"I reckon I owe you, Richard. And you being a boy from Hartland and all.. I just wanted to help if you were in trouble." She shrugged her one shoulder again. "Kahlan's real nice. Most women would have.. I guess she's about the prettiest woman I ever saw. Nothing like me."
"I never figured you owed me anything, Nadine; I'd have done the same no matter who Tom had caught alone that day but you have my sincere gratitude for helping Kahlan."
"Sure. I guess that was stupid of me to think you stopped him because.." Richard realized by the way she sounded on the verge of tears that he hadn't put it very well, so he laid a hand tenderly on her shoulder. "Nadine, you've grown into a beautiful woman, too."peered up with a growing smile, "You think I'm beautiful?" She smoothed her blue dress at her hips.
"I didn't dance with you at the midsummer festival because you were still clumsy little Nadine Brighton."started winding the string again, 'I liked dancing with you. You know, I carved the initials 'N.C. on my betrothal trunk. For Nadine Cypher." "I'm sorry. Nadine. Michael is dead."looked up with a frown. "Michael? No.. that's not what it meant. It meant you."decided that this conversation had gone far enough. He had more important things to worry about.
"I'm Richard Rahl now. I can't live in the past. My future is with Kahlan." Nadine caught his arm as he started turning away. "I'm sorry. I know that. I know I made a big mistake. With Michael, I mean."caught himself just in time to bite off a caustic retort. What would be the purpose? "I appreciate that you helped Kahlan. I suppose you'll want to be heading home. Tell everyone I'm well. I'll be back for a visit when-" "Kahlan invited me to stay a while."was caught off guard; Kahlan had neglected to tell him that part of it. "Oh. And you wish to stay for a day or two?"
"Sure. I thought I'd like that. I've never been away from home before. If it's all right with you, I mean. I wouldn't wan to.."gently pulled his arm from her hand. "Fine. If she invited you, then it's fine with me."brightened, as if oblivious to the disapproval on his face. "Richard, did you see the moon last night? Everyone is abuzz about it. Did you see it? Was it as extraordinary, as remarkable, as they say? ' "That, and more," he whispered, his mood darkening. Before she could get in another word, he marched off.soft knock on the door produced a rotund woman in a staff uniform. Her ruddy face peered out through the narrow crack.
"Lord Rahl. Nancy is just helping the Mother Confessor get dressed. She'll be finished in a minute."
"Dressed!" he called to the closing door. The latch clicked into place. "She's supposed to be in bed!" he called through the heavy, ornately carved door.no response, he decided to wait rather than cause a scene. Once, when he looked up, he saw Nadine peeking around the corner. Her head swiftly disappeared back around the corner. He paced before the door until the rubicund woman finally opened it wide and held an arm out in invitation.stepped into the room, feeling as if he was entering another world. The Confessors' Palace was a place of splendor, power, and history, but the Mother Confessor's quarters were the place that, more than anywhere else in the palace, reminded him that he was really just a woods guide. It made him feel out of his element.Mother Confessor's rooms were a majestic, quiet sanctuary befitting the woman to whom knelt kings and queens. If Richard had seen this room before he came to know Kahlan, he wondered if he would have ever had the nerve to speak to her. Even now, it embarrassed him to recall teaching her to build snares and dig roots when he didn't know who, or what, she was.made him smile, though, to remember her eagerness to learn. He was thankful he had come to know the woman before he came to understand the post she filled, and the magic she wielded. He thanked the good spirits she had come into his life, and prayed she would be a part of it forever. She meant everything to him.three marble fireplaces in the Mother Confessor's sitting room were ablaze. The heavy drapes on the ten-foot-tall windows hung open slightly, forming tall slits, letting in only enough light, muted by the sheer panels behind, to make lamps unnecessary. He guessed that bright sunlight was inappropriate in a sanctuary. There were only a few houses in Hartland that wouldn't fit in this room alone.a glossy, gold-embellished mahogany table to the side sat a silver tray with tea, soup, biscuits, sliced pears, and brown bread. None of it had been touched. The sight reminded him that he hadn't eaten since noon the day before, but failed to summon his appetite.three women in crisp gray dresses with white lace collars and cuffs watched him expectantly, as if waiting to see if he would dare to simply walk in on the Mother Confessor, or fall into a show of some other scandalous behavior.glanced at the door at the far end of the room, his sense of propriety making him ask the obvious. "Is she dressed?"one who had cracked the door before reddened. "I wouldn't have let you in, sir, had she not been."
