He tried to ignore the shrieks and howls off in the woods. After a time the cries fell farther behind. The woods seemed devoid of life, no birds or rabbits or even mice, only the twisted trees and bramble and shadows. He listened carefully to make sure he heard the other two following. He didn’t want to turn and look—didn’t want to face them. After a while he realized the howls had stopped. He wondered if that was a good sign or not.

He wanted to tell them he was sorry, that he was just afraid for his friend, but he couldn’t. He felt helpless. Chase would be all right, he told himself. He was the head of the boundary wardens, not a fool, and he wouldn’t go into anything he couldn’t handle. He wondered if there was anything Chase couldn’t handle. He wondered if he would be able to tell Emma, if something happened to her husband.

He was letting his imagination run away with him. Chase was fine. Not only was he fine, but he would be furious with Richard for thinking these thoughts, for doubting him.

He wondered if Chase would return before nightfall. Should they stop for the night if he didn’t? No. Chase had said not to stop. They would have to keep going, all night if necessary, until he rejoined them. He felt as if the mountains were looming over them, ready to pounce. He didn’t think he had ever been this close to the boundary. As concerned as he was about Chase, his anger faded. Richard turned and looked back at Kahlan. She gave him a warm smile, and he returned it, feeling better. He tried to imagine what the woods here had looked like before so many trees died. It might have been a beautiful place, green, snug, safe. Maybe his father had come this way when he had crossed the boundary, traveled this very road with the book.

He wondered if all the trees near the other boundary died before it fell. Maybe they could just wait until this one fell, too, and then go across. Maybe they didn’t need to go so far out of their way to the south, to Kings’ Port. But why should he think going south was out of the way? He didn’t know where to go in the Midlands, so why was one place better than another? The box they sought could just as easily be in the south as farther north.

The woods were getting gloomier. Richard hadn’t been able to see the sun for the last couple of hours, but there was no doubt it was setting. He didn’t like the idea of traveling these woods at night, but the idea of sleeping in them seemed worse. He checked to make sure the other two were staying close.

The sound of running water came faintly through the evening stillness, swelling as they rode, and in a short distance they came to a small river with a wooden bridge over it. Just before they crossed, Richard stopped. He didn’t like the look of it—inexplicably, something felt wrong. Being careful couldn’t hurt. He led his horse down the bank and peered underneath. The support beams were anchored to iron rings in granite blocks. The pins were missing.

“Someone tampered with the bridge. It will support the weight of a man, but not a horse. Looks like we’re going to have to get wet.”

Zedd scowled. “I don’t want to get wet.”

“Well, do you have a better idea?” Richard asked.

Zedd drew his finger and thumb down opposite sides of his smooth chin. “Yes,” he announced. “You two go across, I will hold up the bridge.” Richard looked at him as if the wizard had lost his senses. “Go on, it will be all right.”

Zedd sat up tall on his horse, held his arms out straight to his sides, palms up, tilted his head back, breathed deeply, and closed his eyes. Reluctantly, cautiously, the other two crossed the bridge. On the other side they turned their horses and looked back. The wizard’s horse began walking across unprompted while Zedd continued to hold his arms out, his head tilted back and his eyes closed. When he reached their side, he brought his arms down and looked at the other two. Richard and Kahlan stared at him.

“Maybe I was wrong,” Richard said. “Maybe the bridge would hold the weight.”

Zedd smiled. “Maybe you were.” Without looking back, he snapped his fingers. The bridge collapsed into the water with a crash. The beams groaned as they were torn apart from one another in the current and swept downstream. “Then again, maybe you weren’t. I couldn’t leave it like that. Someone might come across and be hurt.”

Richard shook his head. “Someday, my friend, we are going to sit down and have a long talk.” He turned his horse and started off again. Zedd looked at Kahlan and shrugged. She smiled and gave him a wink, then turned and followed after Richard.

They continued down the dismal trail, watching the woods as they went. Richard wondered what else Zedd could do. He let his horse pick its own way in the gathering darkness, wondering how much longer this dead world went on, or if the road would ever take them away from it. The night was bringing life to the place, strange calls and scraping noises. His horse whinnied at things unseen. He patted its neck reassuringly and checked the sky for gars. It was hopeless—he couldn’t see any sky. But if gars came they would have a hard time surprising the three of them, as the canopy of twisted, dead limbs and branches would prevent a silent approach. Maybe the things in the trees were more of a threat than gars. He didn’t know anything about them, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to. He realized his heart was pounding.

After about an hour, he caught the sound of something coming through the brush in the distance to their left. It was breaking branches as it came. He urged his horse into a canter, and checked to be sure Kahlan and Zedd were keeping up. Whatever it was, it was staying with them. They weren’t going to be able to get ahead of it. They were going to be cut off. Maybe it was Chase, he thought. Then again, maybe it wasn’t.

Richard pulled the Sword of Truth free as he leaned forward and pressed his legs around the horse, spurring it into a gallop. His muscles tensed as his horse raced down the road. He didn’t know if Zedd and Kahlan were keeping up with him, and in fact he never gave it a thought. His mind focused on trying to see ahead in the darkness, trying to see anything that might come at him. Anger was slipping its bounds, heat and need coming forth. Jaw set tight, he charged ahead with lethal intent. The sound of his horse’s hooves on the road prevented him from hearing the thing in the woods, but he knew it was there, knew it was coming.

Then he saw the black form moving against the barely discernible shapes of the trees. It broke from the woods into the trail a dozen yards in front of him. He raised the sword and went for it, picturing in his mind what he would do. It waited, motionless.

At the last instant he realized it was Chase, holding up an arm to halt him, the silhouette of a flanged mace in his fist.

“Glad to see you’re keeping alert,” the boundary warden said.

“Chase! You scared the wits out of me!”

“You gave me a moment of concern too.” Kahlan and Zedd caught up with them. “Follow me, stay close. Richard, take the rear, keep your sword out.”

Chase turned his horse and took off at a gallop, the rest following. Richard didn’t know if something was after them or not. Chase didn’t act as if there was about to be a fight, but he did tell him to keep his sword out. Richard kept a wary eye over his shoulder. They all hunched their heads down in case there were any low branches. It was dangerous to run the horses in the dark like this, but Chase knew that.

They came to a fork in the road, the first one all day, and without hesitation the boundary warden cut to the right, away from the boundary. Before long they were clear of the woods, moonlight showing an open country of rolling hills and few trees. Chase slowed after a time, letting the horses walk.

Richard sheathed his sword and pulled up close to the others. “What was that all about?”