"Really, Brophy?" she asked.

"Yes, Mistress. I have a good life, now." His tail swished back and forth. "I have a mate! She's a
fine wolf. She smells divine, and her nips give me shivers, and she has the cutest little .. . well,
never mind." He looked up at Kahlan. "She is the leader of our pack. With me at her side, of course.
She is pleased with me. She says I'm the strongest wolf she has ever seen. We had a litter, this last
spring. Six. They're fine pups, almost grown now. It's a fine life, hard, but fine. Thank you,
Mistress, for releasing me."

"I'm so glad, Brophy. But why are you here? Why aren't you back with your family?"

"Well, when you were coming down out of the Rang'Shada, you passed near my den. I sensed your
presence. I found I could smell you. The urge to protect you was too strong to overcome. I know
you are in danger, and I can't be at peace in my pack until I know you're safe. I must protect you."

"Brophy," she protested, "we're fighting to stop Darken Rahl. It's too dangerous for you to be with
us. I don't want you to lose your life. You have already sacrificed too much to Darken Rahl,
through Demmin Nass."

"Mistress, when I was changed to the wolf, it removed most of my need for you, my need to please
you. Yet I would still die for you. It is still extremely difficult for me to go against your wishes. But
in this, I must. I will not leave you to danger. I must protect you, or I could never be at peace.
Command me to leave if you will, but I will not go. I will shadow you until you are safe from
Darken Rahl."

"Brophy," Richard said. The wolf looked over to him. "I too want Kahlan protected, so she can do
her job and help stop Rahl. I would be honored to have you along. You have already proven your
value and your heart. If you can help protect her, you just ignore what she says and go right on
protecting her."

Brophy looked up at her. Kahlan smiled at him. "He is the Seeker. I'm sworn on my life to protect
him, as is Zedd. If that is his word, then I must go along."

Brophy's muzzle opened in surprise. "He commands you? He commands the Mother Confessor?"

"He does."

The wolf shook his head. "Wonder of wonders." He licked his lips. "By the way, I would like to
thank you for the food you have left me."

Kahlan frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Whenever he trapped food, he always left some for me."

"You did?" she asked.

Richard shrugged. "Well, I knew he was out there, and I didn't know what he was, but I didn't think
he meant us harm. So I left him food, to let him know we didn't mean him any harm either." He
smiled at the wolf. "But when you came at me back there, I surely thought I had made a mistake.
Thank you again."

Brophy seemed uncomfortable with the gratitude, and stood. "I have been here long enough. I have
woods to patrol. There might be things about. The three of you need not stand watch with Brophy
on the job."

Richard pushed a stick at the fire, watching the sparks swirl into the air. "Brophy, what was it like
when Kahlan touched you? When she released her power into you."

No one spoke. Richard looked into the wolf's yellow eyes. Brophy's head turned to Kahlan.

"Tell him," she whispered in a broken voice.

Brophy lay back down, folding one paw over the other, his head held high. He was silent for a long
time before he spoke

"It's hard to remember everything of that time, but I will try to explain it the best I can." His head
cocked a little to one side. "Pain. I remember the pain. It was exquisite, beyond anything you could
imagine. The first thing I remember after the pain is fear. Overpowering fear I might be breathing
wrong, and it would somehow displease her. I almost died from fear that I would displease her.
And then when she told me what she wanted to know, it was a flush of the greatest joy I had ever
known. Joy, because then I knew what I could do to please her. I was overjoyed that she had made
a request of me, that there was something I could do to satisfy her. That's What I remember the
most, the desperate, frantic need to do as she wanted, to satisfy her, and make her happy. Nothing
else was in my mind, only to please her. To be in her presence was beyond bliss. The pleasure of
being in her presence made me cry with elation.

"She told me to tell the truth, and I was so happy, because I knew I could do that. I was thrilled to
have a task within my power. I started talking as fast as I could, to tell her all the truth I could. She
had to tell me to slow down, because she couldn't understand me. If I had had a knife, I would have
used it on myself for displeasing her. Then she told me it was all right, and 1 cried because she was
not displeased with me. I told her what happened." His ears wilted a little. "After I told her I hadn't
killed the boy, I remembered she put her hand on my arm-the touch nearly made me faint with
pleasure and she said she was sorry. I misunderstood. I thought she meant she was sorry I hadn't
killed the boy. I begged her to let me go kill another boy for her." Tears ran from the corners of the
wolf's eyes. "Then she explained that what she meant was that she was sorry for me, for me being
accused wrongly of the murder. I remember crying uncontrollably, because she had shown me a
kindness, she was sorry for me, she cared for me. I remember what it felt like to be near her, to be
in her presence. I guess it was a feeling of love, but words are so hollow, next to the power of the
wanting of her."

Richard stood. He could only make himself take the briefest of glances at Kahlan, at her tears.
"Thank you, Brophy." He had to pause a moment to make sure his voice wouldn't fail him. "It's
late. We better get some sleep; tomorrow is an important day. I'm going to take my watch. Good
night."

Brophy stood. "You three sleep. I will stand watch tonight."

Richard swallowed the lump. "I appreciate that, but I will stand my watch. If you wish, you may
guard my back."

He turned and started to leave.

"Richard," Zedd called out to him. Richard stopped without turning. "What bone is it, that your
father gave you?"

Richard's mind raced in a panic. Please, Zedd, he said to himself, if you have ever believed a lie I
have told you, believe this one. "You must remember it. It was that little round one. You've seen it
before, I know you have."

"Oh. Yes, I guess I must have. Good night."

Wizard's First Rule. Thank you, my old friend, he thought to himself, for teaching me how to
protect Kahlan's life.

He walked on into the night, his head pounding with pain, from without, and from within

CHAPTER 3

9
THE city of TAMARANG couldn't hold all the people who wanted in; there were simply too many.
People coming from every direction, seeking protection and safety, had overflowed to the
countryside around the established quarters. Tents and shacks had sprung up on the bare ground
outside the city walls and out onto the hills. In the morning, people had flowed down from the hills
into the impromptu market quarter outside the walls. People who had come from other towns,
villages, and cities lined up in streets laid out in haphazard fashion at makeshift stands, selling
whatever they had. Vendors sold everything from old clothes to fine jewelry. Fruits and vegetables
were stacked at other stands.

There were barbers and healers and fortune-tellers, people who had paper -and wanted to draw your
face, and people who had leeches and wanted to draw your blood. Wine and spirits were for sale
everywhere. Despite the circumstances of their presence, the people seemed in a festive mood. The
imagined protection and ample supply of drink, Richard suspected. Talk floated freely of the
wonders of Father Rahl. Speakers stood at the center of small knots of citizens, telling the latest
news, the latest atrocities. The tattered folk moaned and wailed at the outrages done by the
Westlanders. There were cries for vengeance.

Richard didn't see a single woman with hair past her jaw line.

The castle proper sat at the top of a high hill, within its own walls, within the walls of the city. Red
banners with a black wolf's head flew at evenly spaced intervals around the formidable castle walls.
The huge wooden doors at the outer city walls stood closed. To keep the riffraff at bay, it appeared.

Patrols of soldiers prowled the streets on horseback, their .armor glinting in the noonday sun,
specks of light in an ocean of noisy people. Richard saw one detachment; red banners with black
wolf's head flying over them, as they swept through the new streets. Some people cheered, some
bowed, but all backed away as the horses passed. The soldiers ignored them,-as if they didn't exist.
People who didn't move out of the way quick enough got a boot to the head.

But none of the people moved out of the way of the soldiers the way they moved out of the way for
Kahlan. People backed away from the Mother Confessor the way a pack of dogs backs away from a
porcupine.

Her white dress shone in the bright sun. Back straight, head held high, she walked as if she owned
the whole city. She kept her eyes straight ahead, and acknowledged no one. She had refused to
wear her cloak, saying it wouldn't be proper, and that she wanted there to be no doubt as to who she
was. There was no doubt.

People fell over each other getting out of her way. Everyone bowed in a wave in the wide circle
around her as she passed. Hushed whispers carried Kahlan's title back through the throng. Kahlan
didn't acknowledge the bows.

Zedd, wearing Kahlan's pack for her, walked at Richard's side, two paces behind her. Both his and
Richard's eyes swept the crowds. In all the time he had known Zedd, Richard had never seen him
wear a pack. To say it looked odd would be an understatement. Richard kept his cloak hooked back
behind the Sword of Truth. It raised a few eyebrows, but nothing like the Mother Confessor did.

"Is it like this everywhere she goes?" Richard whispered to Zedd

"I'm afraid so, my boy."

Without hesitation, Kahlan walked smoothly over the massive stone bridge to the city gates. Guards
at the near end of the bridge fell back out of her way. She ignored them. Richard surveyed
everything, in case he needed to find a fast way out.

The two dozen guards at the city gates were obviously under instruction to allow no one to enter.
The guards, who had been standing at attention, looked nervously at each other; they hadn't
expected a visit from the Mother Confessor. With a clank of metal against metal, some of them
moved back, bumping into each other, and some didn't, not knowing what to do. Kahlan stopped;
she stared ahead at the gates as if she expected them to evaporate out of her way. The guards in
front of her pressed their backs against the gates as they looked sideways to their captain.

Zedd stepped around Kahlan, turned to her, bowed deeply, as if to excuse himself for stepping in
front of her, then turned to the captain.

"What's the matter with you? Are you blind, man? Open the gates!"

The captain's dark eyes shifted between Kahlan and Zedd. "I'm sorry, but no one is to enter. And
your name is . . ."

Zedd's face turned bright red; Richard had to work at keeping his own face straight. The wizard's
voice was a low hiss. "Are you telling me, Captain, that you were told `If the Mother Confessor
comes by, don't let her in'?"

The captain's eyes looked less sure. "Well ... I was ordered . . . I'm not . . ."

"Open the gates right now!" Zedd bellowed, fists at his side. "And get a proper escort here this
instant!"

The captain almost jumped out of his armor. He yelled orders and men started running at his
direction. The gates swung inward. Horses thundered up from behind and came around the little
company, forming a rank in front of Kahlan with their banners at the lead. More horsemen formed
up behind. Foot soldiers came at a run, falling in beside her, but not too close.

Richard was seeing her world for the first time, the loneliness of it. What had his heart gotten him
into? With cold pain, he understood her need for a friend.

"You call this a proper escort?" Zedd roared. "Well, it will have to do." He turned to Kahlan and
bowed deeply. "My apologies, Mother Confessor, for this man's insolence, and his feeble effort at
an escort."

Her eyes went to Zedd and she gave a slight bow of the head.

Though he knew he had no right, the shape of her in that dress was making Richard sweat.

As best they could, the men in the ranks kept a wary eye to Kahlan, waiting, and when she started
forward they stepped in with her. Dust rose around the horses as they started through the gates.

