Sister Verna paced back and forth in the Chamber of Prophecies. Her restless night proved that something was wrong and now here she was reading the new prophecy etched in the stone that the Creator gifted the Sisters of the Light. The prophecy spoke of the Seeker and the Mother Confessor.

"No, this cannot be. Oh, sweet Creator, protect us in this dark hour." Verna was dressed in a red dress with white leather slippers. Her hair slipped past the matching bandana tied to her head by a thin black belt. Her Dacra knifes were attached to a holster around her waist.

The Dacra was a blade with a curved tip used by the Sisters of the Light and Dark mainly for combat. If the blades were to be released, the Dacra would take the shape of a triangular weapon. The Dacra was also a tool the sisters could use against an opponent. For those with magic, the Dacra would absorb the opponent's Han, their magic, and if the sister were to touch it, their opponent's Han would be theirs.

For those with non-magical skills, the Dacra could be thrown towards their opponent. Once the Dacra was in the body, the opponent couldn't remove the Dacra without dying. The Dacra could only be removed by one of the Sisters.

Verna reminded herself to calm down and a quick prayer to the Creator managed to calm her mind. Now that she had read the prophecy for herself, she knew that Richard and Kahlan were central in the future of their world. What was unclear was the "gift" of the creator and the "taint" of the Keeper. She had no knowledge of what that could be referring to, nor did she know where she could begin to look for an answer.

The Creator gave her people many gifts; too many to count. Sister Verna closed her eyes. None of that was helpful. She thought of the taint of the Keeper. There were only a few recorded taints or curses left by that Underworld ruler's influence. One of them was the cursed souls known as Banelings, wandering forever on the earth, never seeing the Light of the Creator. Another was Subtractive magic, the magic that could remove things from the plane of existence; the darkest and most foul magic to ever exist. Magic used to remove all things good or bring back from the dead. Dark magic.

Again that didn't help Sister Verna narrow down an answer. It could be a number of things; the prophecy wasn't specific. Perhaps it was all gifts against all curses? No, probably not.

"Start over, Verna." She whispered to herself.

She acknowledged the first part of the Prophecy. The Seeker, in this case Richard Rahl, will find the Gift of the creator. Perhaps this "gift" was an object? Or maybe a spirit? Whatever it was, Richard was sure to find it. He isn't the Seeker of Truth for no reason if he does not seek what is lost… Sister Verna needed to get back on track.

The Mother Confessor will unleash the taint of the Keeper. The Mother Confessor in this case had to be Kahlan Amnell. Sister Verna could not see her willingly unleash the Keeper's taint, however. The Mother Confessor wielded her power justly and was the world's fairest judge. Truly a shining example to her people.

Something was at play there; maybe someone was controlling the Mother Confessor? Whatever the case, she knew that Richard was to find a gift and Kahlan was to unleash a curse. That much she understood.

Both gift and taint will be mended into one. What did that mean? Did that mean the taint will corrupt the gift? Or perhaps it is two objects into one? But that would mean that Richard would have to find the gift in order for it to be 'mended into one'. This was too confusing for her. Not knowing what that meant, she continued to think on the rest of the prophecy.

If the Seeker does not destroy both gift and taint then the world will be devoured by darkness and be remade in the image of the one wielding the taint. That was rather ominous. The Seeker must destroy both or the world will be destroyed. She still had no idea what the Seeker would be destroying. Prophecies were often vague and this one was complicated.

The wording made it sound like it was an object; perhaps a medallion or a weapon? Either way, the Seeker was in trouble. She needed to go see him. But if she left, the Prelate, her commander, would be furious. If the Prelate denied her request to help Richard, then she would do whatever she must to aid the Seeker.

She owed Richard at least that. She still felt responsible for endangering Richard's life when she brought him in. It was her mission to ensure the sisters could help him. She spent twenty-two years looking outside the protection of the palace for the supposed wizard and found him in the nick of time. Richard was already experiencing the headaches that came from a wizard not knowing how to control their Han.

When he arrived, she paid no attention to his requests to leave the palace. She thought she was doing him good, but that was before she realized a Sister of the Dark was helping Richard. The battle afterwards was long and painful. People she once cared for, once called friend, or Sister, became her enemies.

Even after he escaped, he almost died in the Desert of Perdition. Going against the Prelate's orders, she ran in with Richard's companions and fought the Sisters of the Dark. The Sisters of the Dark managed to kill Leo, the temporary Seeker of Truth, and almost killed the Mother Confessor and Richard.

