Part 2

Kahlan dropped her daggers and rushed to Richard's side, touching his face and his chest and the back of his head, fingers hovering as she tried to figure out what was wrong, but there was nothing visible. "Zedd," she cried, "Richard's hurt."

"What?" Zedd spun around from where he was burning banelings. In a few strides, he was next to Richard, feeling his flushed cheek and pressing a couple of fingers to the pulse in his neck. Zedd pursed his lips. "I think it's dehydration, but help me check for other injuries."

Zedd lifted Richard's torso while Kahlan pulled off his vest and shirt. She stared in shock when she saw his arms. His right bicep had a deep cut that looked a couple of days old and had already started to fester. His left shoulder had a nasty burn that looked like the result of wizard's fire. Why hadn't he told them? she wondered, shaking her head at his foolishness while chastising herself for not being more attentive. She'd just been so happy to see him alive that she hadn't looked for anything more.

As Zedd waved his hand above each injury, he muttered a spell of healing until smooth skin appeared.

"Zedd, how did he get these?" asked Kahlan, gently running her fingers through Richard's hair.

"Visions in the Valley of Perdition become real to the person who imagines them," he said. "It seems like Richard was in a couple of battles . . . in his mind, at least."

"Or the Sisters of the Light were more vicious than they appeared." It was Cara. She was crouching next to Kahlan. Now she leaned forward, staring hard at Richard.

Zedd pursed his lips, and Kahlan wondered if he thought they'd done the wrong thing, making Richard go with the sisters. But he didn't say anything, and Kahlan had no wish to pursue that line of thought at the moment.

"In either case," said Zedd, "Richard must have been in the desert longer than we realized, much longer, I'm afraid." He glanced around at the terrain. "Let's get him out of the sun."

With a grunt and some help from Kahlan and Cara, Zedd hauled Richard over his shoulder, and set off for a copse of trees about a quarter league away. Richard's arms hung down behind Zedd's back and swayed with each step.

Kahlan grabbed her daggers and followed while Cara took care of their packs and Richard's clothes.

Under a large oak tree, Zedd set Richard on his back. Kahlan fell to her knees, moistened a cloth from her pack, and pressed it to his forehead. "He's so hot," she said. "Yet his skin is dry."

Cara dropped the packs and impatiently tapped her agiels. "It doesn't make sense. I thought you healed his wounds."

"His wounds aren't the problem," said Zedd, as he rummaged through his pack. "Richard's severely dehydrated." He pulled out a cooking pot, set it on the ground, and emptied his water skin into it. Then he gestured for Kahlan and Cara's skins as well and added them to the pot. Turning to Cara, he shoved the skins back into her hands. "Find a stream and fill these quickly."

Before Cara could move, Richard's body began flailing, arms and legs flopping on the ground like he was possessed by a dark spirit. His head jerked uncontrollably and white foam bubbled from his mouth like he had rabies.

Kahlan gasped. "Zedd!"

"Dear spirits," said Zedd. "Hold him down, so he doesn't hurt himself."

Kahlan and Cara grabbed an arm and a leg each while Zedd raised his hands and muttered a complicated spell. It seemed to take forever, and Kahlan had to press down on Richards limbs with all her weight and even then they still jerked beneath her hands.

"Hurry, wizard," barked Cara after Richard's arm broke free and slammed against a rock. A small gash appeared on the back of his hand.

Zedd's fingers glowed. A soft white light flowed from them onto Richard's chest, spreading across his skin, over his face and down to his feet, looking like wisps of fog. A moment later, Richard stopped jerking and his limbs settled down. His head rolled to the side, foam running down to his chin.

Breathing hard, Kahlan grabbed the cloth she'd used before and wiped his mouth. "Why didn't he ask for water? Why didn't he tell us he needed a break?"

Zedd sat back on his heals and scowled. "Lack of thirst is a symptom of severe dehydration. I knew that. Yet when I saw him struggling when we were preparing for Leo's funeral, I didn't make the connection. He said he was fine, but I should've insisted—"

"No," said Cara, "I let emotions cloud my judgment. It's my job to look out for Richard, and I wasn't paying attention." She abruptly rose to her feet and grabbed the empty skins. "Fix this, wizard. We are not losing two Seekers in one day."

After Cara had gone, Kahlan reached for the cooking pot. "I'll give him the water now."

"No," said Zedd, staying her hand. "We'll just choke him."

"But what can we do?" Kahlan's voice rose in panic. "When I was a little girl, some men had been rescued from a prison camp near Aydindrall after their captors had run off. The prisoners had spent several days locked in their cells without food or water before they'd been rescued. None of them had survived. None, Zedd."

"Stay calm, dear heart. It's not too late for Richard." Zedd placed his hands on Richard's stomach and closed his eyes as if trying to sense something below the surface his skin. He opened his eyes and gave Kahlan a grave look. "But I won't lie to you. He is in real danger."

Kahlan nodded and pressed her fingers against her mouth.

"I'm going to attempt a transfer spell to get some water into him. I can't see where I'm sending the water, though, so pray that my aim is true. If it works, he should revive."

Kahlan refused to think about what would happen if his spell didn't work. "Do it," she said, "and may the Creator guide your hands."

Zedd nodded and slid the pot of water next to Richard's side. He took a deep breath, brow furrowed in concentration, and began muttering his spell.

Kahlan bent forward and pressed her lips to Richard's forehead, cheek, and lips. His skin felt like parchment. "I love you," she whispered. She would've said more, but her throat closed up, so she grabbed one of his hands, and held it between her own, stroking his knuckles.

Zedd's fingers danced. In the cooking pot, the water rippled as if from an invisible wind. It slowly disappeared until the pot was dry. Kahlan turned to watch Richard's stomach to see if it looked any different, any fuller, but there was no change.

Zedd sighed and slumped to the side, looking grey from exhaustion. "As soon as Cara brings back more water, I'll do this again."

"Are you all right?" asked Kahlan.

He waved a hand dismissively in her direction. "I just need a little rest. Ah, here comes Cara now."

Kahlan turned, but something was wrong. Cara was sprinting toward them, the water skins swinging in her hand.

"Banelings," she yelled, "they're back."