Wizard's First Rule

With one hand on the saddle and the other arm holding Siddin, Zedd leapt to a horse. "Wild boar! What kind of fool are you? Leaving a wild boar roasting unprotected! Anyone could just come along and take it!" "Why do you think I want you to hurry? The place is filthy with wolf tracks, though I doubt they'd come near a fire."

"Don't you dare hurt that wolf," Zedd warned. "He's a friend of the Mother Confessor."

Chase cast an eye to Kahlan, then to Richard, before turning his horse and leading them into the setting sun. Richard was heartened by having Chase back. It made him feel, once again, that anything was possible. After she had mounted, Kahlan took Siddin, the two of them talking and laughing as they rode.

At the camp, Zedd wasted no time before checking the roasting boar, and pronounced it fit to eat. He shifted his robes and sat down, waiting with a grin on his wrinkled face for someone with a knife to carve dinner. Siddin, with a grin frozen on his face, too, leaned against Kahlan after she sat down. Richard and Chase started carving up the boar. Rachel sat close to Chase's side, watching him, keeping an eye to Kahlan, her doll in her lap, and the loaf of bread, wrapped in the cloth, at her hip.

Richard cut a big piece and handed it to Zedd. "So, what happened? With my brother, I mean."

Chase grinned. "When I told him the things you told me to tell him, he said that if you were in trouble, he was going to help. He pulled together the army, and we sent most of them into defensive positions along the boundary, with the wardens commanding them. After the boundary came down he refused to wait behind. He led a thousand of his best men into the Midlands. They're all bivouacked up in the Rang'Shada right now, waiting to help you."

Richard had stopped carving, frozen in astonishment. "Really? My brother said that? He came to help? And with an army?"

Chase nodded. "He said if you're in this, then he is too."

Richard felt a pang of regret that he had doubted Michael, and elation that his brother would drop everything to come help. "He wasn't angry?"

"I thought sure he would be, and give me grief over this, but he only wanted to know about you, what risk you were at, and where you were. He said he knew you, and if you thought it was this important, then he did too. He offered to come along, but I wouldn't let him. He's with his men, probably waiting in his tent right now, pacing back and forth. I have to tell you, it surprised me too."

Richard's eyes were wide in wonder. "My brother and a thousand of his men, in the Midlands, come to help me." He looked at Kahlan. "Isn't that wonderful?" She only smiled at him.

Chase gave him a stern look while he carved. "For a while, I thought you were finished, when I saw your trail going into Agaden Reach."

Richard looked up. "You went into the Reach?"

"Do I look stupid? You don't become head of the boundary wardens by being stupid. I started thinking of how I was going to tell Michael you were dead. Then I found your trail coming out of the Reach." His brow wrinkled together. "How did you manage to come out of the Reach alive?"

Richard gave him a grin. "I think the good spirits…"

Rachel screamed.

Richard and Chase spun with their knives. Before Chase could use his knife, Richard stopped him.

It was Brophy. "Rachel? Is that you, Rachel?"

She took her doll's foot from her mouth. Her eyes were wide. "You sound like Brophy."

The wolf's tail swished back and forth. "That's because I am Brophy!" He trotted over to her..

"Brophy, how come you're a wolf?"

He sat on his haunches in front of her. "Because a kind wizard changed me into a wolf. That was what I wanted to be, and he changed me."

"Giller changed you into a wolf?"

The breath caught in Richard's throat.

"That's right. It's a wonderful new life I have."

She threw her arms around the wolf's neck. Brophy licked her face as she giggled.

"Rachel," Richard said, "you know Giller?"

Rachel hugged an arm around Brophy's neck. "Giller's a nice man. He gave me Sara." She gave a fearful look to Kahlan. "You want to hurt him. You're the Queen's friend. You're mean." She pushed against Brophy for protection

Brophy gave her face a long lick. "You're wrong, Rachel. Kahlan is my friend. She is one of the nicest people in the world."

Kahlan smiled and held her hands out to Rachel. "Come here."

Rachel looked to Brophy, who gave her a nod that it was all right. She went with a pout on her face.

Kahlan took Rachel's hands in hers. "You heard me say something mean about Giller, didn't you?" Rachel nodded. "Rachel, the Queen is a bad person. I didn't know how bad until today. Giller used to be my friend. When he went to live with the Queen, I thought it was because he was bad too, and was on her side. I was wrong. I would never hurt Giller, now that I know he is still my friend."

Rachel turned her eyes up to Richard.

"She's telling you the truth. We're on the same side as Giller."

Rachel turned to Brophy. He nodded, too, that it was the truth.