Naked Empire

"Not impossible," Richard said. "If you know what your home is like, you should be able to recognize landmarks around it-just as I was able to look out to the west and see the route we traveled to get here. Look around at those mountains back through the pass and see if you recognize anything."

Owen, looking skeptical, walked the rest of the way up behind the statue and peered off to the east. He stood in the wind for a time, staring.

He pointed at a mountain in the distance, through the pass.

"I think I know that place." He sounded astonished. "I know the shape of that mountain. It looks a little different from this spot, but I think it's the same place I know." He shielded his eyes from the gusts of wind as he gazed to the east. He pointed again. "And that place! I know that place, too!"

He rushed back to Richard. "You were right, Lord Rahl. I can see places I know." He stared off then as he whispered to himself. "I can tell where my home is, even though I've not been here. Just by seeing places I know."

Kahlan had never seen anyone so astounded by something so simple.

"So," Richard finally prompted, "how far do you think your men are from here?"

Owen looked back over his shoulder. "Through that low place, then around that slope coming from the right…" He turned back to Richard. "We have been hiding in the land near where the seal on our empire used to be, where no one ever goes because it is near the place where death stalks, near the pass. I would guess maybe a full day's steady walk from here." He suddenly turned hesitant. "But I am wrong to be confident of what my eyes tell me. I may just be seeing what my mind wants me to see. It may not be real."

Richard folded his arms and leaned back against the granite base of the statue as he gazed out toward the Pillars of Creation, ignoring Owen's doubt. Knowing Richard as she did, Kahlan imagined that he must be considering his options.

Standing beside him, she was about to lean back against the stone of the statue's base, but instead paused to first brush the snow off from beside where the warning beacon rested. As she brushed the snow away, she saw that there were words carved in the top of the decorative molding.

"Richard.. look at this."

He turned to see what she saw, and then started hurriedly brushing away more of the snow. The others crowded around, trying to see what was written in the stone of the statue's base. Cara, on the other side of Richard, ran her hand all the way to the end to clean off the entire ledge.

Kahlan couldn't read it. It was in another language she didn't know, but thought she recognized.

"High D'Haran?" Cara asked.

Richard nodded his confirmation as he studied the words. "This must be a very old dialect," he said, half to himself as he scrutinized it, trying to figure it out. "It's not just an old dialect, but one with which I'm not familiar. Maybe because this is so distant a place."

"What does it say?" Jennsen wanted to know as she peered around Richard, between him and Kahlan. "Can you translate it?"

"It's difficult to work it out," Richard mumbled. He swiped his hair back with one hand as he ran the fingers of his other lightly over the words.

He finally straightened and glanced up at Owen, standing to the side of the base, watching.

Everyone waited while Richard looked down at the words again. "I'm not sure," he finally said. "The phraseology is odd. .." He looked up at Kahlan. "I can't be sure. I've not seen High D'Haran written this way before. I feel like I should know what it says, but I can't quite get it."

Kahlan didn't know if he really couldn't be sure, or if he didn't want to speak the translation in front of the others.

"Well, maybe if you think it over for a while, it might come to you,"

she offered, trying to give him a way of putting it off for the time being if he wanted to.

Richard didn't take her offer. Instead, he tapped a finger to the words on the left of the warning beacon. "This part is a little more clear to me.

I think it says something like Tear any breach of this seal to the empire beyond… »

He wiped a hand across his mouth as he considered the rest of the words. "I'm not so sure about the rest of it," he finally said. "It seems to say, 'for beyond is evil: those who cannot see. »

"Of course," Jennsen muttered in angry comprehension.

Richard raked his fingers back through his hair. "I'm not at all sure I have it right. Something about it still doesn't make sense. I'm not sure I have it right."

"You have it perfectly right," Jennsen said. "Those who cannot see magic. This was placed by the gifted who sealed those people away from the rest of the world because of how they were born." Her fiery eyes filled with tears. "Fear any breach of this seal to the empire beyond, for beyond is evil-those who cannot see magic. That's what it means, those who cannot see magic."

No one argued with her. The only sound was the rush of the wind across the open ground.

Richard spoke softly to her. "I'm not sure that's it, Jenn."