"Richard Cypher, you are the true Seeker." "It's a good thing Mord-Sith are used to torture." "Because that's exactly what eating this stew will be." "Well, maybe Zedd and Kahlan will find some mushrooms." "It's gonna take more than mushrooms to save this." "We went to town for provisions, Gars attacked." " Where's Zedd?" " Trying to fight them off." "Zedd followed them in here." "Happy birthday." "We couldn't celebrate with that awful meal, now could we?" "Were you in on this too?" "I suggested we celebrate your birthday the Mord-Sith way." "I didn't think Mord-Sith celebrated birthdays." "We don't." "Richard, I'd like you to meet our generous host." "Duke Anders." "Thank you." "I hope you didn't go to too much trouble." "Not at all." "It's the least we could do for the Seeker on his birthday." "In years past, this was a day of remembrance for those slain in the massacre at Brennidon." "But when we learned you would be passing so close to Dunshire, we decided this day shouldn't be a time of mourning anymore." "From now on, it will be a day to honor the Seeker, and all he's done for the Midlands." "Yeah." "May I introduce my son, Erik." "Would you honor us by leading the first dance, Seeker?" "He'd love to." "Care to join them?" "I'd rather fight Gars." "Cormac is quite good." "He's a favorite among the locals." "It's my great pleasure to perform for our guest of honor, Richard Cypher." "Yeah." "And may I say what a pleasure it is to perform for the Wizard of the First Order, Zeddicus Zu'I Zorander." "Compared to your magic, all I have to offer are mere tricks." "But I hope you'll enjoy them all the same." "Appreataro!" "I'll need a volunteer." " You, my dear?" " I don't think so." "Cara, it's a party." "You're supposed to have fun." "I can only hope the Mord-Sith will not turn my magic against me." "Ha, ha." " Just get this over with." "I'll need another volunteer." "Perhaps the Mother Confessor." "Yeah." "All right." "Now, if you ladies could step into these boxes." "Appreataro!" "Seeker, would you like to see your friends again?" "I'm kind of enjoying the peace and quiet." " But if you must." "Very well." "But in order to bring them back," "I'll need assistance from certain members of the audience." "Will the following gentlemen please stand?" "Gareth J'Tan, Grayson Logren." "Henrik Katara, Malcolm Copatar and Erik Anders." "If you ever wish to see the Mother Confessor and Mord-Sith again, Seeker, you will kill these five cowards." " What did you say?" " They will not cheat death again." "Bring Kahlan and Cara back now." "If you kill me, you'll never find them." "And if these five men aren't dead within a day, your friends will be." "Oh, and Seeker, in case you think I've forgotten your birthday," "I have a gift for you." "Appreataro!" "Wherever we are, we aren't getting out this way." "Kahlan." "What does it say?" ""You have one day until the sands run out, and when they do, so does your air."" "You were right." "This party's lots of fun." "What is it?" "It's a journey book." ""For writing to your loved ones."" "I don't understand." "He wants us to write to Kahlan and Cara." "So we have proof they're still alive." "He knows Richard won't do what he wants if they're already dead." " It might be a trick." " There's one way to find out." "There's a message, it's from Richard." "He wants to know if we're all right." "Then we'd better write him back." "Your conjurer knows more than just parlor tricks." "Wandering dust." "Not something easy to come by." "It allows the user to magically transport things from one place to another." "But not more than a..." " A league." " My men are searching the area." "Why does Cormac want these five men dead?" "He lost five sons in the war against the D'Harans." "We all mourned his loss." "He was grief-stricken." "But I had no idea he was capable of something like this." "What does he have against the men on the list?" "None of us fought in the war." "But they weren't the only ones who didn't fight." "We have a lottery." "Every eligible man in Dunshire has a tile with his name on it." "Each year in the town square, the men put their tiles into a caldron, and, blindfolded, I choose the tiles of those who will serve in our army." "Everyone has the same chance to be called for service." "I wanted to fight, but my name was never chosen." "We couldn't allow all of our sons to fight." "They might all be killed, much like in Brennidon." "Some men had to survive to ensure the province would survive." "Ours is a fair system." "Cormac doesn't seem to agree." "And he made sure everyone in Dunshire knows it." "He's quite the showman." "You can't give in to this madman, Seeker." " You can't kill us." " I'm not killing anyone." "Richard." "There's a message." ""We're