Naked Empire   ::   Goodkind Terry

Richard put the whole weight of emotion over that long ordealaside and took another approach. "Owen, I'm from up in the New World-"

"Yes, I know," Owen said as he nodded. "And you came here to free people from-"

"No. That's not the truth of it. We lived in the New World. We were once at peace, apparently much like your people were. Emperor Ja-gang-"

"The dream walker."

"Yes, Emperor Jagang, the dream walker, sent his armies to conquer the New World, to enslave our people-"

"My people, too."

Richard nodded. "I understand. I know what a horror that is. His soldiers are rampaging up through the New World, murdering, enslaving our people."

Owen turned his watery gaze off into the darkness as he nodded. "My people, too."

"We tried to fight back," Kahlan told him. "But there are too many.

Their army is far too vast for us to drive them out of our land."

Owen nibbled his biscuit again, not meeting her gaze. "My people are terrified of the men of the Order-may the Creator forgive their misguided ways."

"May they scream in agony for all eternity in the darkest shadow of the Keeper of the underworld," Cara said in merciless correction.

Owen stared slack-jawed at such a curse spoken aloud.

"We couldn't fight them like that-simply drive them back to the Old World," Richard said, bringing Owen's gaze back to him as he went on with the story. "So I'm down here, in Jagang's homeland, helping people who hunger to be free to cast off the shackles of the Order. While he's away conquering our land, he has left his own homeland open to those who hunger for freedom. With Jagang and his armies away, that gives us a chance to strike at Jagang's soft underbelly, to do him meaningful harm.

"I'm doing this because it's the only way we can fight back against the Imperial Order-our only means to succeed. If I weaken his foundation, his source of men and support, then he will have to withdraw his army from our land and return south to defend his own.

"Tyranny cannot endure forever. By its very nature it rots everything it rules, including itself. But that can take lifetimes. I'm trying to accelerate that process so that I and those I love can be free in our lifetimes-free to live our own lives. If enough people rise up against the Imperial Order's rule, it may even loosen Jagang's grip on power and bring him and the Order down.

"That's how I'm fighting him, how I'm trying to defeat him, how I'm trying to get him out of my land."

Owen nodded. 'This is what we need, too. We are victims of fate.