Sister Nicci had taken Richard's Han and with it; she tried to rendezvous the Sisters of the Dark against the Palace of the Prophets, but she failed. Nicci ended up escaping, and even now, she had no idea where the traitor had ended up. It was best to be prepared in the event she decided to attack the Palace. They would be ready to kill the Sisters of the Dark and she had a grudge to settle.

Sister Verna prayed to the Creator to help persuade the Prelate. It was her only way to help Richard.

"If it comes down to it, I will leave the palace. Richard will need my help." She strutted down the stone and carpeted halls to the Prelate's office. She walked with purpose; she needed to help Richard. This was too important.

She remembered denying Richard the chance to leave to finish his quest to defeat the Keeper. She should have done something to help but she thought she was doing it for his well-being. Never did she imagine his mission would be that critical. She didn't believe he was waging war against the Keeper. She had made such a stupid, foolish mistake.

She was not going to allow another mistake like that again. She realized she had already arrived at the Prelate's office and a young Sister stood to greet her.

"What can I do for you, Sister Verna?" The young Sister curtsied.

"I'm here to see the Prelate. Please let her know I am here."

The young sister quickly scanned her book but did not see Sister Verna's name written.

"I'm sorry, Sister Verna. But you do not have an appointment with the Prelate. She is currently in a meeting with the young wizard Mathias, and is not available to see anyone."

"Tell her a new prophecy has been etched and a dire one at that."

The young Sister paled the color of marble.

"N-new prophecy?"

Sister Verna nodded, feeling impatient at the young Sister. The Sister stood up from her seat, turned on her heel and walked through a hallway. Sister Verna heard a few taps on the heavy wooden door and some hushed voices. A moment passed and the young sister arrived with the Prelate.

The Prelate was one of the oldest sisters around, over four hundred years, though she appeared as if she were in her early sixties. Thanks to the enchantment in the Palace of the Prophets, everyone aged ten times slower. However, if the Sisters set foot outside, they would no longer be enchanted; thus they would age regularly.

The Prelate had gray eyes and her lips were tightly sealed together. She held her hands behind her back and arched an eyebrow at Sister Verna.

"You say a new prophecy has been etched? What does it say?" The Prelate's voice was cold almost impatient.

"It would be best that you see it for yourself, Prelate. The prophecy is written in an ominous way and its words are confusing."

"Just spit it out!" The Prelate blurted out.

Sister Verna's eyes narrowed. She was just trying to get the Prelate to read the prophecy herself and there she was being snappy with her. She was still upset that she disobeyed her orders to help the Seeker. If that was the game she was going to play…

Sister Verna repeated the Prophecy. The Prelate's eyes went distant if only for a moment before going back to the cold glare she gave Verna.

"It is unclear."

"With all due respect, Prelate. It would be better if you could read it for yourself instead of listening to my words."

The Prelate scoffed, "Then why did you bother me? For such an obscure prophecy? I shouldn't waste my time listening to your babble." The Prelate turned her back and Verna decided to stop biting her tongue.

"You know damn well the prophecy speaks of Richard and Kahlan!"

The prelate slowly turned around, teeth grit, "Excuse yourself!"

"No! You are still upset with me because I decided to help Richard when he stumbled upon the Desert of Perdition. You refused to help him! You left him to die! Without him he would have never defeated the Keeper of the Underworld. The very being we fight against and you tried to hand over Richard to the enemy. No more! I am done following your orders!"

She turned to leave but the Prelate's booming voice stopped her.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to help Richard. Since it is obvious you don't want to."

"You have disobeyed me for the last time! As Prelate I strip you of your rank as a Sister of the Light. You will be cleaning the swine pits until you learn what you have given up."

Sister Verna turned around and raised her chin up high, her chest out, "I refuse to stay here any longer. If you are as foolish as to think the prophecy means nothing, then I will no longer stay under your supervision. I will warn the Seeker of this new prophecy and you will not stop me." Verna turned on her heel and walked out of the office.

The Prelate's face flushed from anger. The young Sister stood awkwardly behind the Prelate and the whole situation left her feeling embarrassed and unsure what to do. She decided to sit down before the Prelate got on her tail for standing behind her. The sister grabbed a quill and began writing nonsense hoping the Prelate wouldn't burst her anger on her.

