"How was that?" "Let's try something a bit more challenging, shall we?" "Try now." "You told me I have this destiny to save the world from Darken Rahl, and that his soldiers are out there, trying to kill me, but instead of looking for him, I'm slicing fruit for your breakfast." "Rahl and his minions live in the shadows." "Some even cloak themselves in black magic." "By the time you lay eyes on them: pfft." "Again." " What are you doing?" " Following my instincts?" "You're guessing." "Lesson number four, Seeker:" "To see that which is not there, gaze upon what is." "You must learn to perceive the world as no one else can." "Again." "It worked." "Don't be too impressed with yourself." "Your enemies will be far more devious than a melon." " Richard!" "What are you...?" " I'm sorry." "No, sorry." "I..." " I didn't know you were there." " Richard!" " Someone's stealing our horses!" " What?" "The horses!" "Whoa!" "Hey!" "A highwayman makes off with our horses, right under the nose of the Seeker?" "I was distracted." "What on the Prophet's good earth could have distracted you?" "He was just a boy." "Couldn't have been any older than 16." "Was I supposed to kill him?" "Where there is no way, the Seeker will find a path." "Lesson number four." " You said the last one was number four." " Number five, then!" " Are you making these up?" " Which way did he go?" " Southeast." " He's riding for Drundril." "Perhaps someone there will be kind enough to sell us back our horses." "Kahlan, about back at the river." "I didn't see anything." "Richard, you should never lie to a Confessor." "Back so soon?" "How much for the horses?" " One vial." " That's all?" "You want it or not?" "A pleasure doing business." "That one." "Yeah." "Miranda." "Hi." "Yeah." "Thanks." "Miranda." "Stay away from me." "So any idea?" "Any idea at all?" "Take a look around." "This town is filled with thieves and cheats." "There are dozens of boys who could've stolen your horses." "My compliments." "Looks like you could use it." "Thanks." " Hope you had better luck than I did." " No one admits to knowing anything." "Maybe you should just confess them all to find out if anyone's lying." "You can do that?" "I think I know where to find our horse thief." " How do you know where we're going?" " I don't know." "I've just got this feeling." "It's this way." "Something you've been teaching him?" "No, I can't take credit for this." "There hasn't been a Seeker in a thousand years." "We may not know what Richard's full potential is." "That's him." "Maybe I shouldn't have been so quick to dismiss your instincts." "Tell us where the horses are." "I don't have them anymore." "But I can tell you who does for ten..." "No, 20 pieces of gold." "All I have is one piece of steel." "Now tell me where they are." " I can't." "The peddlers will kill me." " What peddlers?" "Perhaps the gentle touch of a Confessor will convince you" " to be more cooperative." " All right." "I'll take you to them." "I need something to give me luck at the table." "Can't make you lucky, but I can give you this." "You'll be able to see right through your opponents' cards." "Sir." "I believe you have some horses that were stolen from us." "We want them back." "You mean the horses he traded me?" "Look, we didn't come here to fight." "We just want what belongs to us." "Get rid of them." "You!" "You brought these people here!" "Stop." "I'm warning you." "No!" "He's a Wizard!" "You all right?" "Yeah." "Hello again." "I see you found the boy you were looking for." "Glad I could be of service." "What?" "What do you mean?" "The pint you drank." "I mixed in something magical." "An elixir." "Helps you find whatever it is you're looking for." "You put something in my drink?" "You didn't really think you had some kind of special power, did you?" "I have more of that potion." "Others too." "If you're interested, you know where to find me." "Something wrong?" "Oh, I'm fine." "Gentlemen." "Um..." "This is my store." "If you need supplies..." "Oh, no, thanks." "We have to be on our way." "I..." "I saw your blade." "The markings." "It's the Sword of Truth, isn't it?" "It is." "You're the Seeker." "You can save this town from the men who are trying to destroy it." "There's another Wizard in the village." "Another Wizard?" "It'll be good to have some company." "Bring him to me." "The Prophecy said that the Seeker would one day return and lift the shroud of darkness from our lives, but most people thought it was just legend." "But here you are, ready to save our village from these magic peddlers." "They sell magic?" "They're on every street corner, in the tavern..." "Seems like everybody in the village is buying their potions." "I've lost most of my customers." "Farmers are not sowing their fields." "Children are being left to go hungry." "That boy I saw you with, Jack..." "What about him?" "He was a fine young man until his parents traded everything they had