It had been a year since the woman in white saved Richard's life, and thoughts of her constantly plagued his mind. When he first told Zedd of the incident, Richard watched the color drain from his face. He had never seen his grandfather's face void of color, and the sight shocked him. Zedd quickly waved his hands when Richard questioned him, stating he was just concerned for his grandson's life. Richard nodded, but continued to ask him if he had known anything about a woman in white that soldiers would be hunting. Zedd shook his head, but never gave a definite answer.

Six months after Richard's constant prodding, Zedd revealed that he was a wizard. The idea humored Richard, and he thought it was just one of the jokes the old man liked to play. When Zedd lit a tiny flame in the palm of his hand, Richard felt his world turn upside down. The world continued flipping when Zedd told Richard he was the Seeker. A defender of life. Richard had stormed out, claiming his words were blasphemy and heading to his own little house. It took two days for him to come back to Zedd, the old man perched on a rock with his arms crossed, waiting for him.

That was the day Richard took an oath to be the Seeker.

Zedd started educating Richard on Darken Rahl, a tyrant who ruled D'Hara but managed to conquer much of the Midlands. The accounts his grandfather told him were almost too much for Richard to take. The gruesome nature and vivid imagery that flashed into his mind almost made him ill. Every time he felt as though he would be sick, his thoughts shifted, focusing on the mysterious woman's blue eyes.

When wandering through the woods, after making a treacherous journey through the Boundary, Richard dared to bring up the question once again.

"Do you know of the woman in white?" Richard glanced at his grandfather, who had faltered in his steps when he heard the question. He eyed Richard warily before answering.

"She lives in the Midlands."

"Do you know anything else?"

Zedd didn't answer and continued walking forward. He knew much of her, Richard was sure of it. The old man must have felt it was dangerous to him, but he desperately wanted to know. Richard decided to drop the subject. He honestly wasn't sure exactly why he was so interested in this woman. Her movements, the intensity of her eyes - it all haunted him when he closed his eyelids. He wanted to know her name, to know who she was. Soon, Richard stopped bringing the woman up to Zedd, realizing that no matter how many times he asked, his grandfather was not going to give him any more information.

And now, as Richard stood in the empty forest, he recalled the day he had seen the woman in white. Exactly a year ago. He wasn't sure what kept intriguing him, but he was unnervingly devoted to her. He felt he needed to thank her for what she had done, express the words that hadn't escaped his mouth at the time.

The night air was crisp, Richard opting to stay in the forest instead of entering the nearest town and sleeping at an inn. Since Zedd had exposed him to the Midlands, Richard became quite familiar with magic - even though he knew nothing of how it worked. He learned of certain spells, certain people and things that had magic running through their veins, beings made of magic - night whisps, Confessors, wizards. Zedd tried incredibly hard to make sure that Richard wasn't ignorant of magic, seeing as Midlands was a place running rampant with it.

"The Sisters of the Light live in the Old World, so the chances of you coming across one of them is very slim." Zedd waved his dried meat in the air, as if to elaborate the point. "Other than wizards, Confessors are most likely going to be the magic you run into most often." He pointed the dried strip at Richard and narrowed his eyes. "Beware of them. They are very dangerous. In fact, you should have a Confessor aiding your journey, but they are all in hiding due to Darken Rahl's massacre of the women." Zedd shrugged as he devoured the rest of his food.

"What does a Confessor do?" Richard asked, kicking the dirt with the toe of his boot.

"Simply - they make a man fall in love with them, make the man become a devoted slave who does whatever she wishes," Zedd raised an eyebrow at his grandson. "No matter what."

Richard's eyes grew wide with shock. "Can they do this with just a look?"

Zedd chuckled as he shook his head. "No, my boy. She must touch you first." Richard nodded as he used his pack for a pillow, staring up at the stars and attempting to sleep.

Since that conversation, Richard had saved many Confessors from Rahl's soldiers. All the women were grateful, but none were warm and sincere. They were closed off, duty coming before all else. Richard felt incredibly sorry for them. He also felt guilty. Zedd's warning about not touching the women did not go unheeded, and he avoided contact with them at all cost.

Earlier that day, Richard had saved a petite Confessor with blonde hair - Dennee. She was with child. She was also the kindest of all the Confessors he had come across, even though the number he had saved was far less than the number he had watched being killed. Rahl's soldiers were rather thorough. A quad had cornered her, her pregnancy making her too weak to confess one of the men with speed. Richard had came in right before the leader was to slice his sword into her stomach. He hesitated only a moment before accepting the woman's hug of gratitude, smiling to himself as she wept and thanked him for saving her life. Zedd had offered to escort her to a safe place after casting a sidelong glance towards Richard. The woman began sobbing again, throwing her arms around the wizard much the same as she had done to Richard.

And now Richard was alone in the woods, Zedd miles away, no doubt offering the Confessor kind words. Despite his grandfather's insistent warnings about the women, Richard was completely aware of the bond a wizard and Confessor shared. Zedd couldn't help but smile when his grandson saved one of these women, often spewing encouragement to the women before sending them off.

It had been months since Richard had been able to be alone in the woods. Before he became the Seeker, Zedd was wary about letting Richard trek into the woods after what had happened with the D'Haran soldiers. Now that he was the Seeker, Zedd was constantly at his hip - this being the first time his grandfather left him alone. He relished every moment, taking in long breaths of the cool air. The area was silent, a slight breeze rustling through the leaves of trees.

Then he heard an unfamiliar sound, one not of nature.

He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword, checking to make sure it was clear in the scabbard. He slowly turned when he heard a chuckle.

The woman standing before him was attractive, but obviously deadly. She was accompanied by a small group of D'Haran soldiers - a quad. Richard's grip on his sword tightened. The blonde shook her head, still chuckling.

"My, my. What do we have here? A Seeker without his Confessor or Wizard." She drew the words out and Richard felt his pulse quicken, his knuckles becoming white from his hold on his weapon. He began to pull it out of it's sheath, adjusting it in both his hands as he positioned himself. The woman continued to laugh, taking a few steps forward and lifting her right hand, slightly turning it.

Richard felt the rage of his sword being reversed and slammed back into him. The pain was excruciating, unbearable. His knees buckled and he hit the ground hard, toppling over as the sword slipped free of his hands. He gasped for breath as the woman in red towered over him.

Zedd had warned Richard of these women.

Mord'Sith.