trapped in a tomb with only a day's worth of air." "Get us out of here so I can strangle that old magician with his own entrails."" "That's definitely Cara." "Are there any tombs within a league of here?" "At the necropolis." " Where does Cormac live?" " In a cottage at the edge of the woods." "Go to his house, take some men." "See if there's anything that can help us find Kahlan and Cara." "We're going to the necropolis." "Spread out." "Search as many tombs as you can." "There must be thousands of them." "The necropolis has been here for centuries." "Hundreds more tombs were added over the course of the long D'Haran war." "We'll do what we can, Seeker." "But I'm not sure we can find one tomb among so many before the sands run out." "There's another message from Richard." "He wants us to look for anything that'll help him identify this particular tomb." "An engraving or an inscription." "I'll take this side." " Any luck?" " Rankin's men are searching the tombs." "But it's gonna take more time than we have." "I was hoping you'd found something." "Only the pieces of a shattered life." "The table is still set for five sons who will never return." "This man lost everything." "Except his grief." "Medals of valor." "The highest honor we have." "Awarded to those who died saving others." "These are their lottery tiles." "What is it?" "Could I see your tile?" " They're the same weight." " Why shouldn't they be?" "I held Erik's tile in my hand." "His was heavier." "There's only one reason to make some tiles weigh more than the others." "To know which ones not to pick." "The lottery was rigged." "That's how the same five men were never chosen." "Fortune didn't smile upon them." "The duke did." "I served Duke Anders faithfully all these years." "Risked death every day in the war against Darken Rahl." "I saw men spill rivers of blood to keep these lands safe." "All while those privileged brats let others fight and die in their place?" "If killing a few cowards will save the life of the Mother Confessor, you should run them through." "I understand your anger, but I'm not giving in to Cormac." "If we run out of time, you may not have a choice." " Have you found anything?" " Nothing." "No marks, no engravings." "Not even any bones, it's..." "It's all just rock." "We better tell Richard we couldn't find anything." ""We can't find anything in the tomb."" "Well, of course you can't." "But there's no need for the Seeker to know that." "Kahlan and Cara have found something." "It's an engraving." "Looks like a family crest." "But they haven't used those since the third era." "One of the older tombs." "There's a registry of those tombs in the archives." "If we can find this symbol, we can find Kahlan and Cara." "This is it." "This crypt is spelled." " Can you open it?" " I can try, but it won't be easy." "Careful, Richard." "It could be a trap." "Kahlan." "Cara." "It's just a dead body." "Could there be another with these markings?" "There was only one in the registry." "Could one be overlooked?" " It's possible." "These tombs have been here thousands of years." "The markings washed away?" "Have your men focus their search on tombs in this area." "Richard, wait." "It's too dark to track it." "I just wish I knew what it was." "I think I do." "This has remnants of dark sorcery." " The creature is called a Nygaax." " A Nygaax?" "According to legend, in ancient times, those desperate for revenge would pay a sorcerer to wrap a living person in bandages infected with long-forgotten magic." "Creating a creature that would carry out its master's blood lust." "The Nygaax is vengeance incarnate." "I've heard stories of a Nygaax that terrorized this area." "I thought they were just told to scare children." "What stories?" "Long ago, a feud broke out between Dunshire's two most prominent families." "The head of one family employed a sorcerer to create a Nygaax that massacred the other family." "The Nygaax claimed its victims one by one, and laid them at its master's feet." "The way the story goes, the carnage stopped only when a wizard sealed the creature in a crypt." "Cormac knew you were too honorable to kill those men, so he tricked us into releasing it." " How do we stop it?" "It can't be stopped." "Only controlled by a magical amulet, which Cormac must have." "And he'll order it to go after those men on the list." "We have to get to those men before the Nygaax does." "I have a task for you." "This is pointless." " We've been at it for hours." " We can't just sit here and do nothing." "We'll have run out of air long before we dig our way out of here." "It's not helping that those torches are burning air faster than we are." "Then we'll have to find a way to snuff them out." "I can almost reach it." "Stand