Page 206 of Stone of Tears (Sword of Truth 2)

"How nice for him."

Verna paused in annoyance at the interruption. "His grandfather is a wizard. A wizard of the First Order. His grandfather wanted to teach him."

"Well, we will see to his teaching. Is that all?"

Verna's eyes narrowed. "I do not need to remind the Prelate that it is a direct violation of the truce to take a boy from a wizard who would teach him. I was told that there were no wizards left in the New World to teach boys. I was lied to. I was used. We have been stealing boys. You made me a part of that."

Ann smiled indulgently. "Sister, we serve the Creator, so all may learn to live in his light. Now, in view of our duty to the Creator, what is a truce with heathen wizards?"

Verna was struck speechless.

Dear Creator, I like this woman so. Please give me the strength to break her. Nathan had added his snowflake, she had to add hers.

"I have been sent on a twenty year chase, without knowing the reason, I have been deceived, my two companions died, one at my hand, I have been forbidden use of my power to do my job..."

"Do you think I forbid your use of your power capriciously? Is that what is bothering you, Verna? Very well then, if you must know the reason, it was to save your life."

Verna stiffened in caution. "If I remember my lessons in the vaults, there is only one reason such restriction would save my life."

Inwardly, Ann smiled. Verna wanted it spoken aloud. "Indeed. Richard has Subtractive Magic."

"You knew that? You had one with Subtractive Magic collared? You would risk that? You would have him brought here, to the Palace?" Her hands unfolded and she leaned in a bit. "Why?"

Ann held the others gaze. "Because there are Sisters of the Dark in the Palace."

She didn't twitch. She knew. At least, she suspected. Bless you Verna, you are a bright one. Forgive me for what I must do.

"Is this room shielded?" Verna asked in an even tone.

"Of course." She left unsaid that her shield would not protect against these Sisters.

"Do you have proof of such an accusation, Prelate?"

"I do not need proof, right now, because this conversation is restricted. You will not speak of it. Unless you plan to bring charges. If you do, I of course will deny it, and say a bitter Sister was trying to accuse the Prelate of blasphemy for personal gain. And then we would have to hang you. Neither of us wants that, now do we?"

Verna sat stiff and still. "No, Prelate. But what does that have to do with bringing Richard here?"

"When your house is overrun with rats, the only thing you can do is bring in a cat."

"This cat sees us all as rats. Maybe with good reason. Some might say that perhaps you were not bringing in a cat for your rats, but bait. Richard is a good person. I would not like to think he is being sacrificed."

"Do you know why you were selected to go after Richard?"

"I had thought it was your vote of confidence."

Ann shrugged. "In a way, it was. Although I am not sure that there are Sisters of the Dark in the Palace, and I have no idea who they are if it is true, I had to assume that if it is true, then since Grace and Elizabeth were at the top of the list, they would be Sisters of the Dark. I knew from prophecy, that only my eyes have seen, that Richard probably has Subtractive Magic, and further, that he would refuse the first two offers. I knew the first two sisters would die.

"If the Nameless One's disciples knew any of this, they would want the third name on the list to be one of theirs, too. I used my prerogative as Prelate to pick the third Sister."

"You chose me, because you had faith that I was not one of them?"

What Ann wanted to say was, I have know you since you were a child, Verna. I know your quick mind, your heart, and your soul. You, of all the Sisters, were the one I trusted with the fate of the world. I knew Richard would be safe in your hands.

But she could not say that.

"I chose you, Verna, because you were far down on the list, and because, all in all, you are quite unremarkable."

The room rang with silence for a long moment. Verna swallowed. "I see."

Ann affected dispassionate objectivity. Inside, her heart was breaking.

"I doubted you were one of them. You are a person of little note. I am sure Grace and Elizabeth made their way to the top of the list because whoever directs the Sisters of the Dark considered them expendable. I direct the Sisters of the Light. I chose you for the same reason.

