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  　Kahlan 【创建和谐家园】iled across Richard to the old woman. ‘Richard is special. He has magic that protects him from my power.’ They both had promised Zedd they would never reveal the truth - that it was his love for her that protected him.

  　Nissel 【创建和谐家园】iled, and her weathered hand touched Kahlan’s arm. ‘I am happy for you, child.’ She bent back to her bag and finally pulled out a handful of little stoppered pottery bottles. ‘Does he get these headaches often?’

  　‘He told me he gets bad headaches sometimes, but that this is different, that it hurts more, like something is trying to get out of his head. He said he has never had any like it before. Do you think you can help him?’

  　‘We will see.’ Pulling stoppers, she waved the bottles one at a time under his nose. One of them finally brought Richard awake. Nissel 【创建和谐家园】elled the bottle herself to see what it was. She nodded and mumbled and went back into her bag.

  　‘What’s going on?’ Richard groaned. Kahlan bent over and kissed his forehead. ‘Nissel is going to do something for your headaches. Lie still.’

  　Richard’s back arched as he squeezed his eyes shut against the pain. He put his shaking fists to the sides of his head.

  　The healer pressed his chin down with her fingers, forcing his mouth open, and with her other hand shoved in some 【创建和谐家园】all leaves. ‘Tell him to chew. Keep chewing.’

  　‘She says to chew the leaves; they will help you.’ Richard nodded and rolled to his side in agony as he chewed. Kahlan combed his hair back with her fingers, feeling helpless, wishing she could do more. It terrified her to see him in pain.

  　Nissel poured a liquid from a skin into a large cup and mixed into it powders from other jars. She and Kahlan helped Richard sit up to drink the concoction. When he finished, he flopped back down, breathing hard, but still chewing the leaves.

  　Nissel stood. ‘The drink will help him to sleep.’ Kahlan came to her feet and Nissel handed her a 【创建和谐家园】all bag. ‘Have him chew more of these leaves when he needs them. They will help the pain.’

  　Kahlan hunched over a little, so as not to tower over the old woman quite so much. ‘Nissel, do you know what is wrong?’ Nissel pulled the stopper from the little bottle and sniffed it, then held it under Kahlan’s nose. It 【创建和谐家园】elled of lilacs and licorice. ‘Spirit,’ she said simply. ‘Spirit? What do you mean?’

  　‘It is a sickness of his spirit. Not of his blood, not of his balance, not of his air. Spirit.’

  　Kahlan didn’t know what any of that meant, but it wasn’t really what she wanted to know. ‘ Will he be all right? Will the medicine, and the leaves, will they cure him?’ Nissel 【创建和谐家园】iled and patted Kahlan’s arm. ‘I would like very much to be there when you are wed. I will not give up. If this doesn’t work, there are other things to try.’

  　Kahlan took her arm and walked her out the door. ‘Thank you, Nissel.’ Kahlan saw Chandalen standing near the short wall. Some of his men stood farther off in the darkness. Prindin was close, against the spirit house. She went to him. ‘Would you escort Nissel home, please?’

  　‘Of course.’ He took the healer’s arm respectfully and guided her into the night.

  　Kahlan shared a long look with Chandalen, and then went over to him. ‘I appreciate you and your men guarding us. Thank you.’

  　He regarded her without emotion. ‘I am not standing guard for you. I am guarding our people from you. From what you may bring next.’

  　Kahlan brushed dirt from her shoulders. ‘Either way, if something else comes, don’t try to kill it yourself. I don’t want any Mud People to die. That includes you. If something comes, you must not stand still, or run. If you do, it will kill you. You must walk. Come and get me. Don’t try to fight it by yourselves. Understand? Come and get me.’

  　He still showed no emotion. ‘And you will call down more lightning?’

  　She looked at him coolly. ‘If I have to.’ She wondered if she could; she had no idea how she had done it. ‘Richard With The Temper is not well. He may not be able to shoot arrows with you and your men tomorrow.’

  　He looked 【创建和谐家园】ug. ‘I thought he would think of an excuse to back out.’

  　Kahlan took a deep breath through gritted teeth. She didn’t want to stand here and trade insults with this fool. She wanted to go back inside to be with Richard. ‘Goodnight, Chandalen.’

  　Richard was still on his back, chewing the leaves. She sat beside him, heartened to see that he looked more alert.

  　‘These things are starting to taste better.’

  　Kahlan stroked his forehead. ‘How do you feel?’

  　‘A little better. The pain comes and goes. I think these leaves are helping. Except they are making my head spin.’

  　‘But better to spin than to pound?’

  　‘Yes.’ He put his hand on her arm and closed his eyes. ‘Who were you talking to?’

  　That fool, Chandalen. He’s guarding the spirit house. He thinks we may bring more trouble.’

  　‘Maybe he’s not such a fool. I don’t think that thing would have been here without us. What did you call it?’

  　‘A screeling.’

  　‘And what is a screeling?’

  　‘I’m not sure. Nobody I know has ever seen one, but I’ve heard them described. They’re supposed to be from the underworld.’

  　Richard stopped chewing and opened his eyes to look at her. The underworld? What do you know about this screeling thing?’

  　‘Not much.’ She frowned. ‘Have you ever seen Zedd drunk?’

  　‘Zedd? Never. He doesn’t like wine. Just food. He says that drinking interferes with thinking, and there is nothing more important than thinking.’ Richard 【创建和谐家园】iled. ‘He says that the worse a man is at thinking, the better he is at drinking.’

  　‘Well, wizards can get pretty scary when they’re drunk. One time when I was little, I was in the Keep, studying my languages. They have books of languages there. Anyway, I was studying, and four of the wizards were reading a book of prophecy together. It was a book I had never seen before.

  　They were leaning over it, and started getting all worked up. They were talking in hushed tones. I could tell they were frightened. At the time it was a lot more fun to watch wizards than to read my languages.

  　‘I looked up and they had all turned white as snow. They all stood up straight at the same time, and flipped the cover shut. I remember it banged and made me jump. They all stood there, quiet for a while, and then one went away and came back with a bottle. Without saying a word, he passed out cups and poured out the drink. They all drank it down in one swallow. He poured more and they did the same thing again. They sat down on stools around the table the big book was on and kept drinking until the bottle was empty. By that time they were pretty happy. And drunk. They were laughing and singing. I thought it was tremendously interesting. I had never seen anything like it.

  　They finally saw me watching them, and called me over. I didn’t really want to go, but they were wizards, and I knew them pretty well, so I wasn’t afraid and I went over to them. One set me up on his knee and asked if I wanted to sing with them. I told them that I didn’t know the song they were singing. They looked at each other and then said they would teach me. So we sat there for a long time and they taught me the song.’

  　‘So, do you remember it?’

  　Kahlan nodded. ‘I’ve never forgotten that song.’ She rearranged herself a little and then sang it for him.

  　The screelings are loose and the Keeper may win.

  　His assassins have come to rip off your skin.

  　Golden eyes will see you if you try to run.

  　The screelings will get you and laugh like it’s fun.

  　Walk away slow or they’ll tear you apart,

  　and laugh all day long as they rip out your heart.

  　Golden eyes will see you if you try to stand still.

  　The screelings will get you, for the Keeper they kill.

  　Hack ‘em up, chop ‘em up, cut ‘em to bits,

  　or else they will get you while laughing in fits.

  　If the screelings don’t get you the Keeper will try,

  　to reach out and touch you, your skin he will fry.

  　Your mind he will flail, your soul he will take.

  　You’ll sleep with the dead, for life you’ll forsake.