Temple of the Winds

Maybe if she just threw in the grain of black sand anyway. No, she knew better than to disregard what a wizard like Nathan said to do. She squeezed her head between the heels of her hands, as if trying to press the words out. Cara knelt down, grasping her by her shoulders.

"Mother Confessor, what's wrong? You must hurry. Lord Rahl is hardly breathing. Hurry!"

Tears ran down her face. I can't remember the words. Oh, Cara, I can't remember them. Nathan told me, but I can't remember them."

Kahlan clambered back across the floor to Richard. She smoothed a hand down his face.

"Richard, please, wake up. I need to know the words. Please, Richard, what are the words? The three words?"

He struggled to draw a breath, gasping with the effort. He wasn't going to wake. He wasn't going to live.

Kahlan rushed back to the book. She snatched up the leather pouch of black sand. She would have to do it without the words. Maybe it would work. It would work. It had to work.

She couldn't make her hands move. She knew better. It wouldn't work unless she said the words. She knew it wouldn't. She had grown up around wizards and magic; she knew better than to disregard what Nathan had told her. Without the words, it wouldn't work.

She fell forward with a wail, beating her fists against the stone floor. "I can't remember the words! I can't!"

Cara put an arm around Kahlan, making her sit up, holding her in a gentle embrace. "Calm down. Take a breath. Good. Let it go. Take another. Now, picture in your mind this man Nathan. Picture him telling you the words, and how happy you were that you could save Richard's life." Kahlan tried. She tried so hard she wanted to scream.

"I can't remember them," she wept. "Richard's going to die because I can't remember three stupid words. I can't remember the three chimes."

'The three chimes?" Cara asked. "You mean, Reechani, Sentrosi, Vasi? Those three chimes?"

Kahlan stared in disbelief. "That's them. The three chimes. Reechani, Sentrosi, Vasi.

"Reechani? Sentrosi! Vasi! I remember! Thank you, Cara, I remember!" Kahlan pulled out a grain of black sorcerer's sand between her thumb and finger. "Reechani, Sentrosi, Vasi." she said again, for good measure. She tossed the grain of black sand into the book. She and Cara both held their breath.

A hum slowly built in the room. The air seemed to dance and vibrate. Light of every color flared forth, twisting and tumbling, pulsing and throbbing. It grew with the hum, until Kahlan had to turn her eyes away.

Rays of light swept across the stone walls. Cara put a hand up before her face. Kahlan did the same, so bright was the light that just turning away was not enough.

And then darkness began gathering, like the inky black of a night stone, or of the book's cover itself, pulling the light and color back into the book. It drew all the light from the room, until all fell into darkness.

In that depth of sightless obscurity, there came such terrible moans that Kahlan was thankful she couldn't see their source. The wails of souls filled the room, scattering about in a blind, mad frenzy, swirling through the air, lost, frantic, wild.

The sound of distant laughter that Kahlan knew all too well died into a wail that stretched into eternity.

When the light of the candles returned, the book was gone, only a stain of ash to show where it had been.

Kahlan and Cara rushed to Richard. He opened his eyes. He still didn't look well, but he looked more alert. His breathing was stronger, and even. "What happened?" He asked. "I can breathe. My head isn't pounding." "The Mother Confessor saved you," Cara announced. "As I have told you so often, women are stronger than men."

"Cara," Kahlan whispered, "how did you know the three chimes?" Cara shrugged. "The Legate Rishi knew the words, with the message from the winds. When you said 'the three chimes, they just came to me, through his magic, as the other messages from the winds came to me."

Kahlan pressed her forehead to Cara's shoulder in relief, in wordless gratitude. With equally silent empathy, Cara stroked Kahlan's back.

Richard blinked and scrunched his eyes, as if clearing his head. When he sat up, Kahlan leaned to hug him, but Cara held her back.

"Please, Mother Confessor, may I be first? I fear that once you start, I may never again get a chance."

Kahlan grinned. "You're right about that. Take all you want." As Cara threw her arms around Richard and squeezed for all she was worth, whispering private, heartfelt words in his ear, Kahlan stood and faced the sliph.

"I can't thank you enough, sliph. You saved Richard. You are a friend, and I will honor you as long as I live."