"My child." "Your eyesight will fail you if you keep reading in this light." " Go home." " Soon." "You're getting lost in your books again, aren't you?" "May I ask what you're working on?" "I really shouldn't say." "Excuse me." "Livia?" " Good evening." "James." "It's so late." "What are you doing here?" "I've, uh..." "I've finished." "My son has never looked so handsome." "But I told you I can't pay you." "You really shouldn't have." "Oh, that's all right." "Consider it a gift." "Well, thank you." "But you didn't have to come all of this way." "Oh, I went by your house, but there wasn't anyone there" " so I..." " Aidan wasn't home?" "No." "I have to go." "Brother Tovas, would you put my papers away for me?" "Of course." "The Book of Counted Shadows." "It was destroyed by the Seeker." "The original was destroyed." "But as I'm sure my Lord knows, there are rumors copies were made." "And you believe this woman from Briamont, this librarian, is on the verge of finding one of them?" "I have been watching her for some time, my Lord." "She has uncovered a series of clues suggesting that one of the copies is hidden somewhere in the library." "She has deciphered all of the clues save for the final one." "Once that is solved, the Book's location will be revealed." "This woman may be useful." "Perhaps we should invite her to an audience with Lord Rahl." "I doubt her sympathies lie with us." "Her husband was a scholar and a misguided dissident." "He was looking for ancient writings that would undermine the legitimacy of your rule, my Lord." "You'll be pleased to hear that this traitor perished at the end of a D'Haran sword." "Long has The Book of Counted Shadows eluded me." "As have the secrets of power contained within its pages." "Do we have troops in the region?" "A forward detachment, My Lord." "Order them to secure the library and find this woman." "The Book will be brought to you right away." "No." "This Book can be trusted to no one." "I leave for the library at once." "Welcome to the great library of Briamont." "Our doors are open to disciples of learning of all ages." "A friend told us we could find a particular volume in your collection." "I'm merely the gatekeeper." "Perhaps if you told me the title of the book, I could direct you to the proper area." "I'm not certain you would've heard of it." "It's a very old and rare volume." "You should speak to our librarian." "But she's not here today." "Do you mind if we look around on our own?" "We may need a librarian after all." "Can you tell us when your librarian is expected back?" "Difficult to say." "The Amulet of Carod." " You're a member of the Brotherhood." " What do you know of them?" "Only that they served my people in Aydindril for generations." "You're a Wizard." "Of the First Order." "Zeddicus Zu'I Zorander." "I'm deeply honored." "This is Kahlan Amnell, the Mother Confessor, and Richard Cypher, the Seeker of Truth." "I am your humble servant." "Our librarian, Livia, has not been here for many days." "She's been having trouble at home." "She's a widow with a young son." "The boy's always been something of a rapscallion." "But lately it's been getting worse since she lost her husband." "And now the boy's gone missing." "Please, sir." "My father, he beats me night and day." "Thank you, sir." "May the Spirits protect you." "My own mother, she put me on the street with nothing but these clothes on my back." "Anything you can spare." "No coin is too small." "Hey, you're driving away my customers." "You wanna know what's really driving them away?" "That stench." "When's the last time you had a bath?" "Hey!" "Put me down!" "Put me down!" "Put me down." "It brings a tear to my eye when a boy your age turns to crime." "I..." "I haven't done anything wrong." "Begging is outlawed here." "It's a good thing I found you before the constables did." "They would've made an example of you." "I'd be happy to protect you from them." "But it'll cost you." "This is all I have." "Hey!" "What are you doing?" "That's my money!" "Now, I'm gonna do you a favor, son." "I'm taking your money, but I'm not gonna break your legs." "You work for me now." "That money is all I have in the world." "I'll starve." "Then I suggest you get to work." "My snuff box!" "That little maggot!" "Get him." "Hey!" "Hey." "Aidan?" " What are you...?" " You have to hide me." "Your mother's been worried to death." " Where you been?" " There are men after me." " Angry men." " I'm..." "I'm taking you home." "There isn't time." "They could be here any minute." "James, you have to hide me, please." "Aidan?" "Are you Livia?" "Do you have news of my son?" "Is that why you've come?" "We're here about something else." "A matter of grave importance." "Where's the boy?" "Boy?" "Wha...?" "What boy?" "Don't play games with me." "Kraddik