“Maybe he had a good reason for doing what he did.”
They both turned and looked at him, as if they had forgotten he was there.
“A good reason?” Kahlan snapped. “Greed was his good reason. He deserted me, and left me to the quads.”
“Sometimes people do things for reasons that aren’t what they seem.” Richard gave her an even look. “Maybe he thought the box was more important.”
Kahlan looked too surprised to speak.
Zedd frowned, his white hair looking wild in the firelight. “Perhaps you are right. It could be that Giller knew about the Queen having the box, and wanted to protect it. He certainly knew what the boxes were about.” He gave Richard an ironic smile. “Maybe the Seeker has given us a new perspective. Maybe we have an ally in Tamarang.”
“And maybe not,” Kahlan said.
“We will know soon enough,” the wizard sighed.
“Zedd,” Richard asked, “yesterday, we went to a place called Horners Mill.”
Zedd nodded. “I saw it. And I have seen many more just like it.”
Richard leaned forward. “It wasn’t Westlanders, was it? It couldn’t have been Westlanders. I told Michael to get the army together and protect Westland. I didn’t tell him to attack anyone. Certainly not helpless people. It couldn’t have been Westlanders; they wouldn’t do that.”
“No, it wasn’t anyone from Westland. I haven’t seen or heard from Michael.”
“Then who?”
“It was Rahl’s own men who did it, by his command.”
“That does not make any sense,” Kahlan said. “The town was loyal to D’Hara. There were forces of the People’s Peace Army there, and they were killed to a man.”
“That’s the very reason he did it.”
They both gave him puzzled looks. “That doesn’t make any sense,” Kahlan said.
“Wizard’s First Rule.”
Richard frowned. “What?”
“Wizard’s First Rule: people are stupid.” Richard and Kahlan frowned even more. “People are stupid; given proper motivation, almost anyone will believe almost anything. Because people are stupid, they will believe a lie because they want to believe it’s true, or because they are afraid it might be true. People’s heads are full of knowledge, facts, and beliefs, and most of it is false, yet they think it all true. People are stupid; they can only rarely tell the difference between a lie and the truth, and yet they are confident they can, and so are all the easier to fool.
“Because of the Wizard’s First Rule, the old wizards created Confessors, and Seekers, as a means of helping find the truth, when the truth is important enough. Rahl knows the Wizard’s Rules. He is using the first one. People need an enemy to feel a sense of purpose. It’s easy to lead people when they have a sense of purpose. Sense of purpose is more important by far than the truth. In fact, truth has no bearing in this. Darken Rahl is providing them with an enemy, other than himself, a sense of purpose. People are stupid; they want to believe, so they do.”
“But they were his own people,” Kahlan protested. “He was killing his supporters.”
“You will notice not all the people were killed; some were raped, tortured, but left alive to flee, to spread the news. You will also note how none of the soldiers were left alive to dispute the story. That it isn’t the truth doesn’t matter, and the ones hearing the story will believe it because it provides them with a sense of purpose, an enemy to rally against. The survivors will spread the word like a wildfire. Even though Rahl has destroyed a few towns that were loyal to him, and a few of his soldiers, he has gained many more towns to his side, a hundredfold over. Even more people will rally around him and support him because he has told them he wants to protect them from this enemy. Truth is hard to sell; it gives no sense of purpose. It is simply truth.”
Richard sat back, a little stunned. “But it isn’t true. How can Rahl get away with it? How could everyone believe it?”
Zedd gave him a stern look. “You knew better, you knew it wasn’t Westlanders, yet even you doubted your knowledge. You were afraid it was true. Being afraid something is true is accepting the possibility. Accepting the possibility is the first step to believing. At least you are smart enough to question. Think of how easy it is to believe, for people who don’t question, who don’t even know how to question. For most people, it’s not the truth that is important, it’s the cause. Rahl is intelligent; he has given them a cause.” His eyes glinted with purpose. “It is the Wizard’s First Rule because it is the most important. Remember it.”
