"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."
"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."
"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 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."
"He does."
Kahlan frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"You did?" she asked.
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."
No one spoke. Richard looked into the wolf's yellow eyes. Brophy's head turned to Kahlan.
Brophy lay back down, folding one paw over the other, his head held high. He was silent for a long
time before he spoke
"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."
Brophy stood. "You three sleep. I will stand watch tonight."
He turned and started to leave.
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."
Wizard's First Rule. Thank you, my old friend, he thought to himself, for teaching me how to
protect Kahlan's life.
Richard didn't see a single woman with hair past her jaw line.
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.
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.
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.
"I'm afraid so, my boy."
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.
"What's the matter with you? Are you blind, man? Open the gates!"
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'?"
"Open the gates right now!" Zedd bellowed, fists at his side. "And get a proper escort here this
instant!"
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.
Her eyes went to Zedd and she gave a slight bow of the head.
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.
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.
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
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.
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 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.
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.
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?"
Overwhelmed, Richard straightened himself.
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.
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.
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. ..
"Fidelity sworn to the Confessors, on my crown, on my land, on my life."
Kahlan at last moved her eyes. She looked down at the Queen's bowed head. "Rise, my child."
Queen Milena laboriously pushed herself to her feet. Her lips smiled. Her eyes didn't. "We have not
requested a Confessor."
"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."
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.
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."
"My daughter, the Princess Violet. Violet, dear, this is the Mother Confessor."
Richard detected the slightest smile of satisfaction on the Queen's face. He decided it was time to
elevate her level of worry
"Bow to the Mother Confessor," he hissed, "or die."
"Be careful how you use that tongue," Richard sneered. "The next time I will separate it from you."
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 . . .
"Dungeon?" She made a face. "It's filthy down there. Are you sure you wouldn't rather .
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.
"I was hoping Giller would have been there," Kahlan said. "Then we wouldn't need to do this."
"Why? He might draw a bad likeness of me?"
"A spell? Why would you need an artist to put a spell on someone?"
Their footsteps echoed as the three quickly descended stone steps. The walls, far belowground,
leaked water and were covered in places with slime. ,
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.
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.
There were gasps from the darkness when they recognized who she was.
He stroked his round, unshaven jaw. "Why, all of them."
He nodded. "Crimes against the Crown."
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.
"I do not come here on behalf of the Queen. I come here on behalf of the truth."
Kahlan looked to the men in the corner. "Do any of you wish to make a confession to prove your
innocence?"
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.
"Kahlan?" The familiar voice came from the cell on the other side, from the darkness.
"Now, hold on. I can't be letting all these men out."
"Open the bars or I will slice you in half and take the keys from your belt that way!"
"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."
"On your life," she corrected
"Enough of that. Be on your way, all of you. Just remember, Confessors serve no one. They serve
only the truth."
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.
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.
Kahlan's face stayed calm, but her voice had a cold edge to it. "Why is this child in your dungeon?"
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."
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 . . ."
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."
"Your wizard?"
For the briefest of moments, the Queen's eyes flicked toward the ceiling. "Well . . . that would not
be . . . possible."
The color drained from the Queen's face. "Please believe me, Mother Confessor, you wouldn't want
to see Giller in his present condition."
Richard loosened the sword in its scabbard just enough to catch her attention.
"You will wait here until I am finished with him."
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.
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.
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, come look at this," Zedd called to him.
Zedd turned, raising an eyebrow to him. "Wizard's fire."
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."
Zedd rapped Richard's head with his knuckles. "To learn something."
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."
"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."
"He has left a message."
Richard remembered his own father, and how Rahl had done this very thing to him.
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?"
"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."
"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?"
Richard wondered at the mysterious, secret things Zedd must know, but had never shared with him.
"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 whispered something in Siddin's ear, and the boy giggled, hugging the wizard's neck.
"Thank you for your hospitality," Kahlan said. "We will be leaving now."
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?"'
"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'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
"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."
Zedd gave him a puzzled look. " IOW should I know? You're the Seeker."
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.
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."
He looked insulted. "I'm a boundary warden." He thought that was explanation enough. "Find what
you were after?"
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."
"But you would have. You're the bravest man I ever saw."
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."
Kahlan put a hand on Rachel's leg. "Why did you run off? You scared us with worry for you."
"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."
"I don't allow anyone to hurt children," Kahlan said. "Not even a queen."
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."
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.
Richard cut a big piece and handed it to Zedd. "So, what happened? With my brother, I mean."
