Temple of the Winds

Kahlan clutched his black shirt as she fought a losing battle to hold back tears. He held her and stroked her hair. She had asked him to hold her and not speak, and he was doing just that. That only made her feel worse.

He must have questions. He must want to say something to her, to tell her how relieved he was to see her sate, to tell her how worried he had been, to ask her where she had been and what she had found out, to tell her what he had found, to yell at her; but he didn't. Instead, without protest, he did as she had asked, relegating his own desires to secondary, after hers.

How would she go on without his love? How would she draw a breath? How would she manage to make herself go on until she was old and could finally finish her duty and at last die?

"Richard. . I'm so sorry I made that letter sound threatening. I didn't mean to threaten you, I swear. I just wanted you to be safe. I'm so sorry if I hurt you."

He squeezed her a little tighter and kissed the top of her head. Kahlan wished she could just die in his arms. now. and not have to face her duty. not have to face the finality of the future, the finality of losing him. "How's your foot?" she asked. "My foot?"

"Cara said you hurt it on a chair."

"Oh. My foot is fine. The chair died, but I don't think it suffered." Against all odds, Kahlan laughed. She looked up through her tears into his gentle smile.

"All right. I think your hug has revived me. You can yell at me now." He kissed her instead. The feeling of being pulled up in his arms was rapture. Being in the sliph didn't even come close.

"So." he finally said. "what did our ancestors' spirits have to say?" "Our ancestors'. . how did you know that I went to the Mud People?" Richard's brow curved into a bewildered cast. "Kahlan, your face is all painted so the ancestors' spirits could see you in a gathering. Did you think I wouldn't notice?"

Kahlan touched her fingers to her forehead, to her cheek. "I was in such a hurry, I never even gave it any thought. No wonder people have been giving me such odd looks."

As she had raced through the palace looking for him. three different women on the staff had offered to draw her a bath. Everyone must have thought she had gone mad.

Richard's expression turned serious as he settled his arms around her waist. "So, what did the ancestors' spirits have to say?"

Kahlan steeled herself. She tilted her head, indicating the bone knife on her arm. "Grandfather's spirit called me, through his bone knife. He had to speak with me. He told me that the plague isn't confined to Aydindril. It's spread all over the Midlands."

Richard tensed. "Do you think it's true?"

"Elder Breginderin had the tokens on his legs. He's probably dead by now. Some children reported that they saw a woman near the Mud People's village. She showed them something with colored light, just like what Lily told us she saw. One of those children has already died. Sister Amelia was there." "Dear spirits," Richard whispered.

"It gets worse. The spirit showed me other places I know in the Midlands. He said that the plague has spread to all these places, too. The spirit showed me what will be if the plague isn't stopped. Death will sweep the land. Few will survive.

"The spirit told me that magic stolen from the Temple of the Winds started the plague, but that the plague itself isn't magic. Jagang has used magic more powerful than he understands. If allowed to rage unchecked, the plague could eventually sweep into the Old World, too."

"Small consolation. Did the spirit say how Jagang stole this magic from the Temple of the Winds?"

Kahlan nodded as she looked away from his eyes. "You were right about the red moons. It was a warning that the Temple of the Winds had been violated."

Kahlan told him about the Hall of the Betrayer, and how Sister Amelia had been able to tread that path. Kahlan recounted the rest of her meeting with the spirit of Chandalen's grandfather, as best as she could remember it, including the part about the temple being at least partially sentient, as Richard had suspected.

Richard leaned an arm against the mantel as he stared into the fire. He pinched his lower lip as he listened patiently.

Kahlan told him how the spirit had told her that to stop the plague, they must get into the Temple of the Winds, how it existed in both worlds at the same time, and how both the good and the evil spirits were involved and had a say in this.

"And the ancestor's spirit could give you no indication how we were to get to the Temple of the Winds?"

"No," Kahlan said. "In fact, he wasn't interested in that part of it. He said that the temple would reveal what must be done. Shota said the same thing."

Engrossed in thought, Richard nodded while he considered her words. Kahlan twisted her fingers together while she waited.