Wizard's First Rule - Terry Goodkind [197]
“But I can’t stay here!”
“Not if you wish to stop him. When you leave our territory, the power of the symbols will be gone, and he will be able to see you again.”
Richard breathed hard, his hands shook. Kahlan could see by the look on his face that he was close to disregarding the warning, close to going out to fight.
“The choice is yours,” the spirits said. “Wait in here while he kills some of our people, and when he is gone, go after the box, to kill him. Or go out now, and accomplish nothing.”
Richard closed his eyes tight, swallowed hard. His chest rose and fell with his labored breathing.
“I will wait,” he said in a voice she could barely hear.
Kahlan threw her arms around his neck, putting her head against his, as they both cried. The circle of elders began spinning around again.
That was the last thing she remembered until she and Richard were shaken awake by the Bird Man. She felt as if she were coming out of a nightmare as she recalled the things the spirits said, about the killing of the Mud People, and that to find the box they had to go into Agaden Reach, to Shota. She recoiled at the thought of the witch woman. The other elders were standing over them, and helping both of them up. All wore grim faces. Tears tried to come to her again. She forced them back.
The Bird Man pushed the door open to the cold night air, to a clear, starlit sky.
The clouds were gone. Even the snakelike cloud.
Dawn was less than an hour away, and already the eastern sky had a hint of color to it. A solemn-faced hunter handed them their clothes, and Richard his sword. Wordlessly, they dressed and went out.
A phalanx of hunters and archers protectively surrounded the spirit house. Many were bloodied. Richard pushed in front of the Bird Man.
“Tell me what happened,” he ordered in a quiet voice.
A man with a spear stepped forward. Kahlan waited next to Richard, to translate. Rage flared in the man’s eyes.
“The red demon came from the sky, carrying a man. He wanted you.” Fire in his eyes, he pushed his spearpoint against Richard’s chest. The Bird Man, stone-faced, put his hand on the spear, raising the point away from Richard. “When he could only find your clothes, he began killing people. Children!” His chest was heaving with anger. “Our arrows would not touch him. Our spears would not touch him. Our hands would not touch him. Many of those who tried were killed by magic fire. Then he became even more angry when he saw that we use fire. He made all the fires go out. Then he climbed back on the red demon and told us that if we use fire again, he will come back and kill every child in the village. With magic, he floated Siddin into the air, and took him under his arm. A gift, he said, for a friend. Then he flew away. And where were you and your sword!”
Savidlin’s eyes filled with tears. Kahlan put her hand against the ripping pain in her heart. She knew who the gift was for.
The man spat on Richard. Savidlin went for him, but Richard held his arm out, held Savidlin back.
“I heard the voices of our ancestors’ spirits,” Savidlin said. “I know this is not his failing!”
Kahlan put her arms around Savidlin, and comforted him. “Be strong. We have saved him once when it seemed he was lost. We will save him again.”
He nodded bravely as she pulled back. Richard asked softly what she had told Savidlin.
“A lie,” she answered, “to ease his pain.”
Richard nodded his understanding, and turned to the man with the spear.
“Show me the ones he killed,” he said without emotion.
“Why?” the man demanded.
“So I will never forget why I am going to kill the one who did this.”
The man gave the elders an angry glance and then led them all to the center of the village. Kahlan put on her blank expression, to shield herself from what she knew she would see. She had seen it too many times before, in other villages, other places. And as she expected, it was the same as she had seen before. Lined up in terrible disarray beside a wall