"Richard Cypher, you are the true Seeker." "Welcome to the Palace of the Prophets." "It's beautiful." "I searched for you for 24 years, Richard." "To bring you here, to my home, to be trained as a Wizard." "So often I thought this day would never come." "Well, at least we arrived before you turned me completely gray." "Another headache?" "Once you're inside the palace walls, the pain will go away." "How?" "The Palace is spelled to carry the burden that young Wizards can't yet carry themselves." "The quicker I learn to handle it on my own, the quicker I can get back to my quest, and my friends." "Verna." "Welcome home." "And you must be Richard." "Richard, this is Annalina Aldurren, the Prelate, our spiritual leader." "We have waited so long to meet you." " Welcome to the Palace of the Prophets." " Thank you." "We'll speak later." "After Devotions, yes?" "Into the warmth of the Creator's light, please rise." "Sister Brenna?" "Sister Brenna's weak heart finally gave out." "But the radiant look of peace on her face can only mean she is with the Creator now." "Thank you, Sister Nicci." "Could you please prepare the funeral pyre?" "Yes, Prelate." "Prelate, may I leave Sister Brenna's Hymn Book with her?" "She loved it so." "Of course, Sister Ulicia." "This rash, I've seen it before." "It's caused by a deadly poison from a rare vine called creeping elder." "Sister, please excuse us." "I should have known better than to try and keep the Seeker of Truth in the dark." "I think Sister Brenna took her own life." "Perhaps with that poison you mentioned." "Why would she do such a thing?" "Many months ago, I sent Sister Brenna on a service mission." "When she returned, she said that during her time away, she had become troubled in her heart." "She had witnessed fear, sickness, famine." ""Starving children can't survive in the Creator's light, Prelate."" "That's what she told me." "I was afraid she might do something like this." "Then why did you tell everyone her heart gave out?" "The Sisters of the Light believe suicide is an offense to the Creator." "I didn't want to dishonor her in front of the others." "How can you be sure someone didn't poison her?" "Richard, you heard what the Prelate said." "Brenna wasn't well." "Why would she kill herself during Devotions?" "As opposed to what?" "Killing herself during teatime?" "You've both had such a long journey." "Verna, why don't you show Richard to his quarters." "Your Wizard training can begin in the morning." "Has a sister ever taken her life at the Palace before?" "Verna Sauventreen." "Sister Philomena." "Welcome back." "Welcome back." "And you must be our new Wizard." "How terribly exciting." " I'm not really a Wizard, I'm..." "Whoa!" "Oh, forgive me." "I saw you put your hands up and I thought you were going to blast me with Wizard's fire." "Are you all right?" "We have so much to catch up on." "Trust no one." "Meet me tonight when moonbeams light the sanctuary." "It was good to see you." "Richard." "How unfortunate that just as you return from one mission in the New World," "I'm setting off on another." "So many poor souls in need of the Creator's light, you know?" "A sister's work is never done." "Speaking of a sister's work, I need to see Richard to his room." "Young Wizard, may the Creator's light illuminate your path." "The Prelate's probably sending her on a mission just to get rid of her." "Your room." "I'll be back in the morning to begin your training." "Good." "The sooner we start, the sooner I can get out of here and get back to the New World." "Something wrong?" " I miss Richard." " Why?" "Because I love him." "And I'm not used to being apart from him." "It's not necessary to feel pain over his absence." "Don't you feel anything?" "Mord-Sith believe emotions must be governed." "Sadness, remorse, love." "These feelings make you weak." "But anger, loyalty, pride, these feelings make you powerful." "I can teach you how to control your emotions, if you like." "I'm not sure love makes a person weak, Cara." "Then why are you sitting on the ground, weeping over a sword?" "Thank you for your advice, but I think I'll be all right." "I hope Zedd is all right." "Zedd can handle himself." "I'm sure he'll be back soon." "Can I help you with something, Zeddicus?" "You know exactly why I've come." "Yes." "Because you realized that Richard Cypher will fail in his quest and someone very wise told you that if you do not name a new Seeker, the world will perish, which, in your blindness and your