saw him run in here and he didn't see anyone come out." "Kraddik?" "That swindler?" "He's as blind as something that can't see very well." "If I learn you're hiding that boy..." "I don't understand." "How'd you know I'm looking for The Book of Counted Shadows?" "A witch called Shota had a vision that you would find the Book and that Darken Rahl would learn of your discovery." "So if this witch told you about the Book, how is Darken Rahl supposed to find out about it?" " Who else knows you're looking for it?" " No one." "But there's a scholar at the library." "He's been asking a lot of questions about my work lately." "What matters now is finding the Book before Rahl does and getting you far away from here." "I'd do anything to help the Seeker." " But I can't go anywhere without Aidan." " Your son?" "He hasn't come home in three days." "It's my fault." "Ever since my husband died, I've been trying to finish his work." "Solve the final riddle, find the Book." "I've become so obsessed, I left my son alone." "Just when he needed me the most." "I'll find your son." "You have my word." "A friend saw him on Barter Street." "I've been down there every day, but those merchants..." "They're thugs, they won't even talk to me." "They'll talk to the Seeker." "I know how hard this is for you, but we need you to take us to the library." "Perhaps Kahlan and I can help you decipher this final riddle." "I'll get my shawl." "As soon as you find the boy, you should meet us at the library." "Livia, is this Aidan?" " Livia?" "Where did she go?" "Mom!" "Aidan!" "Oh, thank the Spirits." "I'm so sorry." "I'll never leave you alone again." " I promise." " I'm sorry I ran away." "Where are we?" "Perfect." "No tracks." "She didn't leave on foot." "There's obviously magic at work here." "This could be Rahl's work." "We know he wants the Book." "He might have used some spell" " to abduct Livia, take her to the library?" " You and Zedd should head back there." "I'm going into town." "I promised Livia I'd find her son." "Richard, our mission is to find the Book." "Aidan's missing and now so is she." "Somehow I think there's a connection." "Far be it for us to question the instincts of the Seeker." " James?" " Hello, Livia." " How did you?" " It's a long story, but don't worry, everything's fine." "The two of you are safe here." "Where are we?" "Do you like it?" "This vista." "Have you ever seen anything so perfect?" "I'm not sure about that hill, though." "It throws off the composition a little." "James, it's beautiful, but..." "I know it's a lot to take in." "Do you remember when I used to?" "I'd come by the library every day?" "You were looking for books on art and painting." "One of the books I found was tucked away on a shelf." "It probably hadn't been opened in a hundred years." "It described a lost form of magic." "A kind that could only be mastered by someone like me." "A painter." "An artist." "You learned magic?" "The book showed me how I could create my own world." "Anything that I paint on the outside is sent here to this place inside my painting." "That's where we are right now." "Inside the painting." "You see those hills?" "I found them on a farm outside of Dorn." "And the forest?" "That's from the grounds of a D'Haran palace." "I brought them here the same way that I brought you." "I've wanted to show you this place for a long time but not before it was ready." "When Aidan came running in, there was nowhere else to hide him." "I knew how worried you'd be, so I painted you here too so that you could see he was all right." "James, I'm grateful to you for helping Aidan, but we can't stay here." "Could you send us back?" " You don't like it?" " No, you don't understand." "The Seeker needs my help." "The Seeker?" "There's a very important book in the library, and he needs it to defeat Darken Rahl and I'm the only one that can find it." "You met the Seeker?" "What are you doing?" "We're..." "We're friends, aren't we?" "Yes." "Then trust me." "Welcome to the great library of Briamont." " Our doors are open..." " Where is the librarian?" "She's not here today." "I'm afraid she's not at all well." "If you'd like to come back tomorrow..." "You will take my men to her now." "Lord Rahl will arrive soon." "Find the woman before he gets here." "This library is now under the authority of the Dragon Corps." "Everyone out, now!" "I can't walk any faster." "You want to die here?" " Are you all right?" " Thank the Spirits you found me." "We were on our way to see you." "The D'Harans, they've taken the library." "Do they have Livia?" "No." "They're forcing me to bring them to her." "Do you know where Livia kept any of the books or papers she was working on?" "Locked in a cabinet in the south reading room." "I'll slip in, get Livia's work out of the library." "You