Wizard's First Rule (44 page)

The pain whited his vision out. He was blind. Fire burned through every muscle, bone, and organ of his body, consuming him, taking his breath from his lungs, choking him in convulsing agony. He fell to his side on the ground, his knees pulled up to his chest, the screams coming at last in pain now as he had screamed in rage before. Richard felt the life being drawn from him. Through the anguish and hurt, he knew that if this went on he wasn’t going to be able to retain his sanity, or worse, his life. The power of the magic was crushing him. He could never have imagined that this level of pain existed; now he couldn’t imagine it ever leaving. He felt it stripping his sanity from him. In his mind, he begged for death. If something didn’t change, and quick, he would have it, one way or another.

In the fog of agony, a realization came to him; he recognized the pain. It was the same as the anger. It coursed through him the same way as the anger from the sword. He knew that feeling well enough; it was the magic. Once he recognized it as the magic, he urgently tried to take control of it, the way he had learned to control the anger. This time he knew he must win control, or die. He reasoned with himself, came to comprehend the need of what he had done, horrible as it was. The man had sentenced himself to death with his own intent to kill.

At last, he was able to put away the pain, as he had learned to put away the anger. Relief washed over him. He had won both battles. The pain lifted, and was gone.

Lying on his back, panting, he felt the world come rushing back. Kahlan was kneeling beside him, wiping a cool, damp cloth over his face. Wiping off the blood. Her brow was wrinkled; tears ran down her cheeks. Splatters of the man’s blood lay in long streaks across her face.

Richard rose to his knees and took the cloth from her hand, to wipe her face, as if to wipe from her mind the sight of what he had done. Before he could, she threw her arms around him, embracing him tighter than he would have thought her capable of. He hugged her back just as tight while her fingers went up the back of his neck, into his hair, holding his head to her as she cried. He couldn’t believe how good it felt to have her back. He didn’t want to let her go, ever.

“I’m so very sorry, Richard,” she sobbed.

“For what?”

“That you had to kill a man on my account.”

He rocked her gently, stroking her hair. “It’s all right.”

She shook her head against his neck. “I knew how much the magic would hurt you. That’s why I didn’t want you to have to fight the men back at the inn.”

“Zedd told me the anger would protect me from the pain. Kahlan, I don’t understand. There is absolutely no way I could have been any more angry.”

She separated from him, her hands on his arms, squeezing as if to keep testing that he was real. “Zedd told me to watch out for you, if you used the sword to kill a man. He told me that what he said about the anger protecting you was true, but he said the first time was different, that the magic tested, took a measure of the Seeker with the pain, and nothing could protect you from it. He said that he couldn’t tell you because if you knew, it would make you hold back, be more cautious in its use, and that could be disastrous. He said the magic has to join to the Seeker with its first ultimate use, to ascertain his intent when he kills.” She squeezed his arms. “He said the magic could do terrible things to you. It tests with the pain, to see who will be the master, who the ruled.”

Richard sat back on his heels, startled. Adie had said the wizard kept a secret from him. This must have been it. Zedd must have been very worried, and afraid for him. Richard felt sorry for his old friend.

For the first time, Richard truly understood the meaning of being Seeker, in a way no one else but a Seeker could. Bringer of death. He understood it now. Understood the magic, how he used it, how it used him, how they were now joined. For better or worse, he would never be the same again. He had tasted fulfillment of his darkest desire. It was done. There was no going back to being as he was before.

Richard brought the cloth up and wiped the blood from Kahlan’s face.

“I understand. I know now what he was talking about. You were right to not tell me.” He touched the side of her face, his voice gentle. “I was so afraid you were killed.”

She put her hand over his. “I thought you were dead. One minute I was holding your hand, and then I realized I wasn’t.” Her eyes filled with tears again. “I
couldn’t find you. I didn’t know what to do. The only thing I could think of was to go get Zedd, to wait for him to wake, to get him to help me. I thought you were lost to the underworld.”

