Wizard's First Rule (92 page)

“Why?”

Zedd rapped Richard’s head with his knuckles. “To learn something.”

With a grimace, Richard ran his finger through the black grit, as Zedd had done. “It tastes sweet!”

Zedd smiled in satisfaction. “This is more than simple wizard’s fire. Giller gave his life energy to it. He gave his life into the fire. This was a Wizard’s Life Fire.”

“He died, making this wizard’s fire?”

“Yes. And it tastes sweet. That means he gave his life to save another. If he had done it only for himself, for instance to spare himself the torture, it would taste bitter. Giller has done this for another.”

Zedd went and stood in front of Giller’s body, swishing the flies away, twisting his own head around, trying to turn it upside down for a look. With a finger, he pushed a knotted cord of gut out of the way, so he could see Giller’s face. He straightened.

“He has left a message.”

“A message?” Kahlan asked. “What message?”

“There is a smile on his face. A smile, frozen in death, meant to tell anyone who knows of such things that he did not give up what was wanted.” Richard stepped closer as Zedd pointed to the opening cut across the abdomen. “See here, the way this cut goes? This is done by one who practices the magic called anthropomancy, the divining of answers by the inspection of living entrails. Darken Rahl makes his cut very similar to the way his father did.”

Richard remembered his own father, and how Rahl had done this very thing to him.

“You are sure it was Darken Rahl?” Kahlan asked.

Zedd shrugged. “Who else? Darken Rahl is the only one who would have been unharmed by a Wizard’s Life Fire. Besides, this cut is his signature. Look here. See the end of the opening? See the way it starts to turn?”

Kahlan turned her face away. “What of it?”

“That’s the hook. At least it should be. It should turn back in a hooked cut. While incantations are spoken, the hook is cut, binding the questioned to the questioner. The hook forces them to give up the answer to the question asked. But see here? The hook is begun, but it is not finished.” Zedd gave a sad grin. “That is when Giller gave his life to the fire. He waited until Rahl was almost done, then, at the last instant, denied him what he sought. Probably the name of who has the box. Without life in them, his entrails could tell Rahl nothing.”

“I never thought Giller capable of such a selfless act,” Kahlan whispered.

“Zedd,” Richard asked fearfully, “how could Giller have done it, taken the pain of having this done to him, and manage to leave a smile on his face?”

Zedd gave him a hard look that ran a chill up Richard’s spine. “Wizards must know about pain. They must know it very well, indeed. It is to spare you that lesson that I would happily accept your choice not to be a wizard. It is a lesson few survive.”

Richard wondered at the mysterious, secret things Zedd must know, but had never shared with him.

Tenderly, Zedd cupped a hand to the side of Giller’s face. “You have done well, my student. Honor in the end.”

“I bet Darken Rahl was livid,” Richard said. “Zedd, I think we had better get out of here. This looks a little too much like bait on a hook to me.”

Zedd nodded. “Wherever the box is, it is not here. At least Rahl does not have it—yet.” He put his hands out. “Give me the boy. We need to leave as we came in. We don’t want to tell them why we were really here.”

Zedd whispered something in Siddin’s ear, and the boy giggled, hugging the wizard’s neck.

Queen Milena was still white, fumbling with the corner of her cape, as Kahlan strode purposefully but calmly up to her.

“Thank you for your hospitality,” Kahlan said. “We will be leaving now.”

The Queen bowed her head. “Always a pleasure to see the Mother Confessor.” Her curiosity overcame her fear. “What of… Giller?”

Kahlan appraised her coolly. “I regret you have beaten me to him. I only wish I had had the pleasure of doing it myself, or at least witnessed it being done. But, the results are all that matter. Disagreement, was it?”

The color returned to the Queen’s face. “He stole something that belonged to me.”

“I see. Well, I hope you got it back. Good day.” She started to move, then stopped. “And Queen Milena, I will be back to check, and make sure you have brought your overly ambitious commanders back in line, and that they are not mistakenly executing innocent people.”

