Confessor: Chainfire Trilogy Part 3

"That's right. In a way, as much as Kahlan means to Richard, I'm afraid that in this she has become secondary to the Chainfire event. It may have started with her, but* now everyone is infected. If that event is not stopped, everything is lost. Countering Chainfire has become more important than Richard and Kahlan's love for each other. It would be wonderful if her love for him could be restored, but it isn't necessary in order to counter the Chainfire event.

"Regardless of what it means for this one person, for Kahlan, or what it means for Richard, personally, the power of Orden must be invoked to counter Chainfire in order to purge the infection from everyone else.

"There's one other alternate theory, besides the one about the whole thing not working if the field is tainted. A few wizards believed that Or-denic theory might indicate that pouring so much power into the subject of the Chainfire event in anything but a sterile field-one contaminated with foreknowledge-would kill the person."

"What about everyone else in such a mishap?" Zedd asked.

"By the time she hits the floor dead, the trigger for the constructed portion of Orden would already have been initiated and the rest of the spell would run through its protocols. Orden would ripple outward from the core and do its job.

"If that happens, if Kahlan is lost in the effort, it will be a terrible personal loss for Richard, but it will mean nothing more than that for the rest of us. The introduction of Orden would destroy the Chainfire contamination and restore everyone else."

Zedd gave her a hard look. "We may not remember Kahlan, but there is no doubt in any of us what she means to Richard. He has already shown us that he would be willing to go to the underworld if he thought doing so could save her life. If he knew that opening one of the boxes and releasing the power of Orden would kill her . . ."

Nicci didn't shy from his look, or the implication. "Richard must open the correct box of Orden and initiate the constructed spell that will counter Chainfire . . . even if it means that it will kill Kahlan. It's as simple as that."

The room was silent for a moment.

Zedd rubbed a finger back and forth on his chin as he gazed off into the shadows. "It would seem wise, in view of such dangers-whether real or not-to see to it that if Kahlan is found she be kept in the dark about her former feelings for Richard. Best to let Orden restore her emotions."

"That makes the most sense to me, too," Nicci said. "When we get Richard back we have to convince him that should he find her, he must not reveal the truth to her."

Zedd clasped his hands behind his back as he shook his head. "Considering everything at stake, I agree that such a thing is wise, and that it should be our plan, but I don't know that I really believe such a thing as simple foreknowledge could cause such a personal tragedy. I don't know if I can believe that such a simple thing as foreknowledge can cause such great harm."

"If it's any consolation to you, there were wizards involved in the creation of the boxes of Orden who held the same view. But then it seemed impossible to me that using power against a witch woman would bring me to harm."

Zedd stared off, absently, as he considered. "You have a point. Great harm can sometimes result from the best of intentions.

"When we find the boy we can tell him all this. But we're an awfully long way from any of this ever happening. We no longer have even one of the boxes of Orden."

Nicci sighed. "True enough. What worries me the most, though, is convincing Richard of this." Nicci cleared her throat. "When we find him, I think it best if such a thing came from you, Zedd. He might take it better coming from you. He might be more open to listening."

Zedd glanced her way before resuming his pacing. "I understand." He halted and turned to Nicci. "But I'm still not sure I buy the whole theory about emotional foreknowledge being able to taint..."

In midsentence, Zedd's mouth snapped closed with a startled expression.

"What?" Nicci asked. "Did you think of something?"

Zedd sank down to sit on the edge of the bed. "Yes, I most certainly did."

The power, the fire, had gone out of him.

"Dear spirits," he whispered, sounding as if the weight of his years had just settled on his slumped shoulders.

Nicci leaned down and touched his arm. "Zedd, what's wrong?"

He looked up at her with haunted eyes. "Foreknowledge can affect how magic works. It's not a theory. It's true."

"Are you sure? How do you know?"

"I don't remember Kahlan, or anything about her. When Richard was here, though, he told me about her. He filled me in on my missing memories of how he came to love her, and she him.

"Kahlan is a Confessor. A Confessor's gift destroys the mind of the person she touches with her power. Confessors release their restraint on their power to unleash it. The rest of the time they must keep it under their tight control."