Zedd fell in next to Richard as the procession started moving, leaning toward the captain as he
passed. "Count your blessings the Mother Confessor doesn't know your name, Captain!" he
snapped.

Richard saw the captain sag with relief when they moved well past him. Richard smiled to himself.
He had wanted to give them a worry, but he had no idea it would be so effective a worry.

There was as much order to the city inside the walls as there was disorder outside its gates. Shops
with their wares displayed in windows lined the paved streets radiating out from the fortress castle.
The streets lacked the dust and smells of those outside. There were inns that looked to be finer than
any Richard had ever seen before, much less stayed in. Some had doormen standing at attention in
red uniforms and white gloves. Elaborately carved signs hung above the doors: The Silver Garden
Inn, The Collins Inn, The White Stallion, and The Carriage House.

Men in fine, richly colored coats, escorting ladies in elaborate dresses, went about their business
with calm grace. One thing that wasn't different about the people inside the walls was that they, too,
bowed deeply when they saw the Mother Confessor approaching. As the sound of the horses'
hooves on the stone, and armor clanking, drew their attention, and they saw Kahlan, they backed
away and bowed, although not as quickly. There was no snap in their deference, no sincerity in
their submission. There was a wisp of contempt in their eyes. Kahlan ignored them. The people
inside the walls also noticed the sword more than those outside had noticed it. Richard saw the
men's eyes glide over it as he passed, saw the women's cheeks color with disdain

Women's hair was still short, but occasionally there was some that touched the shoulders. None
longer. That, too, made Kahlan stand out all the more, the way her hair cascaded off her shoulders
and partway down her back. There was no woman with hair that even approached it. Richard was
glad he hadn't cut it for her.

One of the horsemen was given orders, and he broke rank in a dead run toward the castle to
announce the arrival of the Mother Confessor. As she proceeded, Kahlan wore the calm expression
that showed nothing, an expression he was used to seeing on her. He now realized what it was. It
was the expression worn by a Confessor.

Before they reached the castle gates, trumpets announced the arrival of the Mother Confessor. The
tops of the walls were alive with soldiers: lancers, bowmen, and swordsmen. All stood in ranks,
bowed as one when Kahlan was close enough, and stayed. bowed until she passed through the iron
gates that stood open for her. Inside the gates, soldiers standing at attention lined each side of the
road, and bowed in unison as she passed.

Some of the terraces held stone urns that marched off to either Side, some of them still holding
greenery, or. flowers that must have been brought out daily from greenhouses. Broad flat areas
displayed hedges trimmed in intricate patterns, even mazes. Closer to the castle walls, hedges were
larger, cut to mimic objects, or animals. They extended off to the sides as far as the eye could see.

The walls of the castle soared into the air above them. The complicated stonework left Richard
awestruck. He had never been this close to anything man-made that was this huge. Shota's palace
was big, but not this big, and he had never gotten close to it. Towers and turrets, walls and ramps,
balconies and niches, all rose high into the air above them. He marveled at what Kahlan had told
him, that this was an insignificant kingdom, and wondered at what the castles in the more important
lands must be like.

The horsemen had left them at the rampart, and as they were swallowed into the castle the foot
soldiers, six abreast with room for another six to each side, marched through the enormous pair of
brass-clad doors and fanned out to the sides, leaving the three to walk on-Kahlan in the lead.

The room was immense. A gleaming sea of black and white marble tiles swept away ahead of
them. Polished stone columns, so large it would take ten people holding hands to reach around
each, and fluted with spiraling, carved roping, rose in a line to both sides of the room, supporting
row upon row of arches at the edge of the ribbed, vaulted center ceiling. Richard felt as little as a
bug.

Huge tapestries depicting heroic scenes of vast battles hung on the side walls. He had seen
tapestries before; his brother had two. Richard rather favored them, and had always thought they
were a grand extravagance. But Michael's tapestries were to these as a stick drawing in the dirt was
to a fine oil painting. Richard hadn't even known such majestic things as these existed.

Zedd leaned a little closer to him and whispered. "Put your eyes back in your head, and shut your
mouth."

Chagrined, Richard snapped his mouth closed and put his eyes to the front. He leaned close to
Zedd, and asked in a low whisper, "Is this the kind of place she is used to?"

"No. The Mother Confessor is used to much better than this."

Overwhelmed, Richard straightened himself.

Ahead lay a grand stairway. By Richard's estimation, his entire house would fit, with room to spare,
on its central landing. Carved marble railings swooped down each side. Between themselves and
the stairs waited a knot of people.

At their front stood Queen Milena, an amply fed woman in layered silks of garish colors. She wore
a cape trimmed in rare spotted fox. Her hair was as long as Kahlan's. At first, Richard couldn't
figure out what she was holding, but when he heard the yapping, he realized it was a small dog.

As they approached, everyone but the Queen dropped to a knee in a deep bow. When they stopped,
Richard stared openly; he had never seen a queen before. Zedd gave him a sideways kick. He
dropped to one knee and, following Zedd's example, bowed his head. The only two who did not
kneel or bow were Kahlan and the Queen. No sooner was he down than everyone was back up,
with him coming to his feet last. Richard guessed that the two women must not have to bow to each
other

The Queen stared at Kahlan, who, with her head held high, didn't break her calm countenance and
didn't even look at the Queen. No one spoke a word.

Kahlan lifted her hand a little, only about a foot away from her body, with her arm held unbending,
her hand held limply in place. The Queen's expression turned darker. Kahlan's didn't change.
Richard figured that if anyone had blinked, he would have heard it. The Queen turned slightly to
the side and handed the little dog to a man in a bright green, sleeved doublet and black tights with
red-and-yellow striped pantaloons. There was a whole gaggle of men behind the Queen dressed in
similar fashion. The dog growled viciously and bit the man's hand; he did his best not to notice.

The Queen lowered herself to both knees in front of Kahlan. A young man in plain black clothes
immediately came to the Queen's side, holding a tray out in front of himself. He bowed, head bent
impossibly low, holding the tray out to the Queen. She took a small towel from the tray, dipped it in
a silver bowl of water, and used it to wipe her lips. She returned the towel to the tray. ..

The Queen took the Mother Confessor's hand lightly in her own, and kissed it with her freshly
cleaned lips.

"Fidelity sworn to the Confessors, on my crown, on my land, on my life."

Richard had heard few people lie as smoothly.

Kahlan at last moved her eyes. She looked down at the Queen's bowed head. "Rise, my child."

More than a queen, indeed, Richard thought. He remembered teaching Kahlan to make a snare, to
read tracks, to dig roots, and felt himself turning crimson.

Queen Milena laboriously pushed herself to her feet. Her lips smiled. Her eyes didn't. "We have not
requested a Confessor."

"Nonetheless, I am here." Kahlan's voice could have frozen water.

"Yes, well, this is . .. grand. Simply ... grand." Her face brightened. "We will have a banquet. Yes, a
banquet. I will send out runners with invitations immediately. Everyone will come. I'm sure they
will be most pleased to dine with the Mother Confessor. This is quite an honor." She turned,
indicating the men in the red-and-yellow pantaloons. "These are my barristers." The men all bowed
deeply again at the introduction. "I don't remember all their names." She held her hand out to two
men in gold robes. "And this is Silas Tannic, and Brandin Gadding, the chief advisors to the
crown." The two gave a nod. "And my minister of finance, Lord Rondel; my star guide, Lady
Kyley." Richard didn't see a silver-robed wizard among the Queen's entourage. The Queen waved
her hand at a shabbily dressed man in the back. "And James, my court artist."

From the corner of his eye, Richard saw Zedd stiffen. James kept his lecherous eyes on Kahlan as
he gave a shallow bow. He was missing his right hand at the wrist. The oily smile he gave her made
Richard reach for his sword instinctively before he realized what he was doing. Without looking
over, Zedd's hand grabbed his wrist and took the hand away from the sword. Richard glanced
around at the other people to see if anyone had noticed. No one had. They were all watching the
Mother Confessor.

Kahlan turned to the two of them. "Zeddicus Zorander, cloud reader, trusted advisor to the Mother
Confessor." Zedd bowed dramatically. "And Richard Cypher, the Seeker, protector to the Mother
Confessor." Richard imitated Zedd's bow.

The Queen looked at him, lifting an eyebrow with a sour look. "Pretty pathetic protection for a
Mother Confessor."

Richard made no change in his expression. Kahlan remained unruffled. "It is the sword that cuts;
the man is unimportant. His brain may be small, but his arms are not. He tends to use the sword too
often, though."

The Queen didn't seem to believe her. Behind the royal party, a small girl came gliding down the
stairs. She wore a pink satin dress and jewelry that was too large for her. She strode up beside the
Queen, flipping her long hair back over her shoulder. She did not bow.

"My daughter, the Princess Violet. Violet, dear, this is the Mother Confessor."

Princess Violet scowled up at Kahlan. "Your hair is too long. Perhaps we should cut it for you."

Richard detected the slightest smile of satisfaction on the Queen's face. He decided it was time to
elevate her level of worry

The Sword of Truth came out, sending its distinctive ring around the huge room, the stone
amplifying the sound. With the sword point an inch from Princess Violet's nose, he let the anger of
it rage through him, to make his words more dramatic.

"Bow to the Mother Confessor," he hissed, "or die."

Zedd acted bored. Kahlan waited calmly. No one else had eyes as wide as the Princess as she stared
at the sword point. She dropped to her knees and bowed her head. Standing back up, her eyes went
to him, as if asking if the bow was all right.

"Be careful how you use that tongue," Richard sneered. "The next time I will separate it from you."

She nodded and walked around her mother, standing on the far side of her. Richard sheathed his
sword, turned, bowed deeply to Kahlan, who didn't look at him, and returned to his station behind
her.

The demonstration had the desired effect on the Queen, her voice becoming a bright singsong.
"Yes, well, as I was saying, it is grand having you here. We are all simply delighted. Let us show
you to our finest room. You must be tired from your journey. Perhaps you would like to rest before
dinner, and then after dinner we can all have a nice long . . .

"I am not here to eat." Kahlan cut her off. "I am here to inspect your dungeon."

"Dungeon?" She made a face. "It's filthy down there. Are you sure you wouldn't rather .

Kahlan started walking. "I know the way." Richard and Zedd fell in behind her. She stopped, and
turned back to the Queen. "You will wait here"-her voice was like ice-"until I am finished." As the
Queen began bowing her assent, Kahlan strode off with a swish of her dress as she turned on her
heels.

If Richard hadn't known her as well as he did, the entire encounter would have scared the breath out
of him. In fact, he wasn't sure it hadn't.