“I thought that’s what happened to you too. I almost went on, alone.” He grinned. “Seems I have to keep coming back for you.”

She smiled for the first time since he had found her, then put her arms around him again. Quickly, she pushed away.

“Richard, we have to get out of here. There are beasts about. They will come for his body; we can’t be here when they do.”

He nodded, turned, picked up his sword, and got to his feet. He reached down for her, to help her up. She took his hand.

The magic ignited in a rage, warning its master.

Startled, Richard stared at her in shock. Just as the last time, when she had touched his hand when he held the sword, the magic had come to life, only this time it was stronger. Smiling, she didn’t seem to feel anything. Richard forced the anger down. It went with great reluctance.

She hugged him once more, a quick hug with her free arm. “I still can’t believe you are alive. I was so sure I had lost you.”

“How did you get away from the shadows?”

Kahlan shook her head. “I don’t know. They were following us, and when we became separated and I went back, I didn’t see them anymore. Did you see any?”

Richard nodded solemnly. “Yes, I saw them. And my father again. They came for me, tried to push me into the boundary.”

Concern came over Kahlan’s face. “Why just you? Why not both of us?”

“I don’t know. Last night at the split rock, and later, when they started following us, it must have been me they were after, not you. The bone protected you.”

“The last time at the boundary, they came for everyone but you,” she said. “What’s different this time?”

Richard thought a moment. “I don’t know, but we have to get across the pass. We’re too tired to have to spend tonight fighting shadows again. We must get to the Midlands before dark. And this time, I promise I won’t let go of your hand.”

Kahlan smiled and squeezed his hand.

“I won’t let go of yours either.”

“I ran back through the Narrows. It didn’t take long that way. You up to that?”

She nodded and they started running at an easy pace he thought she could keep up. As the last time he crossed, no shadows followed, although several floated above the path. And as before, Richard went through them sword-first without waiting to find out what they would do. Kahlan flinched at their howls. He watched the tracks as he ran, pulling her through the turns, keeping her on the trail.

When they were clear of the slide, and on the forest path on the other side of the Narrows, they slowed to a fast walk to catch their breath. Drizzle wet their faces and hair. Happiness over finding her alive dimmed his worry about the difficulties that lay ahead. They shared bread and fruit as they kept moving. Even though his stomach was grumbling with hunger, he didn’t want to stop for anything more elaborate.

Richard was still confused by the reaction of the magic when Kahlan had taken
his hand. Was it something the magic felt in her, or was the magic reacting to something in his own mind? Was it because he was afraid of her secret? Or was it something more, something the magic itself felt in her? He wished Zedd was around, so he could ask him what he thought. But then, Zedd had been there the last time, and he hadn’t asked him about it then. Was he afraid of what Zedd might tell him?

After they had eaten a little and the afternoon had worn on, they heard growls off in the woods. Kahlan said it was the beasts. They decided to run again, to get clear of the pass as soon as possible. Richard was beyond being tired. He was simply numb as they ran through the thick wood. Light rain on the leaves washed out the sound of their footfalls.

Before dark they came to the edge of a long ridge. Below, the trail descended in a series of switchbacks. They stood at the top of the ridge, in the woods, as if at the mouth of a cave, looking out over an open grassland swept with rain.

Kahlan held herself erect, rigid. “I know this place,” she whispered.

“So what is it?”

“It is called the Wilds. We are in the Midlands.” She turned to him. “I am returned home.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “The place doesn’t look that wild to me.”

“It is not named after the land. It is named after those who live in it.”

After descending the steep ridge, Richard found a small protected spot under a slab of rock, but it wasn’t deep enough to keep out all the rain, so he cut pine boughs and leaned them against the jut of rock, making a small, reasonably dry shelter where they could spend the night. Kahlan crawled inside, and Richard followed, pulling boughs over the entrance, sealing out most of the rain. Both slumped down, wet and exhausted.

