Wizards! Richard went rigid. At last, he let out his breath and took her hand gently from his shirt, holding it in both of his, his voice barely audible over the din. “I’m sorry.”

“Richard, I am scared to death!” She was trembling more now. “If you hadn’t been there today, you don’t know what would have happened to me. The dying would have been the best of it. You don’t know about those men.” She shook uncontrollably, giving herself over to her fear.

He felt goose bumps on his arms. He eased her back behind the column where they couldn’t be observed. “I’m sorry, Kahlan. I don’t know what any of this is about. You know at least some of it, but I’m in the dark. I’m scared, too. Today on the cliff… I’ve never been that afraid. And I didn’t really do much of anything that would have saved us.” Seeing her need was giving him the courage to reassure her.

“What you did,” she said struggling to get the words out, “was enough to make a difference. It was enough to save us. No matter how little you think it was, it was enough. If you hadn’t helped me… I don’t want my being here to bring you to harm.”

He squeezed her hand tighter. “It won’t. I have a friend, Zedd. He may be able to tell us what we can do to keep you safe. He’s a—little strange, but he’s the smartest man I know. If there’s anyone who would know what to do, it’s Zedd. If you can be tracked anywhere, then there is no place for you to run—they will find you. Let me take you to Zedd. As soon as Michael gives his speech we will go to my house. You can sit in front of the fire, and in the morning I’ll take you to Zedd.” He smiled, and pointed with his chin to a window near them. “Look over there.”

She turned to see Chase outside a tall, round-topped window. The boundary warden glanced back over his shoulder and gave her a wink and a heartening grin before resuming his scan of the area.

“To Chase, a quad would be just a bit of fun. While he was taking care of them, he’d be telling you a story about some real trouble. He’s been watching out for you since we told him of the men.”

That brought a small smile, but it quickly faded.

“There is more to it. I thought I was going to be safe by coming to Westland. I should have been. Richard, I came across the boundary only with the help of magic.” She was still shaking but starting to regain control of herself, taking strength from him. “I do not know how those men came across. They should not have been able to. They should not have even known I left the Midlands. Somehow, the rules have changed.”

“We’ll deal with that tomorrow. For now, you are safe. Besides, it would take another quad days to get here, wouldn’t it? That will give us time to make plans.”

She gave a nod. “Thank you, Richard Cypher. My friend. But know that if I bring danger to you, I will leave before it can harm you.” She took her hand back and wiped the bottom lids of her eyes. “I am still hungry. Could we have more?”

Richard smiled. “Sure, what would you like?”

“Some more of your little treasures?”

They went back to the food and ate while they waited for Michael. Richard felt better, not about the things she told him, but because at least he knew a little more, and because he had made her feel safe. Somehow he would find the answer to her problem, and he would know what was going on with the boundary. As much as he feared the answers, he would know them.

Whispers rippled through the crowd as heads turned to the far side of the room. It was Michael. Richard took Kahlan’s hand and moved to the side of the room, closer to his brother, so they could watch.

As Michael stepped up onto a platform, Richard realized why it had taken him so long to come out. He had been waiting for the sunlight to fall on that spot, so he could stand in the light and be lit in its glory for all to see.

Not only was he shorter than Richard, but heavier and softer. Sunlight lit his mop of unruly hair. His upper lip proudly displayed a mustache. He wore baggy white trousers, and his white tunic with bloused sleeves was cinched at the waist by a gold belt. Standing there in the sunlight, Michael positively gleamed, casting the same cold, eerie glow the marble did when struck by the sun. He stood out in stark relief against the shadowed background.

Richard held up his hand to catch his attention. Michael saw the hand and smiled at his brother, holding his eyes for a moment as he began speaking, before shifting his gaze to the crowd.

“Ladies and gentlemen, today I accepted the position of First Councilor of Westland.” A roar went up from the room. Michael listened without moving, then thrust his arms suddenly into the air, calling for silence. He waited until every last cough died out. “The councilors from all of Westland selected me to lead us in these times of challenge because I have the courage and vision to take us into a new era. Too long we have lived looking to the past and not to the future! Too long we have chased old ghosts and been blind to new callings! Too long we have listened to those who would seek to drag us into war and ignored those who would guide us on a path to peace!”

The crowd went wild. Richard was dumbfounded. What was Michael talking about? What war? There was no one to have a war with!

Michael held up his hands again and, not waiting for quiet this time, went on. “I will not stand by while the Westland is put into peril by these traitors!” His face was red and angry. The crowd roared again, this time with fists jabbing the air. They chanted Michael’s name. Richard and Kahlan looked at each other.

“Concerned citizens have come forward to identify these cowards, these traitors. At this very moment, as we join our hearts here today in a common goal, the boundary wardens protect us while the army is rounding up these conspirators who plot against the government. They are not the common criminals you might think, but respected men in high authority!”

Murmurs swept across the assembly. Richard was stunned. Could it be true? A conspiracy? His brother hadn’t gotten where he was by not knowing what was going on. Men in high authority. That would certainly explain why Chase didn’t know anything about it.

Michael stood in the shaft of sunlight, waiting for the whispering to die down. When he began again his voice was low and warm.

“But that is past history. Today we look to our new course. One reason I was chosen as First Councilor is because being a Hartlander, I have lived my life in the shadow of the boundary, a shadow that has shaded all our lives. But that is looking to the past. The light of a new day always chases the shadows of the night away, and shows us that the shape of our fears is only the ghost of our own minds.

“We must look forward to a day when the boundary will no longer be there, for nothing lasts forever, does it? And when that day comes we must be ready to extend a hand of friendship and not a sword, as some would have us do. That only leads to the futility of war and needless dying.

“Should we be wasting our resources, preparing to do battle with a people we have been long separated from, a people who were the ancestors to many of us here? Should we be ready to do violence to our brothers and sisters simply because we don’t know them? What a waste! Our resources should be spent eliminating the real suffering around us. When the time comes, maybe not in our lifetime, but it will come, we should be ready to welcome our long-separated brothers and sisters. We must not join only the two lands, but all three! For someday, just as the boundary between Westland and the Midlands will fade away, so too will the second boundary between the Midlands and D’Hara, and all three lands shall be one! We can look to a day when we can share the joy of reunion, if we have the heart! And that joy will spread from here, today, in Hartland!

“This is why I have moved to stop those who would plunge us into war with our brothers and sisters merely because someday the boundaries will fade away. This does not mean we don’t need the army, for we can never know what real threats lie in our path to peace, but we know there is no need to invent them!”