Kahlan led them downstairs and through rooms that became less and less grandiose the deeper they
went into the castle. Richard was amazed at the size of the place.

"I was hoping Giller would have been there," Kahlan said. "Then we wouldn't need to do this."

"Me too," Zedd grumbled. "You just make a quick inspection, ask if anyone wants to give a
confession, and when they say no, we go back up and ask to see Giller." He gave her a smile.
"You've handled it well so far, dear one." She returned the smile to the two of them. "And
Richard," he cautioned, "you keep away from that artist, James."

"Why? He might draw a bad likeness of me?"

"Wipe that grin off your face. You stay away from him because he might draw a spell around you."

"A spell? Why would you need an artist to put a spell on someone?"

"Because there are many different languages in the Midlands, though the main one is the same as is
spoken in Westland. To be spelled, you have to be able to understand it. If you can't speak their
language, you can't put a spell on them. But everyone can understand a drawing. He can draw a
spell on almost anyone, not Kahlan or me, but he can on you. Stay away from him."

Their footsteps echoed as the three quickly descended stone steps. The walls, far belowground,
leaked water and were covered in places with slime. ,

Kahlan indicated a heavy door to the side. "Through here."

Richard pulled it open by the iron ring, the strap hinges creaking.. Torchlight lit the way down a
narrow stone corridor with a ceiling he had to stoop to avoid hitting with his head. Straw covered
the wet floor, and smelled of decay. Near the end she slowed to a walk and approached an iron door
with a grille in it. Eyes peered out at them when she stopped.

Zedd leaned around her. "The Mother Confessor, here to see the prisoners," he growled. "Open the
door."

Richard could hear the echo of a key turning in the lock. A squat man in a filthy uniform pulled the
door inward. An axe hung from his belt next to the keys. He bowed to Kahlan, but looked to be
annoyed by it. Without a word, he led them through the little room just inside the door, where he
had been sitting at a table, eating, and down another dark hall to another iron door. He pounded on
it with his fist. The two guards inside bowed in surprise. The three guards took torches from iron
stanchions and led them down a short hall and through a third iron door that they all had to duck
through.

Flickering torchlight pierced the darkness. Behind cross- hatched, flat iron bars to each side, men
pushed themselves back into the corners, shielding their eyes with their hands from the sudden
light. Kahlan spoke Zedd's name quietly, indicating that she wanted something. He seemed to
understand, and took a torch from one of the guards and held it up in front of Kahlan so all the men
in the cells could see her.

There were gasps from the darkness when they recognized who she was.

Kahlan addressed one of the guards. "How many of these men are sentenced to die?"

He stroked his round, unshaven jaw. "Why, all of them."

"All of them," she repeated.

He nodded. "Crimes against the Crown."

She pulled her gaze away from him after a moment, turning to the prisoners. "Have all you men
committed capital offenses?"

After a moment of silence, a hollow-faced man came and gripped the bars. He spat at her. Kahlan
swept her hand back to stop Richard before he had a chance to move.

"Come to do the Queen's dirty work, Confessor? I spit on you and your filthy queen."

"I do not come here on behalf of the Queen. I come here on behalf of the truth."

"The truth! The truth is none of us has done a thing! Except maybe speaking up against the new
laws. And since when is speaking up against your family starving, or freezing to death, a capital
crime? The Queen's tax collectors came and took most of my crops, they barely left enough to feed
my family. When I sold the precious little I could spare, they said I was overcharging people. The
prices of everything are going wild. I'm doing nothing more than trying to survive. Yet I am to be
beheaded for price gouging. These men in here with me are all innocent farmers, or tradesmen, or
merchants. We are all to die for trying to earn a living from our work."

Kahlan looked to the men in the corner. "Do any of you wish to make a confession to prove your
innocence?"

There were hushed whispers. A gaunt man in the darkness stood and came forward. His frightened
eyes looked out at them from the gloom. "I do. I have done nothing, yet I am to be beheaded, my
wife and children left to fend for themselves. I will give a confession." He pushed his arm through
the bars, reaching for her. "Please, Mother Confessor, take my confession."

More men stood, coming forward, all asking to give a confession. Soon, they were all at the bars,
begging to give a confession. Kahlan and Zedd exchanged a grim look.

"In my whole life I have seen only three men ask to give a confession," she whispered to the
wizard.

"Kahlan?" The familiar voice came from the cell on the other side, from the darkness.

Kahlan gripped the bars with spread fingers. "Siddin? Siddin!" She spun to the guards. "These men
have all given the Mother Confessor their confessions, I find them all to be innocent. Open the
bars!"

"Now, hold on. I can't be letting all these men out."

Richard drew the sword in an arc as he spun. The sword crashed a swath through the iron bars, and
shards of hot steel and sparks filled the air. He spun around and kicked the iron door shut behind
the startled guards. He had the sword at their faces before a single one of them managed to clear an
axe from his belt.

"Open the bars or I will slice you in half and take the keys from your belt that way!"

The shaking guard with the keys jumped to do as he was told. The door swung open and Kahlan
rushed in, going back into the darkness. She came back holding a frightened Siddin in her arms,
holding his head against her shoulder. She whispered in his ear, calming him. Siddin jabbered back
in the Mud People language. She smiled and told him things he smiled back at. As she came out,
the guard was opening the other cell door. She held Siddin in one arm, and with her free hand she
grabbed the guard's shirt collar.

"The Mother Confessor finds all these men innocent." Her voice was as hard as the iron around her.
"They are to be released upon my order. You three are to- escort them to safety, outside the city."
He was a head shorter than she; she pulled his face closer to hers. "If you fail in any way, you will
answer to me."

He nodded vigorously. "Yes, Mother Confessor. I understand. It will be done as you say. On my
word."

"On your life," she corrected

She released him. The prisoners poured out of the cells, falling to their knees around her, crying,
taking the hem of her dress in their hands, kissing it. She shooed them away.

"Enough of that. Be on your way, all of you. Just remember, Confessors serve no one. They serve
only the truth."

They all swore they would remember, and followed the guards out. Richard saw that many of their
shirts were shredded, or streaked with dried blood, their backs covered with welts.

Before they entered the room where the Queen waited, Kahlan stopped and put Siddin into Zedd's
arms. With her hands she smoothed his hair, then her dress, and with a deep breath, her face.

"Just keep in mind what we are here for, Mother Confessor," the wizard said.

She gave him a nod, put her chin up, and strode into the room with the Queen. Queen Milena
waited where they had left her, her entourage still with her. The Queen's eyes caught on Siddin.

"I trust you have found everything in order, Mother Confessor?"

Kahlan's face stayed calm, but her voice had a cold edge to it. "Why is this child in your dungeon?"

The Queen's hands spread wide. "Well, I'm not sure. I believe I remember he was found stealing,
and was put there until his parents could be found, that's all. I can assure you, it was nothing more
than that."

Kahlan regarded her coolly. "I have found all the prisoners innocent, and ordered them released. I
trust you are pleased to find I have saved you from executing innocent men, and will see to it that
their families are compensated for the trouble this `error' has caused. If an `error' such as this is
repeated, the next time I return I will not only empty the prison, I will also empty the throne."

Richard knew he wasn't seeing Kahlan putting on a show to get the box; he was seeing her doing
her job. This was why the wizards created the Confessors. This was who she was: the Mother
Confessor.

The Queen's eyes opened wide. "Why . .. yes. Of course. I have some overly ambitious army
commanders, and they must have done this. I had no knowledge of it. Thank you . . . for saving us
from making a grave mistake. I will personally see to it that it is taken care of, just as you wish.
Which, of course, is no less than I would have done myself had I . . ."

Kahlan cut her off. "We will be leaving now."

The Queen's face brightened. "Leaving? Oh, what a shame. We were all so looking forward to the
honor of your presence at dinner. I'm so sorry you must go."

"I have other pressing business. Before I go. I wish to speak with my wizard."

"Your wizard?"

"Giller," she hissed.

For the briefest of moments, the Queen's eyes flicked toward the ceiling. "Well . . . that would not
be . . . possible."

Kahlan leaned closer to her. "Make it possible. Right now."

The color drained from the Queen's face. "Please believe me, Mother Confessor, you wouldn't want
to see Giller in his present condition."

"Right now," Kahlan repeated.

Richard loosened the sword in its scabbard just enough to catch her attention.

"Very well. He is . . . upstairs."

"You will wait here until I am finished with him."

The Queen looked at the floor. "Of course, Mother Confessor." She turned to one of the men in the
pantaloons. "Show her the way."

The man led them up the grand stairway to the top floor, and down several halls, then up a spiral
stone stairway to the top room in a tower, finally stopping with a weak look at a heavy wooden
door on the landing. Kahlan dismissed him. He bowed, glad to leave. Richard opened the door, they
entered, and he closed it behind them.

Kahlan gasped and hid her face against Richard's shoulder. Zedd pressed Siddin's face to his robes.

The room was destroyed. Completely. The roof was gone, as if it had been blasted away, letting in
the sunlight and sky. Only a few of the exposed beams remained. A rope hung from one of the
beams.

Giller's naked body swung slightly as it hung, upside down, from the end of the rope, a meat hook
driven through the bone of his ankle. Were it not for the open roof, the stench would have driven
them from the room.

Zedd handed Siddin to Kahlan and, ignoring the body, began walking slowly around the circular
room, a thoughtful frown on his face. He stopped and touched splinters of furniture that had been
driven into the walls, as if the stone were made of butter.

Richard stood, transfixed, staring at Giller's body.

"Richard, come look at this," Zedd called to him.

The wizard reached out and ran a finger through a gritty black area on the wall. There were two
black areas, in fact. They stood next to each other. Two blackened spots, in the shapes of men
standing at attention, as if the men had gone and left their shadows behind. Just above each elbow,
instead of the black, was a band of gold-colored metal melted into the stone of the wall.

Zedd turned, raising an eyebrow to him. "Wizard's fire."

Richard was incredulous. "You mean these were men?"

Zedd nodded. "Burned them right into the wall." He tasted the black smudge on the end of his
finger. He smiled to himself. "But this was more than just wizard's fire." Richard frowned. Zedd
pointed at the black on the wall. "Taste it."

Why?"

Zedd rapped Richard's head with his knuckles. "To learn something."

With a grimace, Richard ran his finger through the black grit, as Zedd had done. "It tastes sweet!"

Zedd smiled in satisfaction. "This is more than simple wizard's fire. Giller gave his life energy to it.
He gave his life into the fire. This was a Wizard's Life Fire."

"He died, making this wizard's fire?"

"Yes. And it tastes sweet. That means he gave his life to save another. If he had done it only for
himself, for instance to spare himself the torture, it would taste bitter. Giller has done this for
another."

