Stone of Tears

Richard said nothing. He seethed with wrath as he watched Darken Rahl’s smile widen. Through the fury of anger, the pounding wrath of magic, he watched, and he sought the calm center, too.

“We can offer you what no other can, Richard. What the Creator Himself cannot offer. We are greater than the Creator. We would like you to join with us.”

“What could you possibly offer me?”

Darken Rahl spread his glowing arms. “Immortality.”

Richard was too angry to laugh. “When did you succumb to the delusion that I would believe anything you would have to say?”

“It is true, Richard,” he whispered. “We have the power to grant it.”

“Just because you managed to get some of the Sisters to believe your lies, that does not mean I would.”

“We are the Keeper of the underworld. We control life, and death. We have the power to grant either, especially to one of your magic. You can be the master of the world of life. As I would have been, before you… interfered.”

“Not interested. Got anything better to offer?”

Darken Rahl’s cruel smile widened. His eyebrows lifted. “Oh, yes, my son,” he hissed. “Oh, yes.”

He swept his hand out, over the circle of sand.

Shimmering light formed into a person kneeling forward. The light coalesced into a recognizable form.

Kahlan.

She was in her white Confessor’s dress, kneeling forward. Her hair was cut short, just as in the vision he had had in the tower. A tear fell from her closed eyes as the side of her face pressed to the block. She mouthed his name, and that she loved him. Richard’s heart pounded violently.

“The dragon is wounded, Richard. She cannot take you to Aydindril. Your time has run out. You have no option left but to let us help you.”

“What do you mean, “help?’”

Rahl’s smile returned. “I told you, we have the power over life and death. Without our help, this afternoon, before her people, this is what will happen.”

His glowing hand swept out again. The blade’s broad edge glinted in the air above her. The axe descended, thunk-ing into the wooden block, sending out a spray of blood. Richard flinched.

Kahlan’s head tumbled away. Bright red blood spread beneath her, soaking into the sand, into the white dress, as her body toppled to the side.

“Noooo!” Richard screamed, his fists at his sides. “Noooo!”

Darken Rahl swept his hand over the body, and it vanished into sparkling light and faded away.

“Just as I have taken away the vision of what will happen this day, we can stop the reality. We can offer immortality not only to you, but if you join with us, to her, too.”

Richard stood stunned. It sank in, really sank in, for the first time. Scarlet was wounded. She could not fly him to Aydindril. This was winter solstice. Kahlan was going to die this day, and he had no way of getting to her. His breath came in ragged gasps.

The world was ending for him.

This was the meaning of the prophecy. If he took this offer, if he chose to stop her death, then the world would end for everyone else.

He thought of Chase, taking Rachel home to meet her new mother. He thought of all the happiness she would have in that life with love around her. He thought of his own life, with his father and mother, of the love, the happy times together, even the not so happy times, and how much it had meant to him.

He thought about the time he had spent with Kahlan, and the joy of being in love with her, and all the other people who must have had such joy, and would in the future. If there was a future.

“You can walk hand in hand with her, Richard. Forever.”

Richard’s eyes came up from the white sand. “Hand in hand, through the ashes of death. Forever.”

What would it do to Kahlan, to her love for him, if he offered her such a selfish destiny. She would be horrified. Then whenever she looked at him, she truly would see a monster. Forever.

He would live forever with her revulsion, not her love. Thus, in trying to save her, he would destroy not only everyone else, but her heart, too.

The price was too high, even for his love.

But this would end his life, his love, too.

Richard was consumed with rage and calm at the same time. He stared into the glowing eyes of evil. “You would poison our love with your taint of hate. You don’t even know the meaning of love.”

The wrath swelled to a wild storm within him. At least, he would extract his price for this. His vengeance.

Richard lifted the Stone of Tears in his fist. Darken Rahl staggered back a step.

“Richard, think about what you are doing.”

“You will pay for this.”

Richard pulled a handful of black sorcerer’s sand from his pocket and cast it onto the circle of white sand.

Darken Rahl threw his arms open. “No! You fool!”

The white sand writhed, as if alive, as if in pain. The symbols drawn in it twisted, contorting around themselves. The ground shook. Steaming fissures raced across the grassy ground.