Magic of the Seeker
By Gwenneth
Disclaimer: Yeh, I don't own any of the characters, etc., etc. And this is purely TV show based, I haven't read the books yet. Though I fully intend on picking them up after seeing the show. I threw this together, unbetaed, after watching the show the last few weeks. I fell in love with it rather quickly.
Summary: A little different take on Richard and his magic. I was disappointed he didn't use it!
Richard's head was on fire, sharp pangs of intense pain ripping across his forehead and around the crown of his head as he tried to hide his affliction from his friends. It had worked, for a while, but he was starting to realize he wasn't going to be able to hide this forever.
It was only because of his training under the Mord'SIth Denna that he had succeeded this long. She had taught him how to effectively accept pain and therefore his reaction to his increasing headaches was so far controllable – a small twitch or a tense frown the only outward signs.
I'm doing fine, he thought as he pushed aside a bit of heavy underbrush. I can do this. They're just headaches. I withstood Mord'Sith torture, I can handle this.
His thoughts had been similar for days.
And so he was wholly unprepared for a sudden burst of pain so intense it dropped him to his knees and had him screaming in agony. He was only vaguely aware of Kahlan and Cara as they hit the dirt beside him calling his name in a vain attempt to draw his attention to them.
For long moments, Richard clutched his head and rocked on the ground, Kahlan's embrace bringing him little comfort. When the pain began to dull a little, he released his deathgrip on his head and tried to open his eyes. He snapped them shut again as pain hit with the infusion of light from the setting sun.
"Richard!"
Kahlan's voice finally reached him and he turned toward her, not opening his eyes.
"I'm all right, Kahlan," he said weakly. "It's just this headache. I can't seem to shake it. I've been getting it on and off for weeks. I've been able to keep it under control, but this time …"
Cara leaned down. "It must have reached epic levels," she said matter-of-factly. "You are adept at controlling and withstanding pain. To drop you … It must be as strong, or stronger, than an agiel."
Kahlan looked at Richard with worry. "That can't be good," she said. "We need Zedd."
A noise behind them jarred Kahlan and Cara.
"The Wizard can't help him," came the voice of a woman.
She was accompanied by two others, the Confessor and the Mord'Sith soon discovered. "You're a Sister of the Light," Kahlan said. "Do you know what's wrong with Richard?"
The apparent leader of the three Sisters nodded and knelt beside Richard, who was now squinting instead of sealing his eyes shut. It was obvious he was still in pain, but he was paying attention to the goings on.
"I do," the woman said. "The Seeker's magic is coming to the surface. His Han is powerful. It's trying to manifest through magic, but since Richard is not able to utilize it, it's building up. It's causing the pain." She put a light hand on Richard's shoulder, but immediately drew back, her eyes widening. "My word!" She exclaimed.
Richard didn't react, but Kahlan did. "What? What's wrong!"
The woman looked her in the eyes. "His Han. It's …" she leaned down and drew Richard's head up so his squinting eyes met hers. "Richard, listen to me. Your Han is killing you. You must use it!"
He shook his head, gripping it in pain. "I don't know how," he said. "I'm not a wizard. I can't do magic." He gasped and started rocking. "AH!"
The woman closed her eyes and appeared deep in thought. She then turned to her companions. "We must," she said cryptically. "If we don't, he'll die."
"But Sister Verna, we can't," one of the women said. "We can not let an untrained wizard perform magic outside the Palace of the Prophets. It's too dangerous."
Verna shook her head. "Not doing it is more so," she said. "The Seeker cannot die here." She appeared to make a decision. "Richard," she finally said, leaning back down and drawing him out of Kahlan's grip. The Confessor looked ready to resist, but Cara laid a hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear.
"I've seen a man die of bottled up magic," she said. "It's not a pretty sight. Let her do whatever she must."
Meanwhile, Verna was holding Richard's hand out in front of him. Perspiration stood out on her forehead, as if the mere act of touching him was painful.
