The soldier on the other side of Sebastian grunted. His sword clattered to the marble floor as he clutched his chest. He toppled, like a tree that had been felled, and crashed to the floor. Another soldier, then another, then another fell. Thump, thump, thump they hit the floor. Jennsen put herself in front of Sebastian, throwing her arms around him to protect him.

The room exploded with a blinding flash of lightning. The sizzling arc twisted through the air, yet it unfailingly found its mark, raking down the line of men running out around the edge of the room, cutting them down in an instant. Jennsen looked over her shoulder and saw the old woman cast a hand out to the other side, toward men, and a Sister, charging across the room straight toward her. The soldiers, struck down by an invisible power, dropped in their tracks, one at a time. Their heavy crumpled bodies slid across the slick floor a short distance when they collapsed in midstride.

The Sister cast out her hands, Jennsen assumed to protect herself with magic of some kind, although she could see nothing of it. But when the Sister again thrust out an arm, Jennsen not only saw but could hear light forming at the tips of her fingers.

With all the soldiers down-all but Sebastian dead-the old sorceress turned her full attention on the attacking Sister. With weathered hands, the old woman warded the attack, sending the thrumming light back on the Sister.

"You know you have but to swear allegiance, Sister," the old woman said in a raspy voice, "and you will be free of the dream walker."

Jennsen didn't understand, but the Sister surely did. "It won't work! I'll not risk such agony! May the Creator forgive me, but it will be easier for us all if I kill you."

"If that be your choice," the old woman rasped, "then so be it."

The younger woman started to cast her magic again, but fell to the floor with a sudden cry. She clawed at the smooth marble, trying to whisper prayers between grunts of terrible agony. She left a smear of blood on the marble, but before getting far, she stilled. Her head sank to the floor as she expelled one long last rattling breath.

Knife in hand, Jennsen ran for the murderous old woman. Sebastian followed, but had taken only a few steps when the woman wheeled and cast a shimmering light at him just as Jennsen stepped into her line of sight. Only that prevented the streak of glimmering light from hitting him square. The light glanced off his side in a shower of sparks. Sebastian fell with a cry.

"No! Sebastian!" Jennsen started for him. He pressed his hands to the side of his ribs, clearly in pain. If hurt, at least he was alive.

Jennsen swung back to the old woman. She stood immobile, her head cocked, listening. There was confusion in her manner, and a curious kind of awkward helplessness.

The sorceress wasn't looking at her, but instead had an ear turned to her. Being a little closer, now, Jennsen noticed for the first time that the old woman had completely white eyes. Jennsen stared, at first from surprise, and then with sudden recognition.

"Adie?" she breathed, not having intended to say it aloud.

Startled, the woman cocked her head the other way, listening with her other ear. "Who be there?" the raspy voice demanded. "Who be there?"

Jennsen didn't answer, for fear of giving away her exact location. The room had gone silent. Worry wore heavily on the old sorceress's weathered face. But determination, too, set her jaw as her hand lifted.

Jennsen gripped her knife in her fist, not knowing what to do. If this really was Adie, the woman Althea had told her about, then, according to Althea, she would be completely blind to Jennsen. But she was not blind to Sebastian. Jennsen crept a step closer.

The old woman's head turned to the sound. "Child? Do you be a sister of Richard? Why would you be with the Order?"

"Maybe because I want to live!"

"No." The woman shook her head with stem disapproval. "No. If you be with the Order, then you have chosen death, not life."

"You're the only one intent on bringing death!"

"That be a lie. All of you came to me with weapons and murderous intent," she said. "I did not come to you."

"Of course! Because you defile the world with your taint of magic!" Sebastian called from behind. "You would smother mankind-enslave us all-with your wicked ancient ways!"

"Ah," Adie said, nodding to herself. "It be you, then, who has deluded this child."

"He's saved my life! Without Sebastian I would be nothing! I would have nothing! I would be dead! Just like my mother!"

"Child," Adie said in a quiet rasp, "that, too, be a lie. Come away from them. Come with me."

"You'd love that, wouldn't you!" Jennsen shrieked. "My mother died in my arms because of your Lord Rahl. I know the truth. The truth is that you'd love to deliver the prize plum to Lord Rahl, at last."

Adie shook her head. "Child, I don't know what lies be filling your head, but I do not have the time for this. You must come away with me, or I cannot help you. I cannot wait a moment longer. Time be in short supply and I have used all I have."

As the woman spoke, Jennsen used the opportunity to take small quiet steps forward. She had to take this chance to end the threat. She knew she could take this woman out. If it was only a matter of muscle and skill with a knife, then Jennsen would have the distinct advantage. A sorceress's magic was useless against someone who was invincible-against a pillar of Creation.

"Jenn, take her! You can do it! Avenge your mother!"

Jennsen was still only a quarter of the distance from Sebastian to Adie. Knife held tight, she took another step.

"If that be your choice," Adie rasped at hearing the whisper of the footstep, "then so be it."

When the sorceress lifted her hand out toward Sebastian, Jennsen realized with horror what she meant: the price of her choice was that Sebastian would be forfeit.