two find Richard and tell him what's happened." "They sealed the building, you'll never get past." "Oh, I'll be able to get in." "Have you seen this boy?" "Do you know him?" "His name's Aidan." "You better talk to them." "Where's the boy?" "The last I saw of that little maggot, he ran into a painter's workshop." "And you just let him go out of the kindness of your heart?" "No!" "You don't understand!" "The boy went in but he never came out." "He just vanished." "Richard." " Why are you here?" " Well, there's been a complication." " Any luck finding the boy?" " Someone saw him in a workshop a few blocks from here." "I'm headed there now." "The Seeker." "I was coming to find you." "Just..." "Just a moment." "We're looking for a boy." "There." "Mom, look." "The library." "James did it." "An enchanted painting." "So Livia and Aidan are inside the painting?" "Yes." "Exactly." "Livia told me you needed a book from the library, but I couldn't take her and Aidan out of the painting." "They'd be in danger from those men." "So instead of bringing Livia to the library, you brought the library to Livia?" "Not just the library, but everything in it." "All the people." "The books." "Amazing, isn't it?" "Zedd was in the library with a D'Haran patrol." "D'Harans?" "Zedd's a Wizard." "He should be able to handle a few D'Harans." "No, you don't understand." "A Wizard's powers are useless inside my painting." "The only magic that works in there is mine." "My men tell me you appeared out of nowhere." "What magic did you use to hide from us?" "Answer me!" "Who are you?" "Isn't it obvious?" "She's an innocent woman who's brought her son to the library to read books." "Something I seriously doubt you're familiar with." "How did you get past my soldiers outside?" "D'Haran scum!" "You killed my father!" "Aidan, no!" "Don't hurt him!" "Tell me who you are, or I'll reunite your son with his departed father." "I..." "I work here." "I'm the librarian." "You need to use your magic and get them out of there." "I will." "Of course, Confessor." "But I can't." "Not from here." "You see this easel?" "To get someone out, I need to paint them on that canvas." "But I can only do that from inside the painting." "It's how I designed it." "You can't go in there." "The D'Harans could take you prisoner or kill you." "What other choice do we have?" "Send me into the painting." " Richard..." " I'll take care of the D'Harans" " and help Livia find the book." " Yes." "And I can follow you in and paint everyone out." "Where is The Book of Counted Shadows?" "I don't know exactly." "You're gonna find it for me." "Because if you don't..." "Hurting the boy won't get you what you want any faster." "I'll do anything you say." "Just don't hurt my son, please." "Do you have any idea how stupid you are?" " Aidan!" " Finding that book won't do you any good." "Because even if you do, you can't give it to Darken Rahl." "Do you even know where you are?" "Have you looked outside?" "You're not in the Midlands anymore." "It is said that you are the deadliest of the deadly." "My elite guardians." "And how is it possible for an entire library to be spirited away in front of you?" "Did you see nothing at all?" "Well, since your eyes are obviously useless, allow me to do you the favor of cutting them from your skull." "My Lord." "One of our soldiers survived an attack less than a league from here." "He says his men were set upon by a Wizard and a Confessor." "I should have known this was Wizard's work." "And if Zeddicus and the Mother Confessor are nearby, the Seeker cannot be far." "Send every last one of these soldiers into Briamont and the surrounding area." "Turn over every stone, search every building and bring me the Seeker." "Yes, my Lord." "A Wizard must have conjured this illusion." "You appeared out of nowhere." "You must know something about this." "Me?" "I don't have any magic." "If I did, would I have let your men capture me so easily?" "But if there is magic at work here, if this entire building has been sent to some mysterious realm, then there's no telling what other dangers lurk here." "If I was you," "I'd get out of this place as fast as I could." "Keep him quiet." "Take a quad, scout the area." "Find out who's responsible for this sorcery." "How long is this going to take?" "Something funny?" "You look very heroic." "A world without magic." "Sounds perfect." "Without magic, you would be deprived of your power to Confess." "The Sword of Truth would be merely a piece of steel." "Magic has its uses, but sometimes it keeps people apart." "Are you ready, Seeker?" "It's the Seeker!" "Drop your weapon!" "You're stalling." "I'm not." "I've been trying to decipher this clue for weeks." "I don't think you're properly motivated." "Please!" "Let him go." "Drop the sword or she dies." "If