tg.wizardfirstrule-第19部分

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　Since　Zedd　was　from　the　Midlands；　Richard　had　thought　he　could　gain　his　passion　with　the　mention　of　the　quad。　Richard　was　relieved；　if　somewhat　surprised；　at　how　the　two　of　them　were　suddenly　so　amiable。　He　reached…up　as　he　walked；　touching　the　tooth　for　reassurance。
　
　He　was；　however；　quite　disturbed　by　what　he　now　knew。
　
　Near　a　back　corner　of　the　house　sat　a　table　where　Zedd　liked　to　take　his　meals　in　good　weather。　It　afforded　him　the　opportunity　to　keep　an　eye　to　the　clouds　while　he　ate。　Zedd　sat　them　down　together　on　a　bench　while　he　went　inside　and　brought　out　carrots；　berries；　cheese；　and　apple　juice；　putting　them　on　the　wooden　tabletop　worn　smooth　with　years　of　use；　then　sat　himself　on　the　bench　opposite　them。　He　gave　Richard　a　mug　of　something　brown　and　thick　that　smelled　of　almonds　and　told　him　to　drink　it　slowly。
　
　His　eyes　came　to　Richard。　〃Tell　me　of　the　trouble。〃　Richard　related　how　he　was　bitten　by　a　vine；　and　told　Zedd　about　seeing　the　thing　in　the　sky；　seeing　Kahlan　at　Trunt　Lake；　and　being　followed　by　the　four　men。　He　told　the　whole　story　with　every　detail　he　could　remember。　He　knew　Zedd　liked　to　have　every　detail；　no　matter　how　unimportant。　Occasionally　Richard　stopped　to　take　a　sip　from　the　mug。　Kahlan　ate　some　carrots　and　berries；　and　drank　the　apple　juice；　but　she　pushed　away　the　plate　with　the　cheese。　She　nodded　or　offered　help　when　he　couldn't　remember　a　particular　point。　The　only　thing　he　left　out　was　the　story　Kahlan　had　told　him　of　the　history　of　the　three　lands　and　about　Darken　Rahl　taking　over　the　Midlands。　He　thought　it　better　that　she　tell　it　in　her　own　words。　At　the　end；　Zedd　made　him　go　back　to　the　beginning；　wanting　to　know　what　Richard　had　been　doing　in　the　high　Ven　in　the　first　place。
　
　〃When　I　went　to　my　father's　house　after　the　murder；　I　looked　in　the　message　jar。　It　was　about　the　only　thing　not　broken。　Inside　was　a　piece　of　vine。　For　the　last　three　weeks；　I've　been　looking　for　the　vine；　trying　to　find　out　what　my　father's　last　message　meant。　And　when　I　found　it；　well；　that's　the　thing　that　bit　me。〃　He　was　glad　to　be　finished；　his　tongue　felt　thick。
　
　Zedd　bit　off　a　chunk　of　carrot　while　thinking。　〃What　did　the　vine　look　like？〃
　
　〃It　was　。　。　。　Wait；　I　still　have　it　in　my　pocket。〃　He　took　out　the　sprig　and　plunked　it　down　on　the　table。
　
　〃Bags！〃　Zedd　whispered。　〃That's　a　snake　vine！〃
　
　Richard　felt　a　shock　of　icy　cold　sweep　through　him。　He　knew　the　name　from　the　secret　book。　He　hoped　against　hope　it　did　not　mean　what　he　feared　it　did。
　
　Zedd　sat　back。　〃Well；　the　good　part　is　now　I　know　the　root　to　use　to　cure　the　fever。　The　bad　part　is　I　have　to　find　it。〃　Zedd　asked　Kahlan　to　tell　her　part　but；　to　make　it　short；　as　there　were　things　he　must　do　and　not　much　time。　Richard　thought　about　the　story　she　had　told　in　the　wayward　pine　the　night　before；　and　wondered　how　she　could　possibly　make　it　shorter。
　
　〃Darken　Rahl；　son　of　Panis　Rahl；　has　put　the　three　boxes　of　Orden　in　play；〃　Kahlan　said　simply。　〃I　have　e　in　search　of　the　great　wizard。〃
　
　Richard　was　thunderstruck
　
　From　the　secret　book；　the　Book　of　Counted　Shadows；　the　book　his　father　had　had　him　mit　to　memory　before　they　destroyed　it；　the　line　jumped　into　his　mind：　And　when　the　three　boxes　of　Orden　are　put　into　play；　the　snake　vine　shall　grow。　Richard's　worst　nightmares…everyone's　worst　nightmares…were　ing　to　pass
　
　CHAPTER　7
　PAIN　AND　DIZZINESS　FROM　the　fever　made　Richard　only　dimly　aware　that　his　head　had　sunk　to　the　table。　He　groaned　while　his　mind　spun　with　the　implications　of　what　Kahlan　had　told　Zedd；　of　the　prophecy　of　the　secret　Book　of　Counted　Shadows　e　to　life。　Then　Zedd　was　at　his　side；　lifting　him；　telling　Kahlan　to　help　get　him　into　the　house。　As　he　walked　with　their　help；　the　ground　slipped　this　way　and　that；　making　it　difficult　to　catch　it　with　his　feet。　Then　they　were　laying　him　down　on　a　bed；　covering　him　up。　He　knew　they　were　talking；　but　he　couldn't　make　sense　of　the　words；　which　slurred　in　his　mind。
　
　Darkness　sucked　his　mind　in；　then　there　was　light。　He　seemed　to　float　back　up；　only　to　spiral　down　again。　He　wondered　who　he　was　and　what　was　happening。　Time　passed　as　the　room　spun　and　rolled　and　tilted。　He　gripped　the　bed　to　keep　from　being　flung　off。　Sometimes　he　knew　where　he　was；　and　tried　desperately　to　hold　on　to　what　he　knew　。　。　。　only　to　slip　away　again　into　blackness。
