sleepy eyes with her fists. Chase scowled at her. She pouted back.

Chase sighed. "You've got to be the ugliest child I've ever seen."

Her pout turned to a beaming grin. Lee ran over to him, threw her arms around his leg, put her head
on his knee, and hugged it tight. He mussed her hair.

"Back to bed with you, little one."

"Wait," Zedd spoke up. "Lee, come here." She went around the table. "My old cat has been
complaining that he has no children to play with." Lee stole a peek toward Kahlan's lap. "Do you
know of any children he could visit?" .

The girl's eyes widened. "Zedd, he could stay here! He would have fun with us!"

"Really? Well then, he will stay here for a visit."

"All right, Lee," Emma said, "off to bed with you."

Richard looked up. "Emma, could you do me a favor? Do you have any traveling clothes Kahlan
could borrow?"

Emma looked Kahlan over. "Well, her shoulders are too big

`for my clothes, and her legs are too long, but the older girls have things I think would work
nicely." She smiled warmly at Kahlan and held out a hand. "Come on, dear, let's see what we can
find." Kahlan handed Cat to Lee and took her other hand. "I hope Cat won't be a bother. He insists
on sleeping on your bed with you."

"Oh, no," Lee said earnestly, "that will be fine."

As they left the room Emma knowingly shut the door.

Chase took a sip of tea. "Well?"

"Well, you know the conspiracy my brother was talking about? It's worse than he knows."

"That so," Chase said noncommittally.

Richard pulled the Sword of Truth from its scabbard and laid it on the table between them. The
polished blade gleamed. Chase leaned forward and put his elbows on the table, lifting the sword
with his fingertips. He let it roll into his palms, inspecting it closely, running his fingers over the
word Truth on the hilt and down the fuller on each side of the blade, testing the sharpness of the
edge. He betrayed nothing more than mild curiosity.

"Not. unusual for a sword to be named, but typically the name is engraved on the blade. I've never
seen the name on the hilt." Chase was waiting for someone else to say something consequential.

"Chase, you've seen this sword before," Richard admonished. "You know what it is."

"I have. But, I've never seen it this close." His eyes came up, dark and intense. "The point is,
Richard; what are you doing with it?"

Richard peered back with equal intensity. "It was given to me by a great and noble wizard."

Chase's forehead wrinkled into a sober frown. He looked to Zedd. "What's your part in this, Zedd?"

Zedd leaned forward, a small smile on his thin lips. "I'm the one who gave it to him."

Chase leaned back in his chair, shaking his head slowly. "The spirits be praised," he whispered. "A
real Seeker. At last."

"We don't have much time," Richard said. "I need to know some things about the boundary."

Chase let out a deep sigh as he rose and went to the hearth. He leaned an arm on the mantel, staring
into the flames. The other two waited while the big man picked at the rough wood of the mantel as
if trying to pick his words

"Richard, do you know what my job is?"

Richard shrugged. "Keeping people away from the boundary, for their own good."

Chase shook his head. "Do you know how to get rid of wolves?"

"Go out and hunt them, I guess."

The boundary warden shook his head again. "That might get a few, but more would be born, and in
the end, you have just as many. If you really want to have fewer wolves, you hunt their food. You
trap rabbits, so to speak. It's easier. If there is less food, fewer pups will be born. In the end you
have fewer wolves. That's my job. I hunt rabbits."

Richard felt a wave of fright ripple through him.

"Most people don't understand the boundary, or what we do. They think it's just some stupid law
we enforce. Many are afraid of the boundary, mostly older people. Many others think they know
what's best and go up there to poach. They aren't afraid of the boundary, so we make them afraid of
the wardens. That's something real to them, and we keep it real. They don't like it, but out of fear of
us, they stay away. To a few it's a game, to see if they can get away with it. We don't expect to
catch them all; we don't really care. What we care about is scaring enough of them so the wolves in
the boundary won't have enough rabbits to get stronger.

"We protect the people, but not by preventing them from going into the boundary. Anyone stupid
enough to do that is beyond our 'help. Our job is to keep most, away, keep the boundary weak
enough so the things in there can't come out and get everyone else. The wardens have all seen
things that have gotten loose. We all understand; others don't. Lately, more and more things have
been getting loose. Your brother's government may pay us, but they don't understand, either; our
allegiance is not to them, nor to any rule of law. Our only duty is to protect the people from the
things that come out of the darkness. We consider ourselves sovereign. We take orders when it
doesn't hinder our job. It keeps matters friendly. But if the time ever comes, well, we follow our
own cause, our own orders."

He sat back at the table, leaning forward on his elbows. "Ultimately, there is only one whose orders
we will follow, because our cause is a part of his larger cause. That one is the true Seeker." He
picked up the sword in his big hands and held it out to Richard, looking him in the eyes. "I pledge
my life and loyalty to the Seeker."

Richard sat back, moved. "Thank you, Chase." He looked to the wizard a moment, then back to the
boundary warden. "Now we'll tell you what's been going on, and then I'll tell you what I want."

Richard and Zedd both shared in the telling of all that had happened. Richard wanted Chase to
know it all, to understand that there could be no half efforts, that it had to be victory or death, not
by their choice, but by Darken Rahl's. Chase looked from one to the other as they spoke,
understanding the seriousness of what they were telling him, appearing grim at the telling of the
story of the magic of Orden. They didn't have to convince him of the truth of it; he was a man who
had seen more than they would probably ever know. He asked few questions, and listened
carefully.

He did enjoy the story of what Zedd had done to the mob. His booming laugh filled the room until
his laughter dissolved in tears.

The door opened, and Kahlan and Emma stepped into the light. Kahlan was outfitted in fine forest
garb, dark green pants with a wide belt, tan shirt, dark cloak, and a good pack. The boots and waist
pouch were her own. She looked ready to live a life in the woods. Still, her hair, her face, her
figure, and mostly her bearing, spoke that she was more.

Richard introduced her to Chase. "My guide."

Chase lifted an eyebrow.

Emma saw the sword, and by her expression Richard knew she understood. She moved behind her
husband again, not touching his hair, but simply resting a hand on his shoulder, wanting to be near
him. She knew trouble visited this night. Richard sheathed the sword, and Kahlan came and sat
next to him as he finished relating the rest of the events of the night. When he was done, they all
pat in silence for a few minutes.

"What can I do to help you, Richard?" Chase -finally asked.

Richard spoke softly, but firmly. "Tell me where the pass is." Chase's eyes came up sharply. "What
pass?" His old defensiveness was still in evidence.

"The pass across the boundary. I know about it, I just don't know exactly where it is, and I don't
have time to search." Richard didn't have time to play these games and felt his anger rising.

"Who told you this?" '

"Chase! Answer the question!"

The other smiled a little. "One condition. I take you there."

Richard thought about the children. Chase was used to danger, but this was different. "That isn't
necessary,"

Chase gave Richard an appraising look. "It is to me. It's a dangerous place. You three don't know
what you're getting yourselves into. I won't send you there alone. And the boundary is my
responsibility. If you want me to tell you, then I'm going."

Everyone waited while Richard considered this a moment. Chase didn't bluff, and time was dear.
Richard had no choice. "Chase, we would be honored to have you with us."

"Good." He slapped his hand on the table. "The pass is called the Kings' Port. It's in a foul place
called Southaven. Four, maybe five days' ride on horseback, if we take Hawkers Trail. Since you're
in a hurry, that's the way you'll want to be going. It will be light in a few hours. The three of you
need to get some sleep. Emma and I will get the provisions together."

CHAPTER 1

2
IT SEEMED THAT HE had just fallen asleep when Emma woke him and led them down to
breakfast. The sun wasn't up yet, nor was anyone else in the house, but roosters were already
crowing at the lightening of the new day. The aromas of cooking made him instantly hungry.
Emma, smiling, but not as brightly as the night before, dished out a big breakfast and said Chase
had already eaten and was loading the horses. Richard had always thought Kahlan looked alluring
in her unusual dress. He decided her new outfit didn't lessen her appeal in the least. While Kahlan
and Emma talked about the children, and Zedd gushed compliments about the food, Richard's mind
fretted on. what lay ahead.

The light dimmed a little as Chase's form filled the doorway. Kahlan gave a start when she saw
him. He was wearing a chain mail shirt over a tan leather tunic, heavy black pants, boots, and
cloak. Black gauntlets were tucked behind a wide black belt set with a large silver buckle
emblazoned with the emblem of the boundary wardens. Strapped everywhere were enough
armaments to outfit a small army. On an ordinary man the effect would have been silly; on Chase it
was frightening. He was an image of overt threat, deadly with every weapon he carried. Chase had
two basic expressions he wore most of the time, the first a look of feigned ignorant disinterest, the
second, one that made him seem as if he was about to participate in a slaughter. He wore the second
this day.

On their way out, Emma handed Zedd a bundle. "Fried chicken," she said. He gave her a big grin
and kissed her forehead. Kahlan gave her a hug and promised to see that the clothes were returned.
Richard bent and gave Emma a warm embrace. "Be careful," she whispered in his ear. She gave her
husband a kiss on the cheek that he accepted graciously.

Chase handed Kahlan a sheathed long knife, telling her to wear it at all times. Richard asked if he
could borrow a knife, too, as he had left his home. Chase's fingers deftly found the strap he wanted
among the tangle, freed it, and handed a knife to Richard. .

Kahlan eyed all the weaponry. "Do you think you will need all those?" `

He gave her a crooked smile. "If I didn't take them, I know I would."

The small company, Chase leading, followed by Zedd, then Kahlan, with Richard bringing up the
rear, settled into a comfortable pace through the Hartland Woods. It was a bright autumn morning
with a chill to the air. A hawk wheeled in the sky over their heads, a sign of warning at the
beginning of a journey. Richard thought to himself that the sign was totally unnecessary.

By midmorning they had left the Hartland Valley and passed into the upper Ven Forest, joining
Hawkers Trail below Trunt Lake, and turned south, with the snakelike cloud in slow pursuit.
Richard was glad to be leading it away from Chase's house and children. He was troubled that they
had to travel so far to the south to cross the boundary, for time was dear. But Chase had said that if
there was another pass, he didn't know about it.

Hardwood forests gave way to stands of ancient pines. Passing among them was like traveling
through a canyon. The trunks soared to dizzying heights before the limbs branched out, and
Richard felt small in the deep shade of the old trees. He had always been at ease traveling. He did it
often, and the familiar places they passed made it seem to be just another trek, but this trip was not
the same. They were going 'places he had never been. Dangerous places. Chase was concerned, and
had warned them. This alone gave Richard pause, for Chase was not a man to worry over nothing;
in fact, Richard had often thought he worried far too little.