she dies, Rahl won't get his precious book." "He'll kill you himself." "Not nearly as effective as Wizard's fire, but sometimes one is forced to improvise." "James is going to get us all out, but first we've got to find the Book." "I wasn't lying to that D'Haran." "I don't know if I can solve the final clue." "Maybe Richard and I can help." "This merchant claims to have information on the Seeker." "Is that so?" "Yes, Lord Rahl." "The Seeker threatened me." "He was looking for someone, a child." "For what reason, I don't know." "But I told him where the boy was last seen." "And where was that?" "Surely news of such import would be worthy of a small reward of some kind?" "Tell Lord Rahl where you saw the Seeker." "No, no, please, general." "I do understand." "A man should be justly rewarded for information as valuable as this." "Tell me where you sent the Seeker and rest assured you'll never want for anything in this life again." "You're very generous, my Lord." "Third block south of Barter Street." "Second door, east side." "Thank you." "You have been most helpful." "I've been trying to translate this, but the language must be very old." "I've never come across it before." "Richard has." "It's the language of The Book of Counted Shadows." "An ancient script that only the Seeker can read." "What does it say?" ""The book you seek is hidden in a safe place between the world below and the stars above. "" "That could be anywhere." "No." "It's here in the library." "This is our astrological collection." ""The stars above. "" "And these are about the keeper and the underworld." ""The world below. "" ""The truth of the words of The Book of Counted Shadows can only be insured by a Confessor. "" "My husband spent years searching for this book." "All the time it was right here." "What we value most is often closer than we think." "What are you still doing here?" "Art can't be rushed." "D'Haran soldiers are searching the town." "It won't be long before they come looking here." "We can't let Rahl's men get ahold of the painting." "Once James is inside, we'll smuggle it out of..." "What have you done?" "You heard what she said." "The D'Harans are on their way." "She'll be safer in there." "You said you were gonna get everyone out." "I'm going in next." "After I'm gone, get the painting out of here." "Bury it in the forest, someplace no one will find it." " That wasn't the plan." " You want to save the Seeker and the others, you'll do as I say." "Kahlan?" "What are you doing here?" "I don't know." "Livia." "Thank the prophets you're all right." "What's going on?" "Why is Kahlan here?" "I..." "I sent her here to protect her." "Well, we got what we came for." "It's time to go." "Go?" "Why would anyone want to leave this place?" "Look at this world I've created." "It's a paradise." "All of us will be safe here." "We'll be happy." "Forever." "Where might you be off to in such a hurry?" "James, if you want to stay in this place, that's your choice." "But we have a mission to complete." "Your mission, it's to defeat Darken Rahl, but..." "But what if Rahl defeats you?" "He'll get his hands on that book and enslave all the world." "Everyone's better off if the Book stays here where Rahl can never get it." "Sentimental tripe." "Tell me." "Did you create these alleged works of art?" "No, Lord Rahl." "The Amulet of Carod." "You must be an ally of the Wizard." "No doubt you've seen him recently." "And what is this?" "I'm ordering you as a Confessor, to get us out of here." "You don't have any power here, no magic." "We're all equals here." "Curious." "Everything I've been searching for in this wretched little town is depicted right here." "The Seeker, the Mother Confessor, and the library." "If I was the sort of person who believed in myths and fairy tales," "I might suspect that this was an enchanted painting." "It's as you said, my Lord." "It's sentimental tripe." "It's worthless." "Well, then, you won't mind if I do us all the favor of destroying it." "My Lord, don't." "If you burn that painting, you destroy The Book of Counted Shadows." "You've been a good friend ever since my husband died and I'm grateful." "But we can't stay here." "Why would you want to go back?" "There are D'Harans out there." "Maybe the same ones that killed your husband." "Everything you love is in this place." "Your son, your books..." "And what about the Seeker and his friends?" "You can't keep them here." "Aidan needs people around him who will be a good influence." "Without a father, he needs someone to teach him right from wrong." "Can you imagine a better teacher for him than the Seeker?" "You're right." "The boy needs guidance and maybe I could give it to him but not here." "The two of you..." "I..." "I heard what you said in my workshop." "I saw how you looked at each