Temple of the Winds

The safety he felt in that love was something he had never imagined he would feel. He had always imagined being in love with someone, but he had never imagined the feeling of security and peace it would bring to his soul. If Shota ever did anything to harm that security. .

Kahlan carried a steaming bowl of soup. "I thought you might like something to eat. You've been at this for a hand of days now: I think you need to get more sleep, too."

He glanced at the big white bowl in her hands. "Thanks." Her brow wrinkled. "Richard, what's wrong? Your face is white as ashes." He leaned back in his chair and sighed. "I feel a little sick." She turned white as ashes, too. "Sick. Richard, it isn't-" "No, it's not that. It's this book on the Temple of the Winds inquisition and trial. I almost wish I'd never found it."

Kahlan leaned over as she set down the bowl. "Here. Eat some of this." "What is it?" Richard asked, as he watched the lush curve of her cleavage rise and fall above the square neckline of her white Confessor's dress. "Lentil porridge. Eat some. What have you found out?" Richard sucked in through his mouth to cool the spoonful of porridge. "I haven't translated much yet, it's taking forever, but from just the little bit I've been able to figure out. these people, these wizards. . they. . they executed all the wizards who sent away the Temple of the Winds. The temple team. they called them. Almost a hundred men." He pulled a finger across his throat.

Kahlan sat on the edge of the table opposite him. "What did they do to warrant death?"

Richard stirred the porridge. "Well, for one thing, they left a way into the Temple of the Winds, as they were directed to do. but they made it so hard to get back into the temple that when these people wanted to get back in to retrieve some magic, in order to fight the war, they couldn't."

"Kolo said that there were the red moons, that the temple sent the warning. You mean, the wizards of old were never able to answer the warning?"

"That wasn't the way it worked. They did get back in." He waved his spoon for emphasis. "In fact, that was the reason for the red moon. It was the second attempt to get in, to answer the red moons caused by the first person sent. that they failed at."

Kahlan leaned toward him while Richard ate a spoonful of porridge. "But this first person got in?"

"Oh yes, he got in. In that was the problem." Kahlan shook her head. "I'm not following this."

Richard set down his spoon and leaned back in his chair. He met her gaze. "The temple team, who sent away the Temple of the Winds, were also the ones who placed the magic in it. You know about some of the terrible magical creations that were made in the war? Things made out of people? Like the mriswith? Like the dream walkers?

"Well, the people of the New World were fighting the people of the Old World, who wanted to eliminate magic, much as Jagang does today. These wizards who took the things of power to the safety of the temple were somewhat in sympathy with those in the Old World who wanted to eliminate magic. They thought that using people lo create these terrible weapons was as evil as some of the very things they fought against."

Fascinated, Kahlan leaned toward him. "You mean they turned to the side of the enemy? They were really working for those in the Old World, to eliminate magic?"

"No, they weren't working to defeat the New World, or to stop all magic, but they felt that they viewed the whole matter on a wider scope than just the war, unlike the wizards in charge, here, at the Keep. They sought the middle ground. They decided that, to an extent, the war, and all their troubles, were related to the misuse of magic.

"They decided that something had to be done." Kahlan hooked some hair behind her ear. "Done? Like what?" "You know the way the Keep used to be full of wizards? The way wizards used to have both sides of the magic? The way the wizards of old wielded much more power than even Zedd does now as First Wizard? The way those born with the gift are more and more rare all the time?

"I think these wizards used the Temple of the Winds to withdraw some of magic's power from this world-they locked it away in the underworld, where it couldn't be used to cause harm, as they saw it, in this world."

Kahlan put a hand to her chest. "Dear spirits. What gave them the right to decide this? They are not the Creator who gave all things, including magic."

Richard smiled. "The head of the inquisition said much the same thing. He demanded to know exactly what they had done." "And have you found the answer?"