wrong. It was the magic that was tainted, and he had not offered that to her. Even if he wanted to be rid of its magic, all magic, he could not. It was part of him. Kahlan had seen that, and she had rid herself of it. Of him.

She turned from him and mounted Jessup. Her voice was cold and distant. “We must be on our way.”

Richard settled into his saddle and followed after. He hoped the little gar would have a chance at life, after the meal it had needed. He said a silent good-bye to it as he rode into the night behind Sister Verna.

Though he had meant what he said about giving her the sword, he felt strangely relieved to have it back. It belonged with him, and somehow made him whole. Zedd had given it to him; it was what had changed him, but it was also all he had to remind him of his friend and home.

Chapter 25

The horse was exhausted, but still ran with wild abandon. Adie held a tight grip on Zedd’s waist as he leaned over the horse’s withers, clutching her mane. Muscles bunched and flexed rhythmically beneath him. Trees in the dense forest flashed by in an endless blur. The horse leapt over rocks and logs without pause.

The skrin was only a heartbeat behind. Being taller than the horse, it struck branches as it ran. Zedd could hear the limbs snap and splinter. He had tried felling trees across the way right behind them, but it didn’t slow the bone beast. He had tried tricks and spells and wizardry of every sort. None had worked, but he refused to admit defeat. Admitting defeat established a mental state of resignation that would make it certain.

“I fear the Keeper has us this time,” Adie called at his back.

“Not yet he doesn’t! How did he find us? The bones of the skrin have been in your house, hiding you, for years! If they have been hiding you, then how did he find us?”

She had no answer.

They were running the path where the boundary had been, headed toward the Midlands. Zedd was thankful the boundary walls were no longer there, or they could have inadvertently run into the underworld by now. Boundary or not, this couldn’t go on for much longer, and then the skrin would have them. Boundary or not, the underworld would have them. The Keeper would have them.

Think, he ordered himself.

Zedd was using magic to lend strength and stamina to the horse, but even so, heart, lungs and sinew could not endure long past their natural limits. He was nearly as weary as the frightened animal. This couldn’t go on much longer.

He had to stop trying to slow the skrin, and put his mind to solving the problem. But that could be a dangerous shift in tactics. It could be that although what he was doing wasn’t stopping the skrin, it was keeping it from them.

He thought he saw a flash of green light to the left. A shade of green he had seen from only one place: the boundary. From the underworld. Impossible, he thought. The horse’s hooves thundered on.

“Adie! Do you have anything with you that the skrin would recognize?”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know! Anything! It has to have found us by something. Something to connect us to the underworld.”

“I have nothing. It must have found us by the bones at my house.”

“But the bones have been what have been hiding you!”

There was no mistaking the flash of green light this time. It was to the right. Another came to the left.

“Zedd! I think the skrin be bringing up the underworld, to force us into it!”

Bones.

“Can it do that?”

Her voice wasn’t as loud this time. “Yes.”

“Bags,” he muttered into the cold wind at his face.

Eerie green light flickered between the trees. It was closer. If he didn’t think of something, they were going to die.

Think.

Suddenly the green light seemed to ignite into a solid wall to each side. It made a thump he could feel deep in his chest when it arrived, whole, in this world. The horse galloped down the path between them. The way between the walls was narrowing.

Bones.

Skrin bones.

“Adie! Give me the necklace around your neck!”

The luminous green walls of the boundary pressed in to each side. They were out of time. They were out of options.

Adie pulled off her necklace and put her arm around him again, holding out the bone necklace. Her hand was slick with blood. Zedd yanked his own necklace over his head and snatched hers in the same hand.

“If this doesn’t work, I’m sorry, Adie. I just want you to know I’ve enjoyed sh