The Prelate wanted to throw daggers at the stubborn useless woman. How dare she disobey her again? She made it very clear what would happen if she did it again. Helping the Seeker? That man was as blind as a bat. He refused to learn how to control his magic; he gave up his Han to a Sister of the Dark and he refused to become a great and powerful wizard. She wanted him to stay, to become the wizard the prophecies spoke of. But he destroyed that prophecy when he gave up his Han.

It was because of him that she realized the prophecies were only half truths. That didn't mean that the prophecies would come to pass. She paid no mind to the new prophecy the Sister spoke of. It probably wouldn't come true anyways. Just like when the prophecy promised the Prelate a great and powerful wizard, this one would not come true. If it was the Creator's will, then everything would turn out alright. And if it didn't, then the Creator was tired of them all. They could all die for all she cared…

Tencom, the dark wizard, reached the third peak of the Northern Mountains of D'hara. His fingers were cold and numb. Even with the fur gloves he had on, he no longer felt the ability to touch anything. All he felt was a cold, tingly sensation. His magic allowed for the blizzard to not faze him but it did not shield him from the outside temperature. He now knew why the wizards of old would banish a creature to these lands. No one would ever think to climbs these mountains. Except him.

It had been a year and six months since he had last seen his lord and master, Darken Rahl. Darken Rahl ended up accidentally stumbling upon an ancient secret the wizards of old had left in this world and the master wanted to see if the legend was true or not. There was a gift of tremendous power by a kind woman who wielded said power. But that was where the records stopped. It was such a mystery that Darken Rahl had to assuage his curiosity about it.

He asked Tencom, his closest dark wizard to search for the hidden secret and a year later, he had found the possible tomb of such power. The wizards of old were said to have had a final confrontation with a hag with tremendous power over all magic, a woman immortal. Their only option was to encase her in marble and stone. The kind woman and the hag seemed to tie together somehow, based upon his research.

But couldn't they just strip her powers? Or maybe they couldn't? Perhaps they weren't strong enough to remove those powers? Or maybe they had nowhere to place those powers? Many questions, theories and thoughts ran through Tencom's head. There was so much mystery wrapped up in this legend that he couldn't help but admit to his addiction to this myth. He wondered if this captured hag really did exist. There was hardly any records left and those he did find were cryptic and ominous.

Either way, he could see why Lord Rahl was so interested in this woman. Besides; the power of this woman—or this hag, was shrouded in mystery. Tencom imagined a woman wrapped in a shawl. Only her smile was visible. No one knew this woman. There was no name, no recollection of her anywhere besides a small one sentence record of a war of the wizards against this woman.

Now he hoped to find something hidden in the walls of this mountain. He reached the mouth of the small cavity in the peak and took out the map from his pack. After some effort he found the map and read it. He nodded and looked up. On the map there was a shape of a five pointed star with the star pointing down, and on the cavity wall, on the far end was a rock in the formation of a five pointed star pointing downwards.

This is where he would set up camp. He dropped the pack that he didn't realize had become heavy until it was off his shoulders. Using a small trowel from his pack he made a pit. Looking around, he found nothing he could use to burn for a fire. Then he remembered he had grabbed a small thin log of wood back at the inn two nights ago. He emptied the contents on the ground; ink wells, a quill, a Journey book used to magically communicate with someone using the blood of a person, a small sack of coins, his necromancy spell book, and an assortment of hand tools from diggers to a hand axe. The wooden log hit the ground with a dull thud.

He grabbed it and waved his hands back and forth. He began chanting and every time he would wave his arm, the log would grow in length by an inch. When the log was big enough, he put it back on the floor and grabbed his axe. He chopped it into threes and placed them next to the far end of the wall.

He stepped back and raised his hands and started chanting the spell of duplication. Before his eyes the logs began duplicating themselves. Six logs now stood before him. He cast the spell once more to make twelve logs. He heaved a sigh; the spell took some stamina from him but it was worth it. He had logs to start a fire. He grabbed three logs and placed them on the pit. Using a small bit of fire, he was able to ignite the wood.

With that out of the way it was time to magically barrier the mouth of the cavern in the event a storm blew his way, he would hate to lose any progress he made or worse, die for a foolish mistake.

