Wizard's First Rule

His face set in grim determination, Richard slogged ahead, his fingers reaching up to touch the tooth under his shirt. Loneliness, deeper than he had never known, sagged his shoulders. All his friends were lost to him. He knew now that his life was not his own. It belonged to his duty, to his task. He was the Seeker. Nothing more. Nothing less. Not his own man, but a pawn to be used by others. A tool, same as his sword, to help others, that they might have the life he had only glimpsed for a twinkling.

He was no different from the dark things in the boundary. A bringer of death.

And he knew quite clearly who he was going to bring it to.

–+-

The Master sat straight-backed and cross-legged on the grass in front of the sleeping boy, his hands resting palm up on his knees, a smile on his lips, as he thought about what had happened with Confessor Kahlan at the boundary. Morning sunlight streamed crossways through the windows overhead, making the colors of the garden flowers vibrant. Slowly, he brought the fingers of his right hand to his lips, licking the tips and then smoothing his eyebrows before carefully returning the hand to its, resting place. Thoughts of what he would do to the Mother Confessor had caused his breathing to quicken. He slowed it now, returning his mind to the matter at hand. His fingers wriggled, and Carl's eyes popped open.

"Good morning, my son. Good to see you again," he said in his most friendly voice. The smile, though for another reason, was still on his lips.

Carl blinked and squinted at the brightness of the light. "Good morning," he said in a groan. Then, his eyes looking about, thought to add, "Father Rahl."

"You slept well," Rahl assured the boy.

"You were here? Here all night?"…

"All night. As I promised you I would be. I would not lie to you, Carl."

Carl smiled. "Thanks." He lowered his eyes shyly. "I guess I was kind of silly to be scared."

"I don't think it's silly at all. I am glad I could be here to reassure you."

"My father says I'm being foolish when I get afraid of the dark."

"There are things in the dark that can get you," Rahl said solemnly. "You are wise to know it, and to be on guard for them. Your father- would do himself a favor to listen, and learn from you."

Carl brightened. "Really?" Rahl nodded. "Well, that's what I always thought too." `

"If you truly love someone, you will listen to them."

"My father always says for me to keep my tongue still."

Rahl shook his head disapprovingly. It surprises me to hear this. I had thought they loved you very much."

"Well, they do. Most of the time anyway."

"I'm sure you are right. You would know better than L"

The Master's long blond hair glistened in the morning light; his white robe shone brightly. He waited. There was a long moment of awkward silence…

"But I do get pretty tired of them always telling me what to do."

Rahl's eyebrows went up. "You seem to me to be of the age where you can think and decide things for yourself. A fine boy like you, almost a man, and they tell you what to do," he added, half to himself, shaking his head again. As if he couldn't believe what Carl was telling him, he asked, "You mean they treat you like a baby?"

Carl nodded his earnest confirmation, then thought to correct the impression. "Most of the time, though, they're good to me."

Rahl nodded, somewhat suspiciously. "That is good to hear. It is a relief to me."

Carl looked up at the sunlight. "But I can tell you one thing, my parents are going to be madder than hornets that I've been gone so long."

"They get mad because of when you come home?"

"Sure. One time, I was playing with a friend, and I got home late, and my mother was real mad. My father took his belt to me. He said it was for worrying them so."

"A belt? Your father hit you with his belt?" Darken Rahl hung his head, then came to his feet, turning his back to the boy. "I'm sorry, Carl, I had no idea it was like this with them."

"Well, it's only because they love me," Carl hastened to add. "That's what they said, they love me and I caused them to worry." Rahl still kept his back to the boy. Carl frowned. "Don't you think that shows they care about me?"

Rahl licked his fingers and smoothed them over his eyebrows and lips before he turned back to the boy and sat once more in front of his anxious face.

"Carl"-his voice was so soft that the boy had to strain to hear-"do you have a dog?"

"Sure," he nodded, "Tinker. She's a fine dog. I had her since she was a pup."

"Tinker," Rahl rolled the name out pleasantly. "And has Tinker ever been lost, or run away?"

Carl scrunched up his eyebrows, thinking. "Well, sure, a couple times before she was grown. But she came back the next day."

"Were you worried, when your dog was gone? When she was missing?"

"Well, sure."

Why?" "Because 1 love her."

"I see. And so then when Tinker came back the next day, what did you do?"

"I picked her up in my arms and I hugged her and hugged her."

"You didn't beat Tinker with your belt?"

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Because I love her!"

"But you were worried?".

"Yes."