on your toes." "I am." "The torches are using less air than we are trying to knock them out." "Why would Cormac have done this?" "He was always such a kind soul." "He must've found out you rigged the lottery." "That's preposterous." "They're made from lighter metal than the tiles of the men on the list." "Which is why they were never chosen to fight." "Their tiles were heavier." "So you knew which ones not to draw from the caldron." "You could feel the difference." "How could you do this?" "I loved you too much to risk losing you." "Did Cormac love his sons any less?" "Erik, you're a virtuous man." "Educated." "One day you will be a great leader." "Dunshire needs you alive more than it needs the son of a conjurer." "I knew Cormac's sons." "They were good men." "And they certainly didn't deserve to die in my place." "And now your actions may cost Kahlan and Cara their lives." "How can you judge me, wizard?" "When you learned of the impending massacre at Brennidon, did you save every child that was in danger?" "Of course not." "You saved the most important one: him." "It may be distasteful to say, but it is the truth." "Your life is worth more than others." "Is it worth more than that of the Mother Confessor?" "Because that's who the Seeker should be trying to save." "Not us." "We can do both if we find Cormac." "We'll wait outside and guard the entrance." "When the Nygaax comes for you and the others, we'll be waiting." "There may be a way we can make it lead us back to Cormac." "Then we can force him to tell us where Kahlan and Cara are." "We'll have to do it quickly." "In the meantime, bar all the doors." "Keep all the men on the list safe." "That won't be possible." "Henrik didn't trust you, Seeker." "He was afraid you'd kill us if you were desperate to save your friends." "So he took a horse and fled." "He could be headed right into the path of the Nygaax." "No, please!" "Help me." "Thank you for saving me from the creature." "He's dead." "What did he mean, "Thank you for saving me from the creature"?" "I'm not sure." "Zedd." "Zedd." "Zedd?" "Zedd." "Zedd, you can fight this!" "Zedd!" " Are you all right?" " I'm fine." "This man survived for centuries?" " How is that possible?" " The Nygaax's magic is in the bandages." "They must've kept this man alive." "Then there's a chance to save the wizard." "Yes, but the bandages only unwrapped once the man trapped inside was dying." "We need to find a way to free Zedd without killing him." "Warn the duke." "Tell him what happened here." "And if they try to kill the Nygaax, they'll only kill Zedd." " And Kahlan and Cara?" " They don't have much time." "Which is why we need to find Cormac." "He's the only one who knows where they are." "We'll follow the creature's tracks back to him." "How can you be sure it's headed back to Cormac?" "It took Henrik's body." "According to your story, it lays its victims at its master's feet." "The wizard shouldn't have tried to stop you." "But you've done well." "Now continue your task, and bring me the other four cowards." "The air's getting thinner." "There's one way to double how long it lasts." "Kill me." "Has the lack of air driven you mad?" "It could give Richard the time he needs to find us." "And when he does, you can give me the breath of life." "As tempting as the offer to kill you may be," "Richard would never forgive me if I let you die." "But I'd only be dead for a short time." " And then you could bring me back." " It's too big a risk." "We don't know how long it's gonna take Richard to find us." "But there is another way." "I'll die instead." " I can't bring you back." " But you can live." "Cara, no." "If you die your death would be final." "Better one of us than both of us." "I'm sorry I've disappointed you." "But I did what I thought was best for Dunshire." "And how much did your rich friends pay you to keep their sons out of the army?" " So you did do it for money." " What, you think it was for me?" "All these years of war against D'Hara emptied our coffers." "That money was used to equip our soldiers with weapons and armor." "We didn't stand a chance against the D'Harans without it." " My parents' gold bought a lot of steel." " You knew?" "Don't be so naive, Erik." "You thought it was just a coincidence year after year we were spared?" " I thought we were lucky." "We were." "To be born of privilege." "What's done is done." "Just be thankful you're alive." "Please." "Help." "Gareth!" " No, no." "No, it's too late." "Don't move." " Where are Kahlan and Cara?" " I'll tell you that once these graves are filled." "You got what you wanted, the Nygaax is free." "Now, let Kahlan and Cara go." "I'm sorry, Seeker, your friends are too powerful." "If I release them, they'll only help you