Richard had awakened the sliph after thousands of years. The sliph had taken Richard to the Old World, and had brought him and Kahlan safely back to Aydindril. When they returned, Richard had put the sliph back to sleep. All the years Kahlan had spent in the Keep, and she had never known the sliph was there.

Kahlan couldn't even imagine the magic the wizards of old could use to conjure a being such as the sliph, or how they could have put her to sleep for all that time. so that she could wake again. Only at the fringes of her imagination could she conceive of the power Richard wielded, but didn't comprehend.

What would the war wizards of old, who knew their gift well, have been able to do with such unfathomable magic? What terrors would a war among those with that kind of power have been like? The very thought gave her shivers.

It would have been things like the plague that had been set upon them, now. They could do those kinds of things.

The lamplight fell across Kolo's bones beside the chair. The pen and inkwell still sat on the dusty table. The round room, nearly sixty feet across, was capped with a high-domed ceiling, itself nearly as tall as the room was wide.

In the center was a round stone wall, like a well, twenty-five or thirty feet across. There dwelled the sliph. Kahlan held the light over the wall of the well, and glanced briefly down the smooth stone walls of the dark shaft that fell away seemingly forever.

The walls of the room were scorched in ragged lines as if lightning had gone wild in the place-another result of the same magic Richard had invoked when he destroyed the towers and when the doorway had been blasted open. Kahlan strode quickly around the room, checking to see if there was anything that might be useful. There was nothing in the room, other than the table, chair, and Kolo, except for a dusty set of shelves.

Kahlan was disappointed to find that there were no books on the shelves. There were three faded blue, glazed, lidded containers, probably once holding water or soup for the wizard on duty guarding the sliph. A white, glazed bowl held a silver spoon. A neatly folded cloth, or embroidery of some sort, sat on one of the shelves. When she touched it, it disintegrated into dust and little flakes where her fingers contacted it.

Kahlan bent lower, seeing that the bottom shelf held only a few spare candles and a lamp.

An abrupt sensation of icy alarm inundated her. She was being watched.

She froze, holding her breath, telling herself that it was just her imagination. The fine hairs at the back of her neck stiffened. She felt a cold wave of gooseflesh run up her arms.

She strained to hear a telling sound. Her toes cringed inside her boots. She feared to move. Carefully, quietly, she let her lungs draw a needed breath.

Slowly, ever so slowly, so as not to make a sound, she straightened a little. She dared not move her feet lest the stone chips crunch.

Courage, as thin as eggshells, urged her to hide behind the wall of the sliph's well. From there, she could determine if it was only her imagination spooking her. Perhaps it was just a rat.

She twisted to check the distance to the stone wall. Kahlan sucked a cry as she flinched back.

CHAPTER 36

The quicksilver face of the sliph had risen above the edge of the stone wall and was watching her.

The glossy metallic female features of the sliph reflected the lamplight and the room in a living mirror. It was obvious why Kolo called the sliph "she." The sliph was a silver statue. Except it moved with liquid grace.

Kahlan pressed a hand to her hammering heart as she panted, getting her breath. The sliph watched her, as if curious about what Kahlan might do next. Kolo often said in his journal that «she» was watching him. "Sliph. ." Kahlan stammered. "What are you doing-awake?" The face distorted into a puzzled frown. "Do you wish to travel?" The eerie voice echoed around the room. Her lips hadn't moved as she spoke, but she smiled pleasantly.

"Travel? No." Kahlan took a step toward the well. "Sliph, Richard put you to sleep. I was here." "Master. He woke me."

"Yes, Richard woke you. He traveled in you. He rescued me, and I traveled back with him. . in you."

Kahlan recalled that strange experience with a certain fondness. To travel in the sliph, you had to breathe her in. It was frightening at first, but with Richard there holding her hand, Kahlan had been able to do it, and had discovered the enthralling sensation of "traveling." To breathe the sliph was rapture.

"I remember," the sliph said. "Once you are in me, I remember." "But don't you remember Richard putting you to sleep again?" "He woke me from the sleep of ages, but he did not put me back into the long sleep. He put me at rest, until I was needed."

"But we thought-we thought you had gone back to sleep. Why are you not at. . rest, now?" "I felt you near. I came to look."

Kahlan stepped to the stone wall. "Sliph, has someone traveled in you since Richard and I last did?" "Yes. I was used."

Suddenly realization broke through her surprise. "A man and a woman. They traveled in you, didn't they?" The sliph's smile turned sly, but she didn't answer.

Kahlan touched her fingers to the stone wall. "Who was it, sliph, who traveled in you?"

"You should know that I never betray those I hold within me." "I should know? How would I know?"

"You have traveled in me. I would not reveal you. I never betray my clients. You traveled, so you must understand."

Kahlan licked her lips patiently. "Sliph, I'm afraid that I don't know anything about you, really. You are from a time before my time-from another age. I only know that you can travel, and that you helped me before. You were a valuable aid in defeating some very bad people."

"I am glad that you were pleased with me. Perhaps you would like to be pleased again? Would like to travel again?"

A shiver ran up Kahlan's spine. This had to be why Marlin was trying to get to the Keep. He and Sister Amelia must have come to Aydindril from the Old World in the sliph. Jagang had said he had waited to reveal himself until she returned. How else could she have returned to him so fast, except in the sliph? Kahlan swept out an imploring arm. "Sliph, some very evil people. ." She halted, sucking a breath through her open mouth. Her eyes widened. "Sliph," she whispered, "you took me to the Old World before." "Ah. I know the place. Come, we will travel." "No, no, not there. Sliph, can you travel other places?" "Of course." "Where?"

"Many places. You must know. You have traveled. Name the place that would pleasure you, and we will travel." Kahlan leaned toward the alluring, smiling silver face. 'The witch woman. Can you take me to the witch woman?" "I do not know this place."

"It's not a place. It's a person. She lives in the Rang'Shada mountains. In a place called Agaden Reach. Can you go there, to Agaden Reach?" "Ah. I have been there." Kahlan touched her trembling fingers to her lips.

"Come, and we will travel," the sliph said, her haunting voice echoing around the ancient stone walls. The sound died out slowly, letting silence settle once more, covering everything, like the veil of dust in the room.

Kahlan cleared her throat. "I have to go do something, first. Will you still be here when I get back? Will you wait for me?"

"If I am at rest, you can let me know of your need, and we will travel. You will be pleased."

"You mean, if you're not right here, I should call down to you, and you will come to me, and we will travel?" "Yes. We will travel."

Kahlan rubbed her hands together as she backed away. "I'll be back. I'll be back soon, and we will travel."