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Richard remembered his own father, and how Rahl had done this very thing to him.
"You are sure it was Darken Rahl?" Kahlan asked.
Zedd shrugged. "Who else? Darken Rahl is the only one who would have been unharmed by a Wizard's Life Fire. Besides, this cut is his signature. Look here. See the end of the opening? See the way it starts to turn?"
Kahlan turned her face away. "What of it?"
"That's the hook. At least it should be. It should turn back in a hooked cut. While incantations are spoken, the hook is cut, binding the questioned to the questioner. The hook forces them to give up the answer to the question asked. But see here? The hook is begun, but it is not finished." Zedd gave a sad grin. "That is when Giller gave his life to the fire. He waited until Rahl was almost done, then, at the last instant, denied him what he sought. Probably the name of who has the box. Without life in them, his entrails could tell Rahl nothing."
"I never thought Giller capable of such a selfless act," Kahlan whispered.
"Zedd," Richard asked fearfully, "how could Giller have done it, taken the pain of having this done to him, and manage to leave a smile on his face?"
Zedd gave him a hard look that ran a chill up Richard's spine. "Wizards must know about pain. They must know it very well, indeed. It is to spare you that lesson that I would happily accept your choice not to be a wizard. It is a lesson few survive."
Richard wondered at the mysterious, secret things Zedd must know, but had never shared with him.
Tenderly, Zedd cupped a hand to the side of Giller's face. "You have done well, my student. Honor in the end."
"I bet Darken Rahl was livid," Richard said. "Zedd, I think we had better get out of here. This looks a little too much like bait on a hook to me."
Zedd nodded. "Wherever the box is, it is not here. At least Rahl does not have it-yet." He put his hands out. "Give me the boy. We need to leave as we came in. We don't want to tell them why we were really here."
Zedd whispered something in Siddin's ear, and the boy giggled, hugging the wizard's neck.
Queen Milena was still white, fumbling with the corner of her cape, as Kahlan strode purposefully but calmly up to her.
"Thank you for your hospitality," Kahlan said. "We will be leaving now."
The Queen bowed her head. "Always a pleasure to see the Mother Confessor." Her curiosity overcame her fear. "What of… Giller?"
Kahlan appraised her coolly. "I regret you have beaten me to him. I only wish I had had the pleasure of doing it myself, or at least witnessed it being done. But, the results are all that matter. Disagreement, was it?"
The color returned to the Queen's face. "He stole something that belonged to me."
"I see. Well, I hope you got it back. Good day." She started to move, then stopped. "And Queen Milena, I will be back to check, and make sure you have brought your overly ambitious commanders back in line, and that they are not mistakenly executing i
Richard and Zedd, holding Siddin, fell in behind Kahlan as she turned and left.
Richard's thoughts swirled desperately through his head as he walked woodenly next to Zedd, following Kahlan through all the bowing people and out of the city. What were they going to do now? Shota had warned him that the Queen wouldn't have the box for long. She had been right. Where could it be now? He certainly couldn't go back and ask Shota where it was. Who could Giller have given the box to? How were they going to find it? He felt desperately depressed. He felt like giving up. He could tell by the slump in Kahlan's shoulders that she felt the same way… Neither of them spoke. The only one talking was Siddin, and Richard couldn't understand him
"What's he saying?" he asked Zedd.
"He says he has been being brave, just as Kahlan had told him, but he is glad that Richard With The Temper has come to take him home."
"I guess I know how he feels. Zedd, what are we going to do now?"
Zedd gave him a puzzled look. " IOW should I know? You're the Seeker."
Great. He had just done his best, and they still didn't have the box, but he was expected, somehow, to find it. He felt as if he had run square into a wall he hadn't known was there. They kept walking, but he didn't know where to go next.,
The setting sun was golden among golden clouds. Richard thought he could see something ahead in the distance. He moved up and walked next to Kahlan. She was watching it, too. All the people had disappeared from the road for the night.
It wasn't long before he knew what it was. It was four horses galloping toward them. Only one had a rider