Ann carefully clasped her hands together as she considered the mystery and how to solve the puzzle.

"Well," she said at last, "There is one thing we could check. I could have Verna send a messenger to the Wizard's Keep in Aydindril. Zedd is there protecting the place so that it can't fall into Jagang's hands. We could have Verna send a messenger and ask that Zedd check specific-places in his copies of books we have here and see if they are missing the same text."

"That's a good idea," Nathan said.

"With the extent of the libraries at the Keep, he's bound to have a number of the classic books on prophecy that we recognize and have here."

Nathan's face brightened. "As a matter of fact, it would be even better if we could have Verna send someone to the People's Palace in D'Hara. While I was there I spent a lot of time in the palace libraries. I clearly remember seeing copies of a number of these books. If we had someone check them, that would tell us if the books here are spelled, as you suggested, and the problem is confined to these editions, or if it's some kind of wider phenomenon. We need to have Verna send someone to the People's Palace at once."

"That should be easy enough. Verna is just about to depart for the south. On their way they will no doubt be traveling near the People's Palace."

Nathan frowned down at her. "You heard from Verna? And she said she is heading south? Why?"

Ann's mood sank. "I received a message from her earlier tonight-just before I came here."

"And what did our young prelate have to say? Why is she traveling south?"

In resignation, Ann let out a deep sigh. "I'm afraid the news is not the best. She said that Jagang has split his army. He is taking part of his horde down around the mountains in order to sweep up into D'Hara from the south. Verna is leaving with a large contingent of the D'Haran forces to eventually stand and face the Order's army."

The blood drained from Nathan's face.

"What did you say?" he whispered.

Ann puzzled at his wide-eyed look. "You mean, that Jagang split his army?"

She didn't think it was possible, but the prophet's face went even more ashen.

"Dear spirits preserve us," he whispered. "It's too soon. We're not ready."

Ann felt a tingling dread start at her toes and begin working its way up her legs. Her thighs prickled with gooseflesh. "Nathan, what are you talking about? What's wrong?"

He turned and frantically searched the spines of the books stacked all over the tables. He finally found what he wanted in the middle of a pile and yanked it out, letting the rest of the stack topple over. He hurriedly leafed through the book, muttering to himself as he searched.

"Here it is," he said as he pressed a finger to a page. "There are any number of prophecies down here that I've found in books I've never seen before. These prophecies surrounding the final battle are veiled to me-I cannot see them in visions-but the words are frightening enough. This one sums them up as clearly as any."

He bent close and in the candlelight read to her from the book. " 'In the year of the cicadas, when the champion of sacrifice and suffering, under the banner of both mankind and the Light, finally splits his swarm, thus shall be the sign that prophecy has been awakened and the final and deciding battle is upon us. Be cautioned, for all true forks and their derivatives are tangled in this mantic root. Only one trunk branches from this conjoined primal origin. If fuer grissa ost drauka does not lead this final battle, then the world, already standing in the brink of darkness, will fall under that terrible shadow. »

Fuer grissa ost drauka was one of the prophetic names for Richard, It was from a well-known prophecy in the ancient language of High D'Haran. Its translation was the bringer of death. To here call him by that name in this prophecy was a means of linking the two prophecies in a conjugate fork.

"If the cicadas should come this year," Nathan said, "then that will verify that this prophecy is not just authentic but active."

Ann's knees felt weak. "The cicadas began to emerge today."

Nathan stared down at her like the Creator Himself pronouncing judgment. "Then the chronology is fixed. The prophecies have all tumbled into place. Events are marked. The end is upon us."

"Dear Creator protect us," Ann whispered.

Nathan slipped the book into his pocket. "We must get to Richard."

She was already nodding. "Yes, you're right. There is no time to lose."

Nathan glanced about. "We certainly can't take all these books with us and there is no time to read them. We must seal this place back up, like it was, and leave immediately."

Before Ann could add her agreement, Nathan swept out an arm. The candles all extinguished. Only the lantern on the corner of one of the tables remained lit. On his way past, he swept it up in his big hand.

"Come on," he said.

Ann scurried to catch up with him, trying to stay in the small circle of light now that the odd room had been plunged into darkness. "Are you sure that we shouldn't take any of these books?"

The prophet rushed into the narrow stairwell, the light funneling in with him. "We can't be slowed down to carry them. Besides, which would we take?" He paused momentarily to look back over his shoulder. His face was all angles and sharp lines in the harsh lanternlight. "We already know what prophecy says and now, for the first time, we know the chronology. We must get to Richard. He has to be there at the battle when the armies clash or all will be lost."

"Yes, and we will have to make sure that he is there to complete the word of prophecy."

"We are in agreement, then," he said as he turned and rushed onward up the stairs. The tunneled stairwell was so narrow and low that he had trouble making his way up.

At the top, they burst out into the night, to the shrill, buzzing song of the cicadas. Nathan called out for Tom and Jennsen. The trees gently swayed in the humid breeze as they waited for an answer. It seemed an eternity, but it was really only a moment before both Tom and Jennsen came running out of the darkness.

"What is it?" Jennsen asked, breathlessly.

The dark shadow of Tom towered at her side. "Is there trouble?"

"Grave trouble," Nathan confirmed.

Ann thought that he might be a little more discreet about it, but as serious as the situation was, discretion probably was pointless. He pulled the book he had taken from the library out of his pocket. He opened it to a blank page where prophecy was missing.

"Tell me what this says." he commanded, holding it out to Jennsen.

She frowned at him. "What it says? Nathan, it's blank."

He grumbled his discontent. "That means Subtractive was somehow involved. Subtractive is underworld magic, the power of death, so it affects her the same as us."

Nathan turned back to Jennsen. "We have found prophecy that pertains to Richard. We must find him or Jagang will win the war."

Jennsen gasped. Tom let out a low whistle.

"Do you know where he is?" Nathan asked.

Without hesitation, Tom turned a little and lifted an arm to point off into the night. His bond told him what their gift could not. "He is that way. Not a great distance, but not close, either."

Ann peered into the darkness. "We'll have to get our things together and be on our way at first light."

"He's on the move," Tom said. "I doubt you will find him there in that spot by the time you get there."

Nathan cursed under his breath. "There's no telling where that boy is heading."

"I'd guess that he is headed back to Altur'Rang," Ann said.

"Yes, but what if he doesn't stay there?" He laid a hand on Tom's shoulder. "We will need you to come with us. You are one of the covert protectors to the Lord Rahl. This is important."