Richard watched the other three as they rode: Chase, a black wraith upon his horse, armed to the
teeth, feared by the people he protected as well as the ones he hunted, but somehow, not by
children; the wisp of a wizard, sticklike Zedd, unassuming, hardly more than a smile, white hair,
and simple robes, content to carry nothing more than a bundle of fried chicken, but wielder of
wizard's fire and who knew what else; and Kahlan, courageous, determined, and keeper of some
secret power, sent to threaten a wizard into naming the Seeker. The three of them were his friends,
yet each in their own way made him uneasy. He wondered who was the most dangerous. They
followed him unquestioningly, yet led him at the same time. The three of them, all, sworn to protect
the Seeker with their lives. And yet, none of the small company, singly or together, was a match for
Darken Rahl. The whole of their task seemed hopeless.

Zedd was already into the chicken. Periodically he would toss a bone over his shoulder. After a
while he thought to offer a piece to the others. Chase declined, as he kept up a continual scan of
their surroundings, paying particular attention to the left side of the trail, to the boundary. The other
two accepted. The chicken had lasted longer than Richard thought it would. When the trail
widened, he brought his horse up with Kahlan's and rode next to her. She took off her cloak as the
day warmed, and smiled over to him with the special smile she never gave anyone else.

Richard had a thought. "Zedd, is there anything a wizard can do about that cloud?"

The old man squinted up at it, then peered back at Richard. "That idea has already .come into' my
head. I think there might be, but I want to wait a while longer, until we are farther away from
Chase's family. I don't want to lead a search to them."

In the late afternoon they came upon an old couple, woods people whom Chase knew. The four
brought their horses to a halt while the boundary warden spoke with the couple. He sat re Taxed on
his mount, leather creaking, as he listened to them repeat rumors that they had heard about things
coming out of the boundary. Richard now knew them to be more than rumors. Chase treated the
couple with respect, as he did most people; nevertheless, they were clearly afraid of him. He told
them he was looking into the matter and advised them to stay inside at night.

They rode until long after dark before making camp for the night in a stand of pine, and were on
their way the next morning as the sky lightened behind the mountains of the boundary. Richard and
Kahlan both yawned as they rode. The forest thinned, with open patches of meadow, bright and
green and smelling sweet in the sunshine as they traveled through the hill country on their journey
south, the road taking them temporarily farther from the mountains of the boundary. Occasionally
they passed small farms, their owners making themselves scarce when they saw Chase.

The land became less familiar to Richard, who rarely traveled this far south. He kept a sharp
lookout, making note of the landmarks they passed. After they ate a cold lunch in the warm sun, the
road began angling steadily closer to the mountains, until in the late afternoon they were so close to
the boundary that they began encountering the gray skeletons of trees killed by the snake vine.
Even the sun did little to brighten the dense woods. Chase's demeanor became distant, harder, as he
observed everything carefully. Several times he dismounted, walking his horse as he studied the
ground, reading tracks.

They crossed a stream that flowed out of the mountains, the water churning sluggish, cold, and
muddy. Chase stopped and sat, watching off into the shadows. The rest of them waited, looking at
one another and toward the boundary. Richard recognized the dead smell of the vine drifting in the
air. The boundary warden led them a little farther, then got off his horse and squatted, studying the
ground. When he rose, he handed the reins of his horse to Zedd. He turned to them and said simply,
"Wait." They watched him disappear into the trees as they sat quietly. Kahlan's big horse shivered
flies off its hide as it nibbled grass.

Chase returned, pulling his black gauntlets on, and took the reins from Zedd. "I want you three to
keep going. Don't wait for me, and don't stop. Keep to the road."

"What is it? What did you find?" Richard asked.

Chase turned back and gave him a dark look. "The wolves have been feeding. I'm going to bury
what's left, and then I'm going cross-country, between the boundary and you three. I need to check
into something. Remember what I said. Don't stop. Don't run your horses, but keep up a good pace,
and keep your eyes sharp. If you think I'm gone too long, don't you dare to think to come back
looking for me. I know what I'm doing, and you would never find me. I'll be back, with you when I
can. Keep going until then, and stay on the road."

He mounted, turned his horse, and urged it into a run, its hooves kicking up clumps of sod "Get
moving!" Chase yelled back over his shoulder. As he disappeared through the trees Richard saw
him reach up to a short sword strapped over his shoulder and pull it free. He knew Chase was lying.
He wasn't going to bury anything. Richard didn't like to let his friend go off alone like this, but
Chase spent most of his life alone out here by the boundary, and knew what he was doing, what
was necessary to protect them. Richard had to trust his judgment.

"You heard the man," the Seeker said, "let's go."

As the three rode on through the boundary woods, rock outcroppings grew in size and twisted their
route one way and then the other. The trees became so thick that the sunlight was all but banished
from the still forest, the road a tunnel through the thicket. Richard didn't like how close everything
felt, and as they moved quickly along they all kept watching the deep shadows to their left.
Branches hung across the road, forcing them to duck under as they passed. He couldn't imagine
how Chase cold travel through a wood this thick.

When the way was wide enough, Richard rode up to Kahlan's left, wanting to keep himself between
her and the boundary. He kept the reins in his left hand to leave his sword hand free. Her cloak was
wrapped close around her, but he saw she kept a hand near her knife.

Off to their left, in the distance, came howling, something like a ,wolf pack, only it wasn't wolves.
It was something from the boundary.

The three jerked their heads toward the sound. The horses were terrified and wanted to run. They
had to keep reining in, but at the same time let them have enough freedom to trot. Richard
understood the way the horses felt. He felt the urge to let them go, but Chase had said explicitly not
to let them run. He must have had a reason, so they held back. When the howling was punctuated
with bloodcurdling shrieks that made the hair on his neck stand on end, it became more difficult to
force himself to prevent the horses from running. The shrieks were wild cries, cries of the need to
kill, demanding, desperate. The three rode at a trot for almost an hour, but the sounds seemed to
follow them. There was nothing they could do but continue, listening, as they went, to beasts from
the boundary.

Unable to stand it any longer, Richard pulled his horse to a halt, and faced the woods. Chase was
out there alone with the beasts. He couldn't bear any longer to let his friend face it alone. He had to
help.

Zedd turned. "We have to keep moving, Richard."

"He may be in trouble. We can't let him do this alone."

"It's his job, let him do it."

"Right now, his job isn't to be boundary warden; it's to get us to the pass!"

The wizard rode back and spoke softly. "That's the job he's doing, Richard. He's sworn to protect
you with his life. That is what he is doing, seeing to it you get to the pass. You have to get it
through your head. What you are doing is more important than one man's life. Chase knows that.
That's why he said not to come back for him."

Richard was incredulous. "You expect me to let a friend get himself killed if I can help prevent it?"
The sounds of howling were getting closer,

"I expect you not to let him die for nothing!"

Richard stared at his old friend. "But maybe we can make the difference."

"And maybe not." The horses stamped about skittishly.

"Zedd is right," Kahlan said. "Going after Chase is not the brave thing to do, going on when you
want to help is."

Richard knew they were right, but loathed admitting it. He looked angrily toward Kahlan. "You
may be in his position one day! Then what would you have me do?"

She looked at him evenly. "I would have you go on."
He glared at her, not knowing what to say. The shrieks from the woods were closer. Her face
showed no emotion.

"Richard, Chase does this all the time, he will be all right," Zedd offered reassuringly. "I wouldn't
be surprised if he was having a good time. Later on he will have a good tale to tell. You know
Chase. Some of the tale might even be true,"

Richard was angry at the two of them, and at himself. He kicked his horse out ahead, taking the
lead, not wanting to talk anymore. They left him to his thoughts, let his horse trot ahead. It made
him angry that Kahlan would think he could leave her like this. She was no boundary warden. He
didn't like it that saving them might mean letting them get killed. It didn't make any sense. At least
he didn't want it to make any sense.

He tried to ignore the shrieks and howls off in the woods. After a time the cries fell farther behind.
The woods seemed devoid of life, no birds or rabbits or even mice, only the twisted trees and
bramble and shadows. He listened carefully to make sure he heard the other two following. He
didn't want to turn and look; didn't want to face them. After a while he realized the howls had
stopped. He wondered if that was a good sign or not.

He wanted to tell them he was sorry, that he was just afraid for his friend, but he couldn't. He felt
helpless. Chase would be all right, he told himself. He was the head of the boundary wardens, not a,
fool, and he wouldn't go into anything he couldn't handle. He wondered if there was anything
Chase couldn't handle. He wondered if he would be able to tell Emma, if something happened to
her husband.

He was letting his imagination run away with him. Chase was fine. Not only was he fine, but he
would be furious with Richard for thinking these thoughts, for doubting him.

He wondered if Chase would return before nightfall. Should they stop for the night if he didn't? No.
Chase had said not to stop. They would have to keep going, all night if necessary, until he rejoined
them. He felt as if the mountains were looming over them, ready to pounce. He didn't think he had
ever been this close to the boundary. ' As concerned as he was about Chase, his anger faded.
Richard turned and looked back at Kahlan. She gave him a warm smile, and he returned it, feeling
better. He tried to imagine what the woods here had looked like before so many trees died. It might
have been a beautiful place, green, snug, safe. Maybe his father had come this way when he had
crossed the boundary, traveled this very road with the book.

He wondered if all the trees near the other boundary died before it fell. Maybe they could just wait
until this one fell, too, and then go across. Maybe they didn't need to go so far out of their way to
the south, to Kings' Port. But why should he think going south was out of the way? He didn't know
where to go in the Midlands, so why was one place better than another? The box they sought could
just as easily be in the south as farther north.

The woods were getting gloomier. Richard hadn't been able to see the sun for the last couple of
hours, but there was no doubt it was setting. He didn't like the idea of traveling these woods at
night, but the idea of sleeping in them seemed worse. He checked to make sure the other two were
staying close.

The sound of running water came faintly through the evening stillness, swelling as they rode, and in
a short distance they came to a small river with a wooden bridge over it. Just before they crossed,
Richard stopped. He didn't like the look of it; inexplicably, something felt wrong. Being careful
couldn't hurt. He led his horse down the bank and peered underneath. The support beams were
anchored to iron rings in granite blocks. The pins were missing.

"Someone tampered with the bridge. It will support the weight of a man, but not a horse. Looks like
we're going to have to get wet."