Richard and Zedd, holding Siddin, fell in behind Kahlan as she turned and left.

Richard’s thoughts swirled desperately through his head as he walked woodenly next to Zedd, following Kahlan through all the bowing people and out of the city. What were they going to do now? Shota had warned him that the Queen wouldn’t have the box for long. She had been right. Where could it be now? He certainly couldn’t go back and ask Shota where it was. Who could Giller have given the box to? How were they going to find it? He felt desperately depressed. He felt like giving up. He could tell by the slump in Kahlan’s shoulders that she felt the same way. Neither of them spoke. The only one talking was Siddin, and Richard couldn’t understand him.

“What’s he saying?” he asked Zedd.

“He says he has been being brave, just as Kahlan had told him, but he is glad that Richard With The Temper has come to take him home.”

“I guess I know how he feels. Zedd, what are we going to do now?”

Zedd gave him a puzzled look. “How should I know? You’re the Seeker.”

Great. He had just done his best, and they still didn’t have the box, but he was expected, somehow, to find it. He felt as if he had run square into a wall he hadn’t known was there. They kept walking, but he didn’t know where to go next.

The setting sun was golden among golden clouds. Richard thought he could see something ahead in the distance. He moved up and walked next to Kahlan. She was watching it, too. All the people had disappeared from the road for the night.

It wasn’t long before he knew what it was. It was four horses galloping toward them. Only one had a rider.

Richard touched the hilt of the sword for reassurance as he watched the four horses raising a cloud of dust that turned golden in the setting sun. Soon the sound of thundering hooves reached him. The lone rider bent over his mount, urging him on. Richard lifted the sword a little in its scabbard, checking that it was clear, then let it drop back. As the darkly clad rider approached, Richard realized he looked familiar.

“Chase!”

The boundary warden brought the horses to a skidding halt in front of them. He looked down as the dust drifted away. “You all look to be well.”

“Chase, is it ever good to see you!” Richard grinned. “How did you find us?”

He looked insulted. “I’m a boundary warden.” He thought that was explanation enough. “Find what you were after?”

“No,” Richard admitted with a sigh. He saw little arms clutching at Chase’s sides. A little face peeked around the black cloak. “Rachel? Is that you?”

Her face came farther out, a grin spreading on it. “Richard! I’m so happy to see you again. Isn’t Chase wonderful? He fought a gar and saved me from being eaten.”

“Didn’t fight him,” Chase grumbled. “Just put a bolt through his head, that’s all.”

“But you would have. You’re the bravest man I ever saw.”

With a pained frown, Chase rolled his eyes. “Isn’t she just about the ugliest child you have ever seen?” He leaned around and looked at her. “I can’t believe a gar would even want to eat you.”

Rachel giggled and hugged her arms to his sides. “Look, Richard.” She put a foot out toward him, showing off a shoe. “Chase brought down a buck. He said it was a mistake, because it was too big, so he traded it to a man, but all the man had to trade were these shoes, and this cloak. Aren’t they wonderful? And Chase says I can keep them.”

Richard grinned at her. “Yes, that is indeed wonderful.” He noticed Rachel’s doll and the bundle with the bread nestled between her and Chase. He also noticed her eyes going to Siddin, as if she had seen him before.

Kahlan put a hand on Rachel’s leg. “Why did you run off? You scared us with worry for you.”

Rachel flinched at Kahlan’s touch. She hugged one arm to Chase and thrust a
hand in her pocket. She didn’t answer Kahlan’s question, but looked instead toward Siddin. “Why do you have him?”

“Kahlan rescued him,” Richard said. “The Queen had him locked up in the dungeon. That’s no place for a child, so she took him out.”

Rachel looked down at Kahlan. “Wasn’t the Queen mad?”

“I don’t allow anyone to hurt children,” Kahlan said. “Not even a queen.”

“Well, don’t just stand there staring. I brought you all horses. Mount up. I figured I’d catch you today. I have a wild boar roasting back at the place you stayed last night, just this side of the Callisidrin.”