pride," "you chose to ignore." "Are you just interested in gloating or do you have a candidate in mind?" "As a matter of fact, I do." "Remember, not just anyone can be the Seeker." "He must be courageous, strong, compassionate." "And above all, relentless in the pursuit of truth." "Fortunately, I have glimpsed just such a man in my vision." "Come." "Let me show him to you." "Shota, if this turns out to be one of you tricks, it'll be your last." "No tricks." "A new Seeker is our only hope." "There he is." "Who are you?" "I am Sister Nicci." " I saw you today with the Prelate." " Yes." "She considers me one of her closest advisers." "Why did you ask me here?" "To tell you a secret that could get me killed." "But you must know the truth." "What truth?" "How old do you think I am?" "By the reckoning of the world outside the Palace of the Prophets," "I am nearly 300 years old." "How is that possible?" "The Palace is spelled." "For every day that passes here, ten days pass in the outside world." "If that's true, then if I'm here a month, almost a year will go by for my friends." "Yes." "And if your Wizard training takes only a year..." "Ten years will pass on the outside?" "And by that time, your friends could be dead." "Your quest could be meaningless." "The Keeper could have already destroyed all life." "Why didn't anyone tell me this?" "The Prelate believed you wouldn't stay if you found out." "So she ordered the sisters not to speak of it." "But you're telling me." "Why?" "Because I don't believe it's right to keep you from pursuing your quest by perpetrating a lie." "Are the headaches a lie too?" "No, I'm afraid those are real." "What are you doing?" "Showing you your han." "The essence of your magic." "Sisters of the Light have the ability to sense it." "Your han is the strongest I've ever felt." "It's what's been causing your pain." "And it's also why the Prelate is so intent on keeping you here." " Because I'd die otherwise?" " That's only part of it." "What she really wants is to train the most powerful Wizard in 3,000 years to be her disciple, to fight her enemies." " You mean the Keeper?" " No." "The Prelate wants to stop you from pursuing your quest." "Why?" "Prophecy." "It is written." ""In the time of the tearing of the veil, should the son of Brennidon seek the sacred stone, he will find it," ""only to deliver it to the enemy of light."" "The Prelate believes that the enemy of the light is the Keeper and that this Prophecy means you'll fail in your quest to defeat him." " You don't agree." " Some of us believe it's a pretense for holding you here, and that the beloved leader of our order has become a zealot." "Sister Brenna thought so." "She argued that we should tell you the truth." "But she never got the chance." "You believe the Prelate killed her?" "Creeping elder kills quickly." "The Prelate greeted me at the back of this room." "She didn't get close enough to Brenna to deliver the poison." "All I know is that Sister Brenna spoke out against the Prelate and now Brenna is dead." "I have to get out of here." "Is there a way to do that without the han killing me?" "If you wore a rada'han, it would suppress your powers and, in turn, your headaches." " Do you have one?" " No." "But the Prelate does." "She keeps it locked up." "It may take me a few days before I have the chance," " but I'll try to bring it for you." " A few days is a month on the outside." "I'll get it as soon as I can." "Until then, please, don't let anyone know we've spoken." "It could get me killed." "Why did you lie to me?" "I want the truth." "Come with me." ""In the time of the tearing of the veil, should the son of Brennidon seek the sacred stone, he will find it," ""only to deliver it to the enemy of the light."" "The Creator herself gives us these prophecies to guide our actions." "Did the Creator herself tell you to lie to me?" "No." "No, that was my idea." "While I was looking for you in the New World," "I learned a lot about you, including how devoted you were to Kahlan and your grandfather." "So I sent word in a Journey Book, suggesting the Prelate hide the truth about the time difference." "Why?" "Because you have a greater destiny, Richard." "I believe people make their own destinies." "Sometimes they are written for us." "Our scholars interpreted this Prophecy to mean that you would be born in Brennidon." "And you were." "They said that this Prophecy meant that you would defeat an evil tyrant, and you did." "And now they say that this Prophecy