Zedd scowled. "I don't want to get wet."

"Well, do you have a better idea?" Richard asked.

Zedd drew his finger and thumb down opposite sides of his smooth chin. "Yes," he announced.
"You two go across, I will hold up the bridge." Richard looked at him as if the wizard had lost his
senses. "Go on, it will be all right."

Zedd sat up tall on his horse, held his arms out straight to his sides, palms up, tilted his head back,
breathed deeply, and closed his eyes. Reluctantly, cautiously, the other two crossed the bridge. On
the other side they turned their horses and looked back. The wizard's horse began walking across
unprompted while Zedd continued to hold his arms out, his head tilted back and his eyes closed.
When he reached their side, he brought his arms down and looked at the other two. Richard and
Kahlan stared at him.

"Maybe I was wrong," Richard said. "Maybe the bridge would hold the weight."

Zedd smiled. "Maybe you were." Without looking back, he snapped his fingers. The bridge
collapsed into the water with a crash. The beams groaned as they were torn apart from one another
in the current and swept downstream. "Then again, maybe you weren't. I couldn't leave it like that.
Someone might come across and be hurt."

Richard shook his head. "Someday, my friend, we are going to sit down and have a long talk." He
turned his horse and started off again. Zedd looked at Kahlan and shrugged. She smiled and gave
him a wink, then turned and followed after Richard.

They continued down the dismal trail, watching the woods as they went. Richard wondered what
else Zedd could do. He let his horse pick its own way in the gathering darkness, wondering how
much longer this dead world went on, or if the road would ever take them away from it. The night
was bringing life to the place, strange calls and scraping noises. His horse whinnied at things
unseen. He patted its neck reassuringly and checked the sky for gars. It was hopeless; he couldn't
see any sky. But if gars came they would have a hard time surprising the three of them, as the
canopy of twisted, dead limbs and branches would prevent a silent approach. Maybe the things in
the trees were more of a threat than gars. He didn't know anything about them, and he wasn't sure
he wanted to. He realized his heart was pounding.

After about an hour, he caught the sound of something coming through the brush in the distance to
their left. It was breaking branches as it came. He urged his horse into a canter, and checked to be
sure Kahlan and Zedd were keeping up. Whatever it was, it was staying with them. They weren't
going to be able to get ahead of it. They were going to be cut off. Maybe it was Chase, .he thought.
Then again, maybe it wasn't

Richard pulled the Sword of Truth free as he leaned forward and pressed his legs around the horse,
spurring it into a gallop. His muscles tensed as his horse raced down the road. He didn't know if
Zedd and Kahlan were keeping up with him, and in fact he never gave it a thought. His mind
focused on trying to see ahead in the darkness, trying to see anything that might come at him.
Anger was slipping its bounds, heat and need coming forth. Jaw set tight, he charged ahead with
lethal intent. The sound of his horse's hooves on the road prevented him from hearing the thing in
the woods, but he knew it was there, knew it was coming.

Then he saw the black form moving against the barely discernible shapes of the trees. It broke from
the woods into the trail a dozen yards in front of him. He raised the sword and went for it, picturing
in his mind what he would do. It waited, motionless.

At the last instant he realized it was Chase, holding up an arm to halt him, the silhouette of a
flanged mace in his fist.

"Glad to see you're keeping alert," the boundary warden said.

"Chase! You scared the wits out of me!"

"You gave me a moment of concern too." Kahlan and Zedd caught up with them. "Follow me, stay
close. Richard, take the rear, keep your sword out."

Chase turned his horse and took off at a gallop, the rest following. Richard didn't know if
something was after them or not. Chase didn't act as if there was about to be a fight, but he did tell
him to keep his sword out. Richard kept a wary eye over his shoulder. They all hunched their heads
down in case there were any low branches. It was dangerous to run the horses in the dark like this,
but Chase knew that.

They came to a fork in the road, the first one all day, and without hesitation the boundary warden
cut to the right, away from the boundary. Before long they were clear of the woods, moonlight
showing an open country of rolling hills and few trees. Chase slowed after a time, letting the horses
walk.

Richard sheathed his sword and pulled up close to the others. "What was that all about?"

Chase hooked the mace back onto his belt. "Things in the boundary are following us. When they
came out of the boundary for you, I was there to spoil their appetite. Some went back in. The ones
left continue to follow from within the boundary, where I can't pursue them. That's why I didn't
want you to go too fast. I wouldn't have been able to keep up through the woods, they would have
gotten ahead of me, and then they would have had you. I took us away from the boundary now
because I wanted to get our scent away from them for the night. It's too dangerous to travel that
close to the boundary at night. We'll camp on one of those hills up there." He looked over his
shoulder at Richard. "By the way, why did you stop back there? I told you not to."

"I was worried about you. I heard the howling. I was going to come and help. Zedd and Kahlan
talked me out of it." Richard thought Chase would be angry, but he wasn't.

"Thanks, but don't do it again. While you were standing there thinking about it, they almost had
you. Zedd and Kahlan were right. Don't argue with them the next time."

Richard felt his ears burning. He knew they were right, but it didn't make him feel any better about
not helping a friend.

"Chase," Kahlan asked, "you said they had gotten someone, was that true?"

His face was cold stone in the moonlight. "Yes. One of my men. I don't know which one." He
turned back to the trail and rode on in silence.

They set up camp on a high hill to give a clear view of anything that approached. Chase and Zedd
tended to the horses while Richard and Kahlan started the fire, unpacked the bread, cheese, and
dried fruit, and began cooking a simple stew. She went with him and scouted for firewood among
the sparse trees, helping carry it back. He told her the two of them made a good team. She smiled a
little smile and turned away. He took her arm and turned her back.

"Kahlan, if it had been you, I would have come after you," he said, meaning more than the words
he spoke.

She studied his eyes. "Please, Richard, don't even say that." She gently pulled her arm away and
went back to camp.

When the other two, back from tending the horses, came into the firelight, Richard could see that
the scabbard strapped over Chase's shoulder was empty, the short sword missing. One of his battle
axes and several long knives were gone, too. Not that this left him defenseless-far from it.

The mace hanging from his belt was covered in blood from one end to the other, his gauntlets were
soaked with it, and it was splattered everywhere on him. Without comment he pulled a knife, pried
a three-inch yellowish tooth from the mace where it was wedged between two of the blades, and
threw the tooth over his shoulder into the darkness. After wiping the blood off his hands and face
he sat down in front of the fire with the others.

Richard tossed a stick in the fire. "Chase, what were those creatures that were after us? And how
could anything go in and out of the boundary?"

Chase picked up a loaf of bread and tore off about a third. He met Richard's eyes. "They're called
heart hounds. They're about twice the size of a wolf, big barrel chests; heads are kind of flat, big
snout full of teeth. Fierce. I'm not sure what color they are. They only prowl at night, until today,
that is. But it was too dark in those woods to tell, and, anyway, I was kind of busy. There

were more than I've ever seen together before."
"Why are they called heart hounds?"

Chase chewed a piece of bread as he stared back with intense eyes. "That's a matter of some debate.
Heart hounds have big rounded ears, good hearing. Some say they can find a man by hearing the
beating of his heart." Richard's eyes widened. Chase took another bite of bread, chewing for a
minute. "Others say they're called heart hounds because that's how they kill. They come at your
chest. Most predators go for the throat, but not heart hounds; they go straight for your heart, and
they have big enough teeth to get the job done. It's the first thing they eat, too. If there's more than
one hound, they'll fight over the heart."

Zedd dished himself a bowl of stew and handed the ladle to Kahlan.

Richard was losing his appetite, but he had to ask. "And what do. you think?"

Chase shrugged. "Well, I've never sat real quiet in the dark next to the boundary, just to find out if
they could hear my heart beating." He took another bite of bread, looking down at his chest as he
chewed. He pulled the heavy mail away from himself. There were two long ragged rips in the
chain. Broken pieces of yellow teeth were jammed into mangled links. The leather tunic behind it
was soaked with hound's blood. "The one that did this had the blade of my short sword broken off
in his chest, and I was still on my horse at the time." He looked back to Richard and raised an
eyebrow. "That answer your question?"

Bumps ran up Richard's arms. "What about the way they can go in and out of the boundary?"

Chase took the bowl of stew from Kahlan as she handed it to him. "They have something to do with
the magic of the boundary; they were created with it. They are' the boundary's watchdogs, so to
speak. They can go in and out without being claimed by it. But they're tied to it too, and can't go far
from it. With the boundary weakening, they've been straying farther and farther all the time. That
makes traveling Hawkers Trail dangerous, but to go another way would add a good week to the
journey to Kings' Port. The cutoff we took is the only one that veers away from the boundary until
we get to Southaven. I knew I had to reach you before you passed it, or we would have had to
spend the night back there, with them. Tomorrow, in the daylight, when it's safer, I'll show you the
boundary, how it's weakening."

Richard nodded as they all went back to their own thoughts.

"They are tan," Kahlan said softly. They all turned to her. She sat staring into the fire. "The heart
hounds are tan, with short fur, like that on the back of a deer. They are seen everywhere now in the
Midlands, having been released from their bonds when the other boundary failed. Crazed with lack
of purpose, now they even come out in the daytime."

The three men sat motionless, considering her words. Even Zedd stopped eating.

"Great," Richard said under his breath. "And what else does the Midlands have that is even worse?"

He didn't mean it as a question, more as a curse of frustration. The fire crackled, warm on their
faces.

Kahlan's eyes were in a faraway place. "Darken Rahl," she whispered

CHAPTER 1

3
RICHARD SAT AWAY FROM the camp, leaning against a cold rock, his cloak wrapped tightly
around himself as he looked out toward the boundary. What little wind there was bore a breath of
ice. Chase had given him the first watch, Zedd was to have the second, and the warden the third.
Kahlan had protested when she wasn't given a watch, but in the end went along with Chase's
wishes.

Moonlight illuminated the open land between where he sat and the boundary. It was an expanse of
gentle hills, a few trees and small streams; a pleasant-looking place, considering how near it was to
the grim boundary woods. Of course, the woods had probably been pleasant at one time, too, before
Darken Rahl had put the boxes in play, and started the destruction of the boundary. Chase had said
he didn't think the heart hounds could stray this far, but if he was wrong, Richard intended to see
them coming. He ran his hand over the hilt of his sword for reassurance, fingering the word Truth
on it, tracing its raised letters absently while he scanned the night sky, vowing not to let the gars
take him by surprise again. He was glad he was given the first watch, since he wasn't sleepy. He
was fatigued, but not sleepy. Still, he yawned.

