Stone of Tears

Richard shrugged. “Yes.” He pointed at his forehead. “I put an arrow right here. One arrow. Right here. Right through his head, as he was about to put his spear in the back of a man. A man who had no hate in his heart for the Bantak. I killed him as I would kill a coyote sneaking up to steal one of my lambs. One who would take a life by such cowardice deserves to die. One who would listen to false spirits, and send one of his own to do such a thing, does not deserve to lead a people.”

“We will kill you!”

“Really? Maybe you will try, but you cannot kill me.” Richard turned his back to the old man and walked about twenty paces away, the men opening up to let him pass. He turned back. “I used one arrow to kill one of yours. Use one arrow to try to kill me, and we will see who the good spirits protect. Pick any man you wish. Have him do to me as I did to yours. Shoot me with an arrow.” He pointed angrily at his forehead again. “Right here, where I shot the coward who would kill for false spirits!”

“Richard! Have you lost your mind? I’m not going to tell them to shoot you.”

“Kahlan, I can do this. I can feel it.”

“You did it once. What if it doesn’t work this time? I’m not going to stand here and let you be killed.”

“Kahlan, if we don’t stop these people, here, now, both of us are going to be killed, and then the Keeper is going to escape. Tonight is the gathering; that is what’s important. I’m using the Wizard’s First Rule; the first step to believing is wanting to believe something is true, or being afraid it is. Up until now, they have been believing something because they wanted to. I have to make them afraid that what I am going to say is true.”

“What are you going to say?”

“Hurry up. Translate before I lose their interest and they decide to kill us and then go after the Mud People.”

She turned back to Ma Ban Grid and, reluctantly, translated. The men all started shouting that they wanted to be the one to shoot the arrow. Ma Ban Grid’s eyes moved among them as they yelled and waved their arms.

He smiled. “All you men may shoot this evil one who has killed one of mine. Everyone! Shoot him!”

The bows came up. Richard glared. “Coward! Do you men see how foolish this old man is? He knows he listens to false spirits! He would have you listen to them also! He knows the good spirits protect me in my challenge. He is afraid to have you see he is a fool. This proves it!”

Ma Ban Grid’s jaw tightened. He held his arm up for his men to halt. At last he turned to a man with a bow and snatched it from his hands. “I will show you the spirits I hear are true! You will die for killing one of mine! For saying our spirit brethren are false spirits!”

He drew a poison arrow back and in a blink shot it at Richard. A cheer rose from the men. Kahlan’s breath caught in her throat. She went cold with fear.

Richard snatched the arrow out of the air right in front of his face.

The men gasped and then fell silent as Richard marched back to the spirit guide, the arrow in his hand, and fire in his eyes. He stopped before Ma Ban Grid and snapped the arrow in front of his face to the sound of fearful murmurs.

His voice was deadly. “The good spirits protect me, old fool. You listen to false spirits.”

“Who are you?” Ma Ban Grid whispered, wide-eyed.

Richard slowly drew the Sword of Truth. The soft ring of steel filled the quiet dawn. He placed the sword’s point at Ma Ban Grid’s throat.

“I am Richard, the Seeker. Mate to the Mother Confessor.” Worried whispers drifted through the cold air. “And, I am a wizard. Her wizard.”

Eyes as far as she could see widened. Jaws dropped. Ma Ban Grid’s face slackened a little. He glanced to the sword.

“Wizard? You?”

“Wizard!” Richard’s angry glare swept across the gathered men. “Wizard. I command the magic. The gift. It would seem, old fool, your false spirits have lied to you. They said the Mother Confessor had no wizard. They sent one of yours to start a war the Mud People do not want. They have used you for their own purposes. Perhaps a wise spirit guide would have known this, perhaps an old fool would not.” Grumbling broke out among the men. “If you persist in this, if you disobey the Mother Confessor, I will use my magic to destroy you. I will use terrible magic to burn the Bantak’s land to ashes and put a blight upon it for all time. Each Bantak will die a horrible death; a death by my magic. I will kill every last Bantak. Young, and old.” His cold gray eyes returned to Ma Ban Grid. “But I will start with the old.”

“Magic?” Ma Ban Grid whispered. “You would kill us with magic?”