Soul of the Fire

"This is the place." She gestured. "Up there, higher up, is the desolate place where the paka plant grows, and the gambit moth lives. These pure waters come from that poisoned area."

The air shimmered in the afternoon light. "It's beautiful. I could stay here forever. I almost feel like I should be scouting new trails."

They stood for a while, hand in hand, savoring the view.

"Richard, I just wanted to tell you that the last couple of weeks as we've talked to people… I've really been proud of you. Proud of the way you've shown people hope for the future.

"Whatever happens, I just want you to know that. That I'm-proud of the way you've handled it."

He frowned. "You sound like you don't think we'll win."

She shrugged. "It doesn't matter. What will be will be. People don't always do what's right. Sometimes they don't recognize evil. 'Sometimes people choose evil because it suits them or because they're afraid, or because they think they will get something for themselves out of it.

"The most important thing is that we've done our best, and you've shown people the truth. You put their well-being, their safety, before all else, so if we do triumph, it will be for the right reasons. You've given them the chance to prove their heart."

"We'll win." Richard gazed out over the still water. "People will see the truth in it."

"I hope so."

He put his arm around her neck and kissed the top of her head. He sighed with the pleasure of the mountain lake, the quiet.

"There are places deep in the mountains to the west of where I grew up that I don't think anyone but me has ever visited. Places where the water falls from the rocks high overhead, higher than here, and makes rainbows in the afternoon air. And after you swim in the clear pools, you can curl up on the rocks behind the waterfall and watch the world through the falling water.

"I've often dreamed of taking you there."

Kahlan slipped her arm around his waist. "Someday, Richard, we'll visit your special places."

As they stood close, watching the waterfall, Richard was reluctant to break the spell of the dream, especially to talk about their purpose, but at last he did.

"So, why is it called the Ovens?"

Kahlan lifted her chin to point. "Behind the waterfall is a cave that's warm. Sometimes hot, I'm told."

"I wonder why Joseph Ander mentioned the place?"

Kahlan rested a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe even Joseph Ander appreciated a beautiful place."

"Maybe," he mumbled as he searched the scene for a sign of why the wizard would have been interested in this spot. Richard didn't think much of Joseph Ander's sensibilities or that he had a keen appreciation of such natural beauty. While the man spoke at length about the beauty of nature, it was always in regard to the orderly makeup of a society.

Richard noted that all the rock of the mountains around them was a peculiar greenish gray, except the rock of the cliff across the lake, where the waterfall was. That rock was darker. Not a lot, but it was definitely different. It had more gray than green in it, probably because the grain of the granite had black flecks, although from the distance, it was hard to tell.

Richard raised his arm, pointing across the lake to the wall from which the water cascaded in a majestic downward arc.

"Look at that rock, and tell me what you think of it."

Kahlan, her white Mother Confessor's dress glowing in the sunlight, almost looked like Richard's dream-image of a good spirit. She blinked at him.

"What do you mean? It's a rock."

"I know, but look at it. Tell me what strikes you about it."

She looked at the cliff and back at him. "It's a big rock."

"No, come on, be serious."

Kahlan sighed and studied the cliff for a time. She looked around at the mountains, especially the nearest to the left a little, the one rising up so prominently from the water's edge.

"Well," she said at last, "it's darker than the rock of the mountains around here."

"Good. What else strikes you about it?"

She studied the wall a while longer. "It's an unusual color. I've seen it before."

She suddenly looked up at him. "The Dominie Dirtch."

Richard smiled. "That's what I think, too. The Dominie Dirtch have that same shade of color as that rock over there, but none of the mountains around have it."

Her face screwed up in an incredulous frown. "Are you saying that the Dominie Dirtch were cut from this stone- way up here in the mountains-and hauled all the way down to where they are today?"

Richard shrugged. "Could be, I guess, although I don't know much about moving stonework on such a large scale. I studied the Dominie Dirtch; they looked to be carved of one piece of rock. They weren't assembled. At least the one we saw."

"Then… what?"

"Joseph Ander was a wizard, and the wizards of his time were able to do things even Zedd would find astounding. Perhaps Joseph simply used this rock as a starting place."

"What do you mean? How?"

"I don't know. I don't know as much about magic as you-maybe you could tell me. But what if he simply took a small rock from here for each Dominie Dirtch and then when he got to where they are today, made them big."

"Made them big?"

Richard opened his hands in a helpless gesture. "I don't know. Used magic to make the rock grow, or even used the structure of the grain in the rock as a sort of guide to reproduce it with Additive Magic into the Dominie Dirtch."

"I was thinking you were going to come up with something silly," Kahlan said. "That actually makes sense, as far as I know about magic."

Richard was relieved not to have embarrassed himself. "I think I'll take a swim over to the cave, and see what's there."

"Nothing, from what I learned. Just a hot cave. It doesn't go in far-maybe twenty feet."

"Well, I don't particularly like caves, but I guess it can't hurt to go have a look."

Richard pulled off his shirt. He turned to the water.

"Aren't you going to take off your pants?"

Richard glanced back to see her sly grin.

"I thought I'd wash the smell of horse off them."

"Oh," Kahlan said in exaggerated disappointment.

Smiling, Richard turned back to the water to jump in. Just before he could, a raven came screeching down at him. Richard had to leap back lest the big black bird hit him.

Arm extended behind him, Richard backed Kahlan off the rock.

The bird cawed. The loud cry echoed off the mountains. The raven swooped down before them again, narrowly missing Richard's head. Gaining height, the bird circled. The air whistled through its feathers as it dove at them, driving them back from the water.

"Is that bird crazy?" Kahlan asked. "Maybe it's protecting a nest? Or do all ravens behave like that?"

Richard had a grip on her arm, ushering her back to the trees. "Ravens are intelligent birds, and they will protect their nest, but they can be odd, too. I fear this one is more than a raven."

"More? What do you mean?"

The bird settled on a branch and ruffled its glossy black feathers, looking pleased with itself, as ravens were wont to do.

Richard took his shirt when she held it out. "I'd say it's a chime."

Even at the distance, the bird seemed to hear him. It flapped its wings, hopping back and forth on the branch, looking quite agitated.

"Remember at the library? The raven outside the window, making such a fuss?"

"Dear spirits," she breathed in worry. "Do you think this could be the same one? You think it followed us all this way?"

Richard glanced back at her. "What if it's a chime, and heard us, and came up here to wait for us?"

Kahlan now looked genuinely frightened. "What should we do?" They reached their horses. Richard yanked his bow off the saddle. He pulled a steel-tipped arrow from the quiver.