“What is it?”
“The crystal, this clear part here, has the power to amplify the gift. I don’t have the power to get your Rada’Han off, if it is true that you have Subtractive Magic, because I have only Additive. You will hold this in your lap. When we join our minds this will help amplify your power, so I can use it, and be able to break the hold.”
“Good. Let’s begin.”pulled the statue back. “Not until I tell you the rest.”looked into her pale, pale blue eyes, at the dark flecks spread through them. “so tell me.”
“The reason you can’t help get the collar off is because you don’t have the training to use your gift. You don’t know how to direct the power. This will overcome that deficiency. I hope.”
“You’re trying to work up to warning me about something.”gave a single nod. “You don’t know how to control the flow, so you be will at the mercy of the aid. But the aid doesn’t understand pain. It simply does what it must. What I need.”
“So you’re telling me it might hurt. I’m prepared to endure pain. Let’s get started.”
“Not “might.’” She held up a cautionary finger. “Richard, this is dangerous. It will hurt you. It will feel like your mind is being torn apart. I know you want to do this, but I don’t want to deceive you. This will make you think you are dying.”felt a trickle of sweat run down his neck.
“It must be done.”
“I will be directing my Han to try to break the hold of the collar. The aid will be pulling power from you, to do as I need to overcome the Rada’Han. It will hurt you.”
“Liliana, I can take whatever is necessary. It must be done.”
“You listen to me, Richard. I know you want to do this, but you listen. I will be pulling the gift from you, to help break the collar. Your mind will feel like I’m trying to pull the very life from you. Your inner mind may interpret that as me trying to suck the gift, the very life, from you.
“You will have to endure the feeling of having your life ripped from you. You will have to endure it until the collar breaks. If you try to stop it when my power is in you, trying to do as I must…”
“So what you are saying is that if it’s too much, and I want to stop, I can’t. If I try to stop the pull on my magic, it will kill me.”
“Yes. You must not resist. If you do, you will die.” Her expression was as serious as he had ever seen it. “You must trust me, and not try to stop what is happening to you, or you will die, and then Kahlan will die. Are you sure you can do that?”
“Liliana, I would do anything, endure anything, to save Kahlan. I trust you. I will put my life in your hands.”at last nodded and placed the statue in his lap. She gazed into his eyes a long moment, and then kissed her finger. She touched the kissed finger to his cheek.
“Into the void, then, together. Thank you for your trust, Richard. You will never know what this means to me.”
“Nor to me, Liliana. What do you want me to do?”same as we have always done before. You just try to touch your Han, as always, and I will do the rest.”wiggled forward until their knees were pressed together. They held hands, letting them rest over their knees. Each drew a deep breath, and closed their eyes.first, it was the same as it always was, just deep relaxation as he concentrated on the image of the Sword of Truth. The pain, at first, was simply an uncomfortable tingling. It spiraled deeper, settling at the base of his spine,.feeling like a pulled muscle. The pain worked its way up his back., it erupted everywhere at once, something like the pain of the Agiel; a hot ache searing through the marrow of his bones. Denna had taught him to endure pain. He said a silent thank you to Denna, for what she had done. Maybe it would be what he needed to endure this, to save Kahlan.twisting torture took his breath. His back stiffened. Sweat instantly drenched his face. His lungs burned for air. With the greatest of effort, he drew a breath.pain exploded through his mind, plunging him into a timeless place of ripping, unending agony. He struggled to hold the sword in his mind. Tears ran down his face. He had to do this.felt as if every nerve in his body were exposed and being held to a flame. He thought his eyes might burst. He thought his heart” might burst. He flinched with each agonizing tug of pain. It was torture beyond endurance.then it seemed as if what he had felt had not yet been the beginning of it. He was unable to scream, to breathe, to move. It seemed his very soul was being ripped from him.Liliana had warned him, it seemed as if his very life was being pulled from him. He felt a wash of panic that this was killing him. He felt dark death soaking into the void left by what was being ripped from him. He dimly worried that this wasn’t right. Terror burgeoned deep within him, and then that too was pulled into the swirling torrent erupting outward.wanted nothing more than to scream, as if it would somehow ameliorate the agony. But he could not. His muscles seemed to be losing their life along with the rest of him. He could not breathe, or even hold his head up., Liliana, please hurry. Please.struggled not to resist what she was doing. He prayed that he would not fight her. He had to get to Kahlan. She needed him.eyes were open, he realized, when he recognized the statue in his lap. His head was hanging. The crystal was beginning to glow a dull orange. A dim part of him thought that that must mean it was working, doing its job. His head felt as if it were coming apart. He expected to see blood dripping down, but he saw only the orange glow increasing., Liliana, hurry.was enveloping him. Even the insufferable pain was beginning to seem distant. He felt life slipping from his grasp. He felt an emptiness coming upon him that was more ghastly that anything he thought possible.the fading recesses of his mind, he felt a presence..felt them near. His level of alarm rose. They were around him, closing in.then he heard, as if from a great distance, Liliana’s voice. “Wait, my pets. You may have what is left, when I am finished with him. Wait.”could dimly see the mriswith in his mind, as he always had when they came to him. When Liliana spoke, they moved back.would she say that? Why would the mriswith move back at her command? What did she mean? Maybe the pain had driven him insane, and it was only a mad illusion.felt a presence at his back. Not a mriswith. Worse. More gruesome by ten. He felt its fetid breath on his neck.’s voice came in a dangerous hiss. “I said wait.” The presence receded a bit, but not as far as the mriswith.did she mean, they could have what was left? He was dying, that was what she meant. He could feel it. He was dying.. Liliana said he would think that. It was simply happening as she had said, that was all. He had to be strong for Kahlan. But he had so little left to give. He was dying. He knew he was. The statue in his lap was glowing brighter.hot breath returned to his neck. He heard a low growl from the loathsome thing. He vehemently wanted it away from him.’s menacing voice came again. “Wait. I will be finished in a moment, and then you may have his body. Wait.”that instant, something deep within him told him that if he was ever going to save himself, this was the last chance. It had to be now. The decision to act was sudden desperation.deep within, from the core of his mind, from the core of his being, from the core of his soul, he wrenched his will to action, and by force of will, with frantic, colossal effort, he yanked his power, his life—himself—back.thundering boom sounded, and an impact sundered the air, throwing the two of them apart. Richard landed on his back at one edge of the clearing, Liliana at the other. The Sword of Truth was in the center. The mriswith and the other creature melted back into the darkness among the trees.gasped for air. He sat up and shook his head. The statue lay on the ground in the center, near his sword. The orange glow was gone.floated upward without effort. It looked as if an invisible hand had lifted her gently to her feet. The sight raised hackles on the back of his neck.smiled wickedly. Richard hadn’t thought Liliana to be capable of such a vile grin. It made his toes curl in his boots.
“Oh, Richard, I was so close. I’ve never experienced anything like it. You have no idea of the glory of what you have. But I will have it yet.”glanced to the sides, trying to decide which way to run. He felt like a fool, and at the same time was overcome by a sense of profound loss. “Liliana, I trusted you. I thought you cared for me.”lifted an eyebrow. “did you?” The slow smile returned. “Maybe I did. Maybe that’s why I was doing it the easy way. Now we do it the hard way.”blinked. “What do you mean, the hard way?”quillion would have been the easy way. I have taken on the gift from many a male. But you resisted where they could not. Now I must skin you alive to have your gift. First, I will have to disable you. You will lie helpless, as I do it.”held out a hand. A sword floated out from behind the big oak, out of the darkness, and into her hand.a shriek, she swept across the clearing toward him. Her sword flashed in the moonlight.thinking, Richard lifted his hand, calling his sword and its magic. The response was instant. The anger inundated him. He felt the hilt slam into his palm as Lil-iana swung her sword. The sword, the magic, the spirits, were with him. He brought the blade up, blocking her strike., Richard wondered why his sword didn’t shatter hers. But then he was moving. The dance with death had begun.countered her strikes, and she his. He evaded attacks that should have had him, and she thwarted attacks that should have had her. She spun like the wind, slipping away at the last instant. He felt as if he were fighting a shadow. No human could move the way she did. He could not move the way she did., he felt the sudden, loathsome presence. He checked the thrust of her blade, and spun, bringing the sword around with lightning speed. For an instant, he saw a snarl of fangs, and a malicious glare, and then the sword made solid contact, and what was there was rendered unrecognizable as it disintegrated.felt her blade coming, and dove over the falling hulk. Rolling to his feet, he returned the attack. The night air rang over and over with the sound of steel on steel.realized that her blade must somehow be like his. She had a weapon the match of the Sword of Truth. Besides that, she had command of magic he could only imagine. He didn’t have to imagine long.the battle wound its way across the clearing, both straining with all the fury they could bring forth, she leapt back, and sent a bolt of fire racing toward him. He dodged at the last instant, and it flew past, hitting a tree. The trunk exploded in a shower of splinters. The top of the tree crashed down around him, some of the branches knocking him from his feet.slashed through branches as thick as his arms to get at him. They splintered the way the trunk had. Richard scrambled out from under and fought her back into the thick woods.they clashed over and over again while descending a steep hill, he began to analyze her tactics. She fought ferociously, but without grace—like a soldier in combat among the lines. He didn’t know how he knew that, except it had to come from the spirits of his sword’s magic.way she attacked, slashing and swinging, left her open for a thrusting counterattack. Richard pressed that attack at her, but when he finally managed to thrust at her middle, the strike that should have found its mark slid to the side. She was protected, somehow. She had the use of magic he didn’t understand.was exhausted, and was fighting on the pure rage and fury of the magic. She didn’t even seem winded. “You can’t win, Richard. I will have you.”
“Why! You can’t win in the end!”
“I will have my reward.”ducked behind a tree, just missing a swing that sent wood chips flying. “If you help the Keeper escape, he will swallow all life!”
“You think so? You think wrong. He will reward those who serve him. He will grant me things the Creator never could.”stabbed at her, but the sword slid to the side. “He’s lying to you!”blade whistled past his face. Her calm, deliberate attacks were relentless. “We have a bargain. My oath seals it.”
“And you believe he will keep his end?”
“Join with us, Richard, and I will show you the glory that awaits those who serve him. You can live forever.”leapt to the top of a rock. “Never!”looked up with a cold detachment. “I thought this would be pleasurable, but I find I am growing bored.”swept a hand out. Twisting, snaking lightning came from the hand, but it was not like any lightning he had ever seen before.was black lightning.of a bolt of light and heat, it was an undulating void, as dark as the night stone, as dark as the boxes of Orden, as dark as eternal death. The dim, moonlit scene seemed a sunny day in comparison.knew: he was seeing Subtractive Magic.swept the black lightning across the rock beneath his feet. It effortlessly sliced a smooth-edged void through the rock. The remaining part he stood atop collapsed onto the half below. Trees behind for a good distance, severed in the same way, by the same black bolt, crashed to the ground in a roar of noise.lost his footing and toppled backward onto the steep slope, tumbling down the hill. He threw his arms out to stop himself when he hit the flat at the bottom, and immediately rolled over onto his back. He looked up and gasped.was standing right over him, her sword held high in both hands. By where she was looking, he knew she intended to cut off his legs. He froze at seeing her sword commence its descent.he was doing was not working. He had to do something else, or he was going to die.blade was a blur in the moonlight. He released himself, gave sanction to his inner self, his gift. He would surrender to whatever was there, or he would die. It was his only chance. He found the calm center within, and did its bidding.saw the Sword of Truth thrusting upward. His knuckles were white with effort. The sword was a white glow in the gloomy light.all his force, he drove the hissing white blade into Liliana, under her ribs. When the tip severed her spine, coming out her back between her shoulder blades, she went limp. Only his sword and strength held her upright.mouth dropped open in a gasp. Her sword fell, sticking in the ground to the side. Her wide, pale eyes stared down at him.
“I forgive you, Liliana,” Richard whispered.arms twitched in an uncoordinated manner. Terror rilled her eyes. She tried to speak, but only blood frothed forth.was an earsplitting crack, like a lightning strike, but instead of a flash of light, a ripple of total darkness swept through the forest. Its touch made his heart skip a beat. When it lifted, the moonlight seemed dazzling, and Liliana was dead.knew—the Keeper had taken her., he had called the sword’s white magic knowing full well what it meant. This time, he had done as Nathan had told him, and let his instinct, his gift, call it forth. It had been a surprise to him, both the instant calling of the white magic, and the fact that he had not consciously done it.within had known that that was what was needed to counter the Keeper’s hate that rilled Liliana. Richard was left stunned by what had happened. He stared down at Liliana as he withdrew his sword. He had confided in her. He had trusted her.realized that he was still where he had started—with the collar around his neck, and no ideas of how to get it off. Collar or no collar, he had to get through the barrier that kept him here. He decided that he would go get his things from the palace, and then he would find a way through the invisible wall.he wiped the sword clean on her clothes, he recalled how it had been in the center of the clearing, a good distance from him. He had somehow called it to him, along with the magic. The sword had flown through the air, and come into his hand.set the sword on the ground, and experimentally called its magic. The anger, the fury, filled him, as always. He held his hand out and willed the blade to come to him. It lay rock-solid on the ground. Try as he might, it would not so much as twitch., he returned it to its scabbard. He pulled Liliana’s sword from the ground and broke the blade over his knee. When he threw it aside, he noticed something white nearby.bones gleaming in the moonlight were mostly all that remained of the desiccated corpse. Only the top half was there. He assumed animals must have gotten the rest, but then he found the pelvis and legs, some distance away. Tattered remains of a dress that matched the top half still surrounded the leg bones.knelt, inspecting the upper body. Animals had not touched it. There was not a single tooth mark on any bone. It remained now as it had fallen.a frown, he saw that the bones of the lower spine were shattered. He had never seen bones splintered in such a way. It was as if this woman had been blown in half, while alive.knelt silently, staring, wondering. Someone had killed this woman. Somehow, he knew: magic had killed this woman.
“Who did this to you?” he whispered down at the corpse., a skeletal arm rose toward him in the moonlight. The fingers uncurled. A thin chain dropped down, dangling from the bones of a finger., his hair feeling as if it were trying to stand on end, carefully took the chain from the fingers. There was a single object on the chain. He held it up in the moonlight and saw it was a lumpy piece of gold, formed into the letter J.
“Jedidiah,” Richard whispered, not knowing what made him do so.66Richard approached, he noticed a commotion on the stone bridge. A crowd lined one edge, everyone looking down to the river. At the center, he eased his way through toward the low, walled railing. As he did, he saw Pasha at the crown, too, leaning out over the stone, looking down.
“What’s going on?” he asked as he came up behind her.spun at the sound of his voice. She flinched when she saw him. “Richard! I thought…” She looked back over the railing, down to the river, and then back to him.
“You thought what?”threw her arms around his middle. “Oh, Richard! I thought you were dead! Thank the Creator!”pried her arms off and then leaned over, looking down to the dark river below. Several small boats, each with a lantern, were towing a body tangled in their hand-casting nets. In the flickering yellow light, he could see the red coat.ran over the bridge and down the banks, reaching the shore as the men were landing the boats. Grabbing the nets from a man, he hauled them and their load up onto the grassy bank.was a small, round hole in the lower back of the red coat. He rolled the body over and looked into Perry’s dead eyes. Richard groaned.’s Second Rule. Perry had died because Richard had violated it. He had tried to do something good, with the best of intentions, and it had brought harm. It was Richard the dacra had been meant for. It was he they thought they were killing.was standing on the bank behind him. “Richard, I was so afraid. I thought it was you.” She started crying. “What was he doing in your red coat?”
“I loaned it to him.” He gave her a quick hug. “I have to go, Pasha.”
“You don’t mean the palace. You didn’t really mean what you said about leaving. I know you didn’t. You can’t leave, Richard.”
“I meant every word. Good night, Pasha.”left the men to their grisly task and headed for his room. Someone had meant to kill him, and it hadn’t been Liliana. Someone else was trying to kill him.he was loading his things into his pack, he heard a knock at his door. He froze, a shirt half-folded in his hands. Then he heard Sister Verna’s voice beyond the door, asking if she could come in.yanked the door open, preparing to launch into a tirade, but the look on her face caught the words in his throat. She stood woodenly, staring off at nothing.
“Sister Verna, what’s wrong?” He took her arm and led her into his room. “Here, sit down.”sank to the edge of the chair. Richard knelt in front of her and took her hands.
“Sister Verna, what’s wrong?”’ve been waiting for you to return.” Her puffy, red eyes finally sought his. “Richard,” she said in a subdued voice, “I could really use a friend right now. You are the only one who came to mind.”hesitated, she knew his condition, though he now knew she couldn’t get the collar off.
“Richard, when Sisters Grace and Elizabeth died, they passed their gift to me. I have more power than any Sister at the palace, any normal Sister. I know you won’t believe this, but I doubt even that will be enough to remove your collar. But I wish to try.”knew that she couldn’t remove it. At least he was told that she couldn’t. Maybe Nathan was wrong.
“All right. Try then.”
“There is pain involved…”’s brow drew together in a suspicious frown. “Why do I not find that surprising?”
“Not for you, Richard. For me.”
“What do you mean?”
“I have discovered that you have Subtractive Magic.”
“What would that have to do with it?”
“You locked the Rada’Han on yourself. It locks on by using the magic of the one it is attached to. I have only Additive Magic. I don’t think that will be sufficient to break the bond.
“I have no power over your Subtractive Magic. It will fight what I try to do, and that will hurt me. But don’t be frightened. It won’t hurt you.”didn’t know what to do, what to believe. She put her hands to his neck, at the sides of his collar. Before she closed her eyes, he saw a glazed look he recognized. She was touching her Han.tense, with his hand on the hilt of his sword, he waited, prepared to react if she tried to harm him. He didn’t want to believe Sister Verna would harm him, but then, he hadn’t thought Liliana would ever hurt him either.brow wrinkled. Richard felt only a pleasant, warm tingle. The room vibrated with a dull hum. The corners of carpets curled up. Windows rattled in their frames. Sister Verna shook with effort.standing mirror in the bedroom shattered. Panes of glass in the doors exploded as the doors to the balcony banged open. The curtains billowed outward as if in a wind. Plaster fell from the ceiling, and a tall cabinet toppled over with a crash.low moan of pain issued from her throat as the flesh on her face trembled.seized her wrists and pulled her hands from his collar. She sagged forward.
“Oh, Richard,” she said in a mournful voice, I’m sorry. I can’t do it.”took her in his arms and held her tight. “It’s all right. I believe you, Sister. I know you tried. You have found a friend.”squeezed him tight. “Richard, you have to get away from this place.”sat her back in the chair as she wiped her fingers at the lower lids of her eyes. Richard rocked back on his heels. Tell me what’s happened.”are Sisters of the Dark in the palace.”
“Sisters of the Dark? What does that mean?”Sisters of the Light work to bring the light of the Creator’s glory to the living. Sisters of the Dark serve the Keeper. It has never been proven that they even exist. The accusation, without proof, is a crime. Richard, I know you aren’t going to believe me. I realize this sounds like I’m just—”
“I killed Sister Liliana tonight. I believe you.”blinked at him. “You did what?”
“She told me she was going to take my collar off. She had me meet her in the Hagen Woods. Sister Verna, she tried to take the gift from me, for herself.”
“She can’t do that. A female cannot take on the gift of a male, or the other way around. It isn’t possible.”
“She said she had done it many times before. It seemed possible to me when she was trying. I could feel her pulling the life, the gift, right out of me. She almost succeeded. I came close to death.”brushed back her curly hair. “But I don’t see how…”pulled out the statue. “she was using this. The crystal started glowing orange when she was doing it. Do you know what it is?”Verna shook her head. “I think I’ve seen it before, somewhere, but I can’t remember. It was so long ago. Before I left the palace. What happened then?”
“When that didn’t work, because I used my power to stop her, she called a sword from the shadows. She wanted to wound me. She said she was going to skin me alive, and then steal my gift for herself. She tried to cut off my legs. Somehow, I got her first.
“Sister Verna, she had Subtractive Magic. I saw her use it. Not only that, but someone else is trying to kill me. I loaned my red coat to Perry. They just dragged his body out of the river. He had been stabbed in the back with a dacra.”grimaced. “Oh, dear Creator.” She twined her fingers together in her lap. The palace knows you have Subtractive Magic. They’re using you to flush out the Keeper’s disciples.” She took his hand. “Richard, I’ve been a part of this. I should have long ago questioned things that were wrong, but I didn’t. I instead did as I thought was right.”
“Questioned what?”
