For what seemed an eternity his mind, filtering her words through his fury, tried lo make sense of what she had said. It seemed a riddle to him.

"Are you going to kiss me, or are you going to cut my throat?" she asked, still panting.

It was Kahlan's voice. He released her wrists. She turned around, her face inches from his. It was her. It was really her.

“Dear spirits, thank you, ' he whispered before he kissed her.

Richard remembered very well what her soft lips felt like. His memory was no match for reality. His fury stilled like a lake becalmed on a moonlit summer night. With aching bliss, he held her to him.

His fingers gently touched her face, touching his dream come to life. Her fingers trailed along his cheek as she gazed at him, needing words no more than he. For a moment, the world stopped, "Kahlan," he said at last, "I know you're angry with me, but..»

"Well, if I hadn't broken my sword, and had to pick up a knife, you wouldn't have had such an easy time. But I'm not angry."

"That's not what I meant. I can explain — "

"I know what you meant, Richard. I'm not angry. I trust you. You have some explaining to do, but I'm not angry. The only thing you could do to make me angry would be if you ever get more than ten feet from me for the rest of your life."

Richard smiled. "You aren't going to ever be angry with me, then." His smile withered as his head thumped back to the ground. "Oh, yes you are. You don't know the trouble I've caused. Dear spirits, I've. ."

She kissed him again — tender, soft, warm. He ran his hand down the back of her long, thick hair.

He held her away by her shoulders. "Kahlan, we have to get out of here. Right now. We're in a lot of trouble. I'm in a lot of trouble."

Kahlan rolled off him and sat up. "I know. The Order is coming. We need to hurry."

"Where's Zedd, and Gratch? Let's get them and be gone."

Her head tilted toward him. "Zedd and Gratch? They aren't with you?"

"Me? No. I thought they were with you. I sent Gratch with a letter. Dear spirits, don't tell me you didn't get the letter. No wonder you aren't angry with me. I sent — "

"I got the letter. Zedd used a spell to make himself light enough for Gratch to carry him. Gratch took Zedd back to Aydindril weeks ago."

Richard felt a hot wave of nausea. He remembered the dead mriswith all over the rampart at the Keep.

"I never saw them," he said in a whisper.

"Maybe you left before they arrived. It must have taken you weeks to get here."

"I only left Aydindril yesterday."

"What?" she whispered, wide-eyed. "How could…"

"The sliph brought me. She got me here in less than a day. At least, I think it was less than a day. It may have been two. I had no way of telling, but the moon looked the same…"

Richard realized he was rambling, and made himself stop.

Kahlan's face was becoming watery in his vision. His voice sounded hollow to him, as if it were someone else speaking. "I found a place on the Keep where there had been a fighl. There were dead mriswith all over. I remember thinking it looked like Gratch had killed them. It was at the edge of a high wall.

"There was blood at a notch in the wall, and all down the side of the Keep. I ran my finger through the blood. Mriswith blood stinks. Some of the blood wasn't from a mriswith."

Kahlan took him in her comforting arms.

"Zedd, and Gratch," he whispered. "That must have been them."

Her arms tightened. "I'm sorry, Richard."

He lifted her arms away and stood, giving her a hand up. "We have to get out of here. I've done something terrible, and Aydindril is in trouble. I've got to get back there."

Richard's gaze caught on the Rada'Han. "What's this doing around your neck?"

"I was captured by Tobias Brogan. It's a long story."

Even before she had finished speaking, he curled his fingers around the collar. Without cognitive reasoning, but through the need and fury, he felt the power swell from the calm center and surge through his arm.

The collar shattered in his hand like sunbaked dirt.

Kahlan's fingers groped at her neck. She let out a sigh of relief verging on a wail.

"It's back," she whispered as she leaned against him, putting a hand to her breastbone. "I can feel my Confessor's power. I can touch it again."

He squeezed her with one arm. "We'd better get out of here."

"I've just gone and freed Ahern. That's where I broke my sword — on one of the Blood. He took a bad fall," she explained to his frown. "I told Ahern to head north with the Sisters."

"Sisters? What Sisters?"

"I found Sister Verna. She's gathering the Sisters of the Light, the young men, novices, and guards, and escaping with (hem. I'm on my way to meet her. I left Adie with them. Hurry, and we may be able to catch them before they leave. They're not far."

Kevin's mouth dropped when he stepped out from behind the wall to challenge the two of them. "Richard!" he whispered. "Is it really you?"

Richard smiled. "Sorry, I don't have any chocolates, Kevin."

Kevin pumped Richard's hand. "I'm loyal, Richard. Nearly all the guards are loyal."

Richard frowned in the dark. "I'm… honored, Kevin."

He turned and called out in a loud whisper. "It's Richard!"

A crowd gathered around after he and Kahlan had slipped through the gate and behind the wall. In the flickering light of distant fires down at the docks, Richard saw Verna and threw his arms around her.

"Verna, I'm so glad to see you!" He held her out at arm's length. "But I have to tell you, you need a bath."

Verna laughed. It was a rare, good sound to hear. Warren squeezed past her and with a gleeful laugh embraced Richard.

Richard held Verna's hand out and pressed the Prelate's ring into it, closing her fingers around it. "I heard about Ann dying. I'm so sorry. This is her ring. I think you would know better than I what to do with it."

Vema brought the hand closer to her face, staring at the ring. "Richard… were did you get this?"

"I made Sister Ulicia give it to me. She had no business wearing it."

"You made…"

"Verna was named Prelate, Richard," Warren said as he put a reassuring hand to her shoulder.

Richard grinned. "I'm proud of you, Vema. Put it back on, then."

"Richard, Ann isn't… The ring was taken from me… I was convicted by a tribunal… and removed as Prelate."

Sister Dulcinia stepped forward. "Verna, you are the Prelate. At the trial, every Sister here with us voted with you."

Verna searched all the faces watching her. "You did?"

"Yes," Sister Dulcinia said. "We were overruled by the others, but we all believed in you. You were named by Prelate Annalina. We need a Prelate. Put the ring back on."

Verna nodded her tearful gratitude to the Sisters as they voiced their agreement. She slipped the ring back on her finger and kissed it. "We have to get everyone away at once. The Imperial Order is coming to take the palace."

Richard gripped her arm and pulled her back around. "What do you mean 'the Imperial Order is coming to take the palace'? What do they want with the Palace of the Prophets?"

"The prophecies. Emperor Jagang intends to use them to know the forks in the books so he can alter events to his advantage."

The other Sisters behind Verna gasped. Warren slapped a hand over his face as he groaned.

"And," Vema added, "he plans to live here, under the palace's spell, so he can rule the world after the prophecies help him crush all opposition."

Richard released her arm, "We can't let him do that. We would be frustrated at every fork. We wouldn't have a chance. The world would suffer under his tyranny for centuries."

"There's nothing we can do about it," Verna said. "We have to get away or we'll all be killed here, and then there's no chance for us to help — to think of a way to fight back."