when he told everyone about our mother, and pointed at me, but I know… I know that he has everyone’s best interests at heart. He doesn’t want anyone hurt by fire. That’sall, he just doesn’t want anyone to go through what we did. He is only trying to do what is best for everyone.”
Kahlan didn’t look up. She pushed at the dirt a moment more and then tossed the stick in the fire. “I’m sorry, Richard. I shouldn’t be so suspicious. I know how much it hurts to lose your mother. I’m sure you’re right.” Finally, she looked up. “Forgive me?”
Richard smiled and gave her a nod. “Of course. I guess if I had been through all you have, I would be quick to think the worst, too. I’m sorry I jumped on you. If you will forgive my tone, I’ll let you finish the soup.”
She nodded her agreement with a smile as he handed her the last of the soup.
He wanted to hear the rest of her story, but he waited and watched her eat for a while before he asked, “So have the D’Haran forces conquered all of the Midlands?”
“The Midlands is a big place; the People’s Peace Army occupies only a few of the larger cities. People in many areas ignore the alliance. Rahl does not really care. He considers it a petty problem. His attention has been diverted to something else. The wizards found out his real goal was the magic the great wizard had warned the council about, the magic they had mishandled for their own avarice. With the magic Darken Rahl seeks, he will be master of all, without having to fight anyone.
“Five of the wizards realized they had been wrong, that the great wizard was right after all. They sought to gain redemption in his eyes, and save the Midlands, and Westland, from what will happen if Darken Rahl gains the magic he seeks. So they searched for the great wizard, but Rahl hunts him also.”
“You said five wizards. How many are there?”
“There were seven: the great wizard and his six students. The old one has vanished; one of the others sold his services to a queen, a very dishonorable thing for a wizard to do.” She paused, considering that a moment. “And as I told you before, the five others are dead. Before they died they had the whole of the Midlands searched, but the great one was not to be found. He is not in the Midlands.”
“So they believed him to be in Westland?”
Kahlan dropped the spoon in the empty pot. “Yes. He is here.”
“And they thought this great wizard could stop Darken Rahl, even though they could not?” Something was wrong with this story, and Richard wasn’t sure he wanted to know what was coming next.
“No,” she said after a pause, “he does not have the power to go against Darken Rahl either. What they wanted, what we need to save and keep us all from what will be, is for the great wizard to make the appointment only he can make.”
By the care with which she was choosing her words, he knew she was dancing around secrets he was not to ask about, so he didn’t, and instead asked, “Why didn’t they come after him themselves, and ask him to do it?”
“Because they feared he would say no, and they did not have the power to force him.”
“Five wizards did not have the power of this one?”
She shook her head with a sad smile. “They were his students, ones who wanted to be wizards. They were not born wizards, born with the gift. The great one was born to a father who was a wizard and a mother who was a sorceress. It is in hisblood, not just his head. They could never be the wizard he is. They simply did not have the power to make him do what they wanted.” She fell silent.
“And…” He didn’t say anything else. With his silence he let her know his next question, and that he would have the answer to it.
At last, she gave him the answer in a soft whisper.
“And so they sent me, because I do.”
The fire crackled and hissed. He could feel the tension in her, and he knew she had gone as far with that answer as she would on the
Kahlan didn’t look up. She pushed at the dirt a moment more and then tossed the stick in the fire. “I’m sorry, Richard. I shouldn’t be so suspicious. I know how much it hurts to lose your mother. I’m sure you’re right.” Finally, she looked up. “Forgive me?”
Richard smiled and gave her a nod. “Of course. I guess if I had been through all you have, I would be quick to think the worst, too. I’m sorry I jumped on you. If you will forgive my tone, I’ll let you finish the soup.”
She nodded her agreement with a smile as he handed her the last of the soup.
He wanted to hear the rest of her story, but he waited and watched her eat for a while before he asked, “So have the D’Haran forces conquered all of the Midlands?”
“The Midlands is a big place; the People’s Peace Army occupies only a few of the larger cities. People in many areas ignore the alliance. Rahl does not really care. He considers it a petty problem. His attention has been diverted to something else. The wizards found out his real goal was the magic the great wizard had warned the council about, the magic they had mishandled for their own avarice. With the magic Darken Rahl seeks, he will be master of all, without having to fight anyone.
“Five of the wizards realized they had been wrong, that the great wizard was right after all. They sought to gain redemption in his eyes, and save the Midlands, and Westland, from what will happen if Darken Rahl gains the magic he seeks. So they searched for the great wizard, but Rahl hunts him also.”
“You said five wizards. How many are there?”
“There were seven: the great wizard and his six students. The old one has vanished; one of the others sold his services to a queen, a very dishonorable thing for a wizard to do.” She paused, considering that a moment. “And as I told you before, the five others are dead. Before they died they had the whole of the Midlands searched, but the great one was not to be found. He is not in the Midlands.”
“So they believed him to be in Westland?”
Kahlan dropped the spoon in the empty pot. “Yes. He is here.”
“And they thought this great wizard could stop Darken Rahl, even though they could not?” Something was wrong with this story, and Richard wasn’t sure he wanted to know what was coming next.
“No,” she said after a pause, “he does not have the power to go against Darken Rahl either. What they wanted, what we need to save and keep us all from what will be, is for the great wizard to make the appointment only he can make.”
By the care with which she was choosing her words, he knew she was dancing around secrets he was not to ask about, so he didn’t, and instead asked, “Why didn’t they come after him themselves, and ask him to do it?”
“Because they feared he would say no, and they did not have the power to force him.”
“Five wizards did not have the power of this one?”
She shook her head with a sad smile. “They were his students, ones who wanted to be wizards. They were not born wizards, born with the gift. The great one was born to a father who was a wizard and a mother who was a sorceress. It is in hisblood, not just his head. They could never be the wizard he is. They simply did not have the power to make him do what they wanted.” She fell silent.
“And…” He didn’t say anything else. With his silence he let her know his next question, and that he would have the answer to it.
At last, she gave him the answer in a soft whisper.
“And so they sent me, because I do.”
The fire crackled and hissed. He could feel the tension in her, and he knew she had gone as far with that answer as she would on the
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