Stone of Tears

Richard understood, now, why the palace was breeding wizards. They were trying to get one with Additive and Sub-tractive Magic.

And now they had one.

They walked silently up into hills bathed in the golden light of the late-afternoon sun. Richard felt better out in the open, rocky hills overlooking the city. Though it was an illusion, he felt free. He suddenly wished Pasha weren’t along. He hadn’t come out to see Gratch in days. Gratch was probably frantic.

He was at a loss as to what he was going to do next. He didn’t know if everything the Prelate had said was true, and he didn’t know which he feared more—that it was a lie, or the truth.

Pasha’s hand on his arm tightened in a way that brought him out of his brooding thoughts and made him draw to a halt. She glanced about nervously. He could tell by the way she was breathing through her mouth that she was frightened.

“What’s wrong?” he whispered.

Her gaze searched the surrounding rocks. “Richard, there is something out here. Please, let’s go back.”

Richard drew the sword. Its unique ring filled the still afternoon air. He felt nothing, no sense of danger, but Pasha’s Han obviously felt something that frightened her.

Pasha let out a little shriek. Richard spun. Gratch’s head poked up above a rock. Pasha backed away.

“It’s all right, he won’t hurt you.”

Gratch gave a tentative grin, showing his fangs, as he stood to his full, towering height.

“Kill it!” she screamed. “It’s a beast! Kill it!”

“Pasha, calm down. He won’t hurt you.”

She backed farther away. Gratch stood looking from Richard to Pasha, not knowing what to do. Richard realized she might use her power to hurt the gar, so he put himself between the two.

“Richard! Move! It must be killed! It’s a beast!”

“It won’t hurt you. I know him. Pasha…”

She turned and ran, her violet cloak flying behind. Richard groaned as he watched her leap from the top of one rock to another, making her way down the hill. He scowled back at Gratch.

“What’s wrong with you! Did you have to scare her! What are you doing showing your face to people!”

Gratch’s ears wilted. His shoulders slumped, and he began to whine. When his wings started quivering, Richard went to him.

“Well, it’s too late now to be sorry. Come on and give me a hug.” Gratch cast his eyes to the ground. “It’ll be all right.”

He put his arms around the big, furry creature. Gratch finally responded. He threw his arms and wings around Richard, gurgling his happiness. In a moment, he pulled Richard off the rock and wrestled him to the ground. Richard tickled his ribs and wrestled until Gratch was giggling in glee.

After they had settled down, Gratch put a claw tip in the pocket where Richard kept the lock of Kahlan’s hair. He looked at Richard from under hooded eyebrows as big as axe handles. Richard finally figured out what Gratch meant.

“No. No, that’s not the same woman. It’s a different person.”

Gratch frowned. He didn’t understand. Richard didn’t feel like trying to explain that the lock of hair he was always looking at was not from Pasha. At Gratch’s urging, Richard instead wrestled with his woolly friend.

It was twilight when Richard made it back to the palace. He was going to have to find Pasha and explain to her that Gratch was his friend, and not a dangerous beast. Before he had gone far, Sister Verna found him, instead.

“Did you feed that baby gar back in the wilds, the one I told you to kill? Did you let that beast follow us!”

Richard stared at her. “It was helpless, Sister. I couldn’t kill something that was no harm to me. We’ve become friends.”

Muttering, she wiped a hand across her face. “As absurd as it sounds, I suppose I can understand; you needed companionship, and you certainly didn’t want it from me.”

“Sister Verna…”

“But why would you let Pasha see it!”

“I didn’t. He just popped his head up. I didn’t know he was there. Pasha saw him before I knew.”

She let out an exasperated sigh. “The people around here fear beasts; they kill them. Pasha went screaming to the Sisters that there was a beast in the hills.”

“I’ll explain it to them. I’ll make them understand…”

“Richard! Listen to me!” He backed away a step and stood silently while he waited for her to go on. “The palace believes that “pets” are a hindrance to learning to use your Han. They believe it diverts feelings away from them, to the creature. I think they are being foolish, but that is beside the point.”

“What is the point? You mean they will try to keep me from seeing him anymore?”

She put an impatient hand on his arm. “No, Richard. They think it’s a vile beast that could turn on you. They think you are in danger. The Sisters are forming a search party as we speak. They intend to hunt it down and kill it, for your own good.”