“But the ones who did the killing, they knew. It was murder. How could they do it?”
Zedd shrugged. “Sense of purpose. They did it for the cause.”
“But that goes against nature. Murder goes against nature.”
The wizard smiled. “Murder is the way of nature, of all living things.”
Richard knew Zedd was sucking him in—it was his way to draw you in with an outrageous statement—but his blood was up and he couldn’t help protesting. “Only some of nature. Like predators. And that’s only to survive. Look about at these trees, they can’t even think of murder.”
“Murder is the way of all things, the way of nature,” Zedd repeated. “Every living thing is a murderer.”
Richard looked to Kahlan for support. “Don’t look at me,” she said. “I learned a long time ago not to debate with wizards.”
Richard looked up, at the beautiful big pine spreading over them, illuminated in the firelight. A spark of understanding lit in his mind. He saw the branches, stretched out with murderous intent, in a years-long struggle to reach the sunlight and dispatch its neighbors with its shade. Success would give space for its offspring, many of which would also shrivel in the shade of the parent. Several close neighbors of the big pine were withered and weak, victims all. It was true: the design of nature was success by murder.
Zedd watched Richard’s eyes. This was a lesson, the way the old man had taught Richard since he was young. “You have learned something, my boy?”
Richard nodded. “Life for the strongest. There is no sympathy for the slain, only admiration for the winner’s strength.”
“But people don’t think that way,” Kahlan said, unable to hold her tongue.
Zedd gave a sly smile. “No?” He pointed to a small, withered tree near them. “Look at this tree, dear one.” He pointed to the big pine. “And this. Tell me which you admire more.”
“This one,” she said, pointing at the big pine. “It’s a beautiful tree.”
“This one. You see? People do think this way. It’s beautiful, you said. You chose the tree that murders, not the one murdered.” Zedd smiled triumphantly. “The way of nature.”
Kahlan folded her arms. “I knew I should have kept my mouth shut.”
“You may keep your mouth closed if you wish, but don’t close your mind. To defeat Darken Rahl, we must understand him to know how to destroy him.”
“This is how he’s winning so much territory,” Richard said, tapping his finger on the hilt of his sword. “He’s letting others do it for him, giving them a cause; then all he has to worry about is going after the boxes. There is no one to interfere.”
Zedd nodded. “He uses the Wizard’s First Rule to do most of the work for him. This is what makes our job so hard. He gets people on his side because people don’t care about the truth; they do his bidding because they believe what they want to, and fight to the death for these beliefs, despite how false they are.”
Richard slowly stood, looking off into the night. “All this time, I thought we were fighting evil. Evil on the loose, run amok. But that’s not it at all. What we’re up against is more like a plague. A plague of fools.”
“You have gotten it right, my boy. A plague of fools.”
“Directed by Darken Rahl,” Kahlan noted.
Zedd peered at her a moment. “If someone digs a hole, and it fills with rainwater, where is the fault? Is it the rain’s fault? Or is it the fau
lt of the person who digs the hole? Is it Darken Rahl’s fault, or the fault of those who dig the hole, and let him rain in?”
“Maybe both,” Kahlan said. “That leaves us with a lot of enemies.”
Zedd lifted a finger. “And very dangerous ones. Fools who won’t see the truth are deadly. As a Confessor, perhaps you have already learned this lesson, yes?” She nodded. “They don’t always do what you think they will, or should, and you can be caught off guard. People you don’t think should be trouble can kill you quick.”
“This doesn’t change anything,” Kahlan said. “If Rahl gets all the boxes, and opens the right one, he is the one who will kill us all. He is still the head to the snake; it is still this head we must remove.”
Zedd shrugged. “You are correct. But we must stay alive to have a chance to kill this snake, and there are plenty of small snakes that can kill us first.”
“This is a lesson we already learned,” Richard said. “But as Kahlan said, it doesn’t change anything. We must still get the box to kill Rahl.” He sat down again, next to her.