"Of course." He headed soundlessly across the plush, dark-hued carpets. He stopped and turned back. They watched like three owls. "Thank you, ladies. That will be all."bowed and reluctantly took their leave. He realized as the last one stole a quick glance over her shoulder while pulling the door closed that they probably considered it the height of indecency for a man engaged to a woman to be alone with her in her bedroom. Doubly so for the Mother Confessor.forced out an annoyed breath; whenever he was anywhere near the Mother Confessor's rooms, some member of the staff always managed to show up every other minute checking to see if she needed anything. The variety of things they suspected she might be needing never failed to surprise him. He sometimes expected one of them to come right out and ask her if she might need her virtue protected. Outside her rooms the staff was friendly, even joking with him when he put them at ease, or helped them carry things. A few were afraid of him. But not in her rooms. In her rooms, they all turned into bold, protective mother hawks.the bedroom, against the far paneled wall, stood the huge bed, its four great dark polished posts rising up like columns before a palace. The thick, embroidered bedcover cascaded down the sides of the bed like a colorful waterfall frozen in place. A slash of sunlight cut across the dark, sumptuous carpets and over the lower half of the bed.remembered Kahlan describing her bed to him, telling him how she couldn't wait to have him in it, when they were married. He very much wanted to be in bed with her; it had been since that night between worlds that he had been alone with her-in that way-but he had to admit that he was intimidated by that bed of hers. He thought he might lose her in it. She had promised there would be no chance of that.was standing at the row of glassed doors before the expansive balcony, looking out past the open curtain. She was staring out over the stone railings and up toward the Keep on the mountainside. The sight of her in her satiny white dress flowing smoothly over her ravishing curves, with her dazzling mane cascading down her back, nearly took his breath. The sight of her made him ache. He decided that the bed would be just fine.he tenderly touched her shoulder, she started.turned, a beaming smile on her face as she looked up at him. "I thought you were Nancy, come back in."
"What do you mean, you thought I was Nancy? You didn't know it was me?" "How would I know it was you?"shrugged. "Because. I always can tell when it's you who's walked into a room. I don't have to see you." Her brow furrowed in disbelief. "You cannot." "Of course I can." "How?"
"You have a unique fragrance. I know the sounds you make, the sound of your breathing, the way you move, the way you pause. They're all unique to you." Her frown grew. "You're not kidding" You mean it? You're serious?" "Of course. Can't you tell me by those things?"
''No. But I guess you've spent much of your life in the woods, watching, smelling, listening." She slipped her good arm around his. "I still don't know if I believe you."
"Then test me some time." Richard stroked his fingers down her hair. "How are you feeling? How's your arm?"
"I'm all right. It's not so bad. Not as bad as that time elder Toffalar cut me. Remember? That was worse than this."nodded. "What are you doing out of bed? You were told to rest." She pushed at his stomach. "Stop. I'm fine." She looked him up and down.
"And you look more than fine. I can't believe you had that made for me. You look magnificent. Lord Rahl."tenderly met her lips. She tried to pull him into a more passionate kiss, but he pulled back. "I'm afraid I'll hurt you," he said.
"Richard, I'm fine, really. I was exhausted before because I used my power, along with all the rest of it. People mistook that for me being hurt worse than I was."appraised her for a long moment, before bending to the kind of kiss he had been longing to give her.
