Richard smiled. "The head of the inquisition said much the same thing. He demanded to know exactly what they had done." "And have you found the answer?"

"I haven't translated much, yet, and I don't understand the way the magic worked, but I think that what the temple team did was to lock away the Subtractive portion of the wizards' magic. It's the Subtractive part that was used to turn people into these weapons; with it, (hey took away parts of who these people were. the parts these wizards didn't want, and then with Additive Magic, the wizards added in the things they did want, so they could use these people as weapons."

"What about you? You were born with both sides. If the power was locked away, how does that explain your gift? I, too, have an element of Subtractive Magic to my Confessor's power. Darken Rahl used Subtractive Magic, as do some of the Sisters. There are creatures yet today who have some of this element to their magic." Richard wiped a weary hand across his face. "I don't know. I'm not even positive about what I've told you. There's still most of this book to translate. I've only just begun.

"Even when I translate it all. I'm not sure it will provide the answers we want. This was an inquisition and trial: they weren't trying to teach me history. It was common knowledge at the time. They didn't need to explain it.

"What I'm beginning to think the temple team did was to halt Subtractive Magic's ability to be passed on to the offspring of wizards. Your magic isn't passed on from a wizard, so perhaps that's why it wasn't affected. Darken Rahl learned to use Subtractive Magic: he wasn't born with it. Therein, perhaps, lies the difference. Maybe they miscalculated how taking Subtractive Magic out of those born with the wizard's gift would affect the balance, and so didn't anticipate the way it would cause fewer and fewer to be born with the gift.

"Maybe they did know. Maybe that's what they wanted. Maybe that's why they were executed." "What about the red moons?"

"Well, when those in charge found all this out. they sent someone to undo what these wizards had done. They needed one with tremendous power, and conviction. hoping he would have enough strength to succeed. They sent the most zealous proponent of magic among them, a fanatic-the head prosecutor, a powerful wizard named Lothain-to the Temple of the Winds to undo the damage." Kahlan drew her lower lip between her teeth. "What happened?" "He got in, through Betrayer's Hall, just like you told me. It worked just as you said; Lothain entered, but in so doing, he betrayed them. I'm not sure what it was that he did: many of the words, I think, have to do with specific magic that I don't understand. But from what I gather, he reinforced what the wizards who sent the temple away had done. and made it even worse.

"He betrayed those in the New World. Because he had to alter the way the Temple of the Winds held this magic, it set off the warnings of the red moons.

"When the Temple sent the red moons, and the call for aid, a wizard was sent. Because the temple was sending for help, the wizards were glad for the call. since it meant that they wouldn't have to enter through Betrayer's Hall. They thought they would be able to get in and at last remedy the problem. He never came back. They sent another, more powerful and experienced wizard. He never returned, either.

"Finally, in view of the seriousness of the situation, the First Wizard himself went to the Temple of the Winds." Richard lifted the amulet at his chest. "Baraccus." "Baraccus," Kahlan breathed in wonder. "Did he get into the temple?" "They were never sure." Richard pushed his thumb back and forth along the edge of the table. "Baraccus came back in a dazed stupor. They followed after him, but he didn't react or respond to anything they said or did.

"He went into the First Wizard's enclave-his retreat-and left this there." Richard held up the amulet at his chest, showing it to her. "He came out, removed the rest of his outfit-these things I wear-and then walked to the edge of the rampart and jumped off the side of the mountain to his death."

Kahlan sat back up straight while Richard cleared his throat and gathered his voice before going on.

"After that, the wizards abandoned any further attempt to get into the Temple of the Winds, to answer the call of the red moons, as impossible. They were never able to get in to undo the damage the temple team and then Lothain had done."

Kahlan watched him with a sober look as he stared off at nothing. "How did they know all this?"

Richard's fist tightened around the amulet at his chest. "They used a Confessor. Magda Searus. The first Mother Confessor herself." "She lived in that lime? She was there, in this war? I never knew that." Richard rubbed his fingertips across the furrows on his brow. "Lothain wouldn't tell them what he had done. The wizards conducting the trial were the ones who ordered the creation of the Confessors. Magda Searus was the first. They knew that they wouldn't be able to torture the truth out of Lothain-they tried-so they took this woman, Magda Searus, created the magic of the Confessors, and instilled the power in her.

"She touched Lothain with her power and got the truth out of him. He confessed the extent of what the temple team had done, and what he had done."

Richard looked away from her green eyes. "The wizard who did this to Magda Searus, created the Confessors' power, was named Merritt. The tribunal was so pleased with the results of Merritt's conjuring that they commanded an order of Confessors to be created, and wizards assigned to safeguard them.

"Merritt became protector to Magda Searus, her wizard, in return for the life, the duty, to which he had condemned her, to which he had condemned all the descendants of Confessors to follow."

The room fell silent. Kahlan was wearing her Confessor's face: the blank expression that showed nothing of her feelings. He didn't need to see an expression on her face to know her feelings. Richard pulled the porridge back and ate some more. It had cooled considerably.

"Richard," Kahlan finally whispered, "if these wizards, with all that power, with all that knowledge. . if even they couldn't get into the Temple of the Winds after it sent its warning with the red moons, then.. " Her voice trailed off. Richard put words to the rest of it. "Then how can I hope to?"

Richard ate lentil porridge as the uncomfortable silence dragged on. "Richard," Kahlan said in a quiet voice, "if we don't get into the temple, then what the spirit showed me will come to pass. Death will sweep the land. Untold numbers of people will die."

Richard nearly leaped lo his feet and screamed at her that he knew that. Nearly screamed, asking what she expected him to do. Instead, he swallowed back the screams along with the porridge. "I know," he whispered.

He went back to eating his porridge in silence. When he had finished, and was sure he had composed himself, he went on.

"One of the temple team, a wizard named Ricker, made a statement before they executed him." Richard pulled the piece of paper with the translation out of the disorderly stack and read it to her. " I can no longer countenance what we do with our gift. We are not the Creator, nor are we the Keeper. Even a vexatious prostitute has the right to live her life. " "What was he talking about?" Kahlan asked.

"I think that when the wizards used people-destroyed them-to create the things they needed to right the war, I think they used people who were troublesome for one reason or another-people they didn't mind destroying. I've heard it said that a wizard must use people. I doubt they knew the ghastly origin of the maxim."

He saw dismay haunting her eves.

"Richard, do you think then. from what you've read. that it's hopeless? Do you think we can do nothing, then?"