Richard’s attention to the stone. If he ever saw the it, the attraction would be planted firmly in his mind.
He glanced over at Chase, who was stretched out on his back on a marble bench across the hall. One foot was planted on the floor, and Rachel was sitting on the ground, an arm wrapped around his calf, her head against his knee. His other foot was on the bench. A bandaged forearm rested across his forehead.
Zedd sighed and started across the polished marble floor. He wondered for a moment what the boundary warden was supposed to guard, now that the boundary was gone. He stopped, standing over the two.
Without removing his forearm from his eyes, Chase spoke. “Zedd, my old friend, if you ever again have some ruthless, strong-armed, witch of a healer pour a concoction that tastes that spirits-be-cursed foul down my gullet, I’ll twist your head around so you have to walk backwards to see where you’re going.”
Zedd grinned. Now he knew he had picked the right woman for the job.
“Did the medicine taste really awful, Chase?” Rachel asked.
He lifted his arm a little, letting it hover over his eyes as he looked down at her. “If you call me Chase again, you may find out.”
“Yes, Father.” She grinned. “I’m sorry she made you drink that awful medicine.” Her face turned to a pout. “But it scares me something fierce to see blood on you.” He grunted.
She peered at him from under her eyebrows. “Maybe the next time, if you take your sword out when I tell you to, you wouldn’t get blood on you and have to drink awful medicine.”
Zedd marveled at the childlike innocence of the perfectly delivered, stinging rebuke. Chase held his head up a little off the bench, with his arm frozen in the air several inches above his eyes, as he glowered at the little girl. Zedd had never seen a man struggle so mightily to keep from laughing. Rachel’s nose wrinkled up and she giggled at the strained face he was making.
“May the good spirits be mercifully kind to your future husband,” Chase said, “and at least grant him a few years peace until you lay your eyes on the poor, doomed fool.”
She frowned. “What does that mean?”
Chase swung his leg down and sat up. He scooped her up and plopped her down on his knee. “I’ll tell you what it means. It means that there’s a new rule. And this one you better not break.”
“No, father, I won’t. What is it?”
“From now on,” he said with a scowl, his face close to hers, “if you need to tell me something important, and I don’t listen to you, you are to kick me. Hard as you can. And you just go on kicking me until I listen. Got it?”
She smiled. “Yes, Father,”
“I’m not joking. I mean it.”
She nodded earnestly. “I promise, Chase.”
The big man rolled his eyes and swept her to his chest with one arm, holding her to him the way she held her doll to herself. Zedd swallowed back the lump in his throat. At that moment, he didn’t like himself very much, and he liked the alternatives a lot less.
The wizard fell to one knee before her. The dried blood made his robes stiff at his knees. “Rachel. I must ask you to do something for me.”
She nodded. “What is it Zedd?”
He brought his arm up, the gold chain hanging from his fingers. The stone swung back and forth under his hand. “This belongs to someone else. Would you wear it for now? Keep it safe? Someday Richard may come and get it from you, to take it where it belongs, but I don’t know when that will be.”
Chase’s fierce, hawkish eyes looked like what Zedd imagined a mouse must see an instant before the end.
“It’s very pretty, Zedd. I never wore such a pretty thing.”
“It’s also very important. As important as the box that Wizard Giller gave you to look after.”
“But Darken Rahl is dead. You said so. He can’t hurt us anymore.”
“I know, child, but this is still important. You did such a good and brave job with the box, that I think you would be the
He glanced over at Chase, who was stretched out on his back on a marble bench across the hall. One foot was planted on the floor, and Rachel was sitting on the ground, an arm wrapped around his calf, her head against his knee. His other foot was on the bench. A bandaged forearm rested across his forehead.
Zedd sighed and started across the polished marble floor. He wondered for a moment what the boundary warden was supposed to guard, now that the boundary was gone. He stopped, standing over the two.
Without removing his forearm from his eyes, Chase spoke. “Zedd, my old friend, if you ever again have some ruthless, strong-armed, witch of a healer pour a concoction that tastes that spirits-be-cursed foul down my gullet, I’ll twist your head around so you have to walk backwards to see where you’re going.”
Zedd grinned. Now he knew he had picked the right woman for the job.
“Did the medicine taste really awful, Chase?” Rachel asked.
He lifted his arm a little, letting it hover over his eyes as he looked down at her. “If you call me Chase again, you may find out.”
“Yes, Father.” She grinned. “I’m sorry she made you drink that awful medicine.” Her face turned to a pout. “But it scares me something fierce to see blood on you.” He grunted.
She peered at him from under her eyebrows. “Maybe the next time, if you take your sword out when I tell you to, you wouldn’t get blood on you and have to drink awful medicine.”
Zedd marveled at the childlike innocence of the perfectly delivered, stinging rebuke. Chase held his head up a little off the bench, with his arm frozen in the air several inches above his eyes, as he glowered at the little girl. Zedd had never seen a man struggle so mightily to keep from laughing. Rachel’s nose wrinkled up and she giggled at the strained face he was making.
“May the good spirits be mercifully kind to your future husband,” Chase said, “and at least grant him a few years peace until you lay your eyes on the poor, doomed fool.”
She frowned. “What does that mean?”
Chase swung his leg down and sat up. He scooped her up and plopped her down on his knee. “I’ll tell you what it means. It means that there’s a new rule. And this one you better not break.”
“No, father, I won’t. What is it?”
“From now on,” he said with a scowl, his face close to hers, “if you need to tell me something important, and I don’t listen to you, you are to kick me. Hard as you can. And you just go on kicking me until I listen. Got it?”
She smiled. “Yes, Father,”
“I’m not joking. I mean it.”
She nodded earnestly. “I promise, Chase.”
The big man rolled his eyes and swept her to his chest with one arm, holding her to him the way she held her doll to herself. Zedd swallowed back the lump in his throat. At that moment, he didn’t like himself very much, and he liked the alternatives a lot less.
The wizard fell to one knee before her. The dried blood made his robes stiff at his knees. “Rachel. I must ask you to do something for me.”
She nodded. “What is it Zedd?”
He brought his arm up, the gold chain hanging from his fingers. The stone swung back and forth under his hand. “This belongs to someone else. Would you wear it for now? Keep it safe? Someday Richard may come and get it from you, to take it where it belongs, but I don’t know when that will be.”
Chase’s fierce, hawkish eyes looked like what Zedd imagined a mouse must see an instant before the end.
“It’s very pretty, Zedd. I never wore such a pretty thing.”
“It’s also very important. As important as the box that Wizard Giller gave you to look after.”
“But Darken Rahl is dead. You said so. He can’t hurt us anymore.”
“I know, child, but this is still important. You did such a good and brave job with the box, that I think you would be the
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