The mountains that were part of the boundary lay off at the edge of darkness, beyond the tangle mat
of woods, rising up like the spine of a dark beast too big to hide itself. Richard wondered what
manner of things were looking back at him from that black maw. Chase had said the boundary
mountains diminished as they went south, and would be all but gone where they were going.

Unexpectedly, Kahlan, her cloak also wrapped snug about, slipped up silently in the darkness and
wedged herself tight against him for warmth. She didn't talk, simply sat close. Stray wisps of her
silky hair touched the side of his face. The handle of her knife jabbed into his side, but he didn't say
anything for fear that if he did she would move away. He didn't want her to move.

"The others asleep?" he asked quietly, glancing over his shoulder. She nodded. "How can you tell?"
he asked with a smile. "Zedd sleeps with his eyes open."

She smiled back. "All wizards do."

"Really? I thought it was just Zedd."

As he scanned the valley for any movement, he could feel her eyes on him. He looked back at her.
"Aren't you sleepy?" She was so close he didn't have to speak in much more than a whisper.

She shrugged. The light breeze pulled some of her long hair across her face. She reached up and
pulled it back. Her eyes found his. "I wanted to, tell you I was sorry."

He wished she would lay her head on his shoulder, but she didn't. "About what?"

"About what I said to you before, that I wouldn't want you to come after me. I did not want you to
think I don't appreciate your friendship; I do. It's just that what we are doing is more important than
any one person."

He knew she had meant much more than she said, just as he had. He looked into her eyes, felt her
breath on, his face.

"Kahlan, do you have someone?" He feared the arrow to his heart, but had to ask. "Someone at
home who waits for you, I mean? A love?"

He held the gaze of her green eyes for a long time. She didn't look away, but her eyes filled with
tears. More than anything he wanted to put his arms around her and kiss her.

She reached up, letting the backs of her- fingers brush his face gently. She cleared her throat. "It is
not that simple, Richard."

"Yes it is. Either you do or you don't."

"I have obligations."

For a time it seemed she was going to tell him something, tell him her secret.

She looked so beautiful in the moonlight, but it wasn't only the way she looked, it was what was
inside her, everything from her intelligence and courage to her wit, and the special smile she gave
only to him. He would slay a dragon, if there were such a thing, just to see that smile. He knew he
would never want anyone else for as long as he lived. He would rather spend the rest of his life
alone than with someone else. There could be no one else.

He desperately wanted to hug her close. He ached to taste her soft lips. But he was inexplicably
getting the same feeling he had had before he crossed the bridge. It was a strong feeling of warning,
stronger than his desire to kiss her. Something told him that if he did, it would be crossing one
bridge too many. He remembered how the magic flared when she had touched his hand as he held
the sword. He had been right about the bridge, so he didn't put his arms around her.

She broke the gaze with a glance to the ground. "Chase said the next two days are going to be
rough. I guess I had better get some sleep."

He knew that whatever was going on in her head, he had no say in it. He couldn't force her. It was
something she had to handle herself.

"You have an obligation to me too," he said. She looked back to him with a questioning frown, and
he smiled. "You have promised to be my guide. I intend to hold you to that promise."

She smiled and could only nod, too close to tears to speak. She kissed the end of her finger and
pressed it against his cheek, then slipped back into the night.

Richard sat in the dark, trying to swallow past the lump in his throat. Long after she was gone he
could still feel the place on his cheek where she had put her finger, her kiss

The night was so still that Richard felt as if he were the only one awake in- the whole world. Stars
flickered, looking like Zedd's magic dust frozen in place as the moon stared silently down at him.
Not even the wolves sang tonight. Loneliness threatened to crush him.

He found himself wishing something would attack just so he would have something else to think
about. He pulled out his sword, and for something to do, polished its already gleaming blade with
the corner of his cloak. It was his sword to use as he saw fit; that's what Zedd had told him.
Whether Kahlan liked it or not, he was going to use it to protect her. She was hunted. Anything that
tried to touch her was going to have to come through his sword first.

The thought of her hunters, the quads, and Darken Rahl made his anger heat. He wanted them to
come now so he could put an end to the threat. He hungered for them. His heart pounded. His jaws
clenched.

He realized suddenly that it was the sword's anger awakening his. The sword was free from its
scabbard and the mere thought of something threatening Kahlan was making its anger, and his
anger, come forth. He was startled at how it had seeped into him, so quiet, so unseen, so seductive.
Simply perception, the wizard had said. What was the sword's magic perceiving in him?

Richard slid the sword back into its scabbard, put back the anger, feeling the gloom seep through
him once again as he resumed his scan of the countryside and sky. He stood and walked around to
relieve the cramps in his legs, then sat once more against the rock, inconsolable.

An hour before his watch was due to end, he heard quiet footsteps he recognized. It was Zedd, a
piece of cheese in each hand, with no cloak, wearing only his simple robes.

"What are you doing up? It's not time for your watch yet."

"I thought you might like the company of a friend. Here, I brought you a piece of cheese."

"No, thanks. About the cheese, I mean. I could use the friend part, though."

Zedd sat down next to him, folded his bony knees up to his chest, and pulled the robes down over
them, making himself the center of a little tent. "What's the problem?" Richard shrugged. "Kahlan,
I guess." Zedd didn't say anything. Richard looked over. "She's the first thing in my mind when I
wake and the last thing in my mind before I sleep. I've never felt like this before, Zedd, never felt
this alone before."

"I see." Zedd laid the cheese on a rock.

"I know she likes me, but I get the feeling she's keeping me at arm's length. When we were setting
up camp tonight, I told her that if it had been her, like Chase today, I would have come after her. A
while ago she came out here to see me. She said she didn't want me coming after her, but she meant
more than that. She meant she didn't want me coming after her, period."

"Good girl," Zedd said under his breath.

"What?„ .

"I said she's a good girl. We all like her. But Richard, she is other things, too. She has
responsibilities."

Richard frowned at the old man. "And what are those other things?"

Zedd leaned back a little. "It's not for me to say. She is the one to answer that. I would have thought
she would have done so by now." The old man put his arm around Richard's big shoulders. "If it
makes you feel any better, the only reason she hasn't is because she cares for you more than she
should. She is afraid of losing your friendship."

"You know about her secrets, and Chase knows; I can see it in his eyes. Everyone knows but me.
She tried to tell me tonight,. but she couldn't. She shouldn't worry about losing my friendship. That
won't happen."

"Richard, she is a wonderful person, but she is not the one for you. She can't be that."

"Why?"

Zedd plucked something off his sleeve as he spoke, avoiding Richard's eyes. "I gave my word I
would allow her to be the one to tell you. You will just have to trust me; she cannot be what you
want. Find another girl. The land is awash with them. Why, half of all the people are girls; there are
plenty to pick from. Pick another."

Richard drew his knees up, folding his arms across them, looking away. "All right." Zedd looked
up in surprise, then smiled and patted his young friend's back.

"All right on one condition," Richard added as he scanned the boundary woods. "You answer one
question, honestly, toasted toads honest. If you can answer yes, then I will do as you ask."

"One? Only one question?" Zedd asked cautiously, putting a bony finger to his thin bottom lip. .

"One question."

Zedd thought about it a minute. "Very well. One question."

Richard turned his fierce eyes to the old man. "Before you married your wife, if someone-tell you
what, let's make it even easier for you to say yes-if someone you trusted, a friend, someone you
loved like a father, if that person had come to you, and said pick another, would you have done so?"

Zedd looked away from Richard's eyes and took a deep breath. "Bags. You would think by now I
would have learned not to let a Seeker ask me a question." He picked up the cheese and took a bite.

"I thought as much."

Zedd threw the cheese away into the darkness. "That doesn't change the facts, Richard! It will not
work between you two. I'm not saying this to hurt you. I love you like a son. If I could change the
way the world works, I would. I wish it were not so, for your sake, but there is no way for it to
work. Kahlan knows it, and if you try, you will only hurt her. I know you don't want that."

Richard's voice was calm, quiet. "You said it yourself. I am the Seeker. There is a way, and I will
find it."

Zedd shook his head sadly. "I wish it were so, my boy, but it is not."

"Then what am I to do?" Richard asked in a broken whisper.

His old friend put his skinny arms around him and hugged him close in the darkness. Richard felt
numb.

"Just be her friend, Richard. That's what she needs. But you can be nothing more."

Richard nodded in Zedd's arms.

After a few minutes the Seeker, a suspicious look in his eye, pushed away, holding the wizard at
arm's length.

"What is it you came out here for?" "To sit with a friend."

Richard shook his head. "You came out here as wizard, away from the others, to counsel the
Seeker. Now, tell me why you're here."

"Very well. I came here in my capacity as wizard, to tell the Seeker he almost made a serious
mistake today."

Richard took his hands from Zedd's shoulders, but continued to hold his gaze. "I know that. A
Seeker cannot put himself at risk when by so doing he puts everyone else at risk."

"But you were going to do it anyway," Zedd pressed.

"When you named me Seeker, you took the bad with the good. I'm new at the responsibilities of the
position. It's hard for me to see a friend in trouble and not help. I know I can't afford that luxury
anymore. Consider me reprimanded."

Zedd smiled. "Well, that part went well." He sat a minute, his smile faded. "But Richard, the issue
is bigger than just what happened today. You must understand that, as Seeker, you may cause the
death of innocent people. In order to succeed in stopping Rahl you may have to turn away from
those who might be saved with your help. A soldier knows that on the battlefield, if he bends to
help a downed comrade, he might take a sword in the back, and so, if he is to win, he must fight on
despite the cries for help from his fellows. You must be able to do this to win; it may be the only
way. You must steel yourself to it. This is a struggle for survival, and in this battle the ones crying
for help probably won't be soldiers, but innocents. Darken Rahl will kill anyone to win. Those who
fight on his side will do the same. You may have to do the same. Like it or not, the aggressor makes
the rules. You must play by them, or you will surely die by them."

"How could anyone fight on his side? Darken Rahl wants to dominate everyone, to be the master of
all. How could they fight for him?"

The wizard leaned back against the rock and looked out over the hills, as if seeing more than was
there. His tone was sorrowful. "Because, Richard, many people must be ruled to thrive. In their
selfishness and greed, they see free people as their oppressors. They wish to have a leader who will
cut the taller plants so the sun will reach them. They think no plant should be allowed to grow taller
than the shortest, and in that way give light to all. They would rather be provided a guiding light,
regardless of the fuel, than light a candle themselves.

