Wizards First Rule   ::   Goodkind Terry

When the enemy web was put on him, Rahl had said those who honored Rahlwould see Richard for who he was.

Michael saw him for who he was.

Michael was the one who had betrayed him. Michael was the one who allowed him to be captured and tortured by a Mord-Sith. Michael was the one who would give Kahlan and Zedd over to Darken Rahl. Michael was the one who would give everyone over to Darken Rahl. His insides turned to ice…

Richard could manage no more than a whisper. "Where is the box?"

"Ah… you look hungry, Richard. Let me have some dinner brought in for you. We'll have a talk. It's been so long."

Richard kept his hand away from the sword, for fear he would use it. He sternly reminded himself that he was the Seeker, and that was all that mattered right now. He was not Richard; he was the Seeker. He had a job to do. He could not allow himself to be Richard. He could not allow himself to be Michael's brother. There were more important things right now. Much more important.

"Where is the box?"

Michael's eyes darted about. "The box… well… Zedd told me about it… He was going to give it to me… but then he said something about finding you in D'Hara by a stone of some sort, and the three of them went off after you. I told them I wanted to come too, to save my brother, but I had to get the men together, and prepare, so they started ahead of me. Zedd kept the box. He has it."

Richard now knew; Darken Rahl had the third box. Darken Rahl had spoken the truth.

The Seeker suppressed his emotions and made a quick assessment of the situation. The only thing that mattered now was getting to Kahlan. If he lost his head now, she would be the one to suffer; she would be the one at the end of an Agiel. He found himself concentrating on a mental image of Denna's braid. He let himself do it. Whatever worked, he told himself. He couldn't kill Michael, couldn't risk being captured by all those men outside. He couldn't even let Michael know what he knew; that would accomplish nothing, and risk others.

He took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Well, as long as the box is safe. That's what counts."

Some of the color returned to Michael's face, bringing with it a smile. "Richard are you all right? You look… different. You look like you have been through… a lot."

"More than you could ever know, Michael." He sat down on the cot. Michael returned cautiously to his chair. Dressed in his baggy white trousers and shirt, a gold belt at his waist, he looked like a disciple of Darken Rahl. Richard noticed the maps his brother had been looking at. Maps of Westland. Maps of Westland, for Darken Rahl.