"A tear in the veil that separates the Underworld from the world of the living." "HappenedwhenIkilledRahl ." "Only way to close the rift is the way the Creator sealed the Underworld." "The Stone of Tears." "We'll find it." "He is a True Listener." "Can see what people are thinking?" "An ancient scroll instructs the bearer of the Stone of Tears how to use it." "Kahlan, she has the scroll!" "If you do as I ask," "I will hand you the scroll personally." "Suddenly you want to defeat the Keeper?" "I want to live again." "I think you'll find it interesting reading." "I know I did." "The instructions inscribed will only appear in the glow cast by a Night Wisp." "Well, I guess we know which way we're headed." "So does Rahl." "Richard Cypher, you are the true Seeker." "Why do you run from me, Darken Rahl?" "Not from you, master." "For you." "You belong in the Underworld at my side." "Master, I only returned to the land of the living to learn something of the greatest importance." "Something that will help us defeat the Seeker." "And what is it that you learned?" "The Scroll of Valdaire, now in the Seeker's possession, can only be read by the light of a Night Wisp." "This is why I have remained." "To destroy the creatures." "Once I've eradicated all the Night Wisps," "Richard Cypher will have no means of reading the scroll." "And without the knowledge contained within it, even if he should find the Stone of Tears, he will not be able to use it to seal the tear in the veil." "The land of the living will be destroyed and your victory will be complete." "Very well, Darken Rahl, but as soon as the Night Wisps are annihilated, you will kill yourself and return to me." "As you wish, master." "If you do not, I will know you have betrayed me." "You will be hunted down and ripped from the world of life to suffer eternal torment in the depths of the Underworld." "A nightmare, My Lord?" "No." "A warning." "It's still hours till first light." "Perhaps you could sleep better if" "I eased your mind." "We've already wasted enough time." "Where are we going, My Lord?" "Not "we."" "If my plan goes as anticipated," "I need you to perform another task." "Tell me your name, so I can have it carved on your headstone." "I am your master, Darken Rahl." "And the time for games is over." "Darken Rahl is dead." "He was killed by the Seeker months ago." "It's not my death you should be concerned about." "Gather the rest of your squad." "I have a mission for you." "You know, we've been traveling for two days without rest or food." "I don't know how much longer Zedd can keep this up." "My ears work better than my legs." "I appreciate your concern, but I'll be fine." "We're almost there." "The Forest of the Night Wisps is just beyond that next rise." "It's snow." "It's not snow." "It's ash." "Kahlan!" "The Night Wisps." "They're all dead." "Maybe some of them escaped." "Even if they did, where would they go?" "Kahlan, if there's another Night Wisp alive in the world, we'll find it." "Good thing we don't have anything else to do, like find the Stone of Tears." "Without the scroll, we won't know what to do with the Stone." "It'll be useless." "Shh." "Quiet." "Did you hear that?" "One must have survived." "Careful." "Don't scare it off." "Are you looking for this?" "Give me the Scroll of Valdaire... or the last Night Wisp dies." "I wonder if you can throw a Wizard's web faster than I can crush my little friend here." "They're very delicate, you know." "Zedd." "What do you want with the scroll?" "The same as you, dear brother." "To save the world." "I've already betrayed the Keeper to do so." "He expected me to annihilate every last Night Wisp and then return to the Underworld." "But I have no intention of going back." "I'm going to join your little quest and when you find the Stone of Tears, you will give it to me, and I will follow the instructions on the scroll and heal the rift." "So you can be hailed as the world's savior." "Yes." "The Keeper is impatient." "He wants the world of life snuffed out, and quickly." "Which is why you must give me the scroll now so I can prevent that from happening." "Don't you realize you've already doomed the world by destroying the Night Wisps?" "Do you really think I'm so short-sighted?" "The Night Wisps are the most vital link in the chain of life." "Their demise would bring about a cascade of extinction that would eventually result in the death of everything that lives and breathes." "Which is why I saved this particular Wisp." "It's with young." "It can give birth and life can go on, if you honor my simple request, and give me the scroll." "Let him crush it." "We'll find another one." "That's my Mord-Sith." "No sentimental attachment." "But if I know my brother, he's not willing to risk the fate of the world on such a slim chance." "What do you say?" "Since we're on the same side now, we may as well be partners." "How do I know you won't kill the Night Wisp as soon as I hand you the scroll?" "Well, you can be certain that I will kill it if you do not." "She's awfully quiet." "Now, it seems that I am the only living soul who knows what to do with the Stone of Tears." "No!" "Now, is