"Some of them think that when RAI wins, he will smile on them, and they will be rewarded, and so
they are as ruthless as he to gain his favor. Some are simply blind to the truth and fight for the lies,
they hear. And some find, once that guiding light is lit, that they are wearing chains, and then it is
too late." Zedd smoothed his sleeves down his arms as he sighed. "There have always been wars,
Richard. Every war is a murderous struggle between foes. And yet, no army has ever marched into
battle thinking that the Creator had sided with their enemy."

Richard shook his head. "It doesn't make sense."

"I am quite sure that Rahl's followers think we are bloodthirsty monsters, capable of anything. They
will have been told endless tales of their enemy's ruthless brutality. I'm sure none of them know
much about Darken Rahl except what they have been told by Darken Rahl." The wizard frowned,
his intelligent eyes sharp. "It may be a perversion of logic, but that makes it no less threatening, or
deadly. Rahl's followers need only to crush us, they don't have to understand anything else. But for
you to win, against a stronger foe, you must use your head."

Richard ran his fingers through his hair. "That leaves me stuck in an awfully tight crack. I may have
to let innocent people die, yet I can't kill Darken Rahl."

Zedd gave him a meaningful look. "No. I never said you couldn't kill Darken Rahl; I said you
couldn't use the sword to kill him."

Richard looked intently over at his old friend, the moonlight dim on the other's angular face. Sparks
of thought lit in the darkness of his mood.

"Zedd," he asked quietly, "have ,you had to do that? Have you had to let innocent people die?"

Zedd's face turned hard, and pensive. "In the last war, and again now, as we speak. Kahlan told me
Rahl kills people to get my name. No one can give it, but he continues to kill in the hope someone
will finally offer it. I could turn myself over to him to stop the killing, but then I wouldn't be able to
help defeat him; and many more would die. It's a painful choice, let a few die horribly, or let even
more die horribly."

"I'm sorry, my friend." Richard wrapped his cloak tighter about himself, chilled from without and
from within. He looked back out over the still landscape, then back at Zedd. "I met the night wisp,
Shar, before she died. She gave her life to get Kahlan here, so others might live. Kahlan also bears
the burden of letting others die."

"She does," Zedd said softly. "It makes my heart ache to know the things that girl's eyes have seen.
And the things your eyes may have to see."

"Makes my problem about the two of us seem pretty small."

Zedd's expression was gentle with compassion. "But not hurt any less."

Richard made another scan of the countryside. "Zedd, one more thing. Before we reached your
house, I offered Kahlan an apple." '

Zedd gave a surprised laugh. "You offered a red fruit to someone from the Midlands? That's
tantamount to a death threat, my boy. In the Midlands, red fruit of any kind is deadly poison."

"Yes, I know that now, but I didn't at the time."

Zedd leaned over, lifting an eyebrow. "What did she say?"

Richard looked at him sideways. "It isn't what she said, it's what she did. She grabbed me by the
throat. For a moment, I could see in her eyes that she was going to kill me. I don't know how she
was going to kill me, but I'm sure she was going to do it. She hesitated long enough for me to
explain. The point is, she was my friend, and she had saved my life several times, but in that instant
she was going to kill me." Richard paused. "That's part of what you are saying, isn't it?"

Zedd let out a long breath and nodded. "It is. Richard, if you suspected I was a traitor, weren't sure,
just suspected, and you knew that if it were true, our cause would be lost, would you be able to kill
me? If you had no time or way to find the truth, only the strong belief I was a traitor, and only you
knew, could you kill me on the spot? Could you come at me, your old friend, with lethal intent?
With enough violence to see the job done?"

Zedd's stare burned into him. Richard was stunned. "I . . . I don't know." "Well, you had better
know that you could, or you have no business going after Rahl. You won't have the resolve to live,
to win. You may be called upon to make a life-and-death decision instantly. Kahlan knows this, she
knows the consequences if she fails. She has the resolve."

"She hesitated, though. From what you're saying, she made a mistake. I could have overpowered
her. She should have killed me before I had a chance to." Richard frowned. "And she would have
been wrong."

Zedd shook his head slowly. "Don't flatter yourself, Richard. She had her hand on you. Anything
you would have done wouldn't have been quick enough. All it would have taken is a thought on her
part. She was in control and could afford to give you the chance to explain. She made no mistake."

A little shaken, Richard still wasn't ready to concede the issue. "But you wouldn't, you couldn't be a
traitor to us, just as I would never hurt her. I don't see the point."

"The point is, even though I wouldn't, if I did, you have to be prepared to act. You have to have the
strength to do even that, if necessary. The point is that even though Kahlan knew you were her
friend, and wouldn't hurt her, when she thought you were trying to, she was prepared to act. If you
hadn't quickly made her believe you, she would have."

Richard sat in silence for a moment, watching his friend. "Zedd, if it were the other way around, if
you thought I was a danger to our cause, well, you know, could you . . . ?"

The wizard leaned back, frowning, and without a hint of emotion in his voice, said, "In a
twinkling."

The answer appalled Richard, but he understood what his friend was telling him, even if the-whole
idea seemed farfetched; anything less than total commitment could spell their failure. If they
faltered, Rahl would not be merciful. They would die. It was that simple.

"Still want to be Seeker?" Zedd asked.

Richard stared out at nothing. "Yes."

"Scared?"

"To the bone."

Zedd patted his knee. "Good. Me too. I would worry only if you were not." The Seeker gave the
wizard an icy glare. "I intend to make Darken Rahl afraid too."

Zedd smiled and nodded. "You are going to make a good Seeker, my boy. Have faith."

Richard gave a mental shudder at the thought of Kahlan killing him just for offering her an apple.
He frowned. "Zedd? Why are all red fruits in the Midlands deadly poison? It isn't natural."

The wizard gave a sorrowful shake of his head. "Because, Richard, children like red fruit."

Richard's frown deepened. "That doesn't make any sense."

Zedd looked down, pushing a bony finger at the dirt for a moment. "It was about this time of year,
in the last war. The harvests were in. I had found a constructed magic. That's a magic made by
wizards of long ago. Something like the boxes of Orden. It was a poison magic, specific to color,
and only able to cast one spell, one time. I wasn't sure how it was used, but I knew it was
dangerous." Zedd took a deep breath and put his hands in his lap. "Anyway, Panis Rahl got his
hands on it, and figured out how to make it work. He knew children loved fruit, and wanted to
strike a blow at our hearts. He used the magic to poison all red fruit. It's a little like the poison of
the snake vine. Slow at first. It took time for us to realize what caused the fever, and death. Panis
Rahl deliberately chose something he could be sure children, not just the adults, would eat." His
voice was barely audible as he looked out into the darkness. "A lot of people died. A lot of
children."

Richard's . eyes were wide. "If you found it, how did he get hold of it?"

Zedd looked into Richard's eyes with an expression that could have frozen a summer day. "I had a
student, a young man I was training. One day I chanced upon him tinkering with something he
shouldn't have been. I had an odd doubt about him. I knew something was wrong, but I was very
fond of him and so I didn't act upon my suspicion. Instead, I decided to think on it for the night.
The next morning, he was gone, and so was the constructed magic I had found. He had been a spy
for Panis Rahl. If I had acted when I should have, and killed him, all those people, all those
children, wouldn't have died."

Richard swallowed. "Zedd, you couldn't have known." He thought that maybe the old man was
going to yell, or cry, or storm off, but instead he only shrugged. "Learn from my mistake, Richard.
If you do, then all those lives won't have been lost for nothing. Maybe their story can be a lesson
that will help save everyone from what Darken Rahl will do if he wins."

Richard rubbed his arms, trying to work a bit of warmth back into them. "Why isn't the red fruit in
Westland poison?"

"All magic has limits. This had a limit of distance from where it was used. It stretched as far as
where the boundary between Westland and the Midlands went up. The boundary couldn't be put up
where any of the poison spell was, or Westland would have had magic in it."

Richard sat in the dark, cold silence and thought for a time. At last he asked, "Is there any way to
get rid of it? To make the red fruit no longer poison?"

Zedd smiled. Richard thought it an odd thing to do, but he was glad to see it: "Thinking like a
wizard, my boy. Thinking how to undo magic." He frowned in thought as he looked out into the
night again. "There might be a way to remove the spell. I would have to study it and see what I
could do. If we can defeat Darken Rahl, I intend to put my mind to the task."

"Good." Richard tugged his cloak tighter. "Everyone should be able to eat an apple when they
want. Especially children." He looked over at the old man. "Zedd, I promise I will remember your
lesson. I won't let you down. I won't let all those people who died be forgotten."

Zedd smiled and gave Richard's back an affectionate rub.

The two friends sat in silence, sharing the stillness of the night and the quiet of each other's
understanding, thinking about what they could not know: what was to come.

Richard thought about what needed to be done, about Panis

Rahl, and about Darken Rahl. He thought about how hopeless everything seemed. Think about the
solution, he told himself, not the problem; you are the Seeker.

"I need you to do something, wizard. I think it is time for us to disappear. Rahl has followed us
long enough. What can you do about that cloud?"

"You know, I think you're right. I only wish I knew how it was hooked to you, so I could unhook it,
but I can't figure it out

So, I will have to do something else." He contemplatively drew his finger and thumb down the
sharp sides of his jaw. "Has it

rained, or been overcast since it first started following you?"'

Richard thought back, trying to remember every day. Most of the time he had been in a fog over his
father's murder. It seemed so long ago. "The night before I found the snake vine, it rained in the
Ven, but by the time I got there, it had cleared off. No, no rain. I don't remember it being cloudy
since my father's murder. At least, nothing more than a few high, thin clouds. What does that
mean?"

"Well, it means I think there is a way to fool the cloud, even if I can't unhook it. Since the sky has
been clear all that time, that means Rahl probably has been responsible. He has moved the other
clouds away so he could easily find this one. Simple, but effective."

"How could he move the clouds away?"

"He put a spell on this one to repel other clouds, and somehow hooked this one to you."

"Then why don't you put a stronger spell on it to attract other clouds; before he realizes it, it will be
lost, and he won't be able to find it to try to outdo your magic. If he does use stronger magic to
move the clouds away to find this one, he won't know what you have done, and the stronger spell
that pushes the clouds away will break the hook."

Zedd gave him an incredulous look, his eyes blinked. "Bags, Richard, you have gotten it exactly
right! My boy, I think you would make an excellent wizard."

"No, thanks. I already have one impossible job."

