Temple of the Winds

Drefan grunted. "I understand, but that doesn't get you strong." "So, I'll try to be good later. What about going to sleep tonight?" "Meditation," Drefan said. "That will calm your energy flows, and begin bringing them into harmony." Richard rubbed his brow. "Drefan, hundreds of thousands of people are in danger of dying because Jagang wants to put the whole of the world under his boot. He's shown us that he has no bounds to his determination.

"He's starting the killing with children." Richard's knuckles turned white as his hands fisted. "Just to send me a message! Children!

"He has no conscience. He's showing me what he's willing to do to win. To make me surrender! He thinks it will break me!"

In contrast to his knuckles. Richard's face had gone scarlet. "He's wrong. I'd never give our people over to that kind of tyrant. Never! I'll do whatever I must to stop this plague! I swear it!"

The room rang with the sudden silence. Kahlan had never seen Richard angry in quite this way. When he had the deadly fury of the Sword of Truth's magic in his eyes, the object of his rage was usually at hand: the rage was invoked by and directed at a palpable threat.

This was frustrated anger at an invisible enemy. There was no threat he could get his hands on, now. He had no direct way to fight it. Kahlan could see in his eyes that this anger wasn't the magic of the sword. This was purely Richard's rage.

His face finally cooled. He took a calming breath as he wiped a hand across his face. He regained control of his voice.

"If I try to meditate. I will only see those sick and dead children again in my mind. Please, I can't bear to see that in my sleep. I need to go to sleep and not have dreams."

"Go to sleep and not have dreams? You are bothered by dreams?" "Nightmares. I have them all day, too, when I'm awake, but they're real. The dream walker can't enter my dreams, but he has found a way to give me nightmares, nonetheless. Please, dear spirits, at least when I'm asleep, grant me some peace."

"A sure sign of a Feng San meridian disharmony," Drefan confirmed to himself. "I can see that you are going to be a difficult patient, but not without a cause."

He slipped the bone pin from the loop of leather and opened the flap on one of the pouches at his belt. He pulled out a few leather purses. He put one back. "No, that will kill pain, but not be much aid to sleep." He sniffed another. "No, that will make you vomit." He searched his other things and finally closed the flaps on the pouches. "I'm afraid I didn't bring anything so simple with me. I only brought rare items."

Richard sighed. "Thanks for trying, anyway."

Drefan turned to Nadine. She was bottled zeal, pressing her lips together with restrained delight as the others talked.

"The things you gave Yonick's mother wouldn't be strong enough for Richard," Drefan said to her. "Do you have any hops?"

"Sure," she said calmly, but obviously pleased that someone had at last asked her. "In tincture, of course."

"Perfect," Drefan said. He slapped Richard on the back. "You can meditate another time. Tonight, you will be asleep in no time. Nadine will fix you a preparation. I'll go start checking with the staff and giving them my recommendations." "Don't forget to meditate," Richard muttered as Drefan departed. Berdine remained behind, studying the journal, as Nadine. Cara, Raina, Ulic, Egan, and Kahlan all followed Richard to his room, not far away. Ulic and Egan took up posts outside in the hall. The rest of them went into the room with Richard.

Inside, Richard tossed his gold cloak over a chair. He pulled the baldric over his head and laid the Sword of Truth atop it. He wearily drew his gold-trimmed tunic over his head, and removed his shirt, leaving him with a black, armless undershirt.

Nadine watched from the corner of her eye while she softly counted each drop aloud as it dripped into a glass of water.

Richard flopped down on the edge of the bed. "Cara, would you pull my boots off for me, please?"

Cara rolled her eyes. "Do I look like a valet?" She squatted to the task when Richard smiled.

He leaned back on his elbows. "Tell Berdine that I want her to look for any reference to this Mountain of the Four Winds place. See what else she can find out about it."

Cara looked up from his feet. "What a brilliant idea," she said with mock enthusiasm. "I bet she would never have thought of that on her own, all-wise and knowing master."

"All right, all right. I guess I'm not needed. How's my magic potion coming over there?"

"Just finished," Nadine said in a cheery voice.

Cara grunted as she yanked off his other boot. "Undo your pants, and I'll pull them off, too."

Richard scowled down at her. "I'll manage, thank you." Cara smirked to herself as he rolled off the bed and went to Nadine. She handed him the glass of water with the tincture of hops. She had put something else in the glass of water, too.