other." "Both of you wanted to come here." "Not as your prisoners." "But in the real world, magic is your prison." "It's what keeps people apart." "Those are your words." "Out there, your love would destroy him, but here, you can be together." "If The Book of Counted Shadows is in this painting, then you've won." "Have I?" "The Seeker could be learning the Book's secrets even as we speak." "But if he's imprisoned in there, he can never again be a threat to you." "Enough." "What?" "What are you gonna do, run me through?" "If you kill me, you'll still be here." "In time, all of you will learn to accept it." "This really is a better place for all of us." "May I suggest we take the painting to your sorcerers." "In time, they may find a way to extract the Book." "Perhaps." "But what of the Seeker?" "If his magic is the only kind that works here, we need to find a way to re-create it." "James learned this magic by reading in the library." "If we could find the books we might be able to do the same." "James said it could only be mastered by a painter like him." "So without talent it might not work at all." "We have to try." "I could use some help finding those books." "This doesn't make sense." "What does he hope to accomplish by keeping us here?" "I don't think it was ever about us." "James I know you think that keeping us here is going to get you what you want but it's not going to work." "All I want is to keep everyone safe." "I don't need any magic to know that it's more than that." "You may have noticed how Richard and I look at each other but I see how you look at Livia." "I've admired her for so long." "After her husband died, I..." "I thought I'd..." "I'd have a chance, but she never pays attention to me." "That's why I'm so glad that you're here." "Confessors know about these things, you..." "You can explain to Livia, convince her that I'm a good person." "I know how difficult it can be sharing your feelings with the one you love." "What if she doesn't feel the same way you do?" "Of course she doesn't feel the same way." "She barely knows me." "So you thought if she was forced to spend some time with you, she'd get to know you, see who you really are, and fall in love with you?" "Why couldn't she love me?" "I may not be a hero like the Seeker, or some great scholar like her husband, but I'm an artist." "I've got so much to give." "I can protect her, be a father to her son." "You have to give Livia a chance to know you outside this world." "As beautiful as it is it's not real." "Since the Seeker's returned, he has brought me nothing but misery and despair." "Time and again he has denied me victory." "No, Egremont." "It ends here." "What of the Book and its secrets?" "Killing the Seeker is more important than any book, no matter what secrets it may hold." "You can't!" "What's happening?" "My beautiful painting." "Someone's trying to destroy it." "Why would someone do this?" "They're destroying paradise!" "You can always make another painting, you can't give people their lives back." "You said you wanted to protect Livia." "If you love her, you can't let her die." "James!" "I can't paint six people before the fire gets here." "But you can paint the library back to where it belongs." "Along with everyone inside." "Get your easel." "Let's go!" "You'd better hurry." "What about you?" "There isn't time." "Richard." " What?" " We have to go." "Get to the library." "Faster!" "I believe congratulations are in order, my Lord." "Send the men to the library." "Now!" "Follow me." "He did it." "James saved us." "We should get moving." "The D'Harans will be headed this way." "I've masked our trail." "They're not following." "You can't stay in Briamont." "It isn't safe for anyone who's helped the Seeker." "Where will we go?" "Bishop's Landing is two days' walk." "The resistance will help you resettle." "I can take you." "Mom, you can't leave." "What about Dad's work, your books?" "I found the one that matters." "And as long as I have you, I'll be all right." "I think you'll be needing this." "I can't thank you enough." "You may have helped bring this war to an end." "In his heart, James was a good person." "Please try to make sure his sacrifice wasn't for nothing." "Don't worry." "It's only me." "A little light reading?" "Not how I'd describe it." "Something on your mind?" "I was just thinking about James the world he created." "It would have been nice to visit now and then." "I know what you mean." "I'll let you get back to your book." " This can't be right." " What is it?" "It says there's only one way I can defeat Rahl." ""To vanquish the master of all, the Seeker must wield the power of Orden. "" "Orden?" "To do that, we'd have to get the boxes back, reassemble them." "The last time we did that..." "I almost became as evil as Rahl himself."