Zedd drew back a little and frowned, but didn't say anything. His thin hand reached into his robes
and pulled out a rock, tossing it on the ground in front of them. He stood and his fingers spun
around in a circle over the little rock until, suddenly, it popped into a large rock.

"Zedd! That's your cloud rock!"

"Actually, my boy; it's a wizard's rock. My father gave it to me, long ago."

The wizard's finger stirred faster and faster until light came forth, sparkles and colors, swirling
around. He continued to stir, mixing and blending the light. There was no sound, only the pleasant
smell of a spring rain. At last the wizard seemed satisfied.

"Step up on the rock, my boy."

Unsure at first, Richard stepped into the light. It tingled and felt warm against his skin, as if he were
lying in the hot summer sun without clothes, after a swim. He let himself bask in the warm, safe
feeling, gave himself over to it. His hands floated outward from his sides until they were horizontal.
He tilted his head back, took deep breaths, and closed his eyes. It felt wondrous, like floating in
water, only he was floating in light. Exhilaration soaked through him. His mind felt a buoyant,
timeless connection to everything around him. He was one with the trees, the grass, the bugs, the
birds, the animals all around, the water, the very air itself; not a separate being, but part of a whole.
He understood the interconnection of everything in a new way, saw himself as inconsequential and
empowered at the same time. He saw the world through the eyes of all the creatures around him. It
was a shocking, marvelous insight. He let himself soar into a bird that flew overhead, saw the world
through its eyes, hunted with it, hungry and needful, for mice, watched the campfire below, the
people sleeping.

Richard let his identity scatter to the wind. He became no one and everyone, felt the heat of their
needs, smelled their fear, tasted their joy, understood their desires, and then let it all melt away into
nothingness, until there was a void where he stood, alone in the universe, the only living thing, the
only thing existing at all. Then he let the light flood through him, light that brought forth the others
that had used this very rock: Zedd, Zedd's father, and the wizards before that, for untold years,
thousands of years, one and all. Their essence flowed through him, shared themselves with him as
tears streamed down his cheeks at the wonder of it all.

Zedd's hands sprang forward, loosing his magic dust. It swirled about Richard, glittering fluidly,
until he was at the center of its vortex. The sparkles tightened their rotation and gathered at his
chest. With a tinkling sound like a crystal chandelier in the wind, the dust climbed away into the
sky as if climbing a kite string, taking the sound with it as it went, higher and higher, until it
reached the cloud. The cloud took in the magic dust and was lit from within by roiling colors. All
across the horizon lightning flashed, ragged streaks ripping this way and that, called forth, eager,
expectant.

All at once the lightning stopped, the illumination in the cloud faded and was gone, and the light
from the wizard's rock pulled itself inward until it was extinguished. There was sudden silence.
Richard was there again, standing on a simple rock. He looked, wide-eyed, at Zedd's smiling face.

"Zedd," he whispered, "now I know why you stand on this rock all the time. I've never felt anything
like that in my life. I had no idea."

Zedd smiled knowingly. "You're a natural, my boy. You held your arms just right, your head had
the proper tilt, you even arched your back correctly. You took to it like a duckling to a pond. You
have all the makings of a fine wizard." He leaned forward, gleefully. "Now just try to imagine
doing it naked."

"It makes a difference?" Richard asked in amazement.

"Of course. The clothes interfere with the experience." Zedd put his arm. around Richard's
shoulder. "Someday I will let you try it."

"Zedd, why did you have me do that? It wasn't necessary. You could have done it."

"How do you feel now?"

"I don't know. Different. Relaxed. More clearheaded. I guess not as overpowered, not as
depressed."

"That's why I let you do it, my friend, because you needed it. You have had a hard night. I can't
change, the problems, but I could help you feel better."

"Thank you, Zedd."

"Go get some sleep, it's my watch now." He gave Richard a wink. "If you ever change your mind
about becoming a wizard, I would be proud to welcome you into the brotherhood."

Zedd help up his hand. Out of the darkness, the piece of cheese he had thrown away floated back to
him

CHAPTER 1

4
CHASE REINED IN Fns horse. "Here. This will be a good place."

He led the other three off the trail through an open tract of long-dead spruce, the silver-gray
skeletons standing bare of all but a few branches and an occasional wisp of dull green moss. The
soft ground was littered with the rotting corpses of the former monarchs. Brown bog weed, its
broad, flat leaves laid down in haphazard fashion by past storms, looked like a tangled sea of dead
snakes underfoot.

The horses picked their. way carefully among the tangle. Warm air, heavy with humidity, carried
the fetid smell of decay. A fog of mosquitoes followed them as they went, the only things alive as
far as Richard could tell. As open as this place was, little brightness was offered by the sky, as a
thick, uniform overcast of clouds hung oppressively close to the ground. Trailers of mist dragged
across the silver spikes of the trees that remained standing, leaving them wet and slick.

Chase led the way for Zedd and then Kahlan, with Richard following behind, watching over them
as they twisted their way along. Visibility was limited to less than a few hundred feet, and even
though Chase didn't seem to be concerned, Richard kept a sharp lookout; anything could sneak up
close before they would be able to see it. All four swatted at the mosquitoes, and except for Zedd,
they kept their cloaks tight for protection. Zedd, who shunned wearing a cloak, nibbled on the
remnants of lunch, looking about as if on a sightseeing excursion. Richard had an excellent -sense
of direction but was glad they had Chase to lead them. Everything in the bog looked the same, and
he knew from experience how easy it would be to become lost.

Since Richard had stood on the wizard's rock the night before, he felt the weight of his
responsibilities less of a burden, and more of an opportunity to be a part of something right. He
didn't feel the danger any less, but felt more strongly his need to be part of stopping Rahl. He saw
his part in the scheme of things as a chance to help others who had no chance to fight Darken Red.
He knew he couldn't back away; that would be the end of him, and a lot of others.

Richard watched Kahlan's .body sway as she rode, her shoulders moving to the horse's rhythm. He
wished he could take her to places he knew of in the Hartland Woods, secret places of beauty and
peace, far back in the mountains, show her the waterfall he had found, and the cave behind it, have
lunch by a quiet forest pond with her, take her into town, buy her something pretty, take her
someplace, any place, where she would be safe. He wanted her to be able to smile without having
to worry every minute if her enemies were getting closer. After last night, he felt that the first part,
his fantasy of being with her, was just an empty wish.

With a hand in the air, Chase brought them to a halt. "This is the place."

Richard looked around, there were still in the middle of an endless, dead, dried-up bog. He didn't
see any boundary. It all looked the same in every direction. They tethered their horses to a fallen
log and followed, Chase a short distance farther on foot.

"The boundary," Chase announced, holding his arm out at the introduction.

"I don't see anything," Richard said.

Chase smiled. "Watch." He walked on, steadily, slowly. As he went forward, a green glow formed
around him, at first hardly perceptible. It grew stronger, brighter, until after another twenty steps it
became a sheet of green light pressing against him as he proceeded, stronger close to him and
fading away about ten feet to the sides and above, growing larger with every step. It was like green
glass, wavy and distorted, but Richard could see through it, see the dead trees beyond. Chase
stopped and returned. The green sheet, and then the green glow, faded and vanished as he came
back. Richard had always thought the boundary would be a wall of some sort, something that could
be seen.

"That's it?" Richard felt a little let down.

"What more do you want? Now, watch this." Chase searched the ground, picking up branches,
testing each for strength. Most were rotten and broke easily. Finally he found one, about a dozen
,feet long, that was strong enough to suit him. He carried it back into the glowing light until he
reached the sheet of green. Holding the branch by the thick end, he passed the rest through the wall.
Six feet away, the end of the stick disappeared as he pushed it forward, until he was holding what
appeared to be a six-foot stick instead of a twelve-foot branch. Richard was perplexed. He could
see beyond the wall, but not the other end of the stick. It didn't seem possible.

As soon as Chase had pushed the stick in as far as he dared, it jumped violently. There was no
sound. He hauled it back and returned to the others. He held the splintered end of a now eight foot
stick toward them. The end was covered with slaver.

"Heart hounds," he said with a grin.

Zedd seemed bored. Kahlan was not amused. Richard was astounded. Since he seemed to have an
audience of only one, Chase grabbed a fistful of Richard's shirt and dragged him off. "Come on, I'll
show you what it's like." Chase locked his right arm together with Richard's left as they proceeded,
cautioning Richard, "Go slow, I'll let you know when we've gone far enough. Keep hold of my
arm." They walked ahead slowly.

Green light began. With each step it became more intense, but it was different from when Richard
had watched Chase go in by himself. Then, the light had been to Chase's sides and above him, now
it was all about. There was a buzzing sound, like a thousand bumblebees. With each step the sound
became deeper, but not louder. The green light became deeper, too, and the surrounding wood
darker, as if night were falling. Then the sheet of green was in front of them, materializing out of
nothing, with the green glow everywhere else. Richard could hardly see the woods anymore; he
looked back and couldn't see Zedd or Kahlan at all.

"Easy now," Chase warned. They pushed against the green sheet as they stepped slowly ahead.
Richard could feel. the pressure of it against his body.

Then everything else blacked out, as if he were in a cave at night, with a green glow around Chase
and himself. Richard held Chase's arm tighter. The buzzing felt like it was vibrating his chest.

With the next step the green sheet of the wall changed suddenly. "Far enough," Chase said, his
voice echoing. The wall had become darkly transparent, as if Richard were looking into U deep
pond in the dark woods. Chase stood still, watching hire.

There were forms on the other side.

Inky black shapes wavered in the gloom on the other side of the wall, specters floating in the deep.

The dead in their lair.

Something closer and faster moved nearer to them. "The hounds," Chase said.

Richard felt an odd sensation of longing. Longing for the blackness. The humming wasn't a sound,
he realized, it was voices.

Voices that murmured his name.

Thousands of distant voices called out to him. The black shapes were gathering, calling to him,
holding their arms out to him.

He felt a sudden, unexpected stab of loneliness, felt the solitude of his life, of all life. Why did he
need the pain when they were waiting, waiting to welcome him? Never alone again. The black
shapes drifted closer in the gloom, calling to him, and he began- to see their faces. It was as if he
were looking through murky water. They came closer. He longed to step through. To be there with
them.

And then he saw his father.

Richard's heart pounded. His father called out to him mournfully in a long sorrowful cry. His arms
thrust out, trying desperately to clutch for his son. He was just beyond the wall

Richard's heart felt as if it were going to rip with yearning. It had been so long since he had seen his
father. He wailed for him, hungered to touch him. He wouldn't have to be afraid ever again. He had
only to reach his father. Then he would be safe.