"There are Sisters who are valuable to our cause; I could not risk one of them on such a task. The boy may prove a value to us, but he is not as important as other matters at the Palace. He may be a help. It was simply an opportunity I thought to take.

"If there would have been trouble, and none of you made it back, well, I'm sure you can understand that a general would not want to lose his best troops on a low priority mission."

Verna's breathing looked forced. Her voice sounded it. "Of course, Prelate Annalina."

Ann shuffled her papers impatiently. "I have important matters to get back to. Is there anything else, Sister?"

"No Prelate."

When the door closed, Ann lowered her face into her shaking hands. Tears dripped onto her papers.

*****

She appraised his eyes for a long moment. Richard didn't know if she would say yes or not, but he had had to tell her much of what he had learned just to get her to agree to listen to his plea. He couldn't afford to fail. He needed help. He had to trust someone.

"All right, Richard. I will help you. If half of what you say is true, I must help you."

Richard sighed as he closed his eyes in relief. "Thank you, Liliana. I'll never forget you for this. You're the only one around here who will listen to reason. Can we do it now? Time is critical."

"Now?" she whispered harshly. "Here? Richard, if what you say about you having Subtractive Magic is true, it won't be a simple matter to remove your Rada'Han. I will need to retrieve an object of magic that the Sisters keep guarded. It's an aid, used to amplify power. Maybe through that, and with your help, it will be enough to get the collar off.

"Not only that, but if the Nameless One is involved, there is no telling what ears, or Han, might be paying attention."

"Then, when? Where? It has to be soon."

She wiped her fingers over her eyes as she considered. "Well, I think I can retrieve the object before tonight, so we could try tonight. But where? It can't be in the Palace. It would be too dangerous."

"The Hagen Woods," Richard said. "Everyone avoids the Hagen Woods."

Liliana looked up. "Richard, you can't be serious. It's dangerous there."

"Not for me. I already told you how I can tell if the mriswith are coming. We will be safe enough, and we won't have to worry about any Sisters, or Pasha, stumbling by while we're trying to get this cursed thing off my neck."

She let out a frus

trated breath and then gave him a lopsided smile. She pulled his head against her shoulder and gave his back a sympathetic rub. "All right. The Hagen Woods, then."

With a stern look, she gripped his shoulder and held him out at arms length. "I'm violating a whole stack of rules by doing this. I know its important, and the right thing to do, but if they catch us before we can do it, they will make sure I never get near enough to you to ever again try."

"I'm ready now, let's go."

"No. I must try to retrieve the aid first." She cocked her head to the side as she frowned. "And I just thought of something else. They keep telling you not to let the sun set on you there. Why?"

Richard shrugged. "Because it's dangerous."

"And after everything you've learned, you believe them? You trust them? Richard, what if they don't want you to let the sun set on you there because you might learn something useful? You said the Hagen Woods were placed there by the wizards of old who had Subtractive Magic, in order to help those like you. What if the Sisters don't want you to have that help? What if they are just trying to make you afraid, so you won't discover it?"

Wizard's First Rule. Were they deceiving him? Was he believing a lie? "You may be right. We'll go before sunset."

"No. We don't want to be seen together. And it will take me some time to steal the aid. Do you know where the long, split rock sets in the stream to southwest corner of the Hagen Woods?"

"I know the place."

"Good. You get there before the sun sets; you are the one the magic is for. Go in the woods by the split rock. Tie strips of cloth to branches so I can follow where you went, and find you. I'll meet you there, in the Woods, when the moon is two hands in the sky. And Richard, don't you dare tell anyone about this, or you will be risking not only my life and yours, but Kahlan's too."

Richard nodded with a smile of thanks. "On my word. Tonight, then."

He paced his room after she left. He was anxious to get this over with, and be off. He was running out of time. If Darken Rahl had the skrin bone, they were already out of time. But that was just foolish. How would he get it? He was a spirit. Maybe it was as Warren said, that the elements were rarely all in place.

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