Zedd’s face turned deadly serious. “Just remember: Darken Rahl can kill you,” he pointed a bony finger at Richard, then Kahlan, “and you,” then at himself, “and me—easy.”
Richard sat back a little. “Then, why hasn’t he?”
Zedd lifted an eyebrow. “Do you go around a room, and kill all the flies in it? No. You ignore them. They don’t merit your attention. Until they bite. Then you swat them.” He leaned closer to the two of them. “We are about to bite him.”
Richard and Kahlan gave each other a sideways glance.
“Wizard’s First Rule.” Richard felt a trickle of sweat run down his back. “I’ll remember.”
“And don’t repeat it to anyone,” the wizard admonished. “Wizard’s Rules are for none but a wizard to know. The Wizard’s Rules may seem cynical or trivial to you, but they are powerful weapons if you know how to use them, because they are true. Truth is power. I have told you two because I’m the head of the wizards, and I think it important for you to understand. You must know what Rahl is doing, since it is the three of us who must stop him.”
Richard and Kahlan both nodded their oath.
“It’s late.” Zedd yawned. “I have been traveling a long time to reach you. We will talk more later.”
Richard jumped up. “I’ll take first watch.” He had something to do, and wanted it done before anything else happened. “Use my blankets, Zedd.”
“Done. I’ll take second watch.” Second watch of three was the least pleasant: it split your sleeping in two. Kahlan began to protest. “I spoke first, dear one.”
Richard pointed to the rock outcropping where he would be, after he scouted the area, and headed off. His mind churned with a thousand thoughts, but with one above all the rest. The night was still, and cold, yet not uncomfortably so. He left his cloak open as he picked his way through the trees, intent on where he was going. Night creatures called to one another, but he hardly noticed. At one point, he scrambled to the top of a boulder and peered back through the gaps in the trees, watching the fire, waiting until he saw the other two roll themselves in the blankets; then he slid off the rock and continued on toward the sound of rushing water.
At the edge of the river, he cast about until he found a chunk of driftwood big enough for his purpose. Richard remembered Zedd telling him that he must have the courage to do what was necessary for their goal, and he must be prepared to kill any one of them if it came to that. Richard knew Zedd, and he knew that Zedd wasn’t just making a point—he meant what he said. He knew that Zedd was capable of killing him, or, more important, Kahlan.
He took the tooth from his shirt, pulling the leather cord over his head. He held the triangular-shaped tooth in his hand, feeling the weight of it, looking at it in the moonlight, and thought about his father. The tooth was the only way for Richard to prove to Zedd that his father wasn’t a thief, that he had taken the book to keep it from Darken Rahl. Richard wanted so badly to tell Zedd, to tell him that his father had been a hero, had given his life to stop Rahl and died a hero to protect them all. He wanted his father to be remembered for what he had done. He wanted to tell Zedd.
But he couldn’t.
The wizard wanted the Book of Counted Shadows destroyed. Richard was the Book of Counted Shadows now. Shota had warned him that Zedd would use the wizard’s fire against him, but that he had a chance to beat him. Perhaps this was the way. To destroy the book, Zedd would have to kill him. Richard didn’t care about himself, he had nothing to live for; he no longer cared if he died.
But he did care if Kahlan died. If Zedd knew that Richard had the book inside him, he would make him tell what it said, and then he would know that to make sure the book was true, Rahl would have to use a Confessor. And there was only one Confessor left alive. Kahlan. If Zedd knew, he would kill her to prevent Rahl from getting the knowledge.
Richard couldn’t allow the chance of Zedd knowing, of killing Kahlan.
He wrapped the cord around the piece of driftwood and jammed the tooth into a long crack, wedging it into the wood so it wouldn’t come out. Richard wanted the tooth as far away from him as he could get it.
“Forgive me, Father,” he whispered.
Hard as he could, he threw the wood with the tooth attached. He watched it arc through the air, and splash into the dark water with a distant sound. In the moonlight, he could see it bob to the surface. He stood with a lump in his throat as he watched it being carried downriver. Richard felt naked without the tooth.
