Wizard's First Rule - Terry Goodkind [281]
He tapped his spoon a few times against the side of the tin bowl. Zedd made a short snort, and sat bolt upright.
The old man blinked twice. “Breakfast?”
With their backs to him, they both giggled.
“You’re in a good mood this morning,” she said, looking over.
He smiled. “Zedd’s back with us.”
Richard walked over and handed Zedd a bowl of porridge, then sat with his own on the low ledge. Kahlan made herself comfortable on the ground, wrapping a blanket around her legs while she balanced her bowl with one hand. Zedd didn’t bother to unwrap himself from his blanket as he ate. Richard waited, biding his time, eating slowly while Zedd bolted his porridge.
“Good!” Zedd proclaimed as he rose to get himself another bowlful from the pot.
Richard waited until his old friend was spooning from the pot, then said, “Kahlan told me what happened. I mean, she told me about how you made her tell you about Shota.”
Kahlan froze with a look as if she had been struck by lightning.
Zedd flinched up straight and spun to her. “Why did you tell him! I thought you didn’t want him to know you…”
“Zedd… I never…”
Zedd’s face grimaced. He turned slowly to Richard, who hunched over his bowl, methodically spooning porridge into his mouth.
He didn’t bother to look up. “She didn’t tell me. But you just did.”
Richard put the last spoonful in his mouth, and after he swallowed he licked his spoon clean and dropped it in the tin bowl with a clank.
His face, calm and triumphant, came up to the wizard’s squinting eyes. “Wizard’s First Rule,” Richard announced with a wisp of a smile. “The first step to believing something is wanting to believe it is true… or being afraid it is.”
“I told you,” Kahlan fumed at Zedd. “I told you he would find out.”
Zedd paid her no attention; his eyes were locked on Richard.
“I thought about it last night,” Richard explained as he set down his bowl. “I decided you were right, that you should know what Shota said. After all, you’re a wizard, maybe there’s something in it you could help us with to stop Darken Rahl. I knew you wouldn’t rest until you knew what had happened. I decided I would tell you today, but then I figured you would get it out of Kahlan first, one way or another.”
Kahlan fell back on the blanket, laughing.
Zedd straightened his back and put his fists on his hips. “Bags! Richard, do you have any idea what you have just done?”
“Magic,” Richard smiled. “A trick, if done properly, is magic.” He shrugged. “Or so I’ve been told.”
Zedd nodded slowly. “Indeed.” He pointed a thin finger skyward, the sparkle returning to his intense hazel eyes. “You have tricked a wizard with his own rule. Not one of my wizards was ever able to do that.” He stepped closer, a grin spreading on his face. “Bags, Richard! You have it! You have the gift, my boy! You can be a wizard of the First Order, like me.”
Richard frowned. “I don’t want to be a wizard.”
Zedd ignored his words. “You have passed the first test.”
“You just said none of the other wizards was able to do it, so how could they be wizards if they couldn’t pass the test?”
Zedd gave him a one-sided smile. “They were wizards of the Third Order. One, Giller, is of the Second Order. None were able to pass the tests to be a wizard of the First Order. They didn’t have the gift. Only the calling.”
Richard made a smirk. “It was just a trick. Don’t make something out of it that it wasn’t.”
“A very special trick.” Zedd’s eyes narrowed again. “I’m impressed. I’m also very proud of you.”
“And how many of these tests are there, if this is the first?”
Zedd shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe a few hundred or so. But you have the gift, Richard.” A shadow of worry passed across his eyes, as if he hadn’t expected it. “You must learn to control it, or…” His eyes lit up again. “I will teach you. You really could be a wizard of the First Order.”
Richard realized he was starting to listen too closely, and shook his head to clear it. “I told you, I don’t want to be a wizard.” He added under his breath, “I don’t want anything to do with magic ever again when