for magic, even their home." "He was left to fend for himself." "What kind of potions are these peddlers selling?" "The kind that give ordinary folk powers they shouldn't have." "Curses, hexes, spells of every kind." "These peddlers, they're not Wizards or sorcerers." "Where does the magic they sell come from?" "Couldn't say." "One day, they were just here." "Drundril was a good place to live before they came." "And now that the Seeker is here, it can be good again." "I wanna help these people, but my mission is to fight Darken Rahl." "Rahl isn't the only evil in the Midlands." "He has his sympathizers and collaborators." "It's the Seeker's duty to fight them wherever he can." "Remember: before chopping off the head, make certain the body is dead, lest the head grow back." " What lesson is that?" " No lesson." "Just something I learned in a cookbook." "My lady." "It's all right." "Theodoro Rymus, at your service." "I've chased away the men who were threatening you." "Is there anything more I can do to please you?" "There is." "The potions you sell." "Where do they come from?" "The old prophets' temple, two leagues north of here." "We'll need our horses back." "I'm sorry." "I sold them to a trader." " You what?" " No." "He left town this morning." "But I can take you to the temple." "That's not necessary." "You can draw us a map." "Then, Theodoro," " I want you to leave this village." "Leave?" "We can't just let him go." "Leave this village and take up honest work." "Do you understand me?" "As you wish." "That magic peddler, Rymus." "What did Kahlan do to him?" "Now you know why she's called a Confessor." "With a single touch, Kahlan can bend anyone to her will." "She can make a person tell the truth." "That's the confessor part." "Or she can compel him to do unimaginable things." "I saw her do it back in Hartland." "She made a D'Haran soldier kill his comrades." "I didn't understand what was happening." "But why did Rymus come back?" "And the way he was looking at her..." "It's one of the repercussions of Kahlan's powers." "The confessed falls in love with the woman who confessed him." "In love?" " I don't understand." " It's complicated." "I'd like to know." "It's something that's not easy for Kahlan." "It's a heavy burden she carries." "It's not for me to talk about." "Maybe she'll tell you." "I didn't mean now!" "Kahlan!" "Richard!" " Rada'han." " What if he wakes up?" "As long as he's wearing this, he won't be able to use his magic." "Kahlan?" "Kahlan?" "Zedd?" "He's gone." "We have to find him." "Peddlers." "We know where the temple is." "Maybe this is the wrong place." "Maybe Rymus lied to you." "That's not possible." "Well, what?" "They've moved?" "But where?" "Jeziah?" "Zeddicus, old friend." "Forgive me." "I hope my men didn't hurt you." "My companions." "They weren't harmed." "If this is how you greet an old friend, I'm glad we didn't part on worse terms." "I heard there was a Wizard in the village." "I assumed he was working for Darken Rahl." "If I'd known it was you, I would've invited you for roasted partridge instead of having you abducted." "Why would you assume I work for that tyrant?" "The Midlands have changed since you disappeared, Zeddicus." "Sorcerers and dark Wizards are everywhere, ready to do the bidding of whoever pays the most." "I have so much to tell you, Zeddicus." "But first, where have you been all these years?" "No tracks." "Anywhere." "They must've used a spell to cloak their trail." "You shouldn't have let Rymus go." "He could've helped us find Zedd." "What?" "When I confess someone, they lose their free will." "They become like a slave." "I don't believe it's right to continue forcing them to do my bidding any longer than I have to." "Even someone like Rymus?" "People deserve a chance to change." "To become better than what the world made them." "Your instinct as a Seeker, it led you to the boy." "You could use it to find Zedd." "It wasn't any Seeker instinct." "But you found Jack." "The barmaid at the tavern slipped something in my drink." " One of those potions." " What?" "That's how I found Jack." "It had nothing to do with me." "But it did work." "I could go back and get more." "No." "Magic is not meant to be used in that way." "You use magic." "You confessed Rymus." "I was born with this power." "I didn't buy it in a tavern." "What's the difference?" "Richard, you've seen what these potions can do." "What happened to that village, to Jack." "You wanna protect me because I'm the Seeker." "It's not just because you're the Seeker." "Richard, I..." "Seeker!" "You gotta come right away!" "Jack's in trouble!" "We crossed the Boundary two months ago, and we've been on the road since then." "And this young man you're traveling with, you really believe he's the true Seeker?" "He has a lot to learn, but, yes, he is the genuine article." "And take it from one who knows, he could have no better teacher than you, Zeddicus." "The