The Third Kingdom

Richard could not help thinking that he now carried death in him. In more ways than he could have ever envisioned, he was fuer grissa ost drauka.

CHAPTER

32

“You’re the bringer of death?” Samantha looked up at him from under her brow. “You’re the one who is supposed to end prophecy? Are they serious?”

Richard was still staring at the symbols, certain at last that he understood their meaning. There could be no doubt as to the translation.

“That’s what it says.”

There had been a time when he would have been rattled to read what others thought he was or what they thought he needed to do, was destined to do, or must accomplish. But such things had often turned out to be quite different than they sounded at first, so his response to such news was more tempered than it once might have been.

But still, what he saw written on the wall in the language of Creation, the same language used by the ancient omen machine he had discovered buried deep within the People’s Palace, was more than a little troubling.

Samantha paced off a short distance, considering. She returned to stand close beside him. The contentious sorceress in her, young as it was, was coming to the surface.

“How in the world can prophecy be ended?—And how are you supposed to do such a thing? Did Naja say?”

Richard shook his head. “Naja says only that they had a great many remarkably talented wizards working feverishly on a way to eliminate the threat of the half people and the walking dead. But the magic the enemy used was too strong and they didn’t understand it well enough to know how to counter it. There was, however, no doubt as to how dangerous it was.

“She says that if they knew how to bring an end to the menace, they would have done so. Since they didn’t have a solution or access to the one named in prophecy as the bringer of death—or even know how to find him—in the end all they could do was build a barrier to contain these conjured weapons until such time as the wizards’ council was able to come up with a solution or the bringer of death arrived to do what was necessary.

“She goes on to say that the terrible task of actually eliminating the threat presented by such conjured weapons would unfortunately have to be left to those who will one day again face them when the barrier eventually fails. It will be up to them when the time comes, she says, up to the bringer of death, to find a way to finally eliminate this evil.”

“How could they know that such a thing was possible—you know, that prophecy really could be ended? Where would they come up with such a notion? What makes them believe this is the answer? What makes them so sure of it?”

Richard put a finger to the smooth wall, following along as he translated the complex symbols and designs cut into the stone so that he could relate the gist of it to Samantha.

“Explaining that part of it wasn’t her purpose in writing this account. However she does mention in passing that they know it’s possible from information that predates the star shift.”

Samantha was staring at him again. “What’s a star shift?”

“I haven’t the slightest idea.”

“But you have to know.”

Richard glanced back down at her. “Why do I have to know?”

“You’re Lord Rahl. You are the magic against magic.” She wagged a finger at the symbols he had just translated. “You said yourself that it names you as the one, just as I have known all along that you are the one. So you must know.”

Richard sighed. “I wish it were so, Samantha, but I’m afraid it isn’t.”

“Lord Rahl,” she said, again with the sort of serious intensity that could only be summoned by a sorceress, “do you think that what Naja really means, that what she is really saying here, is that he—you—can only destroy the half people and the awakened dead by destroying the world of life itself? You know, by bringing death to everyone and everything? Do you think she is saying that you are the one, the bringer of death, who is meant to end the world of life?”

Richard scratched his temple as he glanced over at her out of the corner of his eye. “She said end prophecy, not life itself.”

“Maybe she was afraid to say it out loud.” Samantha gestured at the wall. “You know what I mean, say it in writing.

“After all, prophecy is about the future, right? So saying that prophecy must be ended is like saying that the future has to be ended, don’t you suppose? How can there be life if there is no future? If there is no future—if the bringer of death cuts off the future—then life ends.

“As you explained before, the world of life is about time. If there is no future, then time stops, doesn’t it? And if time stops, then the world of life stops.”

Richard stared at her for a long moment. “What you say makes a certain amount of sense, I’ll give you that.”

“So then, we’re all dead? Sulachan’s mad scheme is finally coming to fruition to end the world of life. And it is to be by your hand?”

Richard squatted down and gently grasped her delicate shoulders as he smiled a bit of reassurance.