Confessor: Chainfire Trilogy Part 3

Nicci knew that she could end Jagang's Me in an instant. When the time came, she would. No one had any chance to rescue their emperor, even if they had known that he was in mortal trouble. He was hers now.

Nicci could see Richard in his magnificent war wizard's outfit. The sight of him made her heart ache.

Kahlan stood quietly beside him. If Richard had preserved the sterile field in order to have a chance to counter Chainfire, she wouldn't even know his true feelings for her. Now it looked like Richard would never get that chance, and she would die without ever knowing the truth.

Richard spotted Nicci. He saw Jagang beside her and understood that she had succeeded in using the gift he had given her. He gave her a small, private smile.

Sister Ulicia tapped the box on the right. "This one."

The other Sisters were beaming at their success. They would now be able to deliver the power of Orden to the emperor. They didn't know that he would never be able to celebrate their victory.

Sister Ulicia lifted the lid on the box on the right. Golden light flowed from within, almost as if it were liquid. It enveloped the Sisters standing before the stone altar.

They all smiled with exhilaration at what they had accomplished, even if it was to be put into service of the Imperial Order, and not themselves. Of course, they would put it to that service without even realizing that Jagang was no longer controlling their minds.

If Nicci made them aware of that, though, then the Sisters would use the gateway to free the Keeper of the underworld. Nicci's choice was to allow them to give the world over to the Order, or to the Keeper.

She knew that was no real choice. At least life under the Imperial Order would be life. If Sisters of the Dark were allowed to do as they would prefer, there would be no real life.

Nicci did not want to live to see what was going to come of the new world brought into being by hate.

She supposed that she would not have to worry about it. She expected that she had mere moments to live.

But Jagang would die before she did. She would make sure of that.

Justice would finally visit Jagang the Just.

The one thing Nicci couldn't understand was why Richard was smiling.

CHAPTER 61

Richard watched as the golden light coming from the box of Orden lifted the seven Sisters.

Kahlan's hand tightened on his. The others in the room watched with a mix of awe and terror. This was something unlike anything that any of them had ever seen, or would ever see again.

Richard glanced at Nicci. Even she was transfixed by the sparkling light that swirled around the Sisters. Jagang, standing beside her, was smiling. Richard could just see the metal of the collar peeking through the front of the vest. Jagang knew that his cause would have the power of Orden, even if he didn't live to see it. He believed that was all that mattered. He believed in their cause.

The Sisters within the golden glow appeared to be delighted by the heady power of Orden.

It was short-lived.

The light darkened as it swept them all up into the air, carrying them toward the darkening sea of sorcerer's sand.

The floating Sisters glided together, collecting in a tight cluster above the ground. They all began to rotate helplessly in the sparkling amber light. The room darkened as a few flashes of lightning began to flicker about over their heads. Several Sisters screamed. A low roar grew to fill the room.

The ground trembled as the tight clump of seven Sisters floated out over the sorcerer's sand.

The sand beneath them began to rotate along with the light. The sparkles within the light connected with the fits of lightning dancing around the room, giving the sisters a flickering appearance.

"What's going on!" Sister Ulicia screamed.

Richard let go of Kahlan's hand and walked across the grass to the edge of the sorcerer's sand that was slowly darkening from honey-colored to amber to a burnt brown. Richard could smell it burning.

"What's going on!" Sister Ulicia again demanded as her panicked gaze found him.

"Did you read The Book of Life?" he calmly asked her.

"Of course! You have to use The Book of Life to put the boxes of Orden in play. We all read it! We followed every formula and instruction exactly!"

"You may have followed the instructions contained within the book, but you didn't abide by its meaning. You read what you wanted to read-the formulas and spell-forms."

Several of the Sisters screamed as lightning cracked through the air right near their faces.

Sister Ulicia was enraged. "What are you talking about!"

Richard clasped his hands behind his back. "At the very beginning there was only one thing all by itself on the first page to emphasize how important-how central-it was. It wasn't a formula, or a spell-form, but it was the first thing The Book of Life said. It was first for a very important reason. In your arrogance, your greed to have what you wanted, you ignored it.

"The introductory statement to The Book of Life is a warning to anyone who would use the book.