The boy was shuddering in tears. When he saw Richard coming into the room, he jumped down off the chair and swiped the floppy wool hat from his head of blond hair. He stood crushing his hat in his fists, trembling expectantly, tears coursing down his face.

Richard crouched down before the boy. "I'm Lord Rahl. I hear you need to see me. What's your name?"

He wiped his nose. The tears kept coming. "Yonick." "There now, Yonick, what's the matter?"

He could only get out the word «brother» before succumbing to gasping sobs. Richard took the boy in his arms and comforted him. He wept in racking sobs as he clung to Richard. His misery was heartbreaking. "Can you tell me what's the matter, Yonick?" "Please, Father Rahl, my brother's sick. Real sick."

Richard stood the boy on his feet before him. "He is? What's he sick with?" "I don't know," Yonick cried. "We bought him herbs. We tried everything. He's so sick. He's just been getting worse since I came to see you before."

"Since you came to see me before?"

"Yes," Nadine snapped. "He came begging for your help a few days ago." Nadine thrust a finger at Kahlan. "She sent him away." Kahlan's face went crimson. Her jaw worked, but no words came out. "All she cares about are her armies and fighting wars and hurting people. She doesn't care about a miserable little boy who's sick. She would only care if he was some fancy, important diplomat. She doesn't know what it is to be poor and sick." With a glare, Richard froze Cara's advance. He turned and glared at Nadine. "That's enough."

Drefan laid a hand on Kahlan's shoulder. "I'm sure you had a good reason. You couldn't have known how sick his brother was. No one is blaming you."

Richard turned back to the boy. "Yonick, my brother here, Drefan, is a healer. Take us to your brother, and we'll see if we can't help him."

"And I have herbs," Nadine said. "I'll help your brother, too, Yonick. We'll do everything we can. We promise." Yonick wiped his eyes. "Please hurry. Kip is real sick." Kahlan looked on the verge of tears. Richard put a hand tenderly to her back. He could feel her trembling. He feared how sick the boy's brother might be, and wanted to spare her seeing it. He feared she might blame herself. "Why don't you wait here while we see to this."

Her wet green eyes flashed up at him. "I'm going," she said through gritted teeth.

Richard gave up trying to remember the warren of narrow streets and twisting alleys they went down, and simply noted where the sun was in the sky in order to keep his bearings as Yonick led them through a maze of buildings and walled courtyards hung with laundry.

Chickens flapped and squawked as they scattered out of the way. Some of the tiny, walled courtyards held a few goats, or sheep, or a pig or two. The animals seemed incongruous amid the tightly packed buildings.

Overhead, people carried on conversations from opposing windows. Some leaned out on elbows to have a look at the procession led by a boy. It created quite a stir. Richard knew that it was the sight of Lord Rahl, dressed in his black war wizard's outfit with a gold cloak billowing out behind, and the Mother Confessor in her pristine white dress, that was the object of wonder, rather than the knot of soldiers or two Mord-Sith-soldiers were common, and the city people probably didn't have a clue as to who the two women in brown leather were.

People in the streets and alleyways pushed their carts of vegetables, wood, or household goods to the side to get out of the way. Others stood against the walls and watched, as if it were a miniature, impromptu parade unexpectedly coming through their neighborhood.

At intersections, soldiers on patrol cheered their Lord Rahl, and called out their thanks for his curing their ailment.

Richard held a light grip on Kahlan's hand. She hadn't spoken a word since they left the palace. He had made Nadine walk behind, between the two Mord-Sith. He hoped Nadine knew enough to keep her mouth shut. Yonick pointed. "Just up there." They followed him as he turned from the street down a narrow alley between stone walls forming the bottom floors of houses, with wood above for the second story. Water dripping from melting snow overhead splashed mud from the alley a few feet up onto the stone. With one hand, Kahlan held Richard's, and with the other she held the hem of her dress up as she followed him down the line of boards laid in the mud.

Yonick paused at a door under a small shed roof. People peered out windows to each side. When Richard caught up, Yonick opened the door and ran up the stairs, calling out for his mother.

A door at the top of the stairs squeaked open. A woman in a brown dress and white apron stared down at the boy running up the stairs. "Ma-it's Lord Rahl! I brought Lord Rahl!" "The good spirits be praised," she said.

She rested a weary hand on her son's back as he threw his arms around her waist. She lifted her other hand toward a doorway at the rear of the small room used as kitchen, dining room, and living area.

"Thank you for coming," she mumbled to Richard, but she broke down in tears before she could finish.

Yonick ran for the back room. "This way. Lord Rahl." Richard squeezed the woman's arm to reassure her as he swept past, following Yonick. Kahlan still gripped his other hand. Nadine and Drefan followed on their heels, with Cara and Raina close behind. Yonick balked at the bedroom door as the rest of them entered.

A single candle on a small table struggled to ward off the shroud of darkness. A basin of water and soapy rags stood vigil beside the candle. The rest of the room, mostly taken up with three pallets, seemed to be waiting for the candle's diligence to flag, so night could seize the room.

A small figure lay on the far pallet. Richard, Kahlan, Nadine, and Drefan crowded in beside it. Yonick and his mother, silhouetted by the light from beyond the door, stood at the brink of the darkness, watching. The room stank like rotting meat.

Drefan pushed back the hood of his flaxen cloak. "Open the shutters so I can see."

Cara drew both open and folded them against the wall, allowing the light to flood into the tiny room and reveal a blond-headed boy covered to his neck with a white sheet and blanket. The side of his neck, just above the sheet, was grossly distended. His uneven breaths rattled. "What's his name?" Drefan called back to the mother. "Kip," she said in a whining cry.

Drefan patted the boy's shoulder. "We're here to help you. Kip." Nadine leaned in. "Yes, Kip, we'll have you up and about in no time." She put her hand back over her mouth and nose against the smell of rot that gagged them all.

The boy didn't respond. His eyes were closed. His sweaty hair was plastered against his forehead.

Drefan drew the bed covers down to Kip's waist, below his hands resting on his stomach. The boy's fingertips were black. Drefan stiffened. "Dear spirits," he breathed.

He rocked back on his heels and touched the back of his hand to the legs of the two Mord-Sith towering behind them.

"Get Richard out of here," he whispered urgently. "Get him out, now." Without questioning, Cara and Raina thrust hands under Richard's arms and started to pull him up. Richard jerked away from their grip. "What's going on?" he demanded. "What's the matter?" Drefan wiped a hand across his mouth. He glanced over his shoulder at the mother and Yonick. His gaze took in the rest of them before settling on Richard. He leaned closer. "This boy has the plague." Richard stared at him. "What do we have to do to cure him?"

Drefan lifted an eyebrow. He turned back to the boy, elevating a little hand. "Look at his fingers." The fingertips were black. He pulled the bedcover aside. "Look at his toes." His toes were black. He opened the boy's trousers. "Look at his penis." The tip of it was black, too.