"You must feel the magic in your blood," Verna said. "You must force it from your head, where it's building up. Move it down your center, and out through your hand. Imagine your blood carrying the light of your Han. Imagine it traveling away from your head and toward your hand. Picture it in your mind."
She could feel something moving in Richard as he panted in pain. She wasn't sure if he was doing what she had said. Sisters of the Light didn't often teach wizards to do this without intense academic training to educate them on the way magic worked before practical applications.
But this was an emergency.
Just as the pain started to really show on Richard's face and his breath came out in great gasps, a jet of bright red and white fire suddenly erupted from his outstretched hand, slamming with such force into a nearby hillside that it blasted a hole in the ground deep enough to hide the small group.
Richard slumped forward when it was over and leaned his now aching, but no longer agonized, head on the forest floor. He worked to control his breathing as the Sisters of Light exchanged horrified glances and Kahlan and Cara tried to collect their jaws from where they had hit the ground.
The Seeker, however, was having one of the most intense battles he had ever engaged in – with himself. He had seen the wizard's fire burst from his hand and had felt the immense power that ran through his blood. It had been so strong he had been frightened by it.
He wanted Zedd. The wizard could help him.
"We need to find Zedd," he said, still breathing heavily. "We don't have time for this … this magic. I need to find him before something happens to him." He struggled, not really succeeding in rising to his feet until Cara, the one who didn't appear uncertain of touching him, hefted him upright.
Maybe she wasn't shying away from him because she could repel his magic.
Or at least, she could repel most people's magic – Richard's was so strong, Cara wasn't sure she could handle it if it was directed at her. The Seeker wobbled unsteadily on his feet, clenching and unclenching the hand that had cast the wizard's fire.
"Richard," Verna whispered. "You have more power than anyone I've ever met. You must travel with us to the palace for training. You can't control this magic, you need to be taught." She looked to Kahlan, her eyes pleading with the Confessor to talk some sense into the Seeker. "Now that you have felt the magic course through you and pushed it out, it will happen much more instinctively. You might hurt someone – or yourself."
The young man hesitated, but his need to help his grandfather overwhelmed him. "I'll come later," he said. "Zedd's been kidnapped and we need to get him back. I won't let any more of my family die because of me and my destiny."
Kahlan gasped. "Oh Richard," she said. "No one's death has been your fault!"
But he hushed her with a fierce glare that he normally would never direct at the woman he loved. He wasn't sure about anything but his need to find Zedd. Maybe it was his magic, thirsting for the old man's knowledge.
Verna shook her head. "This is not a good idea," she said. Turning to her Sisters, she sighed. "But if you will not accompany us, then we must accompany you Seeker and young wizard. We might be able to temper your power enough to keep you and your friends safe."
She looked to the Mord'SIth in their midst. "And you, Miss, might be useful as well. If his magic bursts out unexpectedly. Be ready, Mord'Sith, your skills may be all that can save one of us in its path."
Cara glared. "I'm always useful," she grunted. "And I'll be ready for anything Richard might – let loose."
The Seeker shook his head. "I'm fine. I'm not a real wizard. I just have some of Zedd's blood in me. It's not like I'm a wizard of the First Order or anything."
Verna jerked him to a halt. "Don't be naïve, boy!" She barked. "You are so much more than a wizard of the First Order could ever be. You have two powerful bloodlines flowing in your veins – the Rahl and the Zorander. Combined they hold immeasurable strength." She pulled his shirt, drawing him to her face level. "Don't dismiss it. It could be the death of your friends. I'm not exaggerating. I have been a Sister of the Light for many years and have never encountered the likes of you."
She let him go and strode past. "Let's go find Zeddicus Zorander. Let him talk sense into you. Maybe you'll listen to him."
They moved into the growing darkness of night.
For the first time Richard's head was manageable. But he had another problem. His blood boiled with the need to release more magic.
In the forest…
"Come now wizard," the blonde Mord'Sith said, her agiel in her hand, taunting the older man whose hands were chained and whose fingers were bound and covered to stop him from using magic. "Just do what I want you to and I will end your pain quickly – I'll make you feel better than you can imagine. You can't want me to keep hitting you with this. I know its pain. I can take it all away. Just say the words."
Zeddicus, wizard of the First Order, wasn't so easy to break. But he was an old man and he was nearing his limit. Much more torture and he wasn't sure his heart would be able to withstand it.
So, he reasoned, he just had to wait that long and then he could have peace.
Peace in life after death.
He looked Denna in the eyes. "You will have to kill me then, Denna. Because I'll never join you. No matter what you do to me."
Denna showed no emotional reaction to his words. Instead she leaned closer. "You'd let Richard lose another loved one? He's already lost so much. You'd willingly let him suffer another devastating loss? What kind of grandfather are you?"
She drew back, satisfied at the pain in Zedd's eyes at her words, knowing her next would give him something to fight on for. "He'll need you," she said loftily. "My spies have brought me word." She stood directly in front of him and looked straight into his eyes. "He has strong magic. And it's killing him."
Zedd jerked hard. "No…" he said, pulling uselessly at the restraints, knowing the implications of Denna's words. If Richard were not taught to release his Han through magic – he would die.
"Denna," he said desperately. "If there is anything left in you resembling loyalty, let me go to him. He is the true heir of Panis Rahl. He is your lord. You must let me help him before it's too late."
The Mord'Sith only laughed in his face. "You want to go, all you have to do it tell me what I want to hear, wizard." She grabbed his hair and pulled his head back. "And for your information, Richard is not my lord. The true Lord Rahl would have taken up the throne of D'Hara. He has strength, but not where it counts.
Zedd swallowed. "Denna. Let me go to him and I'll do whatever you want once he's trained." He hated himself for his words, but he loved Richard more than that hate. He couldn't stand by and let him die like that.
But again, the woman just laughed. "Oh Zeddicus. You amuse me. I won't be letting you go anywhere without me. I know you'd never hold up your end of the bargain. You'd abandon me." She raised her agiel. "I guess I'll just have to do this the hard way."
And the screams started again.
Richard felt the pain returning. It was slower this time, but relentless. He hid it until it was about to burst out his eyeballs. He finally had to admit defeat and stumbled to a halt, veering off the past to the nearest tree which he proceeded to use as a headrest.
"Richard?" Kahlan said, coming up behind him and leaning her own head against his gently. She seemed to have gotten past her reluctance to touch him, once she was sure it didn't hurt him or her. "Your headache? It's back?"
The Seeker nodded, but didn't move his head from the tree.
Kahlan looked to Sister Verna. "It's back."
The Sister frowned. "That's sooner than I expected with a wizard's fire blast like that last one. He must be so strong …" her voice tapered off at the glare Kahlan cast her way. Instead, she moved to Richard's other side. "Let's try something less – destructive."
She proceeded to speak instructions in Richard's ear. Soft and quiet.
When she was done speaking, Richard pulled himself wearily away from the tree and turned to the nearest bush. It held luscious blackberries. He gulped against the growing headache and raised his hand, the other clutching the Sword of Truth. It gave him comfort to feel the cool steel in his free hand.
He did what Verna had told him. He directed the power in his body toward his hand. Instead of anger at his situation, which had fueled his wizard's fire, this time the Seeker let feelings of hunger and need of sustenance roll through him.
And his magic reacted.
"Amazing," one of the Sisters of Light exclaimed as blackberries began to appear all over the bush and new bushes began to erupt from the ground under the soft golden glow pouring from Richard's hand.
As the bushes and berries grew and spread, Richard felt the pain receding from his head in proportion. He sighed finally as it receded all the way and he let the magic flow halt naturally. He opened his eyes and took in the wall of blackberry bushes packed with blackberries the size of walnuts.
"Wow," he said quietly. So maybe this magic wasn't all bad. It could come in handy.
Verna came up beside him. "You learn quickly," she said thoughtfully. "But I worry what you might do if we are attacked. In times of danger, unlearned wizards can lose control easily."
Richard turned to her, panting a little from his actions. "You have very little faith in me, Sister," he said. "To wield this sword, I have to have a lot of control. If I don't, it would overpower my senses and I would turn into a mindless drone slaughtering everything in sight."
He walked away before the woman could retort.
Zedd looked sidelong at Denna, dressed in the clothing of a normal woman. It was unsettling to see her like that. He could almost forget what she was and what she'd done over the years.
His thoughts soon digressed.
Something in his blood was stirring. He wasn't sure what it was, but he had never felt anything like it and it was troubling. It almost felt like his magic was getting restless. He let a little out, caressing a dying plant with the soft glow of his power. The plant sprung up and grew taller and his magic settled a little. It had been years since he'd had to purge magic to calm it.
Something was coming.
Or someone.
Cara watched Richard as he walked ahead of the group. Kahlan was hovering just behind him, ready to catch him if he hit the ground again in pain. Sister Verna wasn't far behind her, eying the Seeker like he was about to blow any second. The other Sisters were talking between themselves too softly to be heard.
The Mord'Sith returned her gaze to the Seeker. He looked – tired. Like the weight of the world on his shoulders, coupled with this new magic, was crushing him. It was a lot, she imagined. First to be thrust into the role of Seeker, when hours earlier he'd known nothing of the Midlands or magic or prophecies. Now to be struck by crippling headaches that turned out to be magic.
Hadn't Richard been through enough?
She sighed in frustration. She couldn't protect her Lord Rahl from this. And it was frustrating. Cara didn't like being helpless. Ever.
The woman was pulled from her musings at the sound of a branch snapping just to the right of their position. She wasn't the only one who perceived it, as Kahlan and Richard ground to a halt too, the latter gripping the Sword of Truth tightly, but not yet unsheathing it.
"Something is coming," Kahlan said quietly.
Richard cocked his head to the side. "I think it's likely lots of somethings," he said, drawing the sword now. The Sisters of the Light drew wicked looking blades from the folds of their gowns, dropping into well-practiced battle stances.
That was surprising, at least to the Mord'Sith, but only for a moment before attackers dressed as ordinary men but obviously baenlings, burst from the nearby copse of trees and laid into the small group with fierce energy. Returning to the Underworld was apparently good motivation.
Richard, Sword of Truth swinging, took out foes with calm and precise strokes, slashes and stabs of the silver blade. He dipped under enemy swipes and jumped from opponent to opponent, wielding his weapon as if he were fighting hundreds at once with no need for aid.
Such was the Seeker's power.
But it was his other power that began to manifest when his fighting drew all his concentration and he wasn't paying close attention to the magic building up inside him and moving quickly to dispel itself.
When Kahlan fell to the ground with a grunt after a particularly well-placed kick to the chin, he spun and his eyes flashed with light just before one of his hands, seemingly of its own accord, off his sword hilt and stretched toward the baenlings about to kill the Confessor.
"NO!" He screamed.
And his magic reacted. A great blast of power flung the men away from Kahlan like a tornado flings objects about with its high winds. The concussion force of magic also flung all the other men in the clearing and his companions to the ground, leaving only Richard standing.
But that burst had drained him of so much energy he nearly fell too, barely able to hold onto the sword in his right hand. Thankfully, the show of power was enough to give pause to the baenlings, who didn't seem to think dying here was worth it, and they scrambled to their feet and fled into the nearby woods to find easier prey.
When the last was gone, Richard's eyes met Kahlan's, then Verna's. And then they rolled into the back of his head and he crumbled to the ground like a dead man would, oblivious to the calls of his friends.
Kahlan was the first to reach him. "Richard!" she cried, falling to the ground beside him and searching for the blood of a wound. She found nothing and turned her attention to Sister Verna, who had lowered herself opposite the Confessor. "What's wrong with him? Is it something to do with his magic? He's unharmed."
Verna nodded. "That blast was strong," she said. "It likely took all his strength out of him. He's lucky the baenlings decided to flee. He'd have been easy prey in this state." The Sister looked at the others. "This is why he needs to be taught. The blast was instinctive, to save a loved one. But it was too much. A fraction of its power would have worked. He couldn't control it, and if the battle had gone on, it would have been the death of him for sure."
Despite her desire to always agree with Richard and believe in his wisdom, Kahlan had to admit defeat here. Richard needed guidance. And he needed it fast. Before something else happened and someone was hurt – or worse, killed.
"Then he must go to the palace," she said quietly. "And I must try to convince him to go. He might listen to me. Richard is stubborn, but this is getting out of hand. Without Zedd to help him, I don't know what is going to happen next, but each magic spell he casts is stronger than the last."
"I'll go."
Richard's words startled everyone, since no one had noticed him regain consciousness. He struggled to a sitting position with Kahlan's help. "I see now that I can't do this on my own. I need help. Before I hurt someone. You're right, Sister Verna. I need to go with you to the Palace of the Prophets."
He turned to Cara. "Can you and Kahlan clean up here and then go on alone? Rescue Zedd before Denna does something to him?"
The woman nodded. "We'll get the wizard back," Cara said with conviction. "You're just slowing us down anyway. What with this collapsing left and right."
That put a small smile on Richard's face. He and Kahlan rose to speak alone and the Sisters of Light stood aside, waiting for their charge to join them. Cara went to fetch burn the dead baelings and fetch two of the horses that had been left behind in the mens' haste to flee. She watched as Richard and Kahlan kissed with a desperation she had come to expect from their interactions. Being unable to give themselves to one another takes its toll on people.
When Richard walked off to the Sisters of Light and then off down the path away from them, Kahlan slowly returned to Cara's side and her face was pale and weary. "Come on," she said, gripping the horse's reins, slipping a foot into a stirrup and hoisting herself atop the animal. "We have to get to Zedd. Then we can take him to Richard in the Old World. I still think he'd be best suited to teach his grandson."
Cara eyed the direction the others had gone.
"Me too," she said. "Me too."
A month later …
Zedd, Kahlan, Cara and Leo stood at the top of the cliff, staring at the small figure of Richard trapped in Perdition. They all wanted to jump from the cliff and slide down the dunes to help the man, but all knew they couldn't risk getting trapped there themselves.
Their attention was quickly diverted when there was a magical whooshing sound behind them and Sisters of the Dark materialized out of thin air, Sister Nicci at their center. The woman smiled wickedly, Richard's Han fueling her power and her haughtiness, though that fact was not known to the small group before her.
"Prepare to die, like your Seeker," she hissed before the Sisters of the Dark unleashed their blades and their bodies on the freedom fighters and friends of Richard.
The party of light fought well and hard, but when Leo took a blast of magical lightning to protect the Mother Confessor, their number dwindled and the Sisters began to overtake them. And with Zedd momentarily incapacitated, Cara and Verna were suddenly all that stood between Kahlan and two Sisters of the Dark and Nicci.
At least for a moment, because out of nowhere a bloodied hand lifted the fallen Sword of Truth and its owner positioned himself between the Light and Dark with conviction in his stance.
"Perdition didn't kill you," Nicci said, awe bleeding through her voice, if not her expression. "No matter … I will."
Richard stood firm and when the lightning bolt flew toward him – he did nothing. Something told him to do nothing. He wasn't sure what, but he couldn't bring himself to disobey. And so in a second, the bolt hit him and knocked him to the ground, the Sword almost falling from his grasp.
But he wasn't charbroiled or dead.
Instead, power flowed through his veins again. The power he had stupidly given Nicci. The power of his Han, which she had just used against him, had recognized its true master and returned to him, leaving a now visibly stunned Nicci standing before them, hands outstretched from her spell.
Richard lowered his sword and looked at Nicci while she tried to process what had just happened. Behind him, Cara, Kahlan and Sister Verna were watching the scene with trepidation. The blast hadn't killed Richard, but what had it done?
"What should I do with you?" Richard suddenly said, his voice strained with pain and fatigue, but eerily strong at the same time. "You murdered your Sisters of Light, you tricked me into trusting you, you effectively stole my Han and you tried to murder my friends. Give me one good reason why I should let you live, Nicci?"
The woman seemed to regain her senses and straightened up, pulling her outstretched arm back to her body. "You can't kill me, Seeker," she said. "I'm too powerful. So your Han didn't kill you … I'll do it the old fashioned way."
Faster than most would think possible, Nicci pulled a Dakara from her robes and flung it toward Richard. It swirled end over end with blinding speed toward the man, but still Richard didn't raise the Sword of Truth.
Instead he raised his hand and focused on the Dakara.
It halted a foot in front of him, swirling slowly in the air. Richard shifted his gaze from the weapon to the woman who had thrown it. "My Han didn't just fail to harm me, Nicci. It returned to me. You have no more power than you did before you took it from me. And now, I think I will kill you."
And even faster than she had thrown it, Richard's magic returned the Dakara to its master. The point embedded deeply in the woman's forehead, her eyes frozen wide and afraid in death as her body fell to the ground with a dull thump.
"Incredible."
Richard turned then and came face to face with his grandfather.
Before he realized what was happening, all the adrenalin in his body left him and he weakly grasped the old man's arms. "Zedd!" He said, barely audible. "Boy am I glad to see you!" He started to collapse, but Kahlan and Cara had approached the two men and both quickly sought to help support him before he could hit the ground.
Zedd drew Richard's head up, placing a palm against the younger man's forehead. He frowned. "You have used quite a lot of power, Richard," the old wizard said. "And in your already weakened condition, you couldn't afford to lose any of your strength."
Breathing heavily, Richard felt a fog settle in his mind. He had been without his Han for many days and now, having it back, he was reeling under the weight of it running through his body again.
"Zedd," he said. "I don't think I can do this. I was learning, slowly, at the Palace but I let Nicci deceive me so early on that I haven't learned nearly enough. I don't know what I'm doing. And it's so heavy, Zedd."
Sister Verna stepped up now from where she had been quietly observing the back and forth between wizards. "I can help you there," she said. "It's not the way we normally do it, but I would be honored to travel with you and help you control your magic until you can safely do it yourself. And with Zeddicus assisting, I think we can be successful."
Turning to the older wizard, she added: "He must use this magic, Zeddicus. If he doesn't, you know what will happen to him. You've lived with powerful magic for centuries, your knowledge will be invaluable to the Seeker in this quest."
Looking down at his exhausted grandson, Zedd nodded in understanding but said nothing as his eyes shifted beyond the small group to the body laying not far from them – badly burned by wizard's lightning.
Leo.
Cara, as if coming out of a fog herself, followed the old man's gaze and gasped audibly. At the sound, Kahlan and Richard both followed her gaze and took in the sight of the dead Seeker.
"Oh no," Zedd said quietly. "Oh my."
Richard staggered as Cara fled his side, but he couldn't fault her. There was something in her eyes and her gasp that had alerted him to a connection between the Mord'Sith and the Seeker who had filled his shoes while he was away at the Palace of the Prophets.
Had she been in love with him?
The unshed tears in her eyes said yes, though her stance and bearing tried to say no. Richard had missed a lot, apparently.
The group slowly approached the woman and the body of the man. Richard cringed at the state of Leo, a pang of guilt ripping through him as he realized NIcci could never have done this to the Seeker if she hadn't had his Han in addition to her own.
As if sensing his thoughts, Kahlan gripped his arm tightly, almost painfully. "It's not your fault, Richard," she said. "You didn't kill him."
But Richard wasn't about to back down. "If Nicci hadn't won my trust so easily, if I hadn't given her my Han, she would not have been able to kill Leo with wizard's lightning," he said quietly. "I might not have cast the spell, but I as good as led to his death."
Cara stood up, tears still held in. "We have to go," she said. "We have to find the Stone of Tears." She was rigid in her Mord'Sith leather, a hand trembling on the hilt of her agiel as if the pain was all that was keeping her from falling apart in front of them.
Richard shook his head. "No. Let me try something."
Zedd put a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "You can't bring back the dead, Richard. Even with the immense power of your Han, that can't be done."
Richard twisted away and knelt beside the burnt body of Leo. "I know that, Zedd," he said. "I can't bring him back from the dead. But I might be able to heal his body enough so that Cara can."
He looked up. "Will you help me? I will need your help, I've never tried healing flesh before."
The old wizard looked like he was going to protest, but something in Richard's eyes gave him pause. Or maybe it was the color of them. They weren't his usual dark brown, almost black at times. They were blazing blue. A power lurking just behind them demanding to be let out and Zedd could see the pain wrinkles at the corners of Richard's eyes. His magic was telling him to do this. And it appeared it wasn't to be disobeyed.
So Zedd knelt across from Richard on the other side of Leo's body. The others stepped back as the wizard reached for his grandson's hand. He almost let go when a powerful surge jolted up his arm.
Looking up in shock, he met Richard's eerily blue eyes. "Richard?"
The younger man's gaze didn't waver. "You can channel it. From me, through you, into him? That way I don't need to learn how to heal to do this. It would take too long. Can you handle it?"
Zedd took a deep, shaky breath. "I'm not sure." Looking up at Cara he made a quick decision. "You might have to separate us if it looks like Richard's magic is overwhelming me. You're the only one who can touch us without fear of injury."
The Mord'Sith nodded in understanding. "If you can bring him back to me, I'd go to the ends of the earth for that," she whispered, belying her feelings finally. Kahlan wrapped an arm around the blonde woman's shoulder and Sister Verna, normally so stoic, gripped Cara's arm in support too.
For the first time, the Mord'Sith didn't shake off the comfort.
Zedd then stretched his hand out over Leo and began to speak the words of a strong healing spell. As he did, Richard instinctively pressed his magic toward his hand, which was clasped in Zedd's.
When the magic began to exit Richard, Zedd faltered slightly in his reciting, but as he adjusted to the influx of bright blue healing magic, he began to pull it through himself and push it into Leo's battered body.
Richard was thankfully able to control how much he released this time and didn't appear to be overwhelming his grandfather. He gradually increased the magical exchange until Zedd's spell had entirely covered Leo from head to toe and was even lifting the man's body from the ground to get underneath him.
And as the powerful magic continued to flow, the man's body began to heal.
Skin, once charred and burnt, began to rehydrate and change back to the healthy pink of live, unmarred skin. The hair on Leo's head started to regrow from the newly healed scalp. His rigid in death arms and fingers started to relax as the muscles were repaired.
Perspiration stood out on Richard and Zedd's foreheads and the former began to tremble lightly as the power drained from him into Leo. Just when he thought he was going to pass out from the healing, Kahlan called out to them.
"He's whole, Richard, Zedd, stop!"
And the older wizard did, slumping to the side as Richard fell backwards at the release of their hands. Both greedily drank in huge lungfuls of air and tried to regulate their labored breathing as Cara swiftly took to her knees and lifted Leo's now unblemished head close to hers.
She released a breath of life out of her own body and into his and the group waited with anxious uncertainty for some sign that Leo was alive.
They got it when he groaned and his hand fluttered on his chest.
Richard, still too weak to move, remained leaning backward on his elbows as Leo's eyes struggled to open after his far-more-than-a-brush-with-death ordeal. Cara, after having administered the breath of life, had remained a hairs breadth away from Leo and the first thing the man saw when he finally pried his eyes open was her radiant smile.
"C…Cara?" He whispered, trying vainly to raise a hand to her face. She grabbed it for him and lifted it there herself. "Cara!" He was halted in anything else he might have said by a fierce kiss from the Mord'Sith. It only ended when they both felt a need for air.
Kahlan moved to help Richard stand and Sister Verna hefted Zedd to his feet to give the two a little bit of privacy for their teary reunion. Cara explained haltingly to Leo what had transpired while Richard and Zedd continued to recover from the powerful healing magic.
The two wizards sat side-by-side on a nearby rock outcropping, Kahlan and Verna hovering nearby but not too near as to appear to be hovering. Or so they thought, since Richard and Zedd were well aware they were being scrutinized.