"Sister Verna!" Verna turned around to see Sister Mariette run towards her. After the battle with the Sisters of the Dark many fellow sisters had lost the people they once called friends. Verna was no exception. She gained new loyal friends to replace those who would rather have the Keeper destroy all life. The young excitable girl jumped up to give her senior a hug. Verna admired that Mariette was always smiling even in the toughest of times, a pleasant change to the palace.

Sister Mariette wore her pink uniform dress, a common dress-wear for novice Sisters who were still studying sorcery. She even had a pink scarf.

"Sister Mariette. How good to see you again." Sister Verna hugged her back.

"Let the woman breathe, Mariette." Sister Victoria tried to pry the girl off her senior. Victoria had the same dress as Sister Mariette except she wore a pink bandana on her head.

"Oh, sorry." Sister Mariette giggled. She noticed the saddened look on her senior's face and for a moment dropped her smile. "What's wrong, Sister Verna? Why do you look like that?" She pointed.

"Like what?" Sister Verna tried to wipe the imaginary smudge off her face.

"Like all sad. What happened?"

"Nothing, child." She said.

"With all due respect, Sister Verna," Victoria started, "you are a terrible liar amongst your peers."

"I guess some things don't change." She gave a weak smile and began to explain to them both how there was a new prophecy, how she was kicked out of the Palace of the Prophets and what her new mission was.

"So you are going to protect the Seeker? I wanna come!" She held her hand up and her tongue stuck out of her mouth.

"Sister Mariette, have some respect. Do you even know what it is you are asking for?" Sister Victoria started, "You are asking to accompany Sister Verna outside of the Palace." She stressed, "Furthermore, there won't be any magic to protect you outside the palace walls."

Sister Mariette's resolve wavered for a moment, but then she looked up to meet Verna's gaze, "I don't care. Sister Verna was there for me many years ago. She brought me here to the Palace, and gave me a home. She has been my friend through the good and the bad. She even protected me against the Sisters of the Dark. If Sister Verna is banished, then so am I. I will be joining you, Sister Verna."

Both sisters were impressed at Mariette's little speech. Victoria knew that after that there was no persuading Mariette; she was going to go with Verna whether she liked it or not. And If Mariette left with Verna, then she too, would join in. Someone had to keep Mariette in line and Sister Verna couldn't handle her by herself. Looks like her hands were tied.

"Fine. I am going, too." Victoria announced.

Sister Verna tried to dissuade them but with Mariette's resolve in her eyes and Victoria's shake of the head she knew she was stuck with them.

"Oh, alright. Just grab an enchanted bag and fill it with only your most important possessions. Bring some dried meat if you have it. It's going to be a long journey."

Sister Verna waited in the center of the town for the two of them. She felt the need to just up and leave; the outside world was not the place for children. She's made the journey outside the palace once already. It took half her life to find Richard and she knew of all the dangers, all the bad people, all the wild animals and beasts of the land.

She had half a mind to leave them here in the protection of the city. So then why did she want their companionship? A tear drop rolled down her cheeks… Sadness. Loneliness. Dear Creator, give me strength.

Tencom finished his checklist of things he needed to do; shield him from the storm, build his campsite and make sure he had enough provisions. He only had a handful of dried meats and some fruit. It was going to be a pain to climb back down…

He could enchant a crystal and use it as a beacon. He could teleport to the foot of the mountain with ease. That's what he would do next. But first he needed to find an entrance.

He skimmed the few books and scrolls he managed to obtain but none told him of an entrance. Just a five pointed star. Could it be that the star was an entrance? And how could he open it?

He tried everything from pushing the star with his hand to trying to open a portal through; neither worked. The star was enchanted and would open if the correct spell was cast. Now if he could just get a hint about what spell he needed, that would be great!

He brought his fist up and unclenched his fingers. Magic poured out of his body in the form of a torrent of wind. The star began to glow and seemed to absorb the magic. The wind stopped and the glowing intensified. The wind was shot back at Tencom and he raised his hands and brought up a transparent shield to protect him from the oncoming spell. Having been unprepared, the blast that hit the shield knocked him to the ground. When the wind died he let the shield dissipate.

He was impressed, proud of the way the wizards of old locked this tomb. "Clever wizards." It was the first time he had seen a door repel magic. The wizards of old studied and taught very powerful magic. Tencom had to say he was impressed by their level of skill.

So if not wind magic, then maybe darkness? Maybe since the tomb's symbol was a symbol of dark magic that was the key to opening the tomb up. It was worth a shot.