Safe. Forever.

Richard tried to reach out to his father, tried to go to him, tried to step through the wall. Something
was holding his arm. Irritated, he pulled harder. Someone held him from his father. He screamed
for whoever held him to let go. His voice sounded hollow, empty.

Then he was being pulled away from his father.

His anger roared to life. Someone was trying to drag him back by his arm. In a rage he grabbed his
sword. A big hand clamped over his with an iron grip. Screaming in unrestrained fury, he struggled
mightily to free the sword, but the big hands held tight, dragging him, stumbling, from his father.
Richard struggled, but was hauled away.

The green wall came up suddenly in place of the darkness as he was pulled back. Chase was
dragging him away from it, through the green light. The world returned with a sickening jolt. The
dry, dead bog returned.

Suddenly aware, Richard was appalled at what he had almost done. Chase released his sword hand.
Shaking, Richard put it on the big man's shoulder for support, struggling to catch his breath as they
stepped out of the green light. Relief washed over him.

Chase leaned over a little, searching his eyes. "All right?"

Richard nodded, too overwhelmed to speak. The sight of his father had brought back the
devastating grief. He had to concentrate just to breathe, to stand. His throat hurt. He realized he had
been choking, but hadn't been aware of it at the time.

Terror raced through Richard's mind as he realized how close he had come to stepping through the
wall, to death. He had been totally unprepared for what had happened. If Chase hadn't been there
holding on to him, he would be dead now. He had tried to give in to the underworld. He felt as if he
didn't know himself. How could he have wanted to give himself over to it? Was he that weak? That
frail?

Richard's head swirled with pain. He couldn't clear the vision of his father's face from his mind, the
way his father longed for him, called to him, so desperate. He ached to be with him. It would have
been so easy. The image haunted his mind, refusing to let go. He didn't want to let it go; he wanted
to go back. He could feel the pull, even as he resisted.

Kahlan was there, waiting for them, at the edge of the green light as they emerged. She swept her
arm protectively around his waist and tugged him away from Chase. With her other hand she
grabbed hold of his jaw, turning his head, making him look at her.

"Richard. Listen to me. Think of something else. Concentrate. You have to think of something else.
I want you to remember every intersection on every trail in the Hartland. Can you do that for me?
Please? Do it now. Remember every one for me."

He nodded, and started to remember the trails.

Kahlan turned to Chase in a fury, slapping him across his face as hard as she could.

"You bastard!" she screamed. "Why would you do that to him!" Throwing all her weight into it, she
slapped him again, her hair tossing across her face. Chase didn't try to stop her. "You did it on
purpose! How could you do that!" She swung at him a third time, but this time, he grabbed her
wrist in midswing.

"Do you want me to tell you or do you wish to go on hitting me?"

She jerked her hand away, glaring at him, her chest heaving. Some of her hair was stuck sideways
across her face.

"Going through Kings' Port is dangerous. It isn't straight through; it twists and turns. Some places
it's very narrow, the two walls of the boundary almost touching. One step either way and you're
gone. You've been through the boundary; so has Zedd. You both understand. You can't see it until
you start in, otherwise you don't know where it is. I only know because I've spent my life out here.
It's even more dangerous now because it's failing, even easier to walk through it. When you get in
the pass, if something started chasing you, Richard could run into the underworld without even
knowing what it was."

"That's no excuse! You could have warned him!"

"I've never had a child yet who had the proper respect for fire until they put their hand in it once.
No amount of telling is worth doing it once. If Richard didn't understand what it was like be- fore
he went into Kings' Port, he wouldn't come out the other side. Yes, I took him in there on purpose.
To show him. To keep him alive."

"You could have told him!"

Chase shook his head. "No. He had to see it."

"Enough!" Richard said, his head clear at last. They all turned to him. "A day has yet to go by when
one of you three doesn't scare the wits out of me. But I know you all have my best interests at heart.
Right now we have more important things to worry about. Chase, how do you know the boundary
is failing? What's different?"

"The wall is breaking down. Before, you couldn't see through the green into the darkness. You
couldn't see anything on the other side."

"Chase is right," Zedd offered, "I could see it from here."

"How long until it fails?" Richard asked the wizard.

Zedd shrugged. "It's hard to tell."

"Then guess!" Richard shot back. "Give me some kind of idea. Your best guess."

"It will last at least two weeks. But not more than six or seven."

Richard thought a minute. "Can you use your magic to strengthen it?"

"I don't have that kind of power."

"Chase, do you think Rahl knows about Kings' Port?"

"How should I know?"

"Well, has anyone come through the pass?"

Chase thought about the question. "Not that I know of."

"I doubt it," Zedd added. "Rahl can travel the underworld; he doesn't need the pass. He's bringing
the boundary down; I don't think he cares about a little pass."

"Caring is different from knowing," Richard said. "I don't think we should be standing here, and I'm
worried he might know where we're going."

Kahlan pulled the hair off her face. "What do you mean?"

Richard gave her a sympathetic look. "Do you think it was your mother and sister you saw when
you were in there?"

"I thought it was. Do you think otherwise?" "I don't think that was my father." He looked to the
wizard. "What do you think?"

"It's impossible to say. No one really knows all that much about the underworld."

"Darken Rahl knows about it," Richard said bitterly. "I don't think my father would want me in that
manner. But I know Rahl would, so despite what my eyes tell me, it's more likely that it was
Darken Rahl's disciples trying to take me. You said we couldn't go through the boundary because
they were waiting for us to do so, waiting to get us. I think that was what I saw, his followers in the
underworld. And they know right where I touched the wall. If I'm right that means Rahl will soon
know where we are. I don't want to be here to find out if I'm right."

"Richard is right," Chase said. "And we have to get to Skow Swamp before nightfall, before the
heart hounds come out. 'It's the only safe place between here and Southaven. We'll reach Southaven
before tomorrow night and will be safe from the hounds there. The next day we will go see a friend
of mine, Adie, the bone woman. She lives near the pass. We need her help to get through. But
tonight, our only chance is the swamp."

Richard was about to ask what a bone woman was, and why they needed her help to cross the
boundary, when a dark, shadowy form suddenly whipped out of the air, striking Chase so hard it
threw him across several downed trees. With shocking speed the black form wrapped around
Kahlan's legs, whip like, pulling her feet from under her. She screamed Richard's name as he dove,
grabbing for her. They locked their hands around each other's wrists. Both were dragged across the
ground, toward the boundary.

Zedd's fingers threw fire over their heads. It shrieked past and vanished. Another black appendage
struck out at the wizard with lightning speed, knocking the old man through the air. Richard hooked
a foot around a branch on a log. Rotten, it tore from the stump. He twisted his body around, trying
to dig his heels into the ground. His boots slid across the wet bog weed. He jammed his heels into
the earth, but wasn't strong enough to hold the two of them from being dragged across the ground.
He needed his hands free.

"Put your arms around my waist!" he yelled

Kahlan lunged, throwing her arms around him, holding tight. The sinuous black thing wrapped
around her legs undulated, getting a stronger grip on her. She screamed as it squeezed. Richard
yanked the sword free, filling the air with its ringing.

The green light began to glow around them as they were dragged in.

Anger flooded through him. Richard's worst fear was coming to pass; something was trying to take
Kahlan. The green light brightened. Being hauled across the ground, he couldn't reach the thing that
pulled them. Kahlan held him hard by the waist; her legs were too far away, and the thing that held
her legs was farther still.

"Kahlan, let go of me!"

She was too terrified to do it. She clutched him tightly, desperately, panting in pain. The green
sheet came up as they were dragged in.- The buzzing was loud in his ears.

"Let go!" he yelled again.

He tried to pry her hands from his waist. The trees of the bog started to fade into darkness. Richard
could feel the pressure of the wall. He couldn't believe how strongly she held him. On his back,
sliding across the ground, he tried to reach behind himself to pull her wrists away from him, but
could not. Their only chance was for him to get up.

"Kahlan! You have to let go or we're dead! I won't let them get you! Trust me! Let go!" He didn't
know if he was telling her the truth, but he was sure it was their only chance.

Her head pressed against his stomach as she clutched his body. Kahlan looked up at him, her face
contorting in pain as the black thing squeezed. She screamed, then let go.

In a blink Richard was on his feet. As he jumped up, the dark wall materialized abruptly in front of
him. His father reached out. He unleashed his rage, swinging the sword with every fiber of violence
he possessed. The blade swept through the barrier, through the thing he knew wasn't his father. The
dark shape wailed, exploding into a cloud of nothingness.

Kahlan's feet were at the wall, the dark thing enfolded tightly around her legs, compressing and
pulling. He brought the sword up. Murderous need surged through him.

"Richard, no! It's my sister!" He knew it wasn't, just as it wasn't his father. He gave himself over
completely to the hot need and brought the sword down as hard as he could. Again it swept through
the wall, slashed through the repulsive thing that held Kahlan. There was a confusion of flashes,
unearthly wailing and keening. Kahlan's legs were free. She lay sprawled on her stomach.

Without looking to see what else was happening, Richard pushed his arm under her waist and lifted
her in a single motion, scooping her off the ground. He held her tight against himself and held the
sword toward the wall as he retreated from the boundary. Backing away steadily, he watched for
any movement, any aggression. They left the green light.

He kept going until they were well clear, beyond the horses. When he stopped at last and released
her, Kahlan turned and threw her arms around him, shaking. He had to struggle to restrain the rage
that urged him to go back in and attack. He knew he would have to put the sword away to quell the
anger, the need, but he didn't dare to.

"The others, where are they?" she asked in a panic. "We have to find them."

Kahlan pushed away from him and started to run back. Richard snatched her by the wrist, almost
yanking her from her feet.

"Stay here!" he yelled far more angrily than required, pushing her to the ground.

Richard found Zedd in a heap, unconscious. As he bent to the old man, something swept out in a
rush over his head. His anger erupted. He spun with the sword, the blade sweeping through the dark
form. The stump reeled back into the boundary with a shrill screeching, the severed part vaporizing
in midair. Richard picked up Zedd with one arm, threw him over his shoulder like a sack of grain,
and carried him to Kahlan, where he laid him gently on the ground. She held the wizard's head in
her lap, inspecting for wounds. Richard ducked low as he ran back, but the expected attack didn't
come. He wished it would; he longed for the fight, hungered to strike. He found Chase jammed
partway under a log. Richard seized the mail and pulled him over. Blood oozed from a gash on the
side of Chase's head. Debris was stuck to the wound.