With one hand on the saddle and the other arm holding Siddin, Zedd leapt to a horse. “Wild boar! What kind of fool are you? Leaving a wild boar roasting unprotected! Anyone could just come along and take it!”

“Why do you think I want you to hurry? The place is filthy with wolf tracks, though I doubt they’d come near a fire.”

“Don’t you dare hurt that wolf,” Zedd warned. “He’s a friend of the Mother Confessor.”

Chase cast an eye to Kahlan, then to Richard, before turning his horse and leading them into the setting sun. Richard was heartened by having Chase back. It made him feel, once again, that anything was possible. After she had mounted, Kahlan took Siddin, the two of them talking and laughing as they rode.

At the camp, Zedd wasted no time before checking the roasting boar, and pronounced it fit to eat. He shifted his robes and sat down, waiting with a grin on his wrinkled face for someone with a knife to carve dinner. Siddin, with a grin frozen on his face, too, leaned against Kahlan after she sat down. Richard and Chase started carving up the boar. Rachel sat close to Chase’s side, watching him, keeping an eye to Kahlan, her doll in her lap, and the loaf of bread, wrapped in the cloth, at her hip.

Richard cut a big piece and handed it to Zedd. “So, what happened? With my brother, I mean.”

Chase grinned. “When I told him the things you told me to tell him, he said that if you were in trouble, he was going to help. He pulled together the army, and we sent most of them into defensive positions along the boundary, with the wardens commanding them. After the boundary came down he refused to wait behind. He led a thousand of his best men into the Midlands. They’re all bivouacked up in the Rang’Shada right now, waiting to help you.”

Richard had stopped carving, frozen in astonishment. “Really? My brother said that? He came to help? And with an army?”

Chase nodded. “He said if you’re in this, then he is too.”

Richard felt a pang of regret that he had doubted Michael, and elation that his brother would drop everything to come help. “He wasn’t angry?”

“I thought sure he would be, and give me grief over this, but he only wanted to know about you, what risk you were at, and where you were. He said he knew you, and if you thought it was this important, then he did too. He offered to come along, but I wouldn’t let him. He’s with his men, probably waiting in his tent right now, pacing back and forth. I have to tell you, it surprised me too.”

Richard’s eyes were wide in wonder. “My brother and a thousand of his men, in the Midlands, come to help me.” He looked at Kahlan. “Isn’t that wonderful?” She only smiled at him.

Chase gave him a stern look while he carved. “For a while, I thought you were finished, when I saw your trail going into Agaden Reach.”

Richard looked up. “You went into the Reach?”

“Do I look stupid? You don’t become head of the boundary wardens by being stupid. I started thinking of how I was going to tell Michael you were dead. Then I found your trail coming out of the Reach.” His brow wrinkled together. “How did you manage to come out of the Reach alive?”

Richard gave him a grin. “I think the good spirits…”

Rachel screamed.

Richard and Chase spun with their knives. Before Chase could use his knife, Richard stopped him.

It was Brophy. “Rachel? Is that you, Rachel?”

She took her doll’s foot from her mouth. Her eyes were wide. “You sound like Brophy.”

The wolf’s tail swished back and forth. “That’s because I am Brophy!” He trotted over to her.

“Brophy, how come you’re a wolf?”

He sat on his haunches in front of her. “Because a kind wizard changed me into a wolf. That was what I wanted to be, and he changed me.”

“Giller changed you into a wolf?”

The breath caught in Richard’s throat.

“That’s right. It’s a wonderful new life I have.”

She threw her arms around the wolf’s neck. Brophy licked her face as she giggled.

“Rachel,” Richard said, “you know Giller?”

Rachel hugged an arm around Brophy’s neck. “Giller’s a nice man. He gave me Sara.” She gave a fearful look to Kahlan. “You want to hurt him. You’re the Queen’s friend. You’re mean.” She pushed against Brophy for protection.

Brophy gave her face a long lick. “You’re wrong, Rachel. Kahlan is my friend. She is one of the nicest people in the world.”

Kahlan smiled and held her hands out to Rachel. “Come here.”