Zedd went and stood in front of Giller's body, swishing the flies away, twisting his own head
around, trying to turn it upside down for a look. With a finger, he pushed a knotted cord of gut out
of the way, so he could see Giller's face. He straightened.

"He has left a message."

"A message?" Kahlan asked. "What message?" "There is a smile on his face. A smile, frozen in
death, meant to tell, anyone who knows of such things that he did not give up what was wanted."
Richard stepped closer as Zedd pointed to the opening cut across the abdomen. "See here, the way
this cut goes? This is done by one who practices the magic called anthropomancy, the divining of
answers by the inspection of living entrails. Darken Rahl makes his cut very similar to the way his
father did."

Richard remembered his own father, and how Rahl had done this very thing to him.

"You are sure it was Darken Rahl?" Kahlan asked.

Zedd shrugged. "Who else? Darken Rahl is the only one who would have been unharmed by a
Wizard's Life Fire. Besides, this cut is his signature. Look here. See the end of the opening? See the
way it starts to turn?"

Kahlan turned her face away. "What of it?"

"That's the hook. At least it should be. It should turn back in a hooked cut. While incantations are
spoken, the hook is cut, binding the questioned to the questioner. The hook forces them to give up
the answer to the question asked. But see here? The hook is begun, but it is not finished." Zedd
gave a sad grin. "That is when Giller gave his life to the fire. He waited until Rahl was almost done,
then, at the last instant, denied him what he sought. Probably the name of who has the box. Without
life in them, his entrails could tell Rahl nothing."

"I never thought Giller capable of such a selfless act," Kahlan whispered.

"Zedd," Richard asked fearfully, "how could Giller have done it, taken the pain of having this done
to him, and manage to leave a smile on his face?"

Zedd gave him a hard look that ran a chill up Richard's spine. "Wizards must know about pain.
They must know it very well, indeed. It is to spare you that lesson that I would happily accept your
choice not to be a wizard. It is a lesson few survive."

Richard wondered at the mysterious, secret things Zedd must know, but had never shared with him.

Tenderly, Zedd cupped a hand to the side of Giller's face. "You have done well, my student. Honor
in the end."

"I bet Darken Rahl was livid," Richard said. "Zedd, I think we had better get out of here. This looks
a little too much like bait on a hook to me."

Zedd nodded. "Wherever the box is, it is not here. At least Rahl does not have it-yet." He put his
hands out. "Give me the boy. We need to leave as we came in. We don't want to tell them why we
were really here."

Zedd whispered something in Siddin's ear, and the boy giggled, hugging the wizard's neck.

Queen Milena was still white, fumbling with the corner of her cape, as Kahlan strode purposefully
but calmly up to her.

"Thank you for your hospitality," Kahlan said. "We will be leaving now."

The Queen bowed her head. "Always a pleasure to see the Mother Confessor." Her curiosity
overcame her fear. "What of . . . Giller?"

Kahlan appraised her coolly. "I regret you have beaten me to him. I only wish I had had the
pleasure of doing it myself, or at least witnessed it being done. But, the results are all that matter.
Disagreement, was it?"'

The color returned to the Queen's face. "He stole something that belonged to me."

"I see. Well, I hope you got it back. Good day." She started to move, then stopped. "And Queen
Milena, I will be back to check, and make sure you have brought your overly ambitious
commanders back in line, and that they are not mistakenly executing innocent people."

Richard and Zedd, holding Siddin, fell in behind Kahlan as she turned and left.

Richard's thoughts swirled desperately through his head as he walked woodenly next to Zedd,
following Kahlan through all the bowing people and out of the city. What were they going to do
now? Shota had warned him that the Queen wouldn't have the box for long. She had been right.
Where could it be now? He certainly couldn't go back and ask Shota where it was. Who could
Giller have given the box to? How were they going to find it? He felt desperately depressed. He felt
like giving up. He could tell by the slump in Kahlan's shoulders that she felt the same way.. Neither
of them spoke. The only one talking was Siddin, and Richard couldn't understand him

"What's he saying?" he asked Zedd.

"He says he has been being brave, just as Kahlan had told him, but he is glad that Richard With The
Temper has come to take him home."

"I guess I know how he feels. Zedd, what are we going to do now?"

Zedd gave him a puzzled look. " IOW should I know? You're the Seeker."

Great. He had just done his best, and they still didn't have the box, but he was expected, somehow,
to find it. He felt as if he had run square into a wall he hadn't known was there. They kept walking,
but he didn't know where to go next. ,

The setting sun was golden among golden clouds. Richard thought he could see something ahead in
the distance. He moved up and walked next to Kahlan. She was watching it, too. All the people had
disappeared from the road for the night.

It wasn't long before he knew what it was. It was four horses galloping toward them. Only one had
a rider

CHAPTER 4

0
RICHARD TOUCHED THE HILT of the sword for reassurance as he watched the four horses
raising a cloud of dust that turned golden in the setting sun. Soon the sound of thundering hooves
reached him. The lone rider bent over his mount, urging him on. Richard lifted the sword a little in
its scabbard, checking that it was clear, then let it drop back. As the darkly clad rider approached,
Richard realized he looked familiar.

"Chase!"

The boundary warden brought the horses to a skidding halt in front of them. He looked down as the
dust drifted away. "You all look to be well."

"Chase, is it ever good to see you!" Richard grinned. "How did you find us?"

He looked insulted. "I'm a boundary warden." He thought that was explanation enough. "Find what
you were after?"

"No," Richard admitted with a sigh. He saw little arms clutching at Chase's sides. A little face
peeked around the black cloak. "Rachel? Is that you?"

Her face came farther out, a grin spreading on it. "Richard! I'm so happy to see you again. Isn't
Chase wonderful? He fought a gar and saved me from being eaten."

"Didn't fight him," Chase grumbled. "Just put a bolt through his head, that's all."

"But you would have. You're the bravest man I ever saw."

With a pained frown, Chase rolled his eyes. "Isn't she just about the ugliest child you have ever
seen?" He leaned around and looked at her. "I can't believe a gar would even want to eat you."

Rachel giggled and hugged her arms to his sides. "Look, Richard." She put a foot out toward him,
showing off a shoe. "Chase brought down a buck. He said it was a mistake, because it was too big,
so he traded it to a man, but all the man had to trade were these shoes, and this cloak. Aren't they
wonderful? And Chase says I can keep them."

Richard grinned at her. "Yes, that is indeed wonderful." He noticed Rachel's doll and the bundle
with the bread nestled between her and Chase. He also noticed her eyes going to Siddin, as if she
had seen him before.

Kahlan put a hand on Rachel's leg. "Why did you run off? You scared us with worry for you."

Rachel flinched at Kahlan's touch. She hugged one arm to Chase and thrust a hand in her pocket.
She didn't answer Kahlan's question, but looked instead toward Siddin. "Why do you have him?"

"Kahlan rescued him," Richard said. "The Queen had him locked up in the dungeon. That's no
place for a child, so she took him out."

Rachel looked down at Kahlan. "Wasn't the Queen mad?"

"I don't allow anyone to hurt children," Kahlan said. "Not even a queen."

"Well, don't just stand there staring. I brought you all horses. Mount up. I figured I'd catch you
today. I have a wild boar roasting back at the place you stayed last night, just this side of the
Callisidrin."

With one hand on the saddle and the other arm holding Siddin, Zedd leapt to a horse. "Wild boar!
What kind of fool are you? Leaving a wild boar roasting unprotected! Anyone could just come
along and take it!" "Why do you think I want you to hurry? The place is filthy with wolf tracks,
though I doubt they'd come near a fire."

"Don't you dare hurt that wolf," Zedd warned. "He's a friend of the Mother Confessor."

Chase cast an eye to Kahlan, then to Richard, before turning his horse and leading them into the
setting sun. Richard was heartened by having Chase back. It made him feel, once again, that
anything was possible. After she had mounted, Kahlan took Siddin, the two of them talking and
laughing as they rode.

At the camp, Zedd wasted no time before checking the roasting boar, and pronounced it fit to eat.
He shifted his robes and sat down, waiting with a grin on his wrinkled face for someone with a
knife to carve dinner. Siddin, with a grin frozen on his face, too, leaned against Kahlan after she sat
down. Richard and Chase started carving up the boar. Rachel sat close to Chase's side, watching
him, keeping an eye to Kahlan, her doll in her lap, and the loaf of bread, wrapped in the cloth, at
her hip.

Richard cut a big piece and handed it to Zedd. "So, what happened? With my brother, I mean."

Chase grinned. "When I told him the things you told me to tell him, he said that if you were in
trouble, he was going to help. He pulled together the army, and we sent most of them into defensive
positions along the boundary, with the wardens commanding them. After the boundary came down
he refused to wait behind. He led a thousand of his best men into the Midlands. They're all
bivouacked up in the Rang'Shada right now, waiting to help you."

Richard had stopped carving, frozen in astonishment. "Really? My brother said that? He came to
help? And with an army?"

Chase nodded. "He said if you're in this, then he is too."

Richard felt a pang of regret that he had doubted Michael, and elation that his brother would drop
everything to come help. "He wasn't angry?"

"I thought sure he would be, and give me grief over this, but he only wanted to know about you,
what risk you were at, and where you were. He said he knew you, and if you thought it was this
important, then he did too. He offered to come along, but I wouldn't let him. He's with his men,
probably waiting in his tent right now, pacing back and forth. I have to tell you, it surprised me
too."

Richard's eyes were wide in wonder. "My brother and a thousand of his men, in the Midlands,
come to help me." He looked at Kahlan. "Isn't that wonderful?" She only smiled at him.

Chase gave him a stern look while he carved. "For a while, I thought you were finished, when I saw
your trail going into Agaden Reach."

Richard looked up. "You went into the Reach?"

"Do I look stupid? You don't become head of the boundary wardens by being stupid. I started
thinking of how I was going to tell Michael you were dead. Then I found your trail coming out of
the Reach." His brow wrinkled together. "How did you manage to come out of the Reach alive?"

Richard gave him a grin. "I think the good spirits ..."

Rachel screamed.

Richard and Chase spun with their knives. Before Chase could use his knife, Richard stopped him.

It was Brophy. "Rachel? Is that you, Rachel?"

She took her doll's foot from her mouth. Her eyes were wide. "You sound like Brophy."

The wolf's tail swished back and forth. "That's because I am Brophy!" He trotted over to her. .

"Brophy, how come you're a wolf?"

He sat on his haunches in front of her. "Because a kind wizard changed me into a wolf. That was
what I wanted to be, and he changed me."

"Giller changed you into a wolf?"

The breath caught in Richard's throat.

"That's right. It's a wonderful new life I have."

She threw her arms around the wolf's neck. Brophy licked her face as she giggled.

"Rachel," Richard said, "you know Giller?"