"That's better," she breathed on parting. She pushed back. "Richard, did you see Cara? You left so quickly, and you had that look in your eye. I didn't have time to really talk to you. It wasn't her fault." "I know. You told me." "You didn't yell at her, did you?" "We had a talk."squinted. "Talk. What did she have to say for herself? She didn't try to tell you that she was..?" "What's Nadine still doing here?"was looking at him. She snatched his wrist. "Richard, you have blood on you.. your arm.."looked up in alarm. "What did you do? Richard.. you didn't hurt her, did you?" She lifted his arm higher into the light. "Richard, this looks like… like when you…"seized his shirt. "You didn't hurt her? Tell me that you didn't hurt her!" "She wanted to be executed. She gave me the choice of doing it, or she would. So I used the sword, like that time with the Mud People elders." "She's all right? She's all right, isn't she?" "She's all right.", concern in her expression, looked into his eyes. "And you? Are you all right?"
"I've been better. Kahlan, what is Nadine still doing here?" "She's just staying for a visit, that's all. Have you met Drefan yet?" Richard held her away when she moved to lay her head to his chest. "What is she doing here? Why did you invite her to stay?"
"Richard, I had to. Trouble from Shota isn't so easily dismissed. You ought to know that. We have to know what's going on before we can do something to make sure Shota can't cause us trouble."went to the glassed door and stared out at the mountain towering over the city. The Wizard's Keep stared back. "I don't like it. Not one bit."
"Neither do I," she said from behind him. "Richard, she helped me. I didn't think she would have the guts to keep her head, but she did. She's confused by all this, too. Something more than we're seeing is going on, and we have to use our heads, not hide under the blankets."heaved a sigh. "I still don't like it, but you have a point. I only marry smart women."could hear Kahlan absently smooth her dress behind him. The fragrance of her calmed him.
"I can see why you liked her. She's a lovely woman, besides being a healer. It must have hurt you."Keep seemed to absorb the morning sunlight in its dark stone. He should go up there. "What must have hurt me?"
"When you caught her kissing Michael. She told me how you caught her kissing your brother."wheeled around, staring in slack-jawed disbelief. "She told you what?" Kahlan gestured back toward the door, as if Nadine might appear to speak for herself. "She said that you caught her kissing your brother."
"Kissing him." "That's what she said."turned his glare back to the window. "Did she, now?" "What was she doing, then? You mean you caught-" "Kahlan, we have sixteen men who died down by the pit last night, and a dozen more who may not live the day. I've got guards I can't trust to protect the woman I love. We've got a witch woman who has made it her life's mission to cause us trouble. We've got Jagang sending us messages in walking dead men. We've got a Sister of the Dark loose somewhere. We've got half the army in Aydindril sick and unable to fight if they have to. We've got representatives waiting to see us. I've got a half brother I never knew I had downstairs under guard. I think we have more important things to discuss than Nadine's.. than Nadine's difficulty with the truth!"'s green eyes watched him tenderly for a moment. 'That bad. Now I understand what put that look in your eyes."
"Remember what you told me one time? 'Never let a beautiful woman pick your path for you when there's a man in her line of sight.»put a hand over his shoulder. "Nadine isn't picking my path. I asked her to stay for my own reasons."
"Nadine sticks to what she wants like a hound on scent, but I'm not talking about Nadine. I'm talking about Shota. She's pointing down a path, and you're walking right down it."
"We have to find out what's down that path, and Shota's reasons for pointing to it."turned back to the glassed door. "I want to know what else Marlin- Jagang-had to say. Every word. I want you to try to remember every word." "Why don't you just yell at me and get it over with?" "I don't want to yell at you. You scared me to death, going down there. I just want to hold you, to protect you. I want to marry you." He turned back and looked into her green eyes. "I think I have a way for it to work. With the Mud People, I mean."stepped closer. "Really? How?" "First, you tell me everything Jagang said."idly watched the Keep as she went through the whole story: how Jagang said he watched the Ja'La game and that in his native tongue the name meant the Game of Life; that he wanted to witness the glory of what Marlin had done; how he wanted Sister Amelia to return to him before he revealed himself; that he had found prophecies other than those Richard had destroyed, and that he had invoked one called a bound fork prophecy. 'That's all I remember," she said. "Why are you watching the Keep so intently?"