Richard's mind raced, trying to think what to do. He couldn't lift Chase with one arm, and he didn't
dare to put the sword away. He did know he didn't want Kahlan to come help, he wanted her to stay
safely away. Getting a good grip on the warden's leather tunic, Richard started dragging him. The
slick bog weed eased the effort somewhat, but it was still difficult, because he had to go around
several fallen trees. Surprisingly, nothing attacked. Maybe he had hurt it, or killed it. He wondered
if it was possible to kill something already dead. The sword had magic. Richard wasn't sure what it
was capable of; he wasn't even sure if the things in the boundary were dead. He finally reached
Kahlan and Zedd, and dragged Chase close. The wizard was still unconscious.

Kahlan's face was white with worry. "What are we going to do?"

Richard scanned around. "We can't stay here, and we can't leave them. Let's put them over the
horses and get out of here. We'll look to their wounds as soon as we're a safe distance away."

The clouds were thicker than before, and mist covered everything with a wet sheen. As he checked
in every direction, Richard put the sword away and easily lifted Zedd over his horse. Chase was
more difficult. He was big, and all his weapons were heavy. Blood throbbed from the wound on the
side of his forehead, soaking his hair, and hanging him over the side of the horse made it bleed
more. Richard decided he couldn't leave it untended. He quickly retrieved an aum leaf and a strip of
cloth from a pack. He crumpled the leaf to make it seep its healing fluid, pressed it against the
wound, and had Kahlan wrap the cloth around Chase's head. The cloth soaked through almost
immediately, but he knew the aum leaf would stop the bleeding in a short time.

Richard helped Kahlan up onto her horse. He could tell that her legs hurt more than she would
admit. He gave her the reins of Zedd's horse, mounted up, took Chase's horse, and then carefully
got his bearings. He knew they would have a hard time finding the trail; the mist was getting heavy,
visibility limited. There seemed to be ghosts watching from the shadows in every direction. He
didn't know if he should lead or follow Kahlan, didn't know how best to protect her, so he rode
beside her. Zedd and Chase weren't tied down and could easily slip off the horses, so they had to
take it slow. The dead spruce looked the same in every direction, and they couldn't go in a straight
line because they had to cut back and forth around fallen trees. Richard spat out mosquitoes that
kept flying into his mouth.

The sky was the same dark steel gray everywhere; there was no chance to tell where the sun was, to
get oriented. After a time, Richard wasn't at all sure they were going in the right direction; it
seemed they should have reached the trail already. He took fixes from landmark trees, and when
they reached each one he would pick a new one farther ahead, hoping they were traveling in a
straight line. To do it properly he knew he had to be able to line up at least three trees to make sure
the line of travel was straight, but he couldn't see that far in the mist. He couldn't be sure he wasn't
leading them in circles. Even if he was going in a straight line, he wasn't sure the direction was
toward the trail.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Kahlan asked. "It all looks the same."

"No. But at least we haven't run into the boundary."

"Do you think we should stop and tend to them?"

"We don't dare. For all I know we could be ten feet from the underworld."

Kahlan looked around, worried. Richard gave thought to having her wait with the other two while
he went ahead and scouted for the trail, but dismissed the idea, as he was afraid he might not be
able to find her again. They had to stay together. He started to wonder what they would do if they
couldn't find their way out before dark. How would they protect themselves against the heart
hounds? If there were enough of them, even the sword couldn't hold them all off at once. Chase had
said they had to get to the swamp before nightfall. He hadn't said why, or how the swamp could
protect them. The brown bog weed was an endless sea all around, with hulks of trees aground in it
everywhere.

An oak appeared off to their left, then some more, some with leaves shimmering dark green and
wet in the mist. This was not the way they had come in. Richard turned them to the right a little,
following the edge of the dead bog, hoping it would lead them back to the trail.

Shadows from the brush among the oaks watched them. He told himself it was his imagination that
made the shadows seem to have eyes. There was no wind, no movement, no sound. He was angry
with himself for being lost, despite how easily it could happen in this place. He was a guide; getting
lost was unforgivable.

Richard breathed out in relief when he saw the trail at last. They quickly dismounted and checked
their two charges. There was no change in Zedd, but at least Chase's wound had stopped bleeding.
Richard had no idea what to do for them. He didn't know if they had been knocked unconscious, or
if their condition was caused by some sort of magic from the boundary. Kahlan didn't know either.

"What do you think we should do?" she asked him.

Richard tried not to look as worried as he really was. "Chase said we had to get to the swamp or the
hounds would get us. It won't do them any good to be laid out here and tended to while we wait for
them to wake, only to have the hounds get 'us all. As I see it, we have only two choices: leave them
here or take them with us. There is no way I'm leaving them. Let's tie them down on the horses so
they don't fall off, and get to the swamp."

Kahlan agreed. They worked quickly to lash their friends to the horses. Richard changed Chase's
bandage, and cleaned up the wound a little. The mist was changing to a light rain. He fished around
in the packs, finding the blankets, and removed the oilcloth they were wrapped in. They put a
blanket over each friend, then covered them with the oilcloth to keep them dry, crisscrossing rope
over it all to hold it in place.

When they were finished, Kahlan unexpectedly put her arms around him, hugging him close and
tight for a moment, separating before he could return her gesture.

"Thank you for saving me," she said softly. "The boundary terrifies me." She looked sheepishly up
at him. "And if you remind me what I said about not coming after me, I'll kick you." She smiled as
she looked up from under her eyebrows.

"Not a word. I promise."

He smiled back at her and pulled up the hood of her cloak, stuffing her hair into it, to keep her dry
in the rain. He pulled up his own hood and they started off down the road.

The woods were deserted. Rain dripped down through the tangle overhead. Branches reached
around the trail like talons reaching to snatch both people and horses. Even without their riders'
direction, the horses trotted their way carefully down the center of the road, their ears pricking from
one side to the other, as if listening to the shadows. So dense was the thicket to each side that there
was no chance they could take to the trees if they had to. Kahlan drew her cloak tighter. It was go
on, or go back. And there was no going back. They rode the horses hard the rest of the afternoon
and evening.

When the day's death began stealing away the soft gray light, they still had not reached the swamp,
and there was no way to tell how much farther it was. Off through the tangled woods, they caught
the sound of howling. Their breath caught in their throats.

The heart hounds were coming

CHAPTER 1

5
THE HORSES NEEDED No encouragement to run. They fled down the road at full speed, their
riders making no attempt to slow them, the howls of the heart hounds energizing the effort. Water
and mud splashed as their hooves pounded the road, and rain ran in rivulets across their hides, but it
was the mud that won out, streaking and caking on their legs and bellies. When the hounds
shrieked, the horses returned a snort of fear.

Richard let Kahlan take the lead, wanting to stay between her and their pursuers. The sounds of the
heart hounds were still distant, off toward the boundary, but he knew by the way they were angling
in from the left that it- was only a matter of time until they would be overtaken. If they could turn
to the right and head away from the boundary, there was a chance they could outrun the hounds, but
the woods were thick, impenetrable; it would be slow going if they could find an opening, a sure
death if they tried. Their only chance was to stay on the road and reach the swamp before they were
caught. Richard didn't know how far it was, or what they would do once they reached it, only that
they had to

The colors of day were washing out into a sullen gray as night approached. Rain pelted his face in
small, cold pricks, heated and mingled with sweat, and ran down his neck. Richard watched the
bodies of his two friends bounce and jostle on the horses, hoping they were tied down securely
enough, hoping they were not badly hurt, hoping they would be conscious soon. The ride couldn't
be doing them any good. Kahlan didn't turn or look back. She bent to her task, her dark form
hunched forward over the horse as it ran.

The road curved back and forth as it threaded its way around imposing misshapen oaks and rock
outcroppings. Dead trees became more infrequent. Leaves of the oak, ash, and maple trees sealed
the riders away from the last vestiges of the sky, darkening the trail even more. The hounds were
getting closer when the road began to descend into a sodden wood of cedar. A good sign, Richard
thought: cedar often grew where the ground was wet.

Kahlan's horse disappeared over the edge of a drop. Richard reached the brink of the sharp slope
and saw her again, descending into a bowl in the earth. The tangled tops of trees spread out into the
distance, at least as much of it as he could see in the mist and dim light. It was the Skow Swamp, at
last.

The smell of wet and rot assailed him as he followed her in a rush, down through swirling trailers
of mist that moved and spun at their passing. Sharp calls and hoots came from the dense vegetation.
The howls of the heart hounds came from behind, closer now. Woody vines hung from slick
twisted limbs of trees that stood in the water on roots looking like claws, and smaller leafy vines
spiraled around anything strong enough to hold them. Everything seemed to be growing on top of
something else, seeking to gain an advantage. Water, dark and still, sat in stagnant expanses,
sneaking in under clumps of bushes, enveloping stands of fat-bottomed trees. Duckweed drifted in
thick mats on the water, looking like manicured lawn. The lush growth seemed to swallow the
sound of their horse's hooves, allowing only the native calls to echo across the waters.

The road narrowed into a trail that struggled to remain above the black water, making it necessary
to slow the horses for fear they would break a leg on the roots. Richard saw that as Kahlan's horse
passed, the surface of the water rolled in lazy ripples as things moved under it. He heard the hounds
at the top of the bowl. Kahlan turned at the howls. If they stayed on the trail, the hounds would be
at them in a matter of minutes. As Richard looked around he pulled the sword free. It sent its
distinctive ringing across the murky water. Kahlan stopped and looked back to him.

"There"-he pointed with the sword across the water to their right "that island. It looks high enough
to be dry. Maybe the heart hounds can't swim."

He thought it a slim hope, but could think of nothing else. Chase had said they would be safe from
the hounds in the swamp, but hadn't told them how. This was the only thing he could think of.
Kahlan didn't hesitate. She led her horse right in, pulling Zedd's behind. Richard followed close
after with Chase's, watching up the trail, seeing movement through gaps in the trees. The water
seemed to be no more than three or four feet deep, with a muddy bottom. Weed broke from its
anchoring and floated to the surface as Kahlan's horse waded through ahead of him, making steady
progress to the island.

Then he saw the snakes.

Dark bodies wriggled in the water, just below the surface, heading toward them from every
direction. Some lifted their heads, flicking red tongues out into the damp air. Their dark brown
bodies had copper-colored splotches, almost invisible in the gloomy water, and barely disturbed the