The Third Kingdom

Nicci smiled, brightening her beautiful face just a bit, although not as much as Kahlan would have liked. “I believe we can, Kahlan. That’s the truth. But we need to get you to the Garden of Life if we are to have a chance. Such magic as this requires can only be done in a containment field.”

Kahlan didn’t like the sound of that, but she was glad that she and Richard were in the hands of the best. There was no one other than Zedd and Nicci she would rather have healing them.

Richard sighed. “I suppose the omen machine will be pleased to have me back and I’m sure it will have a lot to say about all this,” he said half to himself as he finally sheathed his sword. “It did, after all, give me the key to saving Kahlan from the Hedge Maid, so it seems like it knows something about what’s going on. I need to find out what it knows.” He let out another sigh. “At least, before I have to end prophecy.”

Zedd leaned in, his bushy white eyebrows drawing together. “End prophecy? What are you talking about, my boy?”

Richard waved dismissively. As he did, Kahlan saw a ring on his right hand that she had never seen before. “Long story for later,” he told his grandfather.

The mysterious ring had a Grace on it.

“Richard,” she said, reaching out and running a finger over the ancient symbol on the ring, “where did this come from?”

Richard gave her the oddest look. “From a distant ancestor of yours.”

“What are you talking about?”

He waved off the question. “Part of the long story for later.”

“If I survive this touch of death and live long enough. If I can even be cured of it.”

Nicci laid a hand on Kahlan’s arm and smiled warmly. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. It’s serious, and I don’t want to fool you and say it’s not, but I’m confident that I can take care of it. You will both be fine.”

Kahlan nodded, feeling a bit better, but still sensing the odd mood.

“All right,” Richard said. “We need to see to that cure.” He turned to the soldiers. “Get the horses ready and let’s head back to the palace.”

“Won’t be too soon for me,” one of them said. “I’ve had enough of the Dark Lands to last me a lifetime.”

“I’d have to agree with that,” Richard said as they started for the stables.

“We’ll be home before you know it,” Zedd said with a reassuring smile back over his shoulder as he stepped out to lead the way for Richard and Kahlan. Kahlan thought the smile looked forced.

“Richard,” Kahlan whispered as she leaned close to him, “What’s wrong with Cara? She looks … I don’t know. She doesn’t look right. Something is wrong. What is it?” She glanced around at the soldiers of the First File. “And where’s Ben. Shouldn’t he be here?”

Richard’s face paled. “We lost Ben.”

Kahlan felt like the ground fell out from under her. She suddenly understood the uneasy, unspoken feeling she was picking up from everyone.

“What?”

Gaze downcast, Richard swallowed. “I tried … we all tried. We couldn’t…”

A lump rising in her throat, Kahlan turned and ran to Cara, taking hold of her arms to stop the woman. “Cara…”

Looking into those blue eyes, Kahlan couldn’t speak past that lump in her throat.

Cara nodded knowingly, her lip trembling just a little. She put her hand on the back of Kahlan’s head and pulled it against her shoulder.

“He gave his life to protect us,” Cara said. “It was what he would have wanted. I’m proud of him.”

“Me too,” Kahlan said through her tears. “Dear spirits, please protect him, now.”

CHAPTER

86

Richard, off by himself, leaned back against the coarse face of a small outcropping of granite ledge, watching the small campfire in the distance. He could make out the shapes of the sleeping men. The light from the fire reflected up on a short, protective wall of rock nearby and up against the bottoms of the broad limbs of pines towering all around them. The smell of the fire’s smoke and the popping of the wood as it burned were comfortingly familiar—even if these woods, and this dark land, weren’t.

The moon was hidden behind a thick overcast, but at least it had stopped raining. The cloud cover, though, made it the darkest of nights. Such nights were always disquieting. They always made him feel like he was being watched from the darkness.

Richard was standing watch. Everyone, of course, had objected.

He had overruled them. He wanted to be alone.

Richard was relieved to be headed back to the People’s Palace at last, to say nothing of having Kahlan and most of his friends safe. He didn’t know what they were going to do about the spirit king that Hannis Arc had called back from the world of the dead. He didn’t know what they were going to do about the barrier to the third kingdom being down and all the half people and walking dead being loose. He didn’t know what Hannis Arc was up to, either, but he knew it couldn’t be anything good.

And he certainly didn’t know how he was supposed to end prophecy.