Rachel hugged an arm around Brophy's neck. "Giller's a nice man. He gave me Sara." She gave a
fearful look to Kahlan. "You want to hurt him. You're the Queen's friend. You're mean." She
pushed against Brophy for protection

Brophy gave her face a long lick. "You're wrong, Rachel. Kahlan is my friend. She is one of the
nicest people in the world."

Kahlan smiled and held her hands out to Rachel. "Come here."

Rachel looked to Brophy, who gave her a nod that it was all right. She went with a pout on her face.

Kahlan took Rachel's hands in hers. "You heard me say something mean about Giller, didn't you?"
Rachel nodded. "Rachel, the Queen is a bad person. I didn't know how bad until today. Giller used
to be my friend. When he went to live with the Queen, I thought it was because he was bad too, and
was on her side. I was wrong. I would never hurt Giller, now that I know he is still my friend."

Rachel turned her eyes up to Richard.

"She's telling you the truth. We're on the same side as Giller."

Rachel turned to Brophy. He nodded, too, that it was the truth.

"You and Richard aren't friends of the Queen?"

Kahlan laughed a little. "No. If I have my way, she will not be the queen much longer. And as for
Richard, well, he drew his sword and threatened to kill the Princess. I don't think that makes him
friends with the Queen."

Rachel's eyes got big. "Princess Violet? You did that to Princess Violet?"

Richard nodded to her. "She said some bad things to Kahlan, and I told her that if she did it again,
I'd cut off her tongue."

Rachel's mouth dropped open. "And she didn't say to chop off your head?"

"We are not going to let them chop off any more heads," Kahlan said.

Rachel's eyes filled with tears as she looked to Kahlan. "I thought you were mean, and that you
would hurt Giller. I'm so happy you're not mean." She put her arms around Kahlan's neck, hugging
her tight. Kahlan hugged her back just as tight.

Chase leaned toward Richard. "You pulled a sword on a Princess? Do you know that's a capital
offense?"

Richard gave him a cool look. "If I had had the time, I would have put her over my knee and
spanked her too." Rachel giggled at that. Richard smiled at her. "You know the Princess, don't
you?"

The laughter left her. "I'm her playmate. I lived in a nice place with other children, but after my
brother died, the Queen came and picked me out, to be the Princess's playmate."

Richard turned to Brophy. "He was the one?" The wolf nodded solemnly. "So you lived with the
Princess. She's the one who cut your hair all crooked, isn't she? She hits you."

Rachel nodded with a pout. "She's mean to. people. She's starting to say to chop off people's heads.
I was afraid she would chop off my head too, so I ran away."

Richard eyed the loaf of bread she kept at her hip. He squatted down next to her. "Giller helped you
run away, didn't he?"

She was near tears. "Giller gave me Sara. He wanted to run away with me. But then a mean man
came. Father Rahl. He looked real mad at Giller. Giller told me to run, and to hide until winter, then
to find a new family to live with." A tear ran down her cheek. "Sara told me he couldn't come with
me anymore."

Richard glanced again at the loaf of bread. It was about the right size. He put his hands on her
shoulders. "Rachel. Zedd, and Kahlan, and Chase, and I, are fighting against Darken Rahl, so that
he won't be able to hurt people anymore:"

She turned her head back to Chase.

Chase nodded. "He's telling you the truth, child. You tell him the truth too."

He tightened his grip on her shoulders. "Rachel, did Giller give you that loaf of bread?" She
nodded. "Rachel, we were going to Giller to get a box, a box to help us stop Darken Rahl from
hurting people. Will you give it to us? Will you help us stop Rahl?"

Her watery eyes looked at him; then with a brave smile, she picked up the bread and handed it to
him. "It's in the loaf of bread. Giller hid it in there with magic."

Richard threw his arms around her, nearly hugging the breath out of her. He stood, hugging her to
him, and spun in circles until she giggled. "Rachel, you are the bravest, smartest, prettiest girl I
have ever known!" When he set her down, she ran to Chase and crawled into his lap. He mussed
her hair and put his big arms around her as she smiled and hugged him

Richard picked up the loaf of bread in both hands. He held it out to Kahlan. She smiled and shook
her head. He held it to Zedd.

"The Seeker found it," Zedd smiled. "The Seeker should open it."

Richard broke the bread open, and there inside was the jeweled box of Orden. He wiped his hands
on his pants, pulled the box out, and held it up to the firelight. He knew from the Book of Counted
Shadows that the glittering box they saw was only a covering for the real box underneath. He even
knew from the book how to remove the cover.

He put the box in Kahlan's lap. As she picked it up, she gave him the biggest smile he had ever
seen. Before he even knew what he had done, he had leaned over and given Kahlan a quick kiss.
Her eyes went wide, and she didn't kiss him back, but the feel of her lips shocked him into realizing
what he had done.

"Oh. Sorry," he said.

She laughed. "Forgiven."

Richard hugged Zedd as they both laughed. Chase laughed watching him. Richard could hardly
believe that just a short time ago, he had almost given up, had no idea what to do next, where to go,
or how to stop Rahl. And now they had the box.

He set it on a rock where they could all see it in the firelight while they had the best dinner Richard
could ever remember. Richard and Kahlan told Chase some of what they had been through. To
Richard's delight, Chase was disturbed to learn that he owed his life to Bill, back at Southaven.
Chase told them some of his own stories of bringing an army of a thousand men across the
Rang'Shada. He enjoyed telling drawn-out tales of the foolishness of bureaucracy in the field.

Rachel cuddled in Chase's lap while she ate and he talked. Richard thought it was interesting that
she chose the most fearsome among them for comfort. When at last he finished his story, she
looked up and asked, "Chase, where should I go, to hide until winter?"

He regarded her with a glower. "You're too ugly to be left to wander about. A gar would eat you
sure." That made her laugh. "I have other children, they're all ugly too. You'll fit right in. I guess I'll
take you to live at my house." "Really, Chase?" Richard asked.

"I've come home enough times and had my wife present me with a new child. I think it's about time
I turned affairs about on her." He looked down at Rachel, who clung to him as if he might float
away. "But I have rules, you know. You have to follow my rules."

"I'll do anything you say, Chase."

"Well, there you go, that's the first rule. I don't allow any of my children to call me Chase. If you
want to be a member of my family, you have to call me Father. And about your hair, it's too short.
My children all have long hair and I like it that way. You'll have to let your hair grow out some.
And you'll have a mother. You'll have to mind her. And you'll have to play with your new brothers
and sisters. Do you think you can do all that?"

She nodded against him, unable to talk as she hugged him, tears glistening in her eyes.

They all excitedly ate their fill. Even Zedd seemed to have had enough. Richard felt exhausted, and
at the same time full of energy, to finally have the box in their hands. They had done the hard part,
they had found the box before Rahl. Now they had only to keep it from him until winter.

"We have been weeks in this quest," Kahlan said. "The first day of winter is a month away. Earlier
today, that seemed scarcely enough time to get the box. Now that we have it, it seems forever.
What shall we do until it is finished?"

Chase spoke up first. "We have all of us to protect the box, and we have a thousand men to protect
us. When we get back across the border, we will have many times that."

She looked at Zedd. "Do you think that's wise? We would be easy to find, a thousand men, I mean.
Would it not be better to hide somewhere, by ourselves?"

Zedd leaned back and rubbed his full stomach. "We could hide better by ourselves, but we would
also be more vulnerable, if discovered. Perhaps Chase is correct. There would be a lot of protection
among a force that large, and if we had to, we could still leave them and go to cover."

"We better get an early start," Richard said

-+---
It was barely light when they were off, the horses to the road, Brophy to woods, shadowing them,
or at times scouting ahead. Chase, bristling with weapons, led them at a trot, Rachel holding him
tight. Kahlan, back in her forest garb, and with Siddin sitting at her lap, rode next to Zedd. Richard
had insisted that Zedd carry the box; it was wrapped in the cloth that held the bread before, and tied
to the horn of his saddle. Richard followed behind, watching everything as they rode quickly into
the cold morning air. Now that they had the box, he felt suddenly vulnerable, as if somehow
everyone would know, just by looking at them.

Richard could hear the waters of the Callisidrin before `they rounded the curve to the bridge. He
was glad to see the road deserted. Chase spurred his horse to a gallop as he approached the big
wooden bridge, the rest of them giving a heel to their horses to keep pace. Richard knew what
Chase was doing. The boundary warden had always told him that bridges were the bane of the
unwary. Richard watched in every direction as the other three galloped across in front of him. He
saw nothing.

In the exact center of the bridge, at a full gallop, he ran solidly into something that wasn't there.

Stunned, Richard sat up, dumbfounded at finding himself on the ground, and seeing his big roan
running with the other horses, then stopping with them as they halted and turned. The others looked
back in confusion as Richard, still dazed and bewildered, rose painfully to his feet. He brushed
himself off and started limping to retrieve his horse. Before he reached the center of the bridge, he
smacked into it again. It felt like walking into a stone wall, but there was nothing there. He found
himself sitting on the ground again. The others were around him this time as he got to his feet.

Zedd was off his horse, holding its reins in one hand, and helping Richard with the other. "What's
the matter?"

"I don't know," Richard managed. "It felt like I ran into a wall, right in the center of the bridge. I
must have just fallen off, that's all. I think I'm all right now."

Zedd looked around and led him forward with a hand on his elbow. Before going far, he hit it
again, but this time he had been moving slowly and wasn't knocked from his feet, only back a few
steps. He took one slow step forward, and came in contact with it again. Zedd gave a serious frown.
Richard put his hands out, feeling the solid form of the smooth wall that wouldn't let him pass but
would let the rest of them through. The touch of it made him feel dizzy and sick. Zedd walked back
and forth through the invisible barrier.

The wizard stood where the unseen wall stood. "Walk back to the end of the bridge, then walk to
me."

Richard felt the lump on his forehead as he walked back to the end of the bridge. Kahlan jumped
off her horse, next to Zedd. Brophy came up beside her, to see what the trouble was. This time, as
he walked, Richard held his hands out in front of himself.

Before he was halfway back, he made solid contact, and could go no farther, having to back away
from the sickening feeling at its touch.

Zedd rubbed his chin. "Bags!"

The rest of them came to Richard, since he couldn't come to them. Zedd led him forward again.
When he made contact, he backed away a little.

Zedd took Richard's left hand. "Touch it, with your other hand."

Richard did as he was told until the sick feeling made him withdraw his hand. Zedd seemed to feel
it, through Richard. By now, they were at the foot of the bridge. Every touch of the thing had made
it move back the way they had come.

"Bags! And double bags!"

"What is it?" Richard demanded.

Zedd took a glance to Kahlan and Chase before he spoke. "It's a keeper spell."

"What's a keeper spell?"

