Temple of the Winds

Behind him came the commander of the Keltish forces, the robust General Baldwin. He was an older man with a white-flecked dark mustache, the ends of which grew down to the bottom of his jaw. As always, he looked distinguished in his green silk-lined serge cape. fastened on one shoulder with two buttons. A heraldic emblem slashed through with a diagonal black line dividing a yellow and blue shield was emblazoned on the front of his tan surcoat. Lamplight flashed off his ornate belt buckle and silver scabbard. He looked as fierce as he was dashing.

Before the phalanx of officers accompanying them had all entered the room, both generals were bowing. In the lamplight. General Baldwin's pate shone through his thinning gray hair as he bent low. "My queen." General Baldwin said. "Lord Rahl."

Kahlan bowed her head to the man as Richard stood, pushing his chair back. Berdine scooted her chair over. to be out of his way. She didn't bother to look up. She was Mord-Sith, and busy besides.

"Lord Rahl," General Kerson said with a salute of his fist to his heart after he had straightened. "Mother Confessor."

Behind them, the officers were all bowing. Richard waited patiently until it was all finished. Kahlan imagined that he couldn't be eager to start.

He did so simply. "Gentlemen, I regret to inform you that there is a plague upon Aydindril."

"A plague?" General Kerson asked. "A plague of what?" "A distemper. A plague that makes people sicken and die. That kind of plague." "The black death," Drefan put in with a somber voice from behind Kahlan and Richard.

The men all seemed to take a collective breath. They waited in silence. "It started not long ago," Richard said, "so, fortunately, we will be able to take a few precautions. As of this moment, we know of less than a couple of dozen cases. Of course, there is no telling how many have it and have yet to fall ill. Of the ones we know were stricken, almost half are already dead. By morning, the number will grow."

General Kerson cleared his throat. "Precautions, Lord Rahl? What precautions are there to be taken? Do you have another cure for the men? For the people of the city?"

Richard rubbed his fingertips on his forehead as his eyes turned to the desk before him.

"No, general, I have no cures," he whispered. Everyone heard his words, though; it was that silent in the room. "Then what. .?"

Richard straightened himself. "What we need to do is to separate the men. Disperse them. My brother has seen the plague before, and has read of great plagues in the past. We believe that it's possible that it spreads from person to person, much as when one person in a family has a sore throat, chest congestion, and stuffed nose, then the others in the family, from their proximity to the sick person, come down with the same illness."

"I've heard that the plague is caused by bad air in a place," one of the officers in the back put in.

"I am told that this, too, is possible," Richard said. "I have also been told that it could be caused by any number of other things: bad water, bad meat, heated blood." "Magic?" someone asked.

Richard shifted his weight. "That, too, is a possibility. It is said by some that it could be a judgment by the spirits on our world, and a punishment for what they find. I, myself, don't believe such a thing. I've been out this afternoon, seeing innocent children suffering and dying. I can't believe that the spirits would do such a thing, no matter how displeased."

General Baldwin rubbed his chin. "Then what do you think it is that spreads it, Lord Rahl?"

"I'm no expert, but I lean toward my brother's explanation that it's like any other sickness, that it can be passed from person to person through odors in the air or close contact. This makes the most sense to me, although this sickness is much more serious. The plague, I am told, is almost always fatal.

"If it is, in fact, passed from person to person, then we must not delay. We must do what we can to keep the plague from our forces. I want the men split up into smaller units."

General Kerson spread his hands in frustration. "Lord Rahl, why can't you simply use your magic and rid the city of this plague?"

Kahlan touched Richard's back, reminding him to hold his temper. He seemed, though, to have no anger in him.

"I'm sorry, but right now, I don't know what magic can cure this plague. I don't know that any wizard has ever before cured a plague through the use of magic.

"You have to understand, general, that just because a person can command magic, that doesn't mean that they can stay the Keeper himself, when the time for his touch has come. If wizards could do that, I assure you, graveyards would vanish for want of clients. Wizards have not the power of the Creator.