means that if you continue searching for the Stone of Tears, you will find it, but you will give it to the Keeper." "I would never do that." "And finally, the last and most important Prophecy." "Our scholars have interpreted this to mean that a descendant of two powerful bloodlines must fight a powerful new force after the Keeper is defeated." "That descendant is you." "Even if that's true, that battle will never happen if I don't defeat the Keeper first." "You must leave that quest to a new Seeker and prepare for your next challenge." "I'm not going to let my life be ruled by someone's interpretations of some carvings on a wall." "Because of these carvings," "I gave up half my life just to bring you here." "And if I stay, I'm giving up the love of my life." "The harder you study, the faster you'll learn to use your power and the sooner you'll get back to those you love." "What do we do with horse thieves?" "I'm not a horse thief, I'm a blacksmith." "This is the man we've spent the last month crossing three rivers, two mountain ranges, and the great swamp of Mathragon to find." "This is the man I saw in Shota's vision." "Then why was he skulking around our horses?" "I was going to the stream to get some water for my forge when I noticed one of your horses was favoring a leg." "Look, if you don't get that pebble out of her hoof, she'll go lame." " He's telling the truth." "Of course he's telling the truth." "He's the next Seeker of Truth." "So it's true then." "You knew you'd be the Seeker?" "There's been a legend in my family for generations that someday one of our line would be named." "My mother was always sure it'd be me." " Did Richard Cypher die?" " No, he's alive." "He just had to take a long journey." "We're not sure when he'll come back." "This is The Book of Counted Shadows." "Only a true Seeker can read it." ""The truth of the words of The Book of Counted Shadows can only be insured by a Confessor."" "Sorry about your neck." "Leo Dane, though the road will be long and the outcome unknown, will you undertake this journey?" "I will." "Will you leave behind your friends and all that you have known?" "I will." "And though the forces of evil are sworn to bring about your death, still you will go on?" "I will." "And will you accept the name of the Seeker?" "I will." "Then I, First Wizard Zeddicus Zu'I Zorander, so name you!" "Only in the hands of the Seeker will the compass guide the way to the Stone of Tears." "We head south." "Can I give you a hand?" "You'll soon learn that it's we who are here to help you," "Seeker." "Trying to show chivalry to a Mord-Sith is like trying to dance with a bear." "It's never gonna work, and someone will get their head bitten off." "Something is spooking her." "Hey, easy, easy." "Easy." "Banelings." "Who are these people?" "And why did they attack us?" "They're Banelings." "Dead souls who bargain with the Keeper for a second life in exchange for killing others." "How do we make sure they don't come back from the dead a second time?" "We burn them." "I told you you were going to need our help." "The Grace represents the whole of everything." "Separating the world of life from the Underworld is the veil." "Which has been torn." "And while the Keeper is threatening to destroy all life, here I am drawing shapes with sand." "We've been at this for three days." "I thought you were gonna teach me" " how to use my powers." " Patience." "The Grace is the foundation of everything you need to know." "What exactly are you trying to teach me?" "How to be a Wizard?" "Or how to be the Prelate's disciple?" "Your stubborn resistance is only gonna make this take longer." "Excuse the interruption, but I was asked to bring Richard his lunch." "Thank you, Sister Nicci." "Yes, thank you, Sister Nicci." "Shall we continue?" "How can I ever thank you?" "You must hurry." "It's only a matter of time before the Prelate discovers it's missing." "Leave through the vestibule at the west end of the Palace." "It's rarely used and far from the sister's quarters." "Will you be all right?" "We'll all be better off once you're back on your quest." "Now, go." "You're not going anywhere." "How did you get the rada'han?" "I'm the Seeker." "I find things." "The only way you could have known I even had a rada'han is if one of the sisters told you." "How did you find me?" "I'm 600 years old, Richard." "Not much gets past me." "I discovered the rada'han was missing and I told the Prelate right away." "I erected a magical barrier over every