"I'm wondering why Sister Amelia went there. And what Marlin was going to do there. Any ideas?"
"No. Jagang wouldn't say. Richard, have you seen the prophecy in the pit?" His stomach roiled. "Yes." "And? What does it say?" "I don't know. I'll have to translate it."
"Richard Rahl, you may be able to tell it's me who has walked into a room without seeing me, but I can tell when you're not telling me the truth without even having to look into your eyes."couldn't manage to smile. "Prophecies are more complicated than their words. You know that. Just hearing their words doesn't mean it's what it sounds like. Besides, just because Jagang found a prophecy, that doesn't mean he can invoke it."
"Well, that's all true enough. I told him as much myself. He said that proof he had invoked the prophecy would come on a red moon. Not much chance of that-"spun around. "What did you say? You didn't tell me that before. What did Jagang say?"face paled. "I forgot.. until you said.. I told Jagang that I didn't believe him-about invoking the prophecy. He said that proof would come on the red moon. Richard, do you know what that means?" Richard's tongue felt thick. He made himself blink.
"The moon was red last night. I've been outdoors my whole life. I've never seen anything even remotely like it. It was like looking at the moon through a glass of red wine. It gave me goose bumps. That was why I came back early." "Richard, what did the prophecy say? Tell me."stared at her, trying to think of a lie he could make her believe. He couldn't. "It said," he whispered, " 'On the red moon will come the firestorm. The one bonded to the blade will watch as his people die. If he does nothing, then he, and all those he loves, will die in its heat, for no blade, forged of steel or conjured of sorcery, can touch this foe.»rang through the still room. Kahlan's face was white. "What's the rest of it? Jagang said it was a bound fork prophecy. What's the rest of it"-her voice broke-"the other fork? You tell me, Richard. Don't you lie to me. We're in this together. If you love me, then you tell me."spirits, let her hear the words, and not my dread. Let me at least spare her that.left hand clutched the hilt of his sword. The raised letters of the word TRUTH bit into his flesh. He blinked his vision clear. Show no fear.
" 'To quench the inferno, he must seek the remedy in the wind. Lightning will find him on that path, for the one in white, his true beloved, will betray him in her blood.»16could feel tears falling down her cheeks.
"Richard." She sucked back a sob. 'Richard, you know I would never.. You don't believe I could ever.. I swear on my life. I would never.. You have to believe me…"swept her into his arms as she lost control over a wail of anguish. "Richard," she sobbed against his chest, "I would never betray you. Not for anything in this world. Not to spare myself eternal torment in the underworld at the Keeper's hands."
"I know. Of course I know that. You know as well as I that you can't understand a prophecy by its words. Don't let it hurt you. That's what Jagang wants. He doesn't even know what it means; he just put it down there because the words sounded like what he wanted to hear." "But…I…" She couldn't halt her weeping. "Shhhh." His big hand held her head against him.terror of the night before, and the worse terror of the prophecy, came out in uncontrollable tears. She had never cried in the face of battle, but in the safety of his arms she couldn't control herself She was swept away by a flood of tears no less powerful than the torrent in the drainage tunnel. "Kahlan, don't let yourself believe it. Please don't." "But it says…I will.."
"Listen to me. Didn't I tell you not to go down there to question Marlin? Didn't I tell you that I would do it when I got back, and that it was dangerous and I didn't want you down there?"
"Yes, but I was afraid for you and I just wanted-"
"You went against my wishes. No matter your reasons, you went against my wishes, didn't you?" She nodded against him. "That could be the betrayal in the prophecy. You were wounded, you were bleeding. You betrayed me, and you had blood on you. Your blood."
"I wouldn't call what I did a betrayal. I was doing it for you, because I love you and I was afraid for you."