"It's a spell drawn by that filthy artist, James. He's drawn it around you, and then when you touched
it the first time, it activated the spell. Once you touch it, it pulls tighter, like a trap. If we don't get it
off you, it will shrink until you are all that's in it, and then you won't be able to move."

"Then what?"

Zedd straightened. "The touch of it is poison. When it finishes closing around you, like a cocoon, it
will crush you, or the poi= son of it will kill you."

Kahlan grabbed the sleeve of Zedd's robes, panic in her eyes. "We have to go back! We have to get
it off him!"

Zedd pulled his arm free. "Well, of course we do. We'll find the drawing and erase it."

"I know where the sacred caves are," Kahlan offered as she grabbed hold of her saddle and put a
foot in the stirrup.

The wizard turned to retrieve his horse. "We don't have any time to waste. Let's go."

"No," Richard said.

They all turned back to stare at him.

"Richard, we have to," Kahlan said.

"She's right, my boy. There's no other way."

"No." He looked at their startled faces. "That's what they want us to do. You said the artist couldn't
spell you or Kahlan, so he did it to me, thinking that would get us all back. The box is too
important. We can't take the risk." He looked to Kahlan. "You just tell me where these caves are,
and Zedd, you tell me how to erase the spell."

Kahlan grabbed the reins of her horse and Richard's, pulling them forward. "Zedd and Chase can
protect the box, I'm going with you."

"No, you're not! I'm going alone. I have the sword to protect me. The box is all that matters, it is
our first responsibility. We must protect it above all else. Just tell me where the caves are, and how
to fix the spell. When I'm finished, I'll catch up with you."

"Richard, I think . . ."

"No! This is about stopping Darken Rahl, not about any one of us. This is not a request, it's an
order!"

They straightened, Zedd turning to Kahlan.. "Tell him where the caves are."

Kahlan angrily handed the reins of her horse to Zedd and snatched up a stick. She drew a map in
the dirt of the road, pulling the stick along one of the lines she had drawn. "This is the Callisidrin,
and here, the bridge. This is the road, and here, Tamarang and the castle." She drew the line of a
road to the north of the city. "Here, in these hills northeast of the city, there is a stream that runs
between twin hills. They're about a mile south of a small bridge that crosses the stream. The twin
hills have cliffs on the sides toward the stream. The sacred caves are in the cliff on the northeast
side of the stream. That is where the artist draws his spells."

Zedd took the stick from her and broke off two finger-length pieces. He rolled one between his
palms. "Here. This will erase the curse. Without seeing it, I can't tell you what part you must erase,
but you should be able to figure it out. It's a drawing and you will be able to make some sense of it.
That is the whole purpose of a drawn spell; you must be able to make sense of it, or it won't work."

The stick Zedd had rolled in his palms no longer felt like wood. It felt soft and tacky. Richard put it
in his pocket. Zedd rolled the other piece in his palms. He handed it to Richard, it too no longer a
stick. This time it was black, almost like charcoal, but hard.

"With this," the wizard said, "you can draw on the spell, and change it if you have to."

"Change it how?"

"I can't tell you without seeing it. You'll have to use your own judgment. Now, hurry. But I still
think we should . . ."

"No, Zedd. We all know what Darken Rahl is capable of. The box is all that is important, not any
one of us." He shared a deep look with his old friend. "Take care of yourself. And Kahlan." He
looked up to Chase. "Get them to Michael. Michael will be able to protect the box better than we
can alone. And don't hold back, waiting for me. I'll catch up." Richard gave him a hard stare. "If I
don't, I don't want any of you coming back for me. You just get the box away from here.
Understand?"

Chase gave him a serious look. "On my life." He gave Richard brief instructions to find the
Westland army, up in the Rang' Shada

Richard looked to' Kahlan. "Take care of Siddin. Don't worry, I'll be back with you soon enough.
Now get going:"

Zedd mounted his horse. Kahlan handed Siddin over to the wizard. She gave Chase and Zedd a
nod. "Go on, get started. I will catch up in a few minutes."

Zedd started to protest, but she cut him off and told him again to start ahead. She watched the two
horses and the wolf gallop across the bridge and down the road before she turned back to Richard.

Concern cut deeply into her features. "Richard, please, let me ..:'

"No."

She nodded and handed him the reins to his horse. Tears were filling her green eyes. "There are
dangers in the Midlands you know nothing about. Be careful." A tear ran down her cheek.

"I'll be back with you before you have time to miss me."

"I'm afraid for you."

"I know. But I'll be all right."

She looked up at him with eyes he could lose himself in. "I shouldn't be doing this," she whispered.

Kahlan threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. Hard, fast, desperate.

For a moment as he reached his arms around her and pulled her tight against him, the touch of her
lips on his, the little moan that came from her, and the feeling of her fingers through the back of his
hair made him forget his own name.

He was in a daze as he watched her put a boot in the stirrup and throw her other leg over the saddle.
She pulled the reins, bringing her horse around close to him.

"Don't you dare do anything stupid, Richard Cypher. Promise me."

"I promise." He didn't tell her that he thought letting harm r each her was what he considered
stupid above all else. "Don't

worry, I'll be back with you just as soon as I get n id of this spell.

Protect the box. Rahl must not get it. That's what matters. Now,

get going."

He stood holding the reins of his horse, watching her gallop across the bridge and disappear into the
distance.

"I love you, Kahlan Amnell," he whispered

-+--
With an encouraging pat to the splotch of gray on the roan's neck, Richard headed the big horse off
the road after crossing the small bridge, and spurred it along the bank of the stream. The horse ran
with ease, splashing its hooves in the shallow water when the brush blocked the way along the
bank. Sunlit hills, mostly barren of trees, rose up around the stream. As the banks became steeper,
he led the horse up along the higher ground, where it could make easier progress. Richard kept a
watch for anyone following, or observing, but saw no one. The hills seemed deserted.

Chalk white cliffs rose up to either side of the stream, cleft faces on identical hills straddling the
water. Richard was off the horse before it stopped. Looking about, he tethered it to a sumac whose
red fruit were already dried and shriveled. His boots slid on the loose ground' as he descended the
steep bank. There was a narrow foot trail through the slide of rock and dirt. Following it brought
him to the tall mouth of a cave.

With a hand on the hilt of the sword, he peeked around the opening, checking for the artist, or
anyone else. There was no one. Immediately inside the cave were drawings on the walls. They
covered every surface, and continued back into the darkness.

Richard was overwhelmed. There were hundreds of drawings, maybe thousands. Some were little,
no bigger than his hand; some were larger, tall as he. Each depicted a different scene. Most had
only one person in them, but a few had many people. It was obvious that they had been drawn by
different hands. Some were delicately rendered, rich in detail, with shading and highlights,
depicting people with broken limbs, or drinking from cups with skulls and crossed bones on them,
or standing next to fields of withered crops. Others were done by someone with little talent for the
task: their figures were drawings of people made of simple lines. But the scenes in these were
similarly gruesome. Richard guessed that the talent of the artist was of little importance; it was the
message that counted

Richard found drawings done by different hands but of the same subject. These people might have
a map of some sort around them, but around each was a line drawn in a circle, the circle having a
skull and crossed bones on it somewhere.

Keeper spells.

But how was he to find his? There were drawings everywhere. He didn't know what the drawing of
his spell looked like. He searched the walls with growing panic, moving deeper into the darkness.
He ran his hands over the pictures as he moved, trying to look at each, so as not to miss his. His
eyes darted everywhere, overwhelmed by the number of spells, searching for something familiar,
not knowing exactly what to look for, or where.

Richard worked his way back into the darkness, reasoning that maybe there was an end to the
drawings, and maybe the latest were at the end. It was too dark to see. He went toward the mouth of
the cave to retrieve reed cane torches he had seen there.

Before he had gone far, he ran smack into the invisible wall. With rising panic, he realized that he
was trapped in the cave. He was running out of time. The torches were out of reach.

He ran back into the darkness, searching. He had trouble seeing the spells, and still there was no
end to them. A thought he definitely didn't like came to him.

If there be need enough. The night stone.

With no time to lose, he pulled the leather pouch from his pack. He looked at it in his hand, trying
to decide if this would be a help, or simply more trouble. Trouble he couldn't handle. He thought
about the times he had seen the stone out of the pouch. Each time, it had taken a while for the
shadow things to come. Maybe if he just pulled it out for a short time, had a look into the darkness,
and then put the stone back; he would have the time he needed before the shadows found him. He
didn't know if it was a good idea.

If there be need enough.

He dumped the stone into his hand. Light filled the cave. Richard wasted no time looking at
individual drawings, but instead quickly went deeper, looking for where they ended. From the
corner of his eye, he saw the first shadow materialize. It was still a ways off. He kept going.

At last, he came to the end of the drawings. The shadows were almost upon him. He thrust the
stone back in the leather pouch. In the darkness, he held his breath, eyes wide, expecting the painful
touch of death. 'It didn't come. The only light was a dim glow with a bright spot in the center, the
entrance, but it didn't provide enough light to see the drawings. He knew he would have to take out
the stone again.

First, with his fingers, he searched through his pocket, and found the soft, tacky piece of stick Zedd
had given him. With it firmly in hand, he pulled the stone out again. The light blinded him for a
second His head swiveled around, looking.

Then he saw it. The man in the drawing was as tall as he, but the rest of the drawing was larger
still. It was crude, but he knew it was him. The sword held in the right hand had the word Truth
written on it. There was a map around the figure, similar to the one Kahlan had drawn on the
ground. On one side, the line around the outside edges went down the Callisidrin and across the
center of the bridge. That was where he had run into .it.

The shadows called his name. He looked up to see hands reaching for him. He thrust the stone into
the pouch and pressed his back against the wall, over his drawing, listening to his heart pounding in
his ears. In dismay, he realized that the drawing was too large for him to erase the entire circle
around him. If he only erased part of it, he had no way of knowing where the gap would be, or how
to make the gap where he was in the cave.

He backed away, to prepare himself to get a better look the next time he pulled the stone out. He
bumped into the invisible wall. His heart felt as if it skipped a beat. The wall was almost around
him. He had no time.

He pulled the stone out and immediately started erasing the sword, hoping that would take away his
identity, take the spell off him. The lines erased only with great difficulty. He backed away a step,
to look, and hit the wall. The shadows reached for him, calling his name seductively.

He dumped the stone back into the pouch and stood in the blackness, breathing hard, near panic at
the feeling of being trapped. He knew he couldn't use the sword to fight the shadow things while he
worked on the drawing; he had fought the shadows before and it took everything he had. His mind
raced. He couldn't think of what to do. He had erased the sword, and that didn't work. The spell
must still recognize him. He knew there wasn't enough time to erase the line all the way around
him. His breath came in a desperate pant.