When it was no longer in sight, he circled the camp, his mind in a daze. He felt empty. Richard sat on the rock outcropping where he had told them he would be, and watched their camp below.
He hated this. Hated having to lie to Zedd, to feel that he couldn’t trust him. What was he coming to, to no longer be able to trust his oldest friend? The hand of Rahl was reaching out to him, even at this distance, and making him do things he didn’t want to.
When this was ended, and Kahlan was safe, and if he lived, he could go home.
Near the middle of his watch, he became suddenly aware again of the thing that followed them. He couldn’t see its eyes, but he could feel them. It was on the hill opposite the camp, watching. He felt a chill run through him, at being watched.
A distant sound made him sit bolt upright. A snarl, a growl, followed by a yelp. Then silence again. Something had died. Richard’s eyes were wide, trying to see, but he saw only blackness. The thing that followed had killed something. Or been killed itself. He felt an odd worry for it. As long as it had followed, it had never tried to hurt them. Of course, that didn’t really mean anything. It could simply be waiting for the right time. For some reason, though, Richard didn’t think it meant them any harm.
He felt the eyes again. Richard smiled; it was still alive. He had the urge to go after it, to find out what it was, but dismissed the idea. This was not the time. This was a creature of the dark. Better to meet it on his own terms.
Once more on his watch, he heard something die. Closer.
Without Richard having to go wake him, Zedd appeared for his watch, looking rested and refreshed, eating a piece of dried meat. Zedd came and sat next to him, offering a piece of meat. Richard declined.
“Zedd, what about Chase, is he all right?”
“He is well. Far as I know, he went off to follow your instructions.”
“Good. I’m glad he’s well.” Richard hopped down off the rock, ready for some sleep.
“Richard, what did Shota tell you?”
Richard studied his friend’s face in the dim light of the moon. “What Shota said to me is private. It is not for others to hear.” The edge to his own voice surprised him. “And that is the way it will remain.”
Zedd took a bite while he watched Richard. “The sword has a lot of anger to it. I see you are having trouble controlling it.”
“All right. All right, I’ll tell you one thing Shota said. She told me she
thought I ought to have a talk with you about Samuel!”
“Samuel?”
Richard gritted his teeth and leaned closer. “My predecessor!”
“Oh. That Samuel.”
“Yes, that Samuel. Would you like to explain that to me? Would you like to tell me that’s the way I too will end up? Or had you planned on keeping it from me until I was done doing wizard’s work and you have to give the sword to some other fool!” Zedd watched calmly as Richard became more and more upset. He grabbed Zedd’s robes and pulled his face close. “Wizard’s First Rule! Is that how wizards find someone to take the sword? Just find someone stupid enough not to know better and there you go! A new Seeker! Do you have any other little things you forgot to tell me? Any other little unpleasant things I ought to know!”
Richard released the robes with a shove. He had to resist mightily the urge to draw the sword. His chest heaved with his anger. Zedd watched calmly.
“I’m truly sorry, my boy,” he whispered, “that she has hurt you so.”
Richard stared back, everything that had happened pushing in on him, extinguishing the anger. Everything seemed so hopeless. He burst into tears and fell against Zedd, throwing his arms around him. He cried in choking sobs, unable to control himself.
“Zedd, I just want to go home.”
Zedd held him, patted his back gently, spoke tenderly. “I know, Richard. I know.”
“I wish I had listened to you. But I can’t help myself. I can’t make myself stop feeling this way, no matter how hard I try. I feel like I’m drowning and can’t get any air. I want this nightmare to end. I hate the Midlands. I hate the magic. I just want to go home. Zedd, I want to be rid of this sword and its magic. I never want to hear about magic again.”
Zedd held him and let him cry. “Nothing is ever easy.”
“Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if Kahlan hated me or something, but I know she cares for me too. It’s the magic. The magic keeps us apart.”
“Believe me, Richard, I know how you feel.”
Richard sank to the ground, leaned against the rock, crying. Zedd sat next to him.
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