"But don't you see? The words of prophecy don't always work the way they sound. At the Palace of the Prophets, in the Old World, both Warren and Nathan warned me that prophecies aren't meant to be understood by the words. The words are only obliquely connected to the prophecy." "But I don't see how-"
"I'm just saying that it could be something as simple as that. You can't let a prophecy gain control of your fears. Don't let it."
"Zedd told me that, too. He said that there were prophecies about me that he wouldn't tell me because the words weren't to be trusted. He said you were right to ignore the words of prophecy. But this is different, Richard. This says I will betray you."
"I already told you how it could be something simple." "Lightning isn't simple. Being struck by lightning is a symbol for being killed, if not an outright declaration of the manner of your death. The prophecy says I will betray you, and because of that, you will die."
"I don't believe it. Kahlan, I love you. I know it isn't possible. You wouldn't betray me and bring me harm. You wouldn't."clutched his shirt as she gasped a sob. "That's why Shota sent Nadine. She wants you to marry someone else because she knows I will be the death of you. Shota is trying to save you-from me."
"She thought that once before, and she turned out to be wrong. Remember? If Shota had had her way, we wouldn't have been able to stop Darken Rahl. He would rule us all right now, if we had given in to her reading of the future. Prophecy is no different." Richard gripped her shoulders and held her at arm's length so that he could look into her eyes. "Do you love me?"grip on her wounded shoulder made it sing with pain, but she refused to pull away from his touch. "More than life itself."
"Then trust in me. I won't let it destroy us. I promise. It will all fall into place for the best in the end. You'll see. We can't think of the solution if we're focused on the problem."wiped at her eyes. He sounded so sure of himself. His confidence calmed her and bolstered her spirits. "You're right. I'm sorry." "Do you want to marry me?"
"Of course, but I don't see how we can leave our responsibility for such a long time to travel-" "The sliph." She blinked. "What?"
"The sliph, up in the Wizard's Keep. I've been thinking about it; we traveled all the way to the Old World and back in her, with her magic, and it took less than a day each way. I can wake the sliph, and we can travel in her."
"But she would take us to the Old World, to the city of Tanimura. Jagang is somewhere near Tanimura."
"That's still a lot closer to the Mud People than Aydindril is. Besides, I think the sliph can go other places, too. She asked me where I wished to travel. That means she can go other places. Maybe she can get us a lot closer than Tanimura.", her tears forgotten at the prospect of their wedding being possible, glanced up at the Keep. "We might be able to go to the Mud People, be married, and be back in a matter of a few days. We could be gone that long, surely." Richard smiled as his arms circled her from behind. "Surely." Kahlan wiped the last of the tears away as she turned in his arms. "How do you always manage to figure things out?"nodded toward her bed. "I had a great deal of motivation." Kahlan, a grin spreading on her face, was just about to reward him with something positively indecent, when there was a knock at the door. It immediately opened without benefit of an answer. Nancy stuck her head in.
"Are you all right, Mother Confessor?" She glanced meaningfully to Richard. "Yes. What is it?" "Lady Nadine is asking if she could change the poultice."
"Is she now?" Kahlan said in a dark tone.
"Yes, Mother Confessor. But if you are.. indisposed, I could ask her to wait until-"
"Send her in. then," Richard said.hesitated. "We will have to take the top of your dress down. Mother Confessor. To get at the bandage."
"It's all right," Richard whispered in Kahlan's ear. "I have to go talk to Berdine. I have some work for her." "I hope it doesn't involve horse manure." Richard smiled. "No. I want her to work on Kolo's journal." "Why?"kissed the top of her head. "Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed." He glanced to Nancy. "Need me to help with her dress?" Nancy managed to scowl and turn red at the same time. "I guess that means you will manage. ' At the door, he turned back to Kahlan. "I'll wait until Nadine's finished with you, and then we better go see this Drefan fellow. I have a task for him. I'd.. like you to be with me."he had closed the door, Nancy brushed back her short brown hair and moved around behind Kahlan to help with her dress. "Your Mother Confessor's dress, the one you were wearing yesterday, was ruined beyond repair."