that any way to treat the newest member of your merry band?" "Relax, brother." "I have the knowledge, you have the compass." "Together let's save the world." "Now, let's find that Stone." "The Night Wisps only give birth in the grottoes of the northern foothills." "If I don't take her there, she and her babies will die." "You'll have to go through Gar territory." "Cara, go with her." "The compass is taking us northeast." "We'll travel together as far as Elmswood Pass." "Then you and Kahlan will take the Night Wisp to the grottoes." "We'll continue on our search for the Stone." "Bind him." "I want the "newest member of our merry band" on a short leash." "What if the Prophecy is coming true?" "What do you mean?" ""Should the son of Brennidon seek the sacred stone, he will find it, only to deliver it to the enemy of the light."" "What if Rahl is the enemy of the light?" "I'm not going to give him the Stone." "Then how?" "I have an idea." "I can't help but notice the Wizard has disappeared." "How disappointing." "I was looking forward to enjoying his renowned wit." "Well, you'll have to settle for mine." "I know it must be very frustrating for you, brother." "I wonder how you're planning to do it." "Do what?" "Learn the instructions on the scroll." "Let's see, if I were you, what would I do?" "Well, you can't confess me, you know my soul is immune to Confession, and if you thought Cara could break me, you would have had her torture me by now." "Oh, wait, I just thought of something." "Perhaps you sent the Wizard to get a Listener to read my thoughts." "We're here." "This is Elmswood Pass." "I guess this is where we say goodbye." "Can we speed this up?" "She loves you, you love her," "I should protect her as if she were you." "Have I missed anything?" "We could be halfway there by the time you two finish your goodbyes." "We'll catch up once the Night Wisp is safe." "Be careful." "You too." "It must be difficult being so close to the Confessor, but unable to bed her." "No wonder you invited Cara along on your little quest." "The Mord-Sith have a long history of serving the House of Rahl in every way." "And as I recall," "Cara was always so eager to please." "Careful, brother." "You wouldn't want to do anything that may cause me to lose my memory." "You're right." "Keeper, hear our prayer." "We live only to serve you." "For it is you who will take us" "Sister Marianna." "Keeper... you've heard our prayers." "The prayers of foolish girls do not concern me." "Master, why are you angry?" "We are your loyal servants." "My most loyal servant of all, Darken Rahl, has betrayed me." "How can that be?" "He was to destroy the Night Wisps, then kill himself and return to the Underworld." "I've received the souls of thousands of Night Wisps, but Rahl's soul did not follow." "What do you ask of us?" "Find him wherever he is and send him back to me." "How I have missed the simple pleasures of life." "Enjoy them while you can." "Someday, whether it's in a week or 50 years, you'll be dead again and you'll have to face the Keeper's wrath." "Oh, you're mistaken." "When the veil is repaired and the natural order of the Underworld restored," "I will bask in the Creator's light along with you and the Mother Confessor." "You've killed countless innocent people." "How could you possibly believe the Creator is going to reward you?" "When I seal the rift, not only will I be protecting those alive today," "I'll be ensuring the lives of future generations." "Surely, such a noble act will tip the scale of deeds in my favor." "The only reason you want to save the world is to save yourself." "Well, you've had quite a run at being the hero." "Isn't it time you shared the glory with someone else?" "I told you I'm on your side." "I always knew we'd make a great team, brother." "Welcome, Wizard." "What brings you to Thandor?" "I've come to see an old friend." "Zedd!" "Look how big you've grown in just a year." "You're almost as tall as I am." "No one's as tall as you." "What's this?" "The Sisters of the Light have you wearing a Rada'han now?" "Suppressing his ability to read minds gives him a chance at a normal childhood." "Renn's come a long way since you entrusted him to our care, Wizard." "I'm glad to hear it." "I would never ask to take him away from you unless it was a matter of great urgency." "You want him to help the Seeker." "Yes." "You know the Sisters of the Light believe the Seeker is prophesied to help the Keeper." "I can't allow Renn to go with you." "The Seeker saved me." "I want to help him if I can." "I think the boy's wishes are clear." "Very well." "I'll get the key to the Rada'han." "Where are we going?" "Renn, I need you to listen closely." "The Sisters aren't going to let me take you out of here without a fight." "I don't understand." "Sister Everleen" "She's coming back, but not with a key." "What do you want me to do?" "On my word, stay low." "Ready?" "Now!" "I'll take that key now." "I know how lonely it can be." "My sister and I are the last of our kind." "When we find the Stone of Tears, and the world is safe," "I'd love to have a baby, but for me it's complicated." "Yes, because my heart belongs