people of the Midlands have new reason to hope." "Dare I ask what you were planning to do with me in the event that I wasn't your old friend?" "Let me show you." "A quillion?" " Where did you...?" "It wasn't easy to come by." "If you had been one of Rahl's Wizards, I would've used it to absorb your magic and distill it into this." "You're making the magic that's being peddled on the streets of Drundril." "Why?" "The sale of these potions will allow me to raise a militia." "An army of the Midlands." "A force powerful enough to fight Rahl and his followers." "Jeziah." "I want to defeat Darken Rahl too, but selling magic?" "It goes against everything we believe in." "Everything I taught you." "Those teachings are from another era, old friend." "Rahl isn't playing by any rules." "And that justifies exploiting these villagers?" "Their lives are dreary." "They're suffocating under Rahl's edicts." "The magic gives them an escape." "Magic is rare." "It's special." "You can't just sell it on the streets to anyone for a few copper coins." "In the wrong hands, it ruins lives." "It kills!" "One village is a small price to pay if we can save the rest of the Midlands." "You've forgotten more about magic than I'll ever know." "If we work together, we can find other Wizards and sorcerers working for Rahl." "Drain them of their magic." "Create a more powerful army!" "You expect me to help you?" " Hear me out." " I've heard more than enough!" "Tell them to move." "Jeziah!" "What are you doing?" "I'm sorry, old friend." "My work is too important." "I paid Rymus before you and your mates drove him off." "Now, I want my money or the potion I paid for." "I don't have either!" "Guess I'm gonna have to take it out on your hide, then." "Leave the boy alone." "This ain't your village." "And who are you to interfere?" "Get out of here now!" " Take care of him." "I'll be back." " Where are you going?" " Richard, no!" " This is getting worse." "And we need to find Zedd." "Who knows what's happening to him?" "This is not the way." "You can't keep using these potions." "I don't wanna do it, either, but I don't have any other idea." "Do you?" "I knew you'd be back." "It's that pretty girl you were with, isn't it?" "I saw the way you were looking at her." "I have something that'll make you irresistible to her." "No, no." "I want what you gave me before." "How much can you pay?" "I don't have any money." "Then I'm sorry, I can't help you." "My friend is in a lot of trouble." "There must be something I can trade." "That's an interesting pendant." "This?" "My father gave this to me." " It's all I have left of him." " Must be valuable." "Only to me." "There must be something else I can give." "Please." "You have nothing else I want." "Fine." "What did you see?" "My friend." "He's hurt." "He was underground." "Are there caves near here?" "Dozens of them." "South of the Gully." "How do I know which one?" "The potion will lead you." "But it won't last." "You'd better hurry." "This is your fault." "You and your friends." "I guess you should've stolen someone else's horses." "I needed them." "To buy magic." "What did you use it for?" "A girl." " A girl?" " Yeah." "Tell me about her." "Her name's Miranda." "She works at the flower stand." "Prettiest in the whole town." "But she won't even look at me unless I use the potion." "Have you tried talking to her?" "I don't know what to say." "I can't even think when I'm around her." "Of course." "You could confess Miranda." "Make her like me." "Not just for a few minutes, but all the time." "I could never use my power in that way, Jack." "Love is a choice we make." "If you take away that choice, it's not really love, is it?" "Someone loving you, wanting to be with you, because you forced them?" "Trust me." "Won't make you happy." "I can find Zedd, but we have to go now." "No!" "One word from me, and my little friend will make a meal out of you." "Cut me loose, and I'll tell him to let you go." "The quillion will absorb all of your power in a matter of hours." "Then not even the rats will follow you." "But it doesn't have to be this way." "Where is your militia, Jeziah?" "All I see are thugs and thieves." "Are they going to be the generals in your army of the Midlands?" "If you wanted to fight Rahl, you could be out there doing it now, but you're not, are you?" "I need time and money to build an army." "How much more do you need?" "The villagers have given you everything they own." "Are you sure you're not just making yourself rich?" "Using magic to acquire power over others?" "Do not judge me, Zeddicus." "You, of all people, have no right." "You ran at the moment you were needed most." "I left to protect the Seeker!" "Are you sure you weren't really protecting yourself?" "Using magic for your own gain." "You say you wanna destroy Rahl?" "You're just like him." "And you're just an old fool." "Here." "Are you angry with me?" "I'm not