There was flickering light. He spun around. A man holding one of the reed torches came closer, an
oily smile on his face. It was James, the artist.

"I thought I might find you here. I came to watch. Anything I can do to help?"

By his laugh, Richard knew James wasn't about to help him. James also knew that with the wall
between them Richard couldn't use the sword on him. He laughed at Richard's helplessness.

Richard cast a quick glance sideways. The torch gave enough light for him to see the drawing. The
invisible wall pushed at his shoulder, pushed him toward the wall. A wave of nausea and dizziness
went through him at the touch. He was only a step away from the cave wall as it was. In moments,
he would be encased, crushed, or poisoned.

Richard spun to the drawing. While he worked with one hand, he searched his pocket with the
other. He pulled out the stick Zedd had told him he could use to alter the drawing.

James leaned forward with a chuckle, watching him work.

The chuckle stopped. "What are you doing there?"

Richard didn't answer as he erased the right hand on the figure.

"Stop that!" James yelled.

Richard ignored him and kept erasing. James threw the torch on the ground and pulled out a
drawing stick of his own. The artist started drawing in fast slashing strokes, strands of his greasy
hair whipping around as he worked. He was drawing a figure. He was drawing another spell.
Richard knew that if James finished first, there would be no second chance.

"Stop that, you fool!" James yelled as he raced to complete his drawing.

The unseen wall pressed up against Richard's back, forcing him against the wall of the cave. He
barely had room to move his arms. James was drawing a sword, starting to write the word Truth.

Richard took his drawing stick and, with a line, connected the sides of the wrist on the figure,
making a stump. Just like the one James had.

As he finished it, the pressure on his back lifted, and the sick feeling left.

James screamed.

Richard turned to see him writhing on the floor of the cave, folding himself into a ball as he
vomited. Richard shuddered and picked up the torch.

The artist's pleading eyes came up to him. "I . . . wasn't going to let it kill you . . . only trap you. . .
."

"Who had you do this spell on me?"

_ James gave a wicked little smile. "The Mord-Sith," he whispered. "You are going to die . . . ."

"What's a Mord-Sith?"

Richard heard the breath being squeezed from him, bones snapping. James was dead. Richard
couldn't say he was sorry.

Richard didn't know what a Mord-Sith was, but he didn't want to wait around to find out. Suddenly
he felt alone and vulnerable. Zedd and Kahlan both had warned him that there were many things in
the Midlands, many creatures of magic, that were dangerous, that he knew nothing about. He hated
the Midlands, the magic. He just wanted to get back to Kahlan.

Richard ran toward the cave entrance, dropping the torch along the way. Running out into the
bright sunlight, shielding his eyes, he came to a halt. Squinting, he saw a ring of people around
him. Soldiers. They wore uniforms of dark leather and mail, swords over their shoulders, battle
axes at their wide belts.

At their lead, facing the cave, facing him, was someone different, a woman, with long auburn hair
pulled back into a loose braid. She was sheathed in leather from neck to ground, cut to fit like a
glove. Blood-red leather. The only deviation from the blood red of it was a yellow crescent and star
across her stomach. Richard saw that the men wore the same crescent and star on their chests, only
theirs was red. She watched him with no emotion except the slightest wisp of a smile.

Richard stood with his feet spread defensively, his hand on the hilt of the sword, not knowing what
to do, without a clue to their intent. Her eyes gave a little flick, looking above and behind him.
Richard heard two men drop from the cliff wall to the ground behind him. He could feel the anger
of the sword racing urgently into him through his hand on the hilt. He held it at full rage as he
gritted his teeth.

The woman snapped her fingers at the-men behind him, then pointed at him. "Take him." He heard
the sound of steel being drawn.

That was everything Richard needed to know. The commitment had been made.

Bringer of death.

His sword came out in an arc as he spun. He let the anger loose with a vengeance. It exploded
through him. His eyes met those of the two men. Their jaws were set in a rage of their own as their
swords cleared the scabbards over their shoulders.

Richard kept the Sword of Truth low. Waist height, with all his weight and strength behind it. Their
swords came down defensively. He screamed with lethal rage. Lethal hate. Lethal need. He gave
himself completely over to the lust to kill, knowing anything less would be the end of him. His
sword tip whistled.

Bringer of death.

Shards of hot, shattered steel spiraled through the clear, morning air.

Twin grunts. At impact, twin, wet thwacks, like ripe melons hitting the ground. Insides turned out
in long red ropes. The top halves of their bodies tumbled as the legs collapsed.

The sword continued around, tracing its route with strings of blood. He refocused the rage, the hate,
the need. She commanded them. Richard wanted her lifeblood. The magic surged through him
unhindered. He was still screaming. She stood with a hand on her hip.

Richard met her eyes, made a slight alteration to the course of the sword so it too would meet them.
Her widening smile only fed the violent fire of his wrath. Their eyes locked together. The sword tip
whistled around toward her head. His need to kill was beyond retrieval.

Bringer of death.

The pain of the sword's magic hit him like a waterfall of icy water on naked flesh. The blade never
reached her. The sword clattered to the ground as the pain took him to his knees, ripping through
him, doubling him over.

Hand still on her hip, smile still on her face, she stood over him, watching as he clutched his arms
across his abdomen, vomiting blood, choking on it. Fire burned through every inch of him. The
pain of the magic consumed him, took his breath from his lungs. Desperately, he tried to get a grip
on the magic, tried to put away the pain as he had learned to do before. It did not respond to his
will. With rising panic, he realized he no longer had control of it.

She did.

He collapsed to his face in the dirt, trying to scream, to breathe, but couldn't. He thought about
Kahlan for an instant; then the pain took even that from him.

Not one of the men moved from the circle. The woman put a boot on the back of his neck and an
elbow on her knee as she leaned over. With her other hand she grabbed a fistful of his hair and
lifted his head. She leaned closer, the leather creaking.

"My, my," she hissed. "And here I thought I was going to have to torture you for days and days
before I finally made you angry enough to use your magic against me. Well, not to worry, I have
other reasons to torture you."

Through his pain, Richard realized he had made a fearful mistake. He had somehow given her the
control of the sword's magic. He knew he was -in more trouble than he had ever been in in his life.
Kahlan was safe, he told himself; that was all that mattered.

"Do you want the pain to stop, my pet?"

The question enraged him. His anger at her, his want to kill her, twisted the pain tighter. "No," he
managed with all of his strength.

She shrugged, dropping his head. "Fine by me. But when you decide you want the pain of the
magic to stop, all you have to do is stop thinking those nasty thoughts about me. From now on, I
control the magic of your sword. If you so. much as think of lifting a finger against me, the pain of
the magic will take you down." She smiled. "That is the only pain you will have any control over.
Just think something pleasant about me, and it will stop.

"Of course, I too will have control over the pain of the magic, and can bring it to you any time I
choose, and I can bring you other pain too, as you will learn." She frowned. "Tell me, my pet, did
you try to use the magic on me because you are a fool, or because you fancy yourself as brave?"

The pain let up the smallest bit. He gasped for air. She had relaxed it just enough to allow him to
answer.

"Who . . . are . . . you?"

She took a fistful of his hair again, lifted his head, twisted it around to look into his eyes. As she
leaned over, the boot on his neck sent a shard of pain through his shoulders. He couldn't move his
arms. Her face was wrinkled in a frown of curiosity.

"You don't know who I am? Everyone in the Midlands knows me."

"I'm . .. Westland."

Her eyebrows lifted in delight. "Westland! My, my. How delicious. This is going to be fun." Her
smile widened. "I am Denna. Mistress Denna to you, my pet. I am a Mord-Sith."

"I'll not . . . tell you . . . where Kahlan is. You might as well . . . kill me . . . now."

"Who? Kahlan?"

"The . . . Mother Confessor."

"Mother Confessor," she said with distaste. "Why in the world would I want a Confessor? It is you,
Richard Cypher, that Master Rahl sent me for, no one else. One of your friends has betrayed you to
him." She twisted his head up harder, pushed her boot down harder. "And now I have you. I had
thought it might be difficult, but you hardly made it any fun at all. I'm to be in charge of your
training. But then you wouldn't know about that, since you are from Westland. You see, a MordSith always wears red when she's to train someone. That's so your blood won't show so much. I
have a wonderful feeling I'm going to have a lot of your blood on me before I have you trained."

She dropped his head, and leaned her full weight on her boot, holding her hand out in front of his
face. He could see that the back of her gloved hand was armored, even the fingers. A blood red
leather rod, about a foot long, hung loosely from her wrist by an elegant gold chain. It swung back
and forth in front of his eyes. "This is the Agiel. This is part of what I will use to train you." She
gave him a smooth smile, arching an eyebrow. "Curious? Want to see how it works?"

Denna pressed the Agiel against his side. The shock of the pain made him cry out, even though he
had had no intention of giving her the satisfaction of seeing how much it hurt. Every muscle in his
body locked rigid with the agony of the thing against his side. His mind was filled with the want of
having it off him. Denna pushed the Slightest bit harder, making him scream louder. He heard a
pop, and felt a rib crack.

She took the Agiel away; warm blood oozed down his side. Richard was covered in sweat as he lay
in the dirt, panting, tears running from his eyes. He felt as if the pain were pulling every muscle in
his body apart. There was dirt in his mouth, and blood.

Denna gave him a cruel sneer. "Now, my pet, say `Thank you, Mistress Denna, for teaching me.' "
Her face came closer. "Say it."

With all his mental strength, Richard focused his hunger to kill her, and envisioned the sword
exploding through her head. "Die, bitch."

Denna shuddered and half closed her eyes, running her tongue over her lip in ecstasy. "Oh, that was
a deliciously naughty vision, my pet. Of course, you will learn to be seriously sorry you did it.
Training you is going to be exquisite fun. Too bad you don't know what a Mord-Sith is. If you did,
you would be very afraid. I would enjoy that." Her smile showed her perfect teeth. "But I think I'm
going to delight in surprising you even more."

Richard maintained the vision of killing her until he was unconscious

CHAPTER 4

1
RICHARD'S sues CAME OPEN a little. His mind was in a fog. He was facedown on a cold stone
floor, lit by flickering torchlight. The stone walls had no windows to tell him if it was day or night.
There was a coppery taste in his mouth. Blood. He tried to think of where he could be, and why. A
sharp pain in his side caught his breath when he tried to inhale too deeply. His whole body hurt. He
throbbed everywhere. It felt as if someone had given him a beating with a club.

The memory of the nightmare seeped back into his mind. At the thought of Denna, his anger
flashed. Instantly the pain of the magic made him inhale in a gasp. The unexpected shock of it
made him draw his knees up and let out a moan of agony. He recoiled from the anger, put her from
his mind. He thought of Kahlan, remembering the way she had kissed him. The pain melted away.
Desperately, he tried to keep his mind on Kahlan; he couldn't take the pain again. He couldn't bear
it; he already hurt too much.