to Richard." "If I were to take him as my mate, my magic would destroy him." "Well, when you put it like that," "I guess it would be easier to be a Night Wisp." "Can you please stop that incessant babbling?" "Night Wisps are the most fragile beings the Creator has ever made." "Without constant companionship they will perish." "So if you give me one moment of peace that thing's going to die?" "It might." "I don't even know if my talking to her is going to be enough." "She's so delicate." "Not only is she with young, but she's lost her entire family." "She would be a lot stronger if she had them to accompany her to the birthing ground." "How do you even know what it's saying?" "It'a magical language." "If you listen closely, eventually you'll understand it." "It's a bit ironic, isn't it?" "The man who killed me going to such lengths to keep me alive." "The cut isn't deep." "It'll heal." "Your brotherly affection is touching." "Who do you think you're fooling with this ruse?" "You're always so quick to think the worst of me, brother." "You had the man who raised me murdered." "And now you've nearly destroyed an entire race of creatures, all so you could get the glory for saving the world." "And you wonder why I think the worst?" "You're right, of course." "But I assure you, my sentiment was genuine." "It is nice being in the company of one's family." "Is that why you murdered your own father?" "You have no idea what it was like growing up in the House of Rahl." "For most people it is a joy to learn you're to have a sibling, but imagine how I felt when our father boasted to me that my own baby brother would be the one to kill me." "We were unable to kill him, master." "Darken Rahl is one man." "In the body he has now, he possesses no magic." "And yet you allowed him to slip through your fingers?" "Master, he was not alone." "The Seeker was with him." "The Seeker?" "If not for him, Darken Rahl would be groveling before you in the Underworld at this very moment." "This is quite unexpected." "And quite fortunate." "Master?" "Now that the brothers are together," "I can destroy them both." "We thought the Seeker was more valuable alive than dead." "Prophecy says he will deliver the Stone to the enemy of the light." "That "enemy of the light" could be his own brother," "Darken Rahl, whom I can no longer trust to do my will." "They can't have gotten far." "We'll leave immediately." "No." "You have already failed me once." "This task will require someone much more powerful than you." "A man of extraordinary strength, and with an uncommon disregard for life." "Faster, you dogs!" "Don't kill me." "As you wish." "We'll let him do it." "Who are you?" "Servants of the Keeper." "And what does the Keeper want with me?" "You've earned his favor with the thousands you've killed." "And now he has a task for you." "What is it?" "We've crossed into Gar territory." "Get your Agiels ready." "Why do Gars bother to feed on something so small?" "They absorb the Night Wisps' han." "It allows them to hunt in the dark." "Quick, in here." "It knows we're here." "You want this?" "I can't understand a single thing you're saying." "I'm sorry Kahlan's not here to talk to you, but she had to draw the Gars away, so would you please stop serenading every creature in the forest?" "Finally." "Let's keep moving." "What's wrong?" "The dacra's magic must have tainted my blood." "Zedd will be back soon." "He'll heal you." "How is that funny?" "Before our encounter in the Forest of the Night Wisps," "I knew you wouldn't be content to let the secrets of the scroll remain locked in my mind so I planned ahead." "What did you do?" "In case you sent your Wizard to find a Listener," "I ordered my Mord-Sith to track him." "Once Zedd's found a Listener," "Garen will kill them both." "Apparently, I've sealed my own fate, as well as the fate of the world." "Oh, Renn." "Enjoy youth while it lasts." "Before you know it, time sneaks up on you and you have aches in places you didn't even know you had places." "Do an old man a favor." "Pass me that long branch over there." "It'll make a nice walking stick." "I would think a Wizard of the First Order would know he can't use magic on a Mord-Sith." "I have no intention of using magic." "You're going to need more than a walking cane to defeat me, old man." "Well, Wisp, it's just you and me, and we have a long way to go, so... what do you want to talk about?" "Huh?" "Mm." "This would be so much easier if you used words instead of chirping." "I'll bet you wish Kahlan was here instead of me." "The truth is, you're lucky I'm here." "Kahlan couldn't have run all night and got you safely out of Gar territory like I did." "I'm faster than she is and I have more endurance." "I'm also better in a fight." "If it weren't for me, everyone on this quest would be Shadrin food by now." "I'm not boasting." "I'm simply" "Wait." "Did you just say I was boasting?" "I can understand you." "Say something else." "Kahlan is close?" "Where?" "Did you throw the Gars off our tracks?" "Yes, but I twisted my ankle." "Don't worry." "She'll live." "You can understand her." "It wasn't that hard, once it started speaking