Richard had stopped carving, frozen in astonishment. "Really? My brother said that? He came to
help? And with an army?"
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?"
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.
Richard looked up. "You went into the Reach?"
Richard gave him a grin. "I think the good spirits ..."
Richard and Chase spun with their knives. Before Chase could use his knife, Richard stopped him.
She took her doll's foot from her mouth. Her eyes were wide. "You sound like Brophy."
"Brophy, how come you're a wolf?"
"Giller changed you into a wolf?"
"That's right. It's a wonderful new life I have."
"Rachel," Richard said, "you know Giller?"
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."
Rachel looked to Brophy, who gave her a nod that it was all right. She went with a pout on her face.
Rachel turned her eyes up to Richard.
Rachel turned to Brophy. He nodded, too, that it was the truth.
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."
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."
"We are not going to let them chop off any more heads," Kahlan said.
Chase leaned toward Richard. "You pulled a sword on a Princess? Do you know that's a capital
offense?"
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."
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."
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."
She turned her head back to Chase.
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?"
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
"The Seeker found it," Zedd smiled. "The Seeker should open it."
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.
She laughed. "Forgiven."
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.
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'll do anything you say, Chase."
She nodded against him, unable to talk as she hugged him, tears glistening in her eyes.
"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?"
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?"
"We better get an early start," Richard said
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.
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.
"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."
The wizard stood where the unseen wall stood. "Walk back to the end of the bridge, then walk to
me."
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.
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.
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.
"What is it?" Richard demanded.
"What's a keeper spell?"
"Then what?"
Kahlan grabbed the sleeve of Zedd's robes, panic in her eyes. "We have to go back! We have to get
it off him!"
"I know where the sacred caves are," Kahlan offered as she grabbed hold of her saddle and put a
foot in the stirrup.
"No," Richard said.
"Richard, we have to," Kahlan said.
"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."
"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."
"No! This is about stopping Darken Rahl, not about any one of us. This is not a request, it's an
order!"
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."
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.
"Change it how?"
"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?"
Richard looked to' Kahlan. "Take care of Siddin. Don't worry, I'll be back with you soon enough.
Now get going:"
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.
"No."
"I'll be back with you before you have time to miss me."
"I know. But I'll be all right."
Kahlan threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. Hard, fast, desperate.
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.
"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
Protect the box. Rahl must not get it. That's what matters. Now,
He stood holding the reins of his horse, watching her gallop across the bridge and disappear into the
distance.
-+--
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
If there be need enough. The night stone.
If there be need enough.
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.
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.
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 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.
"I thought I might find you here. I came to watch. Anything I can do to help?"
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.
James leaned forward with a chuckle, watching him work.
Richard didn't answer as he erased the right hand on the figure.
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.
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.
As he finished it, the pressure on his back lifted, and the sick feeling left.
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.
"Who had you do this spell on me?"
"What's a Mord-Sith?"
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.
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.
The woman snapped her fingers at the-men behind him, then pointed at him. "Take him." He heard
the sound of steel being drawn.
Bringer of death.
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.
Shards of hot, shattered steel spiraled through the clear, morning air.
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.
Bringer of death.
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.
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.
"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."
"Do you want the pain to stop, my pet?"
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.
The pain let up the smallest bit. He gasped for air. She had relaxed it just enough to allow him to
answer.
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.
"I'm . .. Westland."
"I'll not . . . tell you . . . where Kahlan is. You might as well . . . kill me . . . now."
"The . . . Mother Confessor."
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?"
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.
With all his mental strength, Richard focused his hunger to kill her, and envisioned the sword
exploding through her head. "Die, bitch."
Richard maintained the vision of killing her until he was unconscious
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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."
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.
"Now, get on your knees, and ask for my forgiveness."
"Please, Mistress Denna, forgive 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.
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?"
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.
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.
"Yes, Mistress Denna." He was still catching his breath. "Mistress Denna, you said someone
betrayed me. Who was it?"
"None of my friends would do that. Mistress Denna."
He looked at the floor, a lump in his throat. "No, Mistress Denna, but who was it?"
"And what is the purpose of my training, Mistress Denna?"
"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."
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."
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."
No book. No box. Darken Rahl was a dead man. That was all that mattered.
"By the way, where did you get the Sword of Truth?"
"Is that so? What did you have to give for it?"
Denna laughed. "You have spirit. I love breaking a man with spirit. Do you know why Master Rahl
picked me?"
"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."
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