protect those cowards." "More bloodshed won't bring your sons back." "They were good boys." "So brave." "They knew Dunshire didn't stand a chance against the D'Haran army." "When their tiles were drawn, I begged them to run away." "They refused." "They said it was their duty to keep Dunshire free." "I saw their medals." "They were heroes." "They died protecting others." "But by threatening the lives of my friends, you're dishonoring what your sons fought for." "If you protect those cowards, you're doing the same." "Don't worry, Seeker, the blood won't be on your hands." "And the Nygaax won't be taking any more lives either." "You can't stop it." "I can, with this." "I'm afraid not." "Only I know the incantations which control the Nygaax." "And you're going to tell them to me." "No." "I'm going to join my sons." "What is it?" "This must be the wandering dust Cormac used to abduct Kahlan and Cara." "What if we used it?" "Could it take us to them?" "If Zedd were here, he'd know how to use it." "But without the right spell, who knows where it would send us?" "This is how Cormac tricked us into thinking we were writing to Kahlan and Cara." "He got messages from them in one book, and then wrote to us using the other." " Do you recognize this?" " It's a map of the necropolis." "This area is marked." "That must be the tomb where Kahlan and Cara are." "You were right." "About what?" "You once told me that it's a hard world, and that we don't get many chances to tell people how much they mean to us." "There's no one a Mord-Sith should hate more than a Confessor." "I was trained to hate you." "But I don't." "And I don't wanna die without you knowing that I consider you to be my friend." "I think of you as a friend too." "We're going to get out of here." "We both know Richard." "He's coming for us." " He just needs a little more time." " I know." "And I'm gonna make sure he gets it." "Cara, no!" " Get out of my way." " No." "Stop pretending my life means as much as yours." "Line the hall and connect each fuse so that they run into the courtyard." "And hurry, we don't have much time." "What are you doing?" "Dragon's Breath?" "We know the Nygaax will be coming back for the rest of the men on the list." "But to get inside, the creature must come through here." "And when it does, those doors will be barricaded and sealed with mortar." "The Nygaax will be trapped in here, and then we'll blow it into the underworld." " But you'll kill the wizard along with it." " Yes, but you'll be safe." "These men are going to take you far from this place, but you must leave now." " I won't go along with this." " And I'm not giving you a choice." "Come, you'll be safe inside." "There's no air left." "Kahlan." "Cara." " Are you all right?" " We are now." "I knew you'd find us in time." "I'm fine." "Where's Zedd?" "Go, go." "Quick, the fuse." "Light it, now." "If we have such a long journey ahead of us, can I at least have a drink of water?" "Get away from the door." "The Seeker." "Seeker, you have to get away from here." "We've trapped the Nygaax." "We're going to destroy it with Dragon's Breath." "You'll kill Zedd!" "Stop him!" " Put your weapons down." " You heard the Mother Confessor, do it." "If the person inside the bandages is dying, they'll unwrap themselves." "If you use your Agiels to bring Zedd to the brink of death, he'll be freed." "The bandages can't attack a Mord-Sith." "You'll repel their magic." "And once Zedd's free, maybe he can burn them." "Cara, now!" "Make sure you don't kill him." "No." "We must kill it." "No!" "Father!" "Zedd, are you all right?" " Erik, get out of here." " It wants me." "It'll follow me back to the crypt." " Seal us inside and end this." " Erik, no!" " Zedd, seal us in now!" " No, get out of here, Richard!" "Now we'll both die." "Appreataro!" "The crypt is sealed." "The Nygaax can never be freed again." "I'm sorry about your father, Erik." "You should have let it kill me." "And what would that have accomplished?" "My debt would be paid to those who died in my place." "But your people would be left without a leader." "How can I lead?" " The people won't follow a coward." " No, they won't." "But they will follow a man who is willing to sacrifice himself to save others." "You were wrong before." "Back in the tomb." "Your life is just as important as mine is." "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have been able to free Zedd from the Nygaax." "About what I said back in the tomb..." "It really meant a lot to me." "Forget I said it." "I was delirious from the lack of air." "Is she all right?" "She's Cara." "I'm sorry you didn't get a night of fun." "Not even on your birthday." "Well, you sure know how to throw a party." "Can't wait to see what you do next year."