clearly." "Here, you take her." "Cara, her light is getting weaker." "We don't have much time." "With my ankle I won't be able to move fast enough." "It's up to you to get her to the birthing ground." "For years you faithfully served Darken Rahl as leader of the Dragon Corps." "Half the Midlands was conquered under my command." "And how did Rahl reward such fealty?" "He had me thrown into the Prison Mines of Mearog when he feared his men were growing more loyal to me than him." "You've suffered for so long, but now the Keeper offers you a chance to kill Darken Rahl and take the revenge that has eluded you." "And what does the Keeper ask in return?" "He wants you to sacrifice your arm... so that he can give you his." "But you must be willing to pay the price for such power." "Make me an instrument of the Keeper." "You're wrong." "They don't care for me, they only value me because..." "I'm effective." "Richard only keeps me because he needs me." "Kahlan puts up with me because of Richard." "And Zedd..." "Zedd would probably torch me with Wizard's Fire if he could." "That's absurd." "I'm not afraid of getting close to them." "I do not love them." "I don't." "I am not afraid to say it." "Mord-Sith are afraid of nothing." "Stop nagging." "You remind me of Kahlan." "All right." "I love Richard." "It's a Mord-Sith's duty to love the Lord Rahl." "What does it matter how I feel about Zedd and Kahlan?" "Fine." "I care for them too." "A little." "There." "I said it." "Are you happy now?" "Wisp?" "Wisp?" "What's wrong?" "What do you mean you're dying?" "You used all your strength to save your babies." "Hold on, Wisp, I'm going to get you to the birthing ground." "This is useless." "We will never find a healer in time." "Are you telling me the greatest tyrant the world has ever known is going to be done in by a scratch from a dacra?" "It's tragic, isn't it?" "Don't give up!" "I am not going to make it." "Then, before you die, tell me what was written on the scroll." "No." "You want to save the world?" "This is your chance." "When I die, the Keeper has assured me" "I will suffer eternal torment, but if I can tell him that I didn't reveal the scroll's secrets, perhaps I can escape that fate." "And what makes you think the Keeper will be merciful?" "Oh, a lifetime of service should forgive a momentary transgression." "Lifetime of service?" "What I'm about to tell you," "I have never revealed to a single living soul." "At a young age I reached the limits of my powers... but I wasn't satisfied." "I discovered an ancient volume which promised... to give me unlimited power, but at a terrible price." "What are you talking about?" "When you killed me, dear Richard, it was not the first time I died." "I followed the book's instructions," "I took my own life." "Once in the Underworld," "I communed with the Keeper and I made him an offer." "If he would grant me the power to rule the world, each day I would kill for him." "I would send him an endless supply of souls." "You were a baneling?" "The very first." "All the death and destruction you wrought was for the Keeper?" "Yes." "But he deceived me." "He only returned me to the land of the living because he knew one day you could use the power of Orden to kill me." "And my death would tear a hole in the veil between the two worlds." "It was all part of his plan." "But you have a chance to stop him." "Now." "I'll make sure that everyone knows how you died heroically." "That your last act was saving the world." "Just tell me what was on the scroll." "Richard..." "Behind you." "Rahl!" "You can't die!" "We made it." "Wisp?" "Wisp?" "I'm sorry I failed you." "The babies survived." "No!" "Come on!" "You have to hold on." "You have to fight!" "Richard." "Zedd, hurry, he's dying!" "You don't know how happy I am to see that you escaped death, Wizard." "I wish I could say the same for you." "It seems I will get to enjoy that wit after all." "And you must be the Listener." "You have to take the Stone of Tears to the Pillars of Creation, on the day of the summer solstice." "That's less than a fortnight from now." "If we don't make it there with the Stone by then, we'll have to wait another year." "By that time, the Keeper will have won." "Does he know what we have to do with the Stone once we get it there?" "You have to place it in the center of the Pillars." "The light of noonday sun will pass through the Stone and repair the tear in the veil." "Thank you, Renn." "I was going to tell you." "He might have." "His mind is so full of confusing thoughts," "I can't tell for sure." "Did you make it?" "I wish you could have been there." "It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen." "Now that we know what to do with the Stone, we don't need Rahl anymore." "We can't kill him." "He'll tell the Keeper where we're headed." "What do you have in mind?" "We take him with us." "He's not going like being our prisoner." "I won't give him a choice." "What about me?" "You don't think I should go back to Thandor..." "No, but Kahlan has a sister who loves children." "How do you feel about being an older brother?" "No!" "I'm sure I'll see you again, brother." "I'm sure you will."