angry." "Your forehead wrinkles when you're upset." "I'm not upset, I'm..." "Ahh!" "You all right?" "Maybe I shouldn't have gone for the potion, but you have to admit, it's working." "And when you have a problem that you can't solve with magic, what will you do then?" "Richard!" " I'll protect you." " I told you to leave." "You told me to leave the village, and I did, but I love you too much to be out of your sight." "I won't leave you again, my lady." "Richard." "Richard." "Don't hurt him." " He tried to kill me." " He thought he was protecting me." "I'm prepared to die for her." "Are you?" "He can't help it." "He's not in control of his feelings." "We have to find Zedd." "Which way?" "I don't know." "Richard." "The potion." "I think it's wearing off." "Pack everything." "We're leaving as soon as the quillion has done its work." "Why?" "No one can find us here." "He's traveling with the Seeker." "Do you want me to kill him?" "I don't know which is more merciful:" "to kill him or force him to live without his powers." "This is his fault." "If he hadn't delayed us..." "You worked for these people." "Know where their cave is?" "I only knew about the temple." " Where are you going?" " Back to the tavern." "You can do this without the potion, Richard." " You're the Seeker." " The Seeker of Truth, not of Wizards." "The potion's gotten us this far." "It can help us the rest of the way." "What would Zedd say if he were here?" "If he saw you relying on magic instead of your wits and your senses?" "You can do this without magic, Richard." "I believe in you." "I don't know where to start." "The vision you had of Zedd." "What do you remember?" "It was dark." "There was green on the wall." "Glittermoss." "Does that help us?" "It only grows where there's fresh water nearby, like a river or lake." " Echo Lake isn't far." " That must be it." "There are a lot of caves there." "It could take us days to search them." "The moss was being fed by water dripping downwards." "It's below the waterline." "The lowlands." "South of the lake." " There are only a few caves there." " Take us." " I only follow her orders." " Take us there." "Glittermoss." "Zedd?" "Zedd." "My boy." "They've taken my powers." "Why aren't they masking their trail?" "They're moving too fast." "They mustn't have time." "There they are." "Hey, stop the cart." "Whoa." "There's only two of them." "You forget who's after us." "Stop them." "That's the Wizard who stole my powers." "My lady!" " I'll save you!" " Rargh!" "Strike me down if you can, Seeker." "To see that which is not there, gaze upon what is." "Kahlan!" "Richard, the Wizard!" "No!" "No!" " My lady." " Try not to move." "All my life," "I've been a thief, a liar." "Thank you for letting me die with honor." "You should kill me." "We're taking you to a healer." "You'll wear the Rada'han for the rest of your life." "You'll never have the powers of a Wizard again, old friend." "You know him?" "I thought I did." "You all right?" "I've absorbed most of my powers." "Not quite back to my old self." "Maybe in a couple of days." "Maybe?" "If there's one thing I've learned about magic, it's that nothing is guaranteed." "Magic tore this town apart." "I used it twice." "I would've gone back a third time if Kahlan hadn't stopped me." "According to her, it was your tracking skills that found me in the end." "It was our training that helped you defeat Jeziah." "But if I hadn't used the potion," "I wouldn't have known you were in a cave." "You could have died." "So then, magic is a good thing?" "Rymus wouldn't have helped us if Kahlan hadn't used magic to confess him." "True enough." "But on the other hand, he'd still be alive." "I can see why it's such a burden for her." "So, what lessons do you draw from all of this, Seeker?" "There aren't any easy answers." "Magic isn't good or bad." "It's complicated." "Ah." "Yes." "That's lesson number six." "You are making these up, aren't you?" "Richard." "I found something that belongs to you." "How did you...?" "Confessors can be quite persuasive." "I can't thank you enough." "Everyone in this village is in your debt, even if they're not gonna be happy about it." "Your neighbors are gonna have to learn to fix their problems without magic." "Maybe you can show them how." "Me?" "Excuse me." "One rose, please." "A white one." "Five pence." "Is it for her?" "No, it's for you." "I never see anyone buy flowers for the flower girl." "I know this doesn't make up for what I did, but I hope, someday, we can be friends." "Maybe there's hope for them." "Maybe for them, but not for the two of you." "What are you talking about?" "Kahlan, Richard has feelings for you." "You're imagining things." "To see that which is not there, gaze upon what is." "I see the way he looks at you and how you're starting to notice him." "But you know neither of you can ever act on these feelings." "So the question is, are you going to tell him, or shall I?"