　
　He　became　aware　again；　realizing　that　time　had　passed；　though　he　didn't　have　any　idea　how　much。　Was　it　dark？　Maybe　it　was　just　that　the　curtains　were　pulled。　Someone；　he　realized；　was　putting　a　cool；　wet　cloth　on　his　forehead。　His　mother　smoothed　back　his　hair。　Her　touch　felt　forting；　soothing。　He　could　almost　make　out　her　face。　She　was　so　good；　she　always　took　such　good　care　of　him。
　
　Until　she　died。　He　wanted　to　cry。　She　was　dead。　Still；　she　smoothed　his　hair。　That　couldn't　be；　it　had　to　be　someone　else。　But　who？　Then　he　remembered。　It　was　Kahlan。　He　spoke　her　name。
　
　Kahlan　was　smoothing　his　hair。　〃I　am　here。〃
　
　It　came　back　to　him；　rushing　back　in　a　torrent：　the　murder　of　his　father；　the　vine　that　bit　him；　Kahlan；　the　four　men　on　the　cliff；　his　brother's　speech；　someone　waiting　for　him　at　his　house；　the　gar；　the　night　wisp　telling　him　to　seek　the　answer　or　die；　what　Kahlan　said；　that　the　three　boxes　of　Orden　were　in　play；　and　his　secret；　the　Book　of　Counted　Shadows　。。。。
　
　He　remembered　how　his　father　had　taken　him　to　the　secret　place　in　the　woods；　and　had　told　him　how　he　had　saved　the　Book　of　Counted　Shadows　from　the　peril　it　was　in　from　the　beast　that　guarded　it　until　its　master　could　e。　How　he　had　brought　it　with　him　to　Westland　to　keep　it　from　those　covetous　hands；　hands　that　the　keeper　of　the　book　didn't　know　threatened。　His　father　had　told　him　how　there　was　danger　as　long　as　the　book　existed；　but　he　couldn't　destroy　the　knowledge　in　it；　he　had　no　right。　It　belonged　to　the　keeper　of　the　book；　and　it　must　be　kept　safe　until　it　could　be　returned。　The　only　way　to　do　that　was　to　mit　the　book　to　memory；　and　then　burn　it。　Only　in　that　way　could　the　knowledge　be　preserved；　but　not　stolen；　as　it　otherwise　surely　would　be。
　
　His　father　chose　Richard。　That　it　was　to　be　Richard　and　not　Michael　was　for　reasons　of　his　own。　No　one　could　know　of　the　book；　not　even　Michael；　only　the　keeper　of　the　book；　no　one　else；　only　the　keeper。　He　said　Richard　might　never　find　the　keeper；　and　in　that　case　he　was　to　pass　the　book　on　to　his　child；　and　then　that　child　to　his　own；　and　so　on；　for　as　long　as　was　necessary。　His　father　couldn't　tell　him　who　the　keeper　of　the　book　was；　as　he　didn't　know。　Richard　asked　how　he　was　to　know　the　keeper；　but　his　father　said　only　that　he　would　have　to　find　the　answer　himself；　and　not　to　tell　anyone；　ever；　except　the　keeper。　His　father　told　Richard　he　was　not　to　tell　his　own　brother；　or　even　his　best　friend；　Zedd。
　
　Richard　swore　on　his　life。
　
　His　father　had　never　once　looked　in　the　book；　only　Richard。　Day　after　day；　week　after　week；　with　breaks　only　when　he　traveled；　his　father　took　him　to　the　secret　place　deep　in　the　woods；　where　he　sat　and　watched　Richard　reading　the　book；　over　and　over。　Michael　was　usually　off　with　his　friends；　and　had　no　interest　in　going　into　the　woods　even　if　he　was　at　home；　and　it　wasn't　unmon　for　Richard　not　to　visit　Zedd　when　his　father　was　home；　so　neither　had　reason　to　know　of　the　frequent　trips　to　the　woods。
　
　Richard　would　write　down　what　he　memorized　and　check　it　against　the　book。　Each　time；　his　father　burned　the　papers　and　had　him　do　it　again。　His　father　apologized　every　day　for　the　burden　he　was　placing　on　Richard。　He　asked　for　forgiveness　from　his　son　at　the　end　of　every　day　in　the　woods。
　
　Richard　never　resented　having　to　learn　the　book；　he　considered　it　an　honor　to　be　entrusted　by　his　father。　He　wrote　the　book　from　beginning　to　end　a　hundred　times　without　error　before　he　satisfied　himself　that　he　could　never　forget　a　single　word。　He　knew　by　reading　it　that　any　word　left　out　would　spell　disaster。
　
　When　he　assured　his　father　that　it　was　mitted　to　memory；　they　put　the　book　back　in　the　hiding　place　in　the　rocks　and　left　it　for　three　years。　After　that　time；　when　Richard　was　beyond　his　middle　teens；　they　returned　one　fall　day　and　his　father　said　if　Richard　could　write　the　whole　book；　without　a　single　mistake；　they　could　both　be　satisfied　it　was　learned　perfectly　and　they　would　burn　the　book。　Richard　wrote　without　hesitation　from　beginning　to　end。　It　was　perfect。
　
　Together　they　built　a　fire；　stacