“And the counter to it?”secret is that there is no counter. I must be always vigilant, knowing that I, too, am vulnerable, and never arrogantly believe I am immune. I must always be alert that I can fall prey.”
“Very good.”
“And the Second Rule?”’s white eyebrows hooded his azure eyes. The Second Rule involves unintended results.”
“So, what is it?”
“The Second Rule is that the greatest harm can result from the best intentions. It sounds a paradox, but kindness and good intentions can be an insidious path to destruction. Sometimes doing what seems right is wrong, and can cause harm. The only counter to it is knowledge, wisdom, forethought, and understanding the First Rule. Even then, that is not always enough.”
“Good intentions, or doing right, can cause harm? Such as?”shrugged. “It would seem kind to give candy to a small child, because they like it so. Knowledge, wisdom, and forethought tell us that it would make the child sick if we continued this “kindness” at the expense of good food.”
“That’s obvious. Anyone would know that.”
“Say a person hurts their leg, and you bring them food while they heal, but after time they still don’t wish to get up, because it hurts at first. So, you continue to be kind and bring them food. Over time, their legs will shrivel, and it will be even more painful to get up, so you are kind and continue bringing food. In the end, they will be bedridden, unable to ever walk again, because of your kindness. Your good intentions have brought harm.”
“I don’t think that happens often enough to be a problem.”
“I’m trying to give you obvious examples, Richard, so you will be better able to extrapolate to more difficult problems, and understand an obscure principle.
“Good intentions, being kind, can encourage the lazy, and motivate sound minds to become indolent. The more help you give them, the more help they need. As long as your kindness is open-ended, they never gain discipline, dignity, or self-reliance. Your kindness impoverishes their humanity.
“If you give a coin to a begger because he says his family is hungry, and he uses it to get drunk, and then kills someone, is it your fault? No. He did the killing, but had you given him food instead, or gone and given his family food, the killing would not have happened. It was a good intention that resulted in harm.
“Wizard’s Second Rule: the greatest harm can result from the best intentions. Violation can cause anything from discomfort, to disaster, to death.
“Some leaders have preached peace, saying that even self-defense is wrong. It seems the best of intentions to shun violence. In the end, it often leads to a slaughter, where their threat of violence in the beginning would have prevented attack, and resulted in no violence. They put their good intentions above the realities of life. They accuse warriors of being bloodthirsty, when the warriors would have actually prevented bloodshed.”
“Are you trying to say I should feel no shame at being a war wizard?”
“It does the sheep no good to preach the goodness of a diet of grass, if the wolves are of a different mind.”felt as though he were having a conversation with Zedd. “But kindness can’t always be wrong.”
“Of course not. That’s where wisdom comes in. You must be wise enough to foresee the consequences of your actions.
“But the problem with the Second Rule is that you can’t always tell for sure whether you are violating it, or simply doing right. Worse, magic is dangerous. When you add magic to the good intentions, violation of the Second Rule can lead to catastrophe.
“Using magic is easy. Knowing when to use magic is the hard part. Every time you use it, you can bring unexpected ruin.
“Do you know, Richard, that it’s the weight of one flake of snow that is one too many, and causes an avalanche? Without that one, last flake, the catastrophe would not happen. When using magic, you must know which is the one snowflake too many before you add its weight. The avalanche will be out of all proportion to what you think the weight of that flake could invoke.”rubbed his thumb on the hilt of his sword. “Nathan, I think I may have torn the veil because I violated the Wizard’s Second Rule.”
“You did.”
“What did I do?”
“You used your magic, through the Wizard’s First Rule, to win. In so doing, you fed magic to the boxes, the gateway, tearing the veil. You did it through ignorance. You didn’t know that the unintended results of doing what seemed right could be the destruction of all life. One snowflake indeed. Magic is dangerous.”
“How can I fix it?”Stone of Tears must be put back on the Keeper. The lock, the seal, must be restored. The Stone of Tears must be sent back to its rightful place, in the underworld, where it will serve to restrain the Keeper’s power in this world. To do that requires both powers.
“The key must then be turned in the lock, so to speak, by closing the gateway. This also requires both Magics. Doing any of this with only one side of the magic would rip the veil, so a wizard with the gift for only the Additive, such as myself, would be of no help. Only one such as you can accomplish the task.
“Until it is done, we are in terrible danger. If you act wrongly, use the stone for your own reasons, you have the power to destroy the balance and tear the veil the rest of the way, sending us all into eternal night.”stared at the table while he thought. “do you know what an “agent” is?”
“Ah. You must be talking about the trouble with the upcoming winter solstice. An agent is one who trades favors with the Keeper, favors such as the innocent souls of children, in return for knowledge of the use of Subtractive Magic.”gave Richard a dark look. “But that would not be a problem, because you sent Darken Rahl to the underworld, where he has no power here. Darken Rahl is in the underworld, is he not?”felt a gnawing pain in the pit of his stomach. He had not only torn the veil, but in violating the Second Rule again, by trying to help with a gathering, he had brought an agent, Darken Rahl, back to this world where he could act to tear the veil. It was all Richard’s fault. He felt hot and dizzy. He thought he might be sick at any moment.
“Nathan, I have to get this collar off.”shrugged. “I can’t help with that.”had come here for a specific reason. He decided he had to try to get the answer. He cleared his throat.
“Nathan, there is someone very important to me. She is in danger, and I must help. There is a prophecy about her that is written down, but it also came to me in a vision.”
“Which prophecy?”
“Of all there were, but a single one born of the magic to bring forth truth will remain alive when the shadow’s threat is lifted…”his deep, powerful voice, Nathan finished the prophecy. “Therefore comes the greater darkness of the dead. For there to be a chance at life’s bond, this one in white must be offered to her people, to bring their joy and good cheer.”
“Then you know of it. Nathan, I saw the meaning of the prophecy. I was told not to speak of the vision, but it’s not a joyful outcome as far as I’m concerned.”
“She is beheaded,” Nathan said in a quiet voice. That is the true meaning of that prophecy.”put his arm across his churning stomach. That was what he had seen in the vision. His world started spinning again.
“Nathan, I have to get away from here. I have to stop that from happening.”
“Richard, look at me.” Richard looked up, managing to hold the tears back. “Richard, I must tell you the truth. If this prophecy does not happen, there is nothing beyond. We all die. It will be the end of all life. The Keeper will have us.
“If you use your power to stop it, you will rip the veil asunder and allow the Keeper to swallow the word of the living.”shot to his feet. “Why! Why would she have to die to save the living! It makes no sense!” His fist tightened around the hilt of the sword. “I have to stop it! It’s just a stupid riddle! I won’t let her die for a riddle!”
“Richard, a time will come when you have to make a choice. I have been hoping for a very long time now that when that time comes, you will be wise enough to make the right choice. You have the power to destroy us all if you choose wrongly.”
“I will not stand here while you tell me I must let her die. The good spirits have done nothing to help. I must. I will.”stormed from the room. Cracks ran along the walls beside him as he marched down the hall. Chunks of plaster rained down behind as he went. Richard only dimly noticed, but it pleased his temper. When he went through the shield, the paint on the walls to the side charred and curled.’s thoughts ran wildly in all directions at once. He knew now that his vision had been of what was going to happen if he didn’t stop it. It was going to come true if he couldn’t get away from the palace. Maybe that was what the prophecy meant, that he would be held prisoner there, and he wouldn’t be able to help, and Kahlan would die.the courtyard below, Richard saw a commotion. Guards were running from everywhere. When he got closer, he saw one of the Baka Ban Mana blade masters. There had to be close to a hundred worried-looking guards surrounding him in a ring, holding their distance. The man in loose-fitting clothes, in the center of the ring, looked unconcerned.pushed through the throng. “What’s going on?”man bowed to Richard. “Caharin. I am Jiaan. Your wife, Du Chaillu, has sent me to give you a message.”decided not to contest the wife part. “What is it?”
“I am to tell you that she has followed her husband’s instructions. We have brought the Majendie to a peace with us. We no longer make war with them, or the people here.”
“That’s wonderful news, Jiaan. Tell her I am proud of her, and her people.”
“Your people,” Jiaan corrected. “she wants you to know she has decided to bear the child. And she also sends message that we are ready to return to our homeland. She wishes to know when you will come to take us there.”glanced around at the people. Not only guards were gathered, but Sisters, too. He recognized a few of his teachers watching: Sisters Tovi, Nicci, and Armina. Pasha stood nearby. At the far edge of the crowd he saw Sister Verna. On a balcony in the distance, beyond the walls, he saw the squat figure of the Prelate.turned back to Jiaan. Tell her to be ready, that it will be soon.”bowed. Thank you, Caharin. We will be ready.”spoke to the guards in a circle around them. This man has come in peace. He is to be left in peace.”strode away, unconcerned, as if he were alone on a walk, but the ring of guards moved with him, as Richard knew they would until he was well clear of the city. The crowd started drifting away.’s head was pounding. He had brought his father back from the underworld by violating the Wizard’s Second Rule a second time in the spirit house; he had tried to do the right thing and instead had brought harm. Warren had told him that the Keeper needed an agent to escape, and Richard had provided one.mind reeled. He had just found out that Kahlan loved him and life seemed good again, only to discover that he was to be trapped here for hundreds of years, and if he couldn’t escape, Kahlan would die on winter solstice. His thoughts went around and around in a desperate tangle.had to do something. Time was running out. He decided to find the one person who might be able to help him.64heard the voices in the outer office, and hoped it was who she thought it would be. She was not looking forward to this, but she was running out of time. Richard would have surely found a way to see Nathan by now, and Nathan would have done his part. Now it was time to do hers.couldn’t completely trust Nathan, but in this, he would have done what was required. He knew the consequences of failure. His had been a task she didn’t envy—adding the weight of that snowflake.a flick of her fingers, the door swung open. She had had to have the carpenters fix the doorframe. Richard had shattered it with his Han, without even being aware of what he had done. And that was before he had even gone to Nathan.curt speech cut off as the door opened, and the three faces looked in, awaiting instruction.
“Sister Ulicia, Finella, it’s late; why don’t you two run along to your offices and tend to your paperwork. I will see her. Sister Verna, please come in.”stood as Sister Verna strode in. She liked Verna. She abhorred what she was going to have to do to her, but she was running out of time. Hundreds of years to prepare, and now time and events were slipping through her fingers.world was at the brink.bowed. “Prelate Annalina.”
“Please, Verna, sit down. It has been so long.”pulled a chair close to the opposite side of the table. She sat with her back straight and her hands folded in her lap. “How good of you to take your valuable time to see me.”almost smiled. Almost. Dear Creator, thank you for sending her to me testy; though it won’t make my job any less onerous, it will surely make it easier.
“I have been busy.”
“So have I,” Verna snapped. “For the last twenty-odd years.”
“Apparently not busy enough. We seem to be having difficulty with a boy you collected, who you should have taken to task before he even arrived.”’s face turned scarlet. “Had you not forbidden me from doing my duty, using my skills, I would have done so.”
“Oh? Are you so barren of resourcefulness, Verna, that you could not function with minor restrictions? Pasha, a mere novice, seems to be having better success, and she functions under the same restrictions.”
“You think so? You think he is under control?”
“He has not killed anyone since Pasha took over.”stiffened. “I think I know something of Richard. I would advise the Prelate caution in her confidence.”looked down, moving papers about, as if devoting attention to words she was not seeing. “I will take your advice under consideration. Thank you for coming, Verna.”
“I’m not finished! I haven’t yet begun!”eyes came slowly up. “If you raise your voice to me again, you will be, Verna.”
“Prelate Annalina, please forgive my tone, but there are matters of grave importance I simply must raise.”sighed, feigning impatience. “Yes, yes, then please do get to it. I have much work to do.” She folded her hands on the desk and gave Verna a blank look. “Go on then.”
“Richard grew up with his grandfather…”
“How nice for him.”paused in annoyance at the interruption. “His grandfather is a wizard. A wizard of the First Order. His grandfather wanted to teach him.”
“Well, we will see to his teaching. Is that all?”’s eyes narrowed. “I do not need to remind the Prelate that it is a direct violation of the truce to take a boy from a wizard who would teach him. I was told that there were no wizards left in the New World to teach boys. I was lied to. I was used. We have been stealing boys. You made me a part of that.”smiled indulgently. “sister, we serve the Creator, so all may learn to live in his light. Now, in view of our duty to the Creator, what is a truce with heathen wizards?”was struck speechless.Creator, I like this woman so. Please give me the strength to break her. Nathan had added his snowflake, she had to add hers.
“I have been sent on a twenty-year chase, without knowing the reason, I have been deceived, my two companions died, one at my hand, I have been forbidden use of my power to do my job…”
“Do you think I forbid your use of your power capriciously? Is that what’s bothering you, Verna? Very well then, if you must know the reason, it was to save your life.”stiffened in caution. “If I remember my lessons in the vaults, there is only one reason such restriction would save my life.”, Ann smiled. Verna wanted it spoken aloud. “Indeed. Richard has Subtractive Magic.”
“You knew that? You had one with Subtractive Magic collared? You would risk that? You would have him brought here, to the palace?” Her hands unfolded and she leaned in a bit. “Why?”held the other’s gaze. “Because there are Sisters of the Dark in the palace.”didn’t twitch. She knew. At least, she suspected. Bless you, Verna, you are a bright one. Forgive me for what I must do.
“Is this room shielded?” Verna asked in an even tone.
“Of course.” She left unsaid that her shield would not protect against these Sisters.
“Do you have proof of such an accusation, Prelate?”
“I do not need proof, right now, because this conversation is restricted. You will not speak of it. Unless you plan to bring charges. If you do, I of course will deny it, and say a bitter Sister was trying to accuse the Prelate of blasphemy for personal gain. And then we would have to hang you. Neither of us wants that, now do we?”sat stiff and still. “No, Prelate. But what does that have to do with bringing Richard here?”
“When your house is overrun with rats, the only thing you can do is bring in a cat.”cat sees us all as rats. Maybe with good reason. Some might say that perhaps you were not bringing in a cat for your rats, but bait. Richard is a good person. I would not like to think he is being sacrificed.”
“Do you know why you were selected to go after Richard?”
“I had thought it was your vote of confidence.”shrugged. “In a way, it was. Although I’m not sure that there are Sisters of the Dark in the palace, and I have no idea who they are if it’s true, I had to assume that if it is true, then since Grace and Elizabeth were at the top of the list, they would be Sisters of the Dark. I knew from prophecy, that only my eyes have seen, that Richard probably has Sub-tractive Magic, and further, that he would refuse the first two offers. I knew the first two sisters would die.
“If the Nameless One’s disciples knew any of this, they would want the third name on the list to be one of theirs, too. I used my prerogative as Prelate to pick the third Sister.”
“You chose me, because you had faith that I was not one of them?”Ann wanted to say was I have known you since you were a child, Verna. I know your quick mind, your heart, and your soul. You, of all the Sisters, were the one I trusted with the fate of the world. I knew Richard would be safe in your hands.she could not say that.
“I chose you, Verna, because you were far down on the list, and because, all in all, you are quite unremarkable.”room rang with silence for a long moment. Verna swallowed. “I see.”affected dispassionate objectivity. Inside, her heart was breaking.
“I doubted you were one of them. You are a person of little note. I’m sure Grace and Elizabeth made their way to the top of the list because whoever directs the Sisters of the Dark considered them expendable. I direct the Sisters of the Light. I chose you for the same reason.
“There are Sisters who are valuable to our cause; I could not risk one of them on such a task. The boy may prove a value to us, but he is not as important as other matters at the palace. He may be a help. It was simply an opportunity I thought to take.
“If there had been trouble, and none of you made it back, well, I’m sure you can understand that a general would not want to lose his best troops on a low-priority mission.”’s breathing looked forced. Her voice sounded it. “Of course, Prelate Annalina.”shuffled her papers impatiently. “I have important matters to get back to. Is there anything else, Sister?”
“No, Prelate.”the door closed, Ann lowered her face into her shaking hands. Tears dripped onto her papers.appraised his eyes for a long moment. Richard didn’t know if she would say yes or not, but he had had to tell her much of what he had learned just to get her to agree to listen to his plea. He couldn’t afford to fail. He needed help. He had to trust someone.
“All right, Richard. I will help you. If half of what you say is true, I must help you.”sighed as he closed his eyes in relief. Thank you, Liliana. I’ll never forget you for this. You’re the only one around here who will listen to reason. Can we do it now? Time is critical.”
“Now?” she whispered harshly. “Here? Richard, if what you say about you having Subtractive Magic is true, it won’t be a simple matter to remove your Rada’Han. I will need to retrieve an object of magic that the Sisters keep guarded. It’s an aid, used to amplify power. Maybe through that, and with your help, it will be enough to get the collar off.
“Not only that, but if the Nameless One is involved, there is no telling what ears, or Han, might be paying attention.”, when? Where? It has to be soon.”wiped her fingers over her eyes as she considered. “Well, I think I can retrieve the object before tonight, so we could try tonight. But where? It can’t be in the palace. It would be too dangerous.”Hagen Woods,” Richard said. “Everyone avoids the Hagen Woods.”looked up. “Richard, you can’t be serious. It’s dangerous there.”
“Not for me. I already told you how I can tell if the mriswith are coming. We’ll be safe enough, and we won’t have to worry about any Sisters, or Pasha, stumbling by while we’re trying to get this cursed thing off my neck.”let out a frustrated breath. At last she laid a hand on his shoulder and, giving it a squeeze, smiled. “All right. The Hagen Woods, then.”a stern look, she gripped his shoulder and held him out at arm’s length. “I’m violating a whole stack of rules by doing this. I know it’s important, and the right thing to do, but if they catch us before we can do it, they will make sure I never get near enough to you to ever again try.”
“I’m ready now, let’s go.”
“No. I must try to retrieve the aid first.” She cocked her head to the side as she frowned. “And I just thought of something else. They keep telling you not to let the sun set on you there. Why?”shrugged. “Because it’s dangerous.”
“And after everything you’ve learned, you believe them? You trust them? Richard, what if they don’t want you to let the sun set on you there because you might learn something useful? You said the Hagen Woods were placed there by the wizards of old who had Subtractive Magic, in order to help those like you. What if the Sisters don’t want you to have that help? What if they are just trying to make you afraid, so you won’t discover it?”’s First Rule. Were they deceiving him? Was he believing a lie? “You may be right. We’ll go before sunset.”
“No. We don’t want to be seen together. And it will take me some time to steal the aid. Do you know where the long, split rock sits in the stream to southwest corner of the Hagen Woods?”
“I know the place.”
“Good. You get there before the sun sets; you are the one the magic is for. Go in the woods by the split rock. Tie strips of cloth to branches so I can follow where you went, and find you. I’ll meet you there, in the woods, when the moon is two hands in the sky. And Richard, don’t you dare tell anyone about this, or you will be risking not only my life and yours, but Kahlan’s too.”nodded with a smile of thanks. “On my word. Tonight, then.”paced his room after she left. He was anxious to get this over with, and be off. He was running out of time. If Darken Rahl had the skrin bone, they were already out of time. But that was just foolish. How would he get it? He was a spirit. Maybe it was as Warren said, that the elements were rarely all in place.was Kahlan he was worried about. He had to help her.knock brought him out of his thoughts. He thought it might be Liliana come back, but when he opened the door, a distraught Perry pushed into the room.
“Richard! I need your help.” He pulled out a fistful of robes. “Look at this! They promoted me!”glanced down the length of the simple, brown robes. “Congratulations. That’s great, Perry.”
“It’s a disaster! Richard, I need your help!”frowned. “Why is it a disaster?”threw his arms in the air, as if it should be obvious to anyone. “Because I can’t go into the city! I’m restricted in these robes! I’m not allowed to go over the bridge!”
“Well, I’m sorry, Perry, but I don’t see how I can help you.”took a deep breath to calm himself. He looked up pleadingly. “There’s a woman in the city… I’ve been seeing her steady of late. Richard, I really like her. I’m supposed to meet her tonight. If I don’t show up, so I can explain, if I never show up again, she’ll think I don’t care about her.”
“Perry, I still don’t see what I can do about it.”grabbed him by his shirt. “They took all my clothes. Richard, you could lend me some of yours. Then no one would recognize me, and I could sneak into the city, and see her. Please, Richard, lend me some of your clothes?”thought a moment. He didn’t care if he was violating some obscure rule of the palace, it seemed insignificant compared to what he was doing, but he still worried for Perry.
“The guards all know me. They will see it’s you in my clothes and tell the Sisters. Then you’ll be in for trouble.”glanced away, frantically thinking. “Night. I’ll wait until night, and then I’ll go. They won’t see so clearly who it really is at night. Please, Richard? Please?”sighed. “It’s fine by me, Perry, if you want to risk it. Just don’t get yourself caught. I’d hate to know I helped get you in trouble.” He gestured to the bedroom, where the wardrobe was. “Come on. Take whatever you like. You aren’t quite my size, but I guess you’re close enough.”added a grin to his sidelong look. “The red coat? I can have the red coat? She’d like me in that.”
“Sure.” Richard led a giddy Perry toward the bedroom. “If that is what you would like, take it. I’m glad someone will enjoy wearing the red coat.”sorted through the wardrobe, looking for a pair of pants and a shirt he thought would look dashing.
“I saw Sister Liliana leaving your room, just before I came.” He pulled out a ruffled, white shirt. “she one of your teachers?”
“Yes. I like her. She’s the nicest of the lot.”held up the shirt in front of himself. “How does this look on me?”
“Better than on me. You know Liliana?”
“Not really. She just always gave me the shivers. Those strange eyes of hers.”thought about Liliana’s pale, pale blue eyes shot through with violet flecks. He shrugged. “I thought they were strange, too, at first. But she’s so bubbly and friendly that I don’t even notice them anymore. She has such a warm smile that it’s hard to see anything else.”considered the captain standing before her desk. He was asking an outrageous price. But then, what was the Palace’s gold to her? Before it was missed, she would be gone.she had feared, the boy was proving troublesome to tame. It was becoming important to cultivate other options. There were other ways of seeing to the Keeper’s wishes, other ways of keeping her oath.
“I agree to your price. In fact, I double it, just to insure your loyalty.”pushed the purse across the desk. Captain Blake licked his cracked lips as he watched it moving closer. He finally reached out and took it, testing its weight before tucking it in his coat.
“Very generous of you, Sister. You’re a woman who knows how to win a man’s loyalty.”
“You are not going to count it, Captain?”cold eyes weren’t touched by his servile smile. “Aye, Sister, I’ll be counting it when I get back to the Lady Sefa. When do you wish to sail?”were still a few matters, a few loose ends, to attend to. “soon. I have paid you more than enough to have you at the ready, until I’m ready.”, Sister, you have at that.” He scratched his scruffy chin. “I’m content to sit. I’m in no great hurry to be sailing to where you want to go.”leaned forward. “You are sure you can make the voyage.”
“Aye, Sister. The Lady Sefa has made the voyage before, and can again. Still, I’ve no itch to be off into those waters until I have to.” He straightened his tattered coat. “How many ladies will you be bringing?” An apologetic smile spread easily on his weathered face. “I’ll need to see to the proper accommodations.”back, she again ground her teeth at the memory of Liliana pulling off her hood at the joining rite. Liliana had let every other Sister know her identity by doing that. Worse, she had been warned. It was more than a mistake; it was arrogance. Liliana was proving dangerously untrustworthy. With the power she was appropriating, there was no telling what she would do next. There was certainly no reason to take Liliana.for the others, why take them all? The Prelate had made a mistake by speaking her suspicions aloud, thinking a shield of Additive Magic would protect her. The Prelate would have cause to suspect six of the Sisters, but if the Prelate were to die, there would be no reason for anyone, even Liliana, to suspect the others. Why take them, when they might prove useful here?was liking this plan more by the moment. “Myself and five others will be going.”
“Mind if I ask why you fine ladies want to be sailing out around the great barrier. Isn’t the Old World to your liking?”leveled a menacing glare on the man standing before her. “I have bought your ship, your crew, and you, for as long as I want them, and for whatever purpose I want them. Answering questions was not part of the bargain.”
“No, Sister. I just thought—”
“Your silence was.” Without taking her eyes from his, she flicked her wrist and brought a blade to hand. “I have always thought death too brief a lesson. I believe in long lessons. If I so much as suspect you have violated your part of the bargain, any part of it, they will find you still breathing, but without an inch of skin left anywhere on you. Do we understand each other?”Blake stared furiously at the blue and yellow carpet beneath his feet. “Aye, Sister.”that will be all, Captain. I will be seeing you spon. Be ready to sail the instant you see six Sisters coming.”he had gone, she pulled a spare dacra from a drawer and, resting an elbow on the desk, watched it spinning in her fingers as she thought. She didn’t like leaving matters to chance. Best if all the loose ends were taken care of.would have to eliminate Richard Rahl. Someone not going with them. She smiled. Someone expendable.65sat quietly with his legs folded and the sword across his knees. He wore his mriswith cape so that Pasha and Sister Verna wouldn’t know where he was. He didn’t want either to know the sun had set on him in the Hagen Woods. Either would surely come after him if they knew what he was doing.had found a small clearing, high enough to be dry, and had waited there since the sun had gone down. He could see the full moon through the tight tangle of branches, and judged it about two hands high. He didn’t know what was supposed to happen in the Hagen Woods when the sun set on you there, but so far it seemed as it always had when he had been there before at night.returned Liliana’s call, and she came out from behind a fat oak. She looked about at the woods. It wasn’t a tentative glance, but a confident appraisal.sat before him, crossing her legs. “I got it. The aid I told you about.”smiled in relief. “Thanks, Liliana.”pulled it from her cloak. In the moonlight, he could see it was a small statue of a man holding something clear as glass. She held it up, showing it to him.
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