He raised his arms to the sky and rotated his wrists. A cloud appeared and darkened to the color of the night sky. The cloud dripped blobs of darkness unto the ground. Like fire, the blobs incinerated into a purple looking flame. The darkness touched the star and the flames began to grow. The star began to glow once more. Tencom waved his arms and the cloud disappeared. The star's light intensified.

Preparing himself for the oncoming attack, he powered up his shield and raised it. Blobs of darkness were shot out towards Tencom. Once the blobs stopped, he waved his hand and the shield disappeared.

"No darkness." He skimmed the first book that Darken Rahl had given him. Nothing about what kind of magic they used to entomb the woman. The books and scrolls jumped all over the place and he didn't know if the woman behind that star was a woman or a hag. Maybe lightning would be the key to entry.

He threw his hand forward and shot a bolt of lightning towards the star. The star glowed and absorbed the lightning. With his other hand he rotated his open hand and ice crystallized over the star which was quickly absorbed.

He gathered enough Han in his body and let his arms go limp. He closed his eyes and relaxed his body. The star shot both spells at the wizard but were repelled off his body by his magic towards the back end of the walls. Tencom dodged out of the way and magic was sent back where the dark wizard once stood. He heard as the whistle of magic flew past him and echoed loudly out in the open. He watched the magic disappear into the distance and a few moments later there was a light flash in the distance with the faint sound of an avalanche.

He screamed as he brought both his hands up. Just as he was about to cast a random spell he noticed the faint glow of the star. He approached the star and realized the glow was from small letters etched into the star. He deduced that the magic he had been casting activated the star to illuminate the instructions.

To open the door, the star must touch the floor. Tencom raised an eyebrow. What kind of riddle was this? He knelt in front of the star. Stars don't touch the ground. They linger in the heavens.

Perhaps the riddle spoke of a fallen star? That still didn't make any sense. Stars don't just fall from the skies just like that. Tencom growled and tapped his fingers on his knees. He wracked his brain trying to think of an answer. And then his mind saw it.

He knew the star was the entrance but what if it was the door literally? With his fingers he traced the outlines of the star. He looked even closer and saw a hair-thin line going around the star. This star was placed here to repel magic being thrown into it. But what if the door was pulled out by his magic?

He stepped back until he was at the center of the mouth of the cavern. He took a deep breath and raised his arms, keeping his hands limp. He grabbed the imaginary handle of the door, and when he felt the magic lock onto it, he pulled slightly. He didn't feel a pull back. He opened his eyes; the star wasn't glowing. He pulled harder and he heard the sound of a creak.

That was it! He used his magic to pull on the star even harder. Creaking and cracking the star began moving towards him. When it was far enough out of the opening the star collapsed to the ground. He breathed out and gave a chortle. That wasn't so bad.

When he tried to step through the star-shaped opening, he was blasted back through. He landed hard on his back, his body hurt from the impact. He got up but was too disoriented to stand straight and stumbled even further. His shoulder hit the edge and he ended up rolling off the cliff side. He clumsily grabbed the edge of the cliff and fought to stop the world from spinning.

When he recovered he hauled himself up and lay on his back. The muscles on his ribs and stomach felt tender. The blast shook his very being. He had not been expecting such strong defenses before even managing to step inside. Despite what had happened, he was still impressed at their skill of locking a tomb away.

Tencom made his way carefully into the opening. There was no telling what kinds of traps or things he would be encountering within this tomb. If the wizards of old feared something, they did their best to keep it hidden.

They were the reason why they made the Confessors in the first place, to combat corruption and keep justice in the Midlands. More powerful magic existed under their command than it did now. A magic that could bend the will of anyone they touched, even a dark wizard like himself.

The first chamber was lined with dead torches. A quick wave of his hand and the torches were relit. The chamber led down to an even bigger opening. When he entered he couldn't help but marvel at the way it was constructed. The wizards of old handcrafted this tomb with ancient magic far beyond his capabilities. Everything was carved into the mountain; the hallways, the chambers and everywhere in between. He entered the first opening. Some crystals were spread all over the roof giving a glint of color from the light of the torches.

Rocks of different shapes and sizes littered the ground. The distance from the floor to the roof was at least thirty feet. There was a damp smell within the chamber. Stairs leading down deeper into the abyss were on the left side of the room. There were old ruined books on the far right side of the room. Tencom was glad they hadn't set up traps to ruin this majestic moment.