Once Leo had regained enough strength to stand, Cara helped him up and over to Richard, Zedd, Verna and Kahlan. The two Seekers looked at each other in silence for a few moments before suddenly Leo lunged forward and hugged Richard.
"Thank you, thank you!" He said over and over. "You saved my life. I would have been lost to the underworld if you hadn't brought my body back to health. Cara told me what you did. Both of you." He shifted his glance between the two. "I can never repay you. Either of you." He took Cara's hand. "But I'll try by helping you on your quest, if you'll have me."
Richard frowned. "Technically, it's your quest, Leo," he said. "I'm not the Seeker right now."
But the other man only shook his head. "You are too," he said. "You were born for this. I knew it even when I agreed to be named. I knew it was just until you returned to your Confessor and your Wizard. I gladly give up the title so you can retake it, Richard."
Zedd let out a sigh of relief. He had worried what might when Richard returned. If Leo would be consumed by the power of the Sword of Truth and resist returning it to its rightful bearer.
Apparently they had chosen an interim Seeker well.
Richard pushed his weary body to its feet, his arm twinging with pain.
That's right, he was injured in Perdition.
Looking at his shoulder, his sleeve and even his hand, which were covered in sickly red blood, Richard frowned. "We have to get moving, but first, I think this needs to be taken care of or I'm not going to be much use unable to wield a sword."
Zedd moved surprisingly fast for a tired old wizard who had just channeled strong magic. "Richard, why didn't you say anything!" Kahlan descended on Richard and began to help him struggle out of his vest and shirt to reveal a painful looking wound in the Seeker's shoulder.
It was bleeding freely and Zedd moved to heal it, but Sister Verna stopped him.
"This is a good chance to practice healing magic," she said. "Richard can't accidentally hurt himself with this magic, and he can see what it feels like to direct his Han at himself. He didn't do the healing on Leo; he supplied the power to make it work."
Swallowing Richard looked at the bleeding wound and then to Zedd. "I don't know what to say, or how to do this." He looked down. "Do you think I'll be able to do it?"
Zedd smacked him in the good arm and Richard looked up startled.
"Don't be ridiculous Richard," the old man said. "Of course you'll be able to. You were a simple woodsguide who picked up a sword and became a hero of truth and freedom. Now you are a wizard apprentice, the descendent of two powerful bloodlines. You just helped me save a man from death who otherwise would not have been savable. I have every confidence you can do this and much more, Richard. And not just because you're my grandson, either; you are meant to do this."
Verna nodded slowly. "You may not need any incantations, Richard," she said, kneeling beside him. "Just direct your Han into the wound and let it do the rest. Your magic knows what needs to be done. Unlike healing others, you don't have to tell it what to do and where to do it. Go on – try."
Looking to Kahlan, who smiled in support, Richard nodded and raised his good hand to the wound in his shoulder. He looked at Zedd one more time before resting the hand on the bloody injury, cringing and hissing at the pain the small touch caused.
Swallowing, he focused like he had been taught at the Palace and began to direct his Han through his body and out his hand. He didn't know it, but his eyes were once again bright blue as the blue of healing magic permeated the wound on his shoulder. He could feel as the pain left him and took it as a sign that the magic was working.
A small smile spread across his face as the pain faded away. He slowly dropped his hand, breathing only a little heavier this time, and revealed unmarred skin on his shoulder. Even the blood coating his arm was gone.
He had done it.
Zedd was silent as he watched Kahlan and Richard hug tightly, tears of joy in their eyes at being reunited and whole again. Deep down, he wondered just how powerful his grandson was. Healing and wizard's fire and concussion bursts were magic that most wizards took half a year to learn.
Richard? He had taken far less time, moments really, to get it right. It was as if he really was meant to do this and his body and his Han were already well-trained, even if his mind was not.
But if Zedd had anything to do about it, Richard's mind wouldn't be far behind for long. If it took every waking hour to teach him, Zedd would not stop until Richard was able to wield his magic without hesitation and with precision and control.
The road before them was long and dangerous, but they would endure.