exit in the Palace." "So now I'm your prisoner?" "You've read the Prophecy for yourself." "You've seen it with your own eyes." "I must have missed the part that said:" ""Richard Cypher will be held at the Palace of the Prophets against his will."" "Richard, I want to show you the ugly truth about whichever sister is helping you." "What are you talking about?" "Each candle represents one sister in the Palace." "As the soul seeks the dark, so does the flame." "The green flames represent the Sisters of the Dark, who secretly serve the Keeper." "One of them is obviously pretending to be your friend." "Why would these Sisters of the Dark do that?" "Because they want you to leave the Palace, find the Stone of Tears and deliver it to the Keeper, just as the Prophecy says you will." "Nicci?" "Yes, Prelate?" "Please see Richard to his room." "Make sure he doesn't get any uninvited guests." "Whose side are you on?" "I tried to help you." "So I can get back on my quest, find the sacred stone and give it to the enemy of the light?" "Are the Prelate's powers of persuasion so compelling that even the Seeker of Truth will succumb to her manipulations?" "How do I know she's the one manipulating me?" "All she had to do was turn one word from light to dark and claim there's a conspiracy against her." "And you believed her?" "And you stopped believing in yourself." "I believe in myself, Nicci, it's you I'm not sure about." "I risked my life for you." " Where are you going?" " If the Prelate is going to accuse anyone who disagrees with her of serving the Keeper, then it's far more dangerous than I thought." "Who will she accuse next?" "The cook because the roast was burnt?" "Or the groundskeeper because he trimmed the hedges too low?" "If I stay here, I will end up like Sister Brenna." "Is there another way to get out?" " There might be." " Tell me." "Aside from being able to sense someone's han, the Sisters of Light can also take it." "Take it how?" "We can kill someone with the Dacra and use it to absorb their han." "Or accept the gift from someone who chooses to relinquish it willingly." " Why didn't you tell me this before?" " Because the rada'han was a safer way." "Taking someone's han could kill me." "It could also make you very powerful." "Yes." "Powerful enough to break through the Prelate's barriers and help you escape." "How do I know this wasn't your plan all along?" "Slowly gain my trust and then steal my power?" "I told you." "If I wanted your power, I could just kill you and take it." "I have to go before they catch me talking to you." "The choice is yours." "Trust me and escape, or stay here until they decide to let you out." "Sister Philomena sent word by Journey Book." "She's crossed to the New World and already on the new Seeker's trail." "He'll be dead before he's gripped the Sword of Truth long enough to warm its hilt." "Very good, Ulicia." "And Richard?" "It's only a matter of time before he's begging me to take his power." "And once I have it," "I'll free him from the Palace and return him to his quest of failure." "And the Sisters of the Light?" "I'll kill the Prelate." "The rest of the sisters will be given a choice." "Convert to the dark and serve the Keeper or die." "Although there is a small problem." "I've felt the strength of Richard's han." "It's far greater than I anticipated." "If I try to absorb it, the power may overwhelm me." "You should increase your strength before you take his." "Kill another sister, take her han." "Sisters of the Dark think alike, Ulicia." "I'll take over your watch, so you can get some sleep." "I'm not tired." "Well, considering how easy it was for me to sneak up on you just now, obviously you need some rest." "It would be impossible for you to sneak up on me." "So, Cara." "Yes, Leo?" "Do you like animals?" "Ones that taste good." "I meant, do you like pets?" "I once had a dog." "I like dogs." "I trained it to attack on command." "I could see how that could be useful." "Could you train a chipmunk?" "What are you talking about?" "To obey your orders." "Attack people." "It's probably too hard, right?" "Ah..." "The mighty chipmunk." "It's fearless, cunning, stalwart." "And sworn enemy of the Mord-Sith." "Not even the touch of the Agiel can break its tiny but heroic heart." "So you do have a sense of humor." " You were right." " What about?" "If I'm laughing at your ridiculous jokes, I must be tired." "I should get some sleep." "Sleep well." "And don't worry, I'll protect you from the chipmunks." "I've