"I expected as much." Confessors had a collection of dresses, all the same. Confessors all wore black dresses; only the Mother Confessor wore white. She thought about the blue wedding dress she would wear. "Nancy, do you remember when your husband was courting you?" Nancy paused. "Yes, Mother Confessor."
"Then you must know how it would have made you feel if someone were to keep popping in on you when you were alone with him."eased the dress over Kahlan's shoulder. "Mother Confessor, I was never allowed to be alone with him until we were married. I was young, and ignorant. My parents were right to watch over me and the impulses of youth."
"Nancy, I'm a grown woman. I'm the Mother Confessor. I can't have you and the other women popping your heads into my room whenever Richard is with me. Ow!"
"Sorry. That was my fault. It isn't proper. Mother Confessor." "That's for me to decide." "If you say so. Mother Confessor."held her arm out as Nancy slipped the sleeve over her hand. "I say so." Nancy glanced to the bed. "You were conceived in that bed. Who knows how many Mother Confessors before you conceived their daughters in that bed. It holds a legacy of tradition. Only wedded Mother Confessors took their men to that bed to conceive a child."
''And not one of them because of love. I was not conceived through love, Nancy. My child, if I have one, will be."
"All the more reason that it should be by the grace of the good spirits-in the sanctity of marriage."didn't say that the good spirits had taken them to a place between worlds to sanctify their union. "The good spirits know what's in our hearts; there is no one else for either of us, nor will there ever be."busied herself at the bandage. "And you are eager to get to it. Like my daughter and her young man are." If Nancy only knew how eager.
"That's not it. I'm just saying that I don't want you coming in on me when Richard is here with me. We will be wedded soon. We are irreversibly committed to one another.
"There is more to being in love than just jumping into bed, you know. Like just being close, in one another's arms. Can you understand? I can't very well kiss my future husband and have my injuries comforted by him if you keep popping your head in every two minutes, now can I?" "No, Mother Confessor."knocked at the open door. "May I come in?"
"Yes, of course. Here, set your bag on the bed. I can manage, now, Nancy. Thank you."a deprecating shake of her head, Nancy shut the door behind herself. Nadine sat on the bed next to Kahlan and worked at finishing unwrapping the bandage. Kahlan frowned at Nadine's dress.
"Nadine, that dress.. it is the same one yon were wearing yesterday, isn't it?" "Sure." "It seems-"looked down at herself. "The ladies washed it for me but it's.. Oh, I know what you're talking about. It was torn in the tunnels, when we went for a swim. Some of the fabric at the seams was mined, so I had to take it in to save it.
"I haven't had much of an appetite since I left home, thinking about.. I mean, what with my travels, I was busy, and I've slimmed down a bit, so I was able to take in the seams and save the dress. It's not too tight. It's fine."
"In view of your aid, I will see to it that you get another dress that would be more comfortable." "No. This one's fine." "I see."
"Well, your cut looks no worse this morning. That's encouraging." She carefully wiped at the old poultice. "I saw Richard on the way out. He looked upset. You two haven't had a fight, I hope?"'s forbearance evaporated. "No. He was upset because of something else."paused at her work. She turned to her bag and brought back a horn. The fragrance of pine pitch filled the air when she opened it. Kahlan winced as Nadine dabbed on the poultice. When she was satisfied, she began winding the bandage back around Kahlan's arm.
"There's no need to be embarrassed," Nadine said in a casual tone. "Lovers sometimes have spats. They don't always end a relationship. I'm sure Richard will come to his senses. Eventually."
"Actually," Kahlan said, "I told him that I understood about you and him. About what happened. That was why he was so upset." Nadine's wrapping slowed. "What do you mean?"
"I told him what you said about letting him catch you kissing his brother. The little 'shove' you gave him. Remember?"brought the tails of the bandage around, her fingers suddenly working swiftly at tying them. "Oh, that."
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