An unexpected roar brought Tencom to a battle position. So much for that thought.

A group of undead soldiers appeared at the top of the stairs. Their eyes glowed red and the undead soldiers wailed in a hellish cacophony of agony that resonated throughout the whole cliff side when they spotted Tencom. They had full skeleton figures and a chest plate over the bones of their chests.

Tencom raised an arm ready to throw fire at the soldiers. An idea made him stop and instead he took a couple steps back. He had to gather enough magical energy to cast the next spell. The soldiers began to separate and surround him. Tencom's back hit the wall. The soldiers raised their swords and approached the dark wizard. The first soldier stepped forward to rush him but instead Tencom raised his hand and a small shockwave was thrown to the soldiers.

The soldiers stopped, frozen in time. Tencom stepped forward and waved a hand at the faces of the soldiers, almost taunting them. He chuckled, "I could use some minions." He continued to laugh.

Until the ground started to shake. The rocks that littered the floor began to vibrate and move. Tencom watched as the rocks began moving to one side of the room, the sound of rock against rock ringing in the emptiness of the chamber. Rocks started to stack themselves on top of one another, growing in size and shape.

Tencom glared at the creature. The wizards of old performed very powerful magic, an ancient magic long forgotten. The rock formation began to take the shape of a human, and then its eyes glowed white.

Tencom groaned; between arriving, unlocking the tomb and freezing the undead soldiers, he had used up a lot of his Han. He turned to the soldiers and waved his hands at the soldiers. The soldiers began to move and turned towards their new master.

"Attack the creature!" He ordered.

The soldiers rushed the golem, striking it with their swords. It swiped at one soldier, knocking it apart in seconds. It groaned and turned around and smashed the second to powder with its fist.

Tencom shot Wizard's Fire at the creature and it raised an arm to shield itself from the hot flames. The creature seemed quite annoyed at the soldiers swatting it like gnats and decided to focus on the wizard.

The golem threw its hand out and its fist flew out of its socket. Tencom raised a shield but was knocked into a wall. He groaned painfully as the wind was knocked out of his lungs. Beneath the golem, the soldiers continued their mostly useless assault.

The golem grabbed a soldier around the waist and threw it on the opposite side of the chamber. With three down, the golem prepared to end the small skirmish it had found itself in. Grabbing the fourth soldier, the golem slammed it on the fifth soldier and knocked them both into pieces.

The last soldier continued to swing its blade almost rhythmically, not understanding how fruitless its endeavors were. Tencom got up and before the golem could do anything else, the dark wizard brought his hands up and made the air around the golem denser by the second. The golem raised its fist but stopped; the fist instead came back on top of the golem. The air became so tense that the golem struggled to move against the imaginary restraints. The golem fell to one knee.

The soldier continued to attack. Tencom, with his hands raised, began to breathe heavily. The spell was using more magic to contain the creature than he would have liked. He tried to think of a plan; anything to stop the creature. Finally, Tencom could not hold back the golem anymore and with a drop to his knees he released the creature.

The golem got up and roared at the wizard. The golem threw its other hand out and its hand went flying. The golem overcompensated its trajectory and missed Tencom completely.

The golem raised its foot and stomped on the final soldier, extinguishing its undead life.

Tencom got up, an idea forming in his mind. He turned to look at the distance of the star to his current position. It looked like he could do it. He shot Wizard's Fire at the creature once more. The fire stuck to the golem and Tencom ran outside and gathered a bag of seeds. He opened the small sack and grabbed a handful. He ran in and threw the seeds at the golem. Chanting a spell, the seeds began to glow and form roots, stems, vines, and branches.

The plants wrapped around the creature and constricted it. Tencom raised his hands and shot bolts of lightning at the writhing golem.

The blast from the lightning threw chunks of heavy boulders at Tencom who was thrown back from the force. He groaned when his back hit the wall, his vision blurred and he saw small sparkles of light. His head pulsed in pain and his whole body ached. He hoped that was the last of the enemies he would face but something inside told him that the wizards of old had other tricks up their sleeve.

"Very powerful indeed." He groaned as he lay on the floor, waiting for his body to recover. He was beginning to think the legend of this woman was true. In order for the wizards of old to place that much security into place, they had to be very afraid of this woman being unearthed. Maybe Darken Rahl was on to something there.

His head throbbed so painfully that he began to see his vision blur. Maybe if he could just close his eyes for a few minutes he could recover…