never heard you laugh before." "Aren't you supposed to be asleep?" "Well, I'm glad to see you at Devotions." "Having the Creator on your side certainly can't hurt when it comes to learning to use your gift." "In time, I'm confident you'll learn to appreciate the Palace of the Prophets as much as I do." "Maybe so." "It is customary to kiss the star before opening it." "Ready for your lesson?" "The lessons are over." "A Sister of the Dark has agreed to absorb my han, use the power to blast through the Prelate's barrier and set me free." "Is this a joke?" "Oh, I'm very serious." "Who's helping you?" "All I can say is that once this is done, the person I'm leaving behind will be very powerful." "She'll probably kill all the Sisters of the Light." "How kind of you to warn me." "But I'm afraid I can't let you do this." "Looking for this?" "The choice is yours." "Help me with what I need to do to prevent this woman from killing everyone, or stay here gagged and tied up while I escape anyway." "Either way, I'm getting free." "In one instance, the sisters will be safe." "In the other, they will probably be slaughtered." "I've gotten to know you, Richard." "You would never leave innocent women at the mercy of a monster." "I'd hardly call the Sisters of the Light innocent women." "You've lied to me, held me captive, and separated me from the people I love most in the world." "But worst of all, you've used your piety as an excuse to take away my freedom." "Everything I've done, I've done with the best intentions." "I don't need training to tell you Wizard's Second Rule:" "The greatest harm can result from the best intentions." "Is the air putting up much of a fight?" "Well, I could use a sparring partner." "Mord-Siths don't spar." "When we fight, we fight to inflict pain." "Someone just tried to kill you." "Who are you and why are you trying to kill me?" "I'm not telling you anything." "Feeling a little shy today." "I can help you find your courage." "What's going on here?" "This woman just tried to kill Leo." "Perhaps you can compel her to explain why." "No." "Can you bring her back with the Breath of Life?" "No." "She severed her windpipe." "Why would a Sister of the Light want to kill Leo?" "Something must be terribly wrong within their order." "Richard is with them." "He could be in danger." " I have to find him." "I'll go with you." "But what about the Stone of Tears?" "He's right." "We shouldn't all go." "I'll stay with Leo." "You try to pick up Richard's trail." "Are you sure you wanna do this?" "Yes." "Place your palms on mine, close your eyes, and surrender yourself to me." "Say the words with me." "Now, the sisters won't be able to follow you." "All that power." "Useless." "Richard, help me." "You are a Sister of the Dark, Nicci." " And so is Ulicia." " That's not true." "At first, I wasn't sure." "But then I realized, you're the one that passes out the Hymn Books." "You killed Sister Brenna by rubbing creeping elder on hers." "She was poisoned when she kissed it." "Why would I kill Brenna?" " To make me suspicious of the Prelate." " That's absurd." "Ulicia put the Hymn Book with the body so the poison wouldn't be discovered." "She also alerted the Prelate that the rada'han was missing, so I'd be captured." "If we wanted you out of the Palace, why would we want you captured?" "Because you needed me to believe that the only way out was to let you take my powers." "Get him." "Your han isn't as strong as the woman who put up this barrier." " You can't take it down so easily." " Richard, don't go." "Don't you see?" "You'll only be serving the Keeper." "I don't believe in prophecies." "You're a lost soul if you have nothing to believe in, Richard." "I believe in myself, and the people I love." "Well, it's only a matter of time before he finds the stone and gives it to the Keeper." "Just like the Prophecy says." "I wouldn't underestimate him if I were you." "He's full of surprises." "Sister, what's happening?" "A new Prophecy?" "That hasn't happened in a thousand years." ""As long as the Mother Confessor's pure heart beats, the Keeper is doomed to fail."" "Lesson number 88, Seeker." "Growling bellies make for unhappy traveling companions." "You wanna stop and eat?" " Kahlan." "Cara." "What are you two doing here?" " We were heading south, but then the compass suddenly changed direction." "And it led us here." "If the compass led you to us and we're traveling towards Richard, then..." "Then the compass must be guiding us all back to him."