Kahlan took her cloak off and shook out the water. “I’ve never seen it be overcast so long, or rain so much. I can’t even remember what the sun looks like. I’m becoming weary of it.”

“Not me,” he said quietly. She frowned, so he explained. “Remember the snakelike cloud that followed me, the one sent by Rahl to track me?” She nodded. “Zedd cast a wizard’s web to bring other clouds to hide it. As long as it’s cloudy, and we can’t see the snake cloud, neither can Rahl. I prefer the rain to Darken Rahl.”

Kahlan thought this over. “From now on, I will be happier about the clouds. But next time, could you ask him to bring clouds that are not so wet?” Richard smiled and nodded. “Do you want anything to eat?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I’m too tired. I just want to sleep. Is it safe here?”

“Yes. No one lives near the boundary in the Wilds. Adie said we are protected from the beasts, so the heart hounds should not bother us.”

The sound of steady rain was making him all the more sleepy. They wrapped themselves in their blankets, the night being cold already. In the dim light Richard could just make out the features of Kahlan’s face as she leaned up against the rock wall. The shelter was too small for a fire, and everything too wet anyway. He reached into his pocket, fingering the pouch with the night stone, considering if he should take it out, to see better, but at last decided against it.

Kahlan smiled over at him. “Welcome to the Midlands. You have done as you said you would: you got us here. Now the hard work begins. What would you have us do?”

Richard’s head was throbbing; he leaned back next to her. “We need someone with magic who can tell us where the last box is, where to find it. Or at least where to look for it. We can’t just go running around blindly. We need someone who can point us in the right direction. Who do you know like that?”

Kahlan gave him a sideways glance. “We are a long way from anyone who would want to help us.”

She was avoiding telling him something. His anger jumped. “I didn’t say they had to want to help us, I said they had to be able to. You just take me to them and I’ll worry about the rest!” Richard immediately regretted his tone of voice. He leaned his head back against the rock wall and put the anger down. “Kahlan, I’m sorry.” He rolled his head away from her. “I’ve had a hard day. Besides killing that man, I had to run my sword through my father again. But the worst of it was I thought you were lost to the underworld. I just want to stop Rahl, to end this nightmare.”

He turned his face to hers, and she gave him one of her special, tight-lipped smiles. Kahlan watched his eyes in the near darkness for a few minutes.

“Not easy, being Seeker,” she said softly.

He smiled back at her. “Not easy,” he agreed.

“The Mud People,” she said at last. “They may be able to tell us where to search, but there is no guarantee they will agree to help us. The Wilds are a remote part of the Midlands, and the Mud People are not used to dealing with outsiders. They have strange customs. They do not care about the problems of others. They wish only to be left alone.”

“If he succeeds, Darken Rahl will not respect their wishes,” he reminded her.

Kahlan took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Richard, they can be dangerous.”

“Have you dealt with them before?”

She nodded. “A few times. They do not speak our language, but I speak theirs.”

“Do they trust you?”

Kahlan looked away as she wrapped her blanket tighter. “I guess so.” She looked up at him from under her eyebrows. “But they are afraid of me, and with the Mud People, that may be more important than trust.”

Richard had to bite the inside of his lip to keep from asking why they were afraid of her. “How far?”

“I’m not sure exactly where we are in the Wilds. I didn’t see enough to tell for certain, but I’m sure they are no more than a week to the northeast.”

“Good enough. In the morning we head northeast.”

“When we get there, you must follow my lead, and if I tell you something, you must pay heed. You must convince them to help you, or they will not, sword or no sword.” He gave her a nod. She took her hand out from under the blanket and put it on his arm. “Richard,” she whispered, “thank you for coming back for me. I’m sorry for what it cost you.”

“I had to—what good would it do to go to the Midlands without my guide?”

Kahlan grinned. “I will try to live up to your expectations.”

He gave her hand a squeeze before they both lay down. Sleep took him as he thanked the good spirits for protecting her.