“Forgive me, Richard. You should never have had a Rada’Han put around your neck. It wasn’t necessary. I was told there were no wizards in the New World to help boys. I thought you would die without our help. Your friend, Zedd, could have kept the gift from harming you. The Prelate knew there were wizards to help you. She let you be stolen from your friends and loved ones for her own selfish reasons. You didn’t need the Rada’Han to save your life.”
“I know. I talked to Nathan. He told me.”
“You went to the Prophet? What else did he say?”
“That I have more power than any wizard born in three thousand years. But I have no idea how to use it. And that I have Subtractive Magic. He said that the Sisters could not remove the collar.”
“I’m so sorry I brought this upon you, Richard.”
“Sister Verna, you were deceived, as was I. You’re a victim, too. They’ve used both of us.
“There is worse trouble. There is a prophecy that says that on winter solstice, Kahlan is going to die. I must stop that from happening. And Darken Rahl, my father, an agent of the Keeper, is in this world. You saw the mark he burned on me. He is an agent who can tear the veil if he has all the elements in place, though I doubt he does.
“Sister Verna, I have to get away from here. I must get through the barrier.”
“I’ll help you. Somehow, I’ll help you get through the barrier. Your problem will be the Valley of the Lost. I don’t think you can get through the valley again. Now that the collar has helped your Subtractive Magic grow, you will call the spells to you. The magic will find you, this time.”
“I might have a way. I must try.”Verna thought a moment. The Keeper would want to stop you, if there is a possibility for this prophecy about his agent to come to pass. The Sisters of the Dark will work to stop you. I am sure Liliana wasn’t the only one.”
“Who placed her as my teacher?”Prelate’s office assigns teachers. But the Prelate probably wouldn’t have done it herself. Such matters are usually handled by her administrators.”
“Her administrators?”
“Sisters Ulicia and Finella.”
“I thought they were her guards.”
“Guards? No. Maybe in a bureaucratic sense. The Prelate has more power than they. She doesn’t need guards. Some of the boys think of them as guards, because they are always turned away from the Prelate’s door by the two Sisters. They do some of their work in the Prelate’s office, and they have their own offices where they handle a variety of administrative tasks.”
“Maybe the Sisters of the Dark came after me, decided they had to act now, because they had been discovered.”
“No. The Prelate told me no one but she knows.”
“Could anyone have overheard?”
“No. She shielded the room.”leaned in. “sister Verna, Liliana had Subtractive Magic. The Prelate’s shield would not have worked against that. One of those two administrators assigned Sister Liliana to me.”drew a sudden breath. “And the other five. If one or both of those two in the outer office heard what the Prelate knows, then the Prelate… Sister Ulicia’s office—that’s where I saw that statue!”grabbed her wrist and yanked her from the chair.
“Come on! If they tried to kill me, they may try to kill the Prelate before she warns anyone else!”two of them raced down the stairs and out of Gil-laume Hall. They crossed the lawns in the darkness, ran down halls and through passageways. Kevin wasn’t there, another guard was on duty, but he didn’t stop them, as he, too, knew Richard, and Sisters were not restricted.knew they were too late when he saw the charred doors to the Prelate’s office broken from their hinges. He slid to a stop on the slick marble floor of the hall. Papers and ledgers were scattered out into the hall.Verna was still running down the hall as he went into the office with his sword drawn. It looked as if a thunderstorm had been turned loose inside. What was left of Sister Finella lay on the floor behind her desk. The rest of her was splattered across the wall. He heard Sister Verna gasp as he kicked in the door to the Prelate’s office.the door swung back Richard dove through and rolled to his feet with his sword in both hands. The Prelate’s room was more of a mess than the outer room. Papers were nearly a foot deep over most of the floor. It looked as if all the books from the shelves had exploded, throwing the pages everywhere. The heavy walnut table was in splinters against the far wall. The room was in near darkness. Only the doorway behind and the open doors to the moonlit garden let in any light.Verna lit a bright flame in her palm. In the sudden illumination, he saw a form at the far end of the room near the overturned table. The head came slowly up. The eyes locked on his. It was Sister Ulicia.dove to the side as a bolt of blue lightning blasted through the room, ripping open the wall behind. Sister Verna returned the attack with a searing gout of yellow flame. Sister Ulicia dove through the doorway into the courtyard to avoid the fire. Richard went after her. Sister Verna ran to the overturned, splintered table, pawing scraps away.
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