Wizard's First Rule (Sword of Truth, #1)

by Terry Goodkind

Bill didn’t look convinced. “You’re with the head of the boundary wardens.” Richard smiled warmly. “He’s a friend of mine. For many years. The old man, too. They’re my friends, that’s all.” Bill’s eyes brightened. “Well, if that’s true, then how about if I add a couple extra rooms to the tally book? Seeing as how they won’t know you all stayed together.” Richard kept smiling, and patted the man’s back. “That would be wrong. I won’t put my name to it.” Breathing out with a sigh, Bill broke into a big grin. “So, you are Chase’s friend.” He nodded to himself. “Now I believe you. I haven’t been able to get

that man to fatten my tally book in all the time I’ve known him.”

“One more thing, Bill. The boundary is failing. It will be down in a few weeks. Take care with yourself.” The man’s chest rose as he took a deep breath. He held the doorknob as he looked into Richard’s eyes for a long moment. “I think the council named the wrong brother First Councilor. But then, they didn’t get to be councilors because they worry about doing right. I’ll come get you in the morning when the sun is up and it’s safe.”

Bill held Richard’s gaze as he put his hairy arm around his son’s shoulders. “We won’t forget.” A slight smile curled the corners of his mouth. “Long life to the Seeker.” Richard looked down at him in surprise and then grinned. Smiling quenched some of the fire of his rage. “When I first saw you,” Richard said, “my thought was that you were not a devious man. I find I was mistaken.”

“Tell me, child, do you know the secret he keeps from you?” Kahlan said nothing. Adie looked back to Richard. “Does the wizard know of the secret you

keep from him? No. Do you know the secret the wizard keeps from you? No. Three blind people. Hmm? Seems I be able to see better than you.”

Richard hesitated. “Adie, this must be valuable. I don’t feel right accepting it.” “Everything is valuable under the right conditions. To a man dying of thirst, water be more

precious than gold. To a drowning man, water be of little worth and great trouble. Right now, you be a very thirsty man. I thirst for Darken Rahl to be stopped. Take the night stone. If you feel the weight of obligation, you may return it to me one day.”

“I add my oath of protection to the bone,” he said in a whisper. “To you now and to any child you may bear in the future. I would trade no day I spend with you for a life of safe slavery. I accepted the post of Seeker of my own free will. And if Darken Rahl takes the whole world into madness, then we will die with a sword in our hands, not chains on our wings. We will not allow it to be easy for them to kill us; they will pay a high price. We will fight with our last breath if need be, and in our death, let us inflict a wound on him that will fester until it claims him.”