Wizard's First Rule

"No. The presence of the — Seeker will give her pause, something else to worry about, something to keep her fangs in her mouth until we're away. The whole point is to give her something she's familiar with, a Confessor, so as not to raise an alarm. At the same time, give her something to keep her worried, a cloud reader and the Seeker, so she would rather be rid of us than find out what sort of trouble we might be able to cause. The way you two want to do it gets us in a fight, a fight where one or all of us could be hurt. My way puts us at minimum risk of a fight, and if it comes, at least it will be when we're on our way out with the box." He gave each of them a stern look. "You do remember the box, don' you? In case you've forgotten, that is what we're after, not Giller's head in a basket. Whose side he's on is not an issue. We must only get the box, no more."

Kahlan folded her arms with a frown; Zedd rubbed his chin while he looked into the fire. Richard let them mull it over for a while. He knew that the way they wanted to do it was sure to cause trouble, and that soon enough they would both realize it.

Zedd turned back to him. "Of course you are right. I agree." His thin face turned to Kahlan. "Mother Confessor?"

She studied Zedd's face a moment before looking up at Richard. "Agreed. But Richard, the two of you will have to play the part of courtiers to the Mother Confessor. Zedd knows the protocol, but you don't."

"I hope not to be there long. Just tell me what I need to know to get by for a short time."

Kahlan drew a deep breath. "Well, I guess the most important thing is to look like you are part of my escort, be… respectful." She cleared her throat, diverting her eyes. "Just pretend like I am the most important person you have ever been around, and treat me in that manner, and no one will question. Every Confessor allows her attendants different liberties, and as long as you are deferential, no one will think anything of it if you should happen to do something not quite proper. Even if you think my behavior… odd, just play along. All right?"

Richard watched her a moment while she studied the ground. He rose to his. feet. "It would be my honor, Mother Confessor." He gave a bow.

Zedd cleared his throat. "A little deeper, my boy. You are not traveling with a mere Confessor. You are an escort to the Mother Confessor herself." "All right," Richard sighed. "I'll do my best. Now, get some sleep. I'll take first watch." He started walking toward the trees.

"Richard," Zedd called after him. He stopped, turning back. "There are many in the Midlands who have magic. Many different, and dangerous, types of magic. There. is no telling what manner of sycophants Queen Milena has surrounded herself with. You pay attention to what Kahlan and I tell you, and do your best not to cross anyone. You may not know who, or what, her attendants are."

Richard drew his cloak around himself. "In and out with minimum fuss. That's what I want too. If all goes well, tomorrow at this time we will have the box and our only worry will be to find a hole to hide in until winter."

"Good. You have it right, my boy. Good night."

In a spot thin of brush, Richard found a moss-covered log to sit on while he kept an eye toward the camp and the surrounding woods. He checked to make sure., the moss was dry. He didn't want to sit in damp moss and then have wet pants to make him colder. The moss was dry, so he rearranged his sword, sat down, and wrapped his cloak tight. Clouds hid the moon. If it wasn't for the fire lending the little illumination it did to the surrounding woods, it would be the kind of dark that made you think you were blind.

Richard sat and brooded. He didn't like the idea of Kahlan having to put on the dress and put herself at risk. He liked it less that it was his own idea. He wondered, and worried, at what she meant about her acting "odd," and his playing along. He wondered, and worried even more at what she had said about pretending she was the most important person he had ever been around. He liked that not at all. He always pictured Kahlan in his mind as his friend, at the least. He didn't like to picture her as the Mother Confessor. It was Confessor's magic that made it impossible for them to be more than friends. He was afraid to see her as others saw her, as the Mother Confessor. Any reminder of what she was, her magic, only brought the hurt deeper into his heart.

It was the smallest of sounds that made him sit bolt upright.

The eyes were on him. They were close, and though he couldn't see them, he could feel them. The knowledge that some- thing was close, watching him, sent a chill across his skin. It made him feel naked. Vulnerable.

His eyes were wide, his heart pounding, as he looked straight ahead to where he knew the thing was. The silence, except for his heart beating in his ears, was oppressive. Richard held his breath, trying to hear.