Temple of the Winds

Her left hand now joined with her right, Kahlan slammed her sword down through Sister Amelia's heart, pinning her to the ground before the second soldier had his sword clear of his scabbard.

Verna's dacra expeditiously dispatched the woman behind her at the same time as the young woman with the knife took two bolts of lightning, shattering her in a red horror as Clarissa's body still collapsed toward the ground. The violence was over before comprehension could catch up with it. In a daze, Nathan staggered toward Clarissa's body. Kahlan rushed past him and knelt beside Clarissa. The sight that greeted her brought a gasp.

Kahlan sprang up and put her hands against Nathan, stopping him. "It's too late, Nathan. She's with the spirits, now. Don't look. Please don't look. I saw in her eyes the love she had for you. Please don't look at her like this. Remember her the way she was."

Nathan nodded. "She had a good heart. She saved so many people. She had a good heart."

Nathan lifted his arms. He held his palms out toward Clarissa's body. Intense light flared forth, flooding the dead woman with a brilliant blaze so radiant that the body couldn't be seen at its center.

"From the light of this fire, and into the Light. Safe journey to the spirit world," Nathan whispered. When the light was gone, only ash remained. Nathan slumped. "The vultures can have the rest of them." Verna tucked her dacra back up her sleeve. One soldier retrieved his sword from Amelia's body as the other sheathed his.

The young man looked in shock. "Nathan, I'm so sorry. I gave Jagang the meaning of prophecy that helped him. I didn't want to, but he made me. I'm so sorry."

Nathan's doleful, azure eyes turned toward the young man. "I understand. Warren. You didn't do it out of malice; the dream walker was in your mind and you had no choice. You are free of him now." Nathan yanked the dacra from his leg. He turned to Verna. "You brought traitors to me, Verna. You brought assassins to me. But I realize you had not intended it. Sometimes prophecy overwhelms our attempts to outwit it, and catches us unaware. Sometimes we think we are more clever than we are, and that we can stay the hand of fate, if we wish it hard enough."

Verna straightened her cloak on her shoulders. "I thought I was saving them from Jagang. I never had any idea that they would give the oath to you without committing their hearts." "I understand," Nathan whispered.

"I don't know what goes through that head of yours, Nathan. Lord Rahl indeed." Verna glanced to where Clarissa's body had been, and where now there was only white ash. "And I see that you haven't changed your ways, Nathan. Once again, you've gotten another of your little whores killed."

The impact of Nathan's fist lifted Verna clear off the ground. Her jawbone shattered with a loud crack. Strings of blood sailed out into the night air. Warren cried out as Verna landed flat on her back. She didn't move.

Warren, crouched at Verna's side, looked up with frantic eyes. "Nathan' Dear Creator, why would you do this? You've broken her jaw. Why would you try to kill her?"

Nathan flexed his fist. "If I was trying to kill her, she would be dead. If you want her to live, then I would suggest you heal her. I've heard that you are talented at healing, and with what I have done for you tonight, you should be able to accomplish it in short order. Put some sense in her head, while you're at it."

Warren bent over Verna, pressing his hands to the unconscious woman's face. Kahlan said nothing. She had seen love in Nathan's eyes when he had looked at Clarissa. She had just seen rage, too.

Nathan bent and retrieved the inky black book lying on the ground beside Sister Amelia's body. He straightened and turned those Rahl eyes on Kahlan. He held out the book.

"You could be none other than Kahlan. I have been expecting you. Prophecy, you know. I'm glad I was not late. You don't have much time. Give this to Lord Rahl. I hope he knows how to destroy it."

"He knew when he was at the Temple of the Winds, but he said he had to give up his knowledge to leave. But he wrote a message in the palms of his hands. It says, 'Pinch of white sorcerer's sand on third page. One grain of black sorcerer's sand tossed on. And then there were three words, but I don't know what they mean."

Nathan laid a big hand on her shoulder. "The words are the three chimes: Reechani, Sentrosi, Vasi. I don't have time to teach you about the three chimes, but know that they must be spoken after the white and before the black. That's what is important."

"Reechani, Sentrosi, Vasi," Kahlan repeated, trying to commit the words to memory. She said them over again in her head.