The men stared. A number spoke up all at once, wanting to know what he meant.

"I want to know, without any preconditions, what each individual chooses to do-to free me of the poison, or to use it as a threat on my life to gain my cooperation. I want to know each man's choice."

"But we must reach a consensus," one man said.

"For what purpose?" Richard asked.

"In order for our decision to be correct," he explained. "No proper decision about the right course of action in any important situation can be made without a consensus."

"You are attempting to give moral authority to mob rule," Richard said.

"But a consensus points to the proper moral judgment," another man insisted, "because it is the will of the people."

"I see," Richard said. "So what you're saying is that if all of you men decide to rape my sister, here, then it's a moral act because you have a consensus to rape her, and if I oppose you, I'm immoral for standing alone and failing to have a consensus behind me. That about the way you men see it?"

The men shrank back in confused revulsion. One spoke up.

"Well… no, not exactly-"

"Right and wrong are not the product of consensus," Richard said, cutting him off. "You are trying to make a virtue of mob rule. Rational moral choices are based on the value of life, not a consensus. A consensus can't make the sun rise at midnight, nor can it change a wrong into a right, or the other way around. If something is wrong, it matters not if a thousand other men are for it; you must still oppose it. If something is just, no amount of popular outcry should stay you from your course.

"I'll not hear any more of this empty gibberish about a consensus. You are not a flock of geese; you are men. I will know the mind of each of you."

He gestured to the ground at their feet. "Everyone, pick up two pebbles."

Richard watched as the bewildered men hesitantly bent and did his bidding.

"Now," Richard said, "you will put either one or both pebbles in a closed fist. Each of you will come up to me, to the man you poisoned, and you will open your fist so that I can see your decision but the others can't.

"One pebble will mean no, you will not tell me where the antidote is located unless I first pledge to try to free your people. Two pebbles in your one fist will mean yes, you agree to tell me, without any precondition, where to find the antidote to the poison you've given me."

"But what will happen if we agree to tell you?" one of the men asked.

"Will you still give us our freedom?"

Richard shrugged. "After each of you has given me your answer, you will all find out mine. If you tell me the location of the antidote, I may help you, or once I'm free of your poison, I may leave you and return to taking care of my own urgent problems. You will only find out after you've given me your answer.

"Now, turn away from your friends and put either one pebble in your fist for no or two pebbles to agree to reveal the location of the poison.

When you've finished, come forward one at a time and open your hand to show me your own individual decision."

The men milled around, casting sidelong glances at one another, but as he'd instructed, they refrained from discussing the matter. Each man finally set about privately slipping pebbles into his fist.

As the men were occupied, Cara and Kahlan moved in close around Richard. It looked like the two of them had been reaching conclusions of their own.

Cara seized his arm. "Are you crazy?" she whispered in an angry tone.

"You've both already asked me that today."

"Lord Rahl, need I remind you that you once before called for a vote and it only got you into trouble? You said you would not do such a foolish thing again."

"Cara is right," Kahlan argued in a low voice so the men couldn't hear.

"This time is different."

"It's not different," Cara snapped. "It's trouble."

"It's different," he insisted. "I've told them what's right and why; now they must decide if they will choose to do the right thing or not."

"You're allowing others to decide your future," Kahlan said. "You're placing your fate in their hands."

Richard let out a deep breath as he gazed into Kahlan's green eyes and then the icy blue eyes of the Mord-Sith. "I have to do this. Now, let them come up and show me their decision."

Cara stormed off to stand back by the statue of Kaja-Rang. Kahlan gave his arm a squeeze, offering her silent support, accepting his decision even if she didn't understand his reasons. A brief smile of appreciation was all he could manage before she turned and walked back to stand by Cara, Jennsen, and Tom.

Richard turned away, not wanting to let Kahlan see how much pain he was in. The ache from the poison was slowly creeping back up his chest. Every breath hurt. His arm still trembled with the lingering ache of being touched by an Agiel. The worst, though, was the headache. He wondered if Cara could see it in his eyes. After all, the business of Mord-Sith was pain.

He knew he couldn't wait until after helping these men fight off the Order before getting the antidote to the poison. He had no idea how to rid their empire of the Imperial Order. He couldn't even rid his own empire of the invaders.

Worse, though, he could feel that he was running out of time. His gift was giving him the headaches and, if not attended to, would eventually kill him, but worse, it was weakening him, allowing the poison to work faster.

With each passing day he was having more and more difficulty working past the poison.

If he could get these men to agree to do this, to tell him where they'd hidden the antidote, then he might be able to recover it in time.

If not, then his chance to live was as good as over.

CHAPTER 44

The men milled around the top of the pass, some staring off into their own thoughts, some gazing up at the statue of Kaja-Rang, the man who had banished their people. Some of the men snatched glimpses at their companions. Richard could see that they were aching to ask friends what they would do, but they kept to Richard's orders and didn't speak.

Finally, when Richard stepped up before them, one of the younger men came forward. He had been one of the men eager to hear Richard's words. He'd looked as if he had listened carefully and considered the things Richard had told them. Richard knew that if this man said no, then there was no chance that any of the others would agree.

When the young, blond-headed man opened his fist, two pebbles lay in his palm. Richard let out an inner sigh that at least one of the men had actually chosen to do the right thing.

Another man came forward and opened his fist, showing two pebbles sitting in his palm. Richard nodded in acknowledgment, without showing any reaction, and let him move aside. The rest of the men had lined up. Each stepped forward in turn and silently opened his hand. Each showed him two pebbles, showing that he would recant their death threat, and then moved off so that the next man could show his choice.

Owen was the last in line. He looked up at Richard, pressed his lips tight, and then thrust out his hand. "You have done us no harm," he said as he opened his fist. There in his palm lay two pebbles.

"I don't know what will happen to us, now," Owen said, "but I can see that we must not cause you harm because we are desperate for your help."

Richard nodded. "Thank you." The sincerity in his voice brought smiles to many of the faces watching. "You have all showed two pebbles. I'm encouraged that you've all chosen to do the right thing. We now have common ground upon which to find a future course."

The men looked around one another in surprise. They each cheerfully gathered in close to their friends, talking excitedly to one another about how they had all made the same decision. They looked gleeful that they were united in their decision. Richard moved back to where Kahlan, Cara, Jennsen, and Tom stood.