He had to think of a way out of this. If he didn't get control of his anger, he had no chance. He
remembered how his father

had taught him that anger was wrong, how for most o€ his life he had been able to keep it choked
off. Zedd had told him that there were times when bringing the anger out was more dangerous than
keeping it in. This was one of those times. He had a whole lifetime of experience at keeping his
anger under control; he must do it now. That thought gave him a sliver of hope.

Carefully, without moving too much, he took appraisal. His sword was back in its scabbard, his
knife still in its sheath, the night stone still in his pocket. His pack lay against a far wall. The left
side of his shirt was hard with dried blood. His head pounded with pain, but felt no worse than the
rest of him.

Turning his head a little, he saw Denna. She was stretched out at an angle in a wooden chair with
her ankles crossed. Her right elbow rested on a simple wooden table as she spooned something into
her mouth from a bowl she held in her other hand. She was watching him.

He thought maybe he should say something. "Where are your men?"

Denna kept chewing for a time as she watched him. At last she set the bowl down and pointed to a
spot on the floor next to her.

Her voice was calm, almost gentle. "Come and stand here."

With great difficulty, Richard rose to his feet and walked to stand where she had pointed. She
watched him without emotion as he stood looking down at her. He waited in silence. She stood and
with her boot pushed the chair back out of the way. She was almost as tall as he. She turned her
back to him as she picked up a glove off the table and worked in into her right hand, pushing the
fingers down tight.

Abruptly she spun around, backhanding him across the mouth. The armored back of the glove split
his lip open on his teeth.

Immediately, before the anger could grip him, he thought about a beautiful place in the Hartland
Woods. His eyes watered from the sting of the gash.

Denna gave him a warm smile. "You forgot the appellation, my pet. I told you before; you are to
address me as Mistress, or as Mistress Denna. You are lucky to have me as your trainer; most
Mord-Sith are not as lenient as 1. They would have used the Agiel at the first offense. But I have a
soft spot in my heart for good-looking men, and besides, even though the glove isn't a very
effective punishment, I must admit I rather favor using it. I like to feel the contact. The Agiel is
exhilarating, but there is no substitute for using your own hands to feel what you're doing." She
gave a little frown, her voice hardening. "Take your hand away."

Richard took his hand off his mouth and held both at his sides. He could feel the blood dripping
from his chin. Denna watched in satisfaction. Unexpectedly, she leaned forward and licked some of
the blood off his chin, smiling at the taste. It seemed to excite her. She pressed herself against him,
but this time she sucked his lip in her mouth and bit it, hard, on the cut. Richard squeezed his eyes
shut, his hands in fists, and held his breath until she backed away, licking the blood from her lips
with a smile. He shook with the pain, but held the vision of the Hartland Woods in his mind.

"That was just a gentle warning, as you will soon learn. Now, repeat the question properly."

Richard decided on the spot that he would call her Mistress Denna, and that it would, to him, be a
term of disrespect, and that he would never, ever, call her simply Mistress. It would be his way of
fighting her, of keeping his self-respect. In his own mind at least.

Richard took a deep breath to steady his voice. "Where are your men, Mistress Denna?"

"Much better," she cooed. "Most Mord-Sith don't allow those in training to talk, or to ask questions,
but I think that becomes boring. I rather like to talk to my trainee. As I said, you are lucky to have
me." She gave him a cool smile. "I've sent my men away. I no longer need them. They are only
used for capture, and to hold the captive until he uses his magic against me; then they are no longer
needed. There is nothing you can do to get away, or fight back. Nothing."

"And why do I still have my sword, and knife?"

Too late, he remembered. With an arm he blocked her fist to his face. The act of stopping her
brought the pain of the magic. The Agiel came up into his stomach. He rolled over on the ground,
crying out in agony.

"Stand up!" Richard choked off the anger to shut away the pain of the magic. The pain of the Agiel
didn't fade so quickly. He came to his feet with great difficulty.

"Now, get on your knees, and ask for my forgiveness."

When he didn't move quick enough for her, she laid the Agiel on his shoulder, pushing him down
with it. His right arm went numb with hurt.

"Please, Mistress Denna, forgive me."

"That's better." She smiled at last. "Stand up." She watched him come to his feet. "You have your
sword and knife because they are no danger to me, and, perhaps someday you will use them to
protect your Mistress. I prefer my pets to keep their weapons, so it can be a. constant reminder that
they are helpless against me."

She turned her back to him, removing her glove. Richard knew she was right about the sword: it
had magic, and she controlled that. But he wondered if that was the only way. He had to know. His
hands reached for her throat.

She continued to slowly remove the glove as he fell to his knees, crying out with the pain of the
magic. Desperately, he brought his mind to the picture of the Hartland Woods. The pain eased, and
he returned to his feet when she told him to do so.

Denna gave an impatient look. "You're going to make this hard, aren't you?" Her face softened, the
smooth smile returning. "But then, I enjoy it when a man makes it hard. Now, you're doing it
wrong. I told you that to make the pain stop, you should think something pleasant about me. That's
not what you're doing. You're thinking about some boring trees. This is your last warning. Either
think something pleasant about me, to stop the pain of the magic, or I will leave you in the agony of
it all night. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mistress Denna."

Her smile widened. "That was very good. See? You can be trained. Just remember, something
pleasant about me." She took his hands and gazed into his eyes as she pressed his hands to her
breasts. ".I find most men seem to focus their pleasant thoughts here." She leaned closer, still
holding his hands against her, her voice becoming airy. "But if there's anything you like better,
please feel free to let your mind go there instead." Richard decided that he thought her hair was
pretty, and that that was the only place on her his mind was going to go to think anything pleasant.
The pain unexpectedly took him to his knees, tightening its grip until he couldn't breathe. His
mouth opened, but he could get no air. His eyes bulged.

"Now, show me you can do as you were told. Shut the pain off any time you wish, but do it in the
way I told you."

He looked up at her, at her hair. His vision was blurring. With concentration, he thought about how
attractive he thought her braid was. He forced himself to think of it as beautiful. The pain lifted,
and he collapsed to his side, gasping for air.

"Stand up." He did as he was told, still struggling to breathe. "That was the proper way to do it. See
to it that is the only way you dare to remove the pain in the future, or I will change the magic so
you will be unable to remove it at all. Understand?"

"Yes, Mistress Denna." He was still catching his breath. "Mistress Denna, you said someone
betrayed me. Who was it?"

"One of your own."

"None of my friends would do that. Mistress Denna."

She regarded him contemptuously. "Then I would guess they aren't really your friends, now, are
they?"

He looked at the floor, a lump in his throat. "No, Mistress Denna, but who was it?"

She shrugged. "Master Rahl didn't think it important enough to tell me. The only thing that is
important for you to know, now, is that no one is going to rescue you. You are never going to be
free again. The sooner you learn that, the easier it will go for you; the easier your training will be."

"And what is the purpose of my training, Mistress Denna?"

The smile returned to her face. "To teach you the meaning of pain. To teach you that your life is no
longer yours, that it is mine, and I can do anything I want with it. Anything. I can hurt you in any
way I want, for as long as I want, and no one is going to help you but me. I'm going to teach you
that every moment you have without pain is a moment only I can grant you. You are going to learn
to do as I say without question, without hesitation, no matter what it is. You are going to learn. to
beg for anything you get.

"After a few days of training here, and I think you have made enough progress, then I will take you
to another place, where there are other Mord-Sith, and I will continue training you there until I'm
finished, no matter how long it takes. I will let some of the other Mord-Sith play with you, so you
can see how lucky you are to have me. I rather like men. Some of the others hate them. I will let
some of them have you for a while, so you can see how gentle I really am."

"And what is the purpose of this training, Mistress Denna? To what end? What is it you want?"

She seemed to genuinely enjoy telling him these things. "You are someone special. Master Rahl
himself wants you trained." Her smiled widened. "He asked for me. I would guess he has
something he wants to ask you. I will not let you embarrass me in his eyes. When I'm done with
you, you will beg to tell him anything he wants to know. When he is finished with you, then you
are to be mine, for life. However long that may be."

Richard had to concentrate on her hair, had to fight to keep the anger down. He knew what Darken
Rahl wanted to know; he wanted to know about the Book of Counted Shadows: The box was safe.
Kahlan was safe. Nothing else mattered. Denna could kill him, for all he cared. In fact, it would be
doing him a favor.

Denna walked around him, looking him up and down. "If you prove to be a good pet, I may even
choose you for my mate." She stopped in front of him, put her face close to his, gave him a coy
smile. "Mord-Sith mate for life." Her smile showed her teeth. "I've had many mates. But don't get
yourself too excited by the prospect, my pet," she breathed. "I doubt you will find it to be an
experience you enjoy, if you live through it. None of the others have. They all died after a short
time as my mate."

Richard didn't think that was anything he had to worry about. Darken Rahl wanted the book. If he
didn't find a way to escape, Darken Rahl was going to kill him, in the same way he had killed
Richard's father, and Giller. The most he would learn from reading Richard's entrails was where
that place was-inside Richard's head-and there was no way any amount of the reading of his entrails
was going to read the book out to him. Richard only hoped he could live long enough to see the
look of surprise on Darken Rahl's face when he realized he had made a fatal mistake

No book. No box. Darken Rahl was a dead man. That was all that mattered.

As for the question of him being betrayed, he decided that he didn't believe it. Darken Rahl knew
the Wizard's Rules, and he was just using the first, trying to make him afraid of the possibility. The
first step to believing. Richard decided that he was not going to be tricked by the Wizard's First
Rule. He knew Zedd and Chase and Kahlan. He would not believe Darken Rahl over his friends.

"By the way, where did you get the Sword of Truth?"

He looked right into her eyes. "I bought it from the last man who had it. Mistress Denna."

"Is that so? What did you have to give for it?"

Richard held her eyes. "Everything I had. It would appear it is to also cost me my freedom, and
probably my life."

Denna laughed. "You have spirit. I love breaking a man with spirit. Do you know why Master Rahl
picked me?"

"No, Mistress Denna."

"Because I am relentless. I may not be as cruel as some of the others, but. I enjoy breaking a man
more than any of them. I love hurting my pets more than anything else in life. I live to do it." She
arched an eyebrow and smiled. "I don't give up, I don't tire of it, and I don't ease up. Ever."

"I am honored, Mistress Denna, to be in the hands of the best."

She put the Agiel against the cut on his lip and held it there until he was on his knees and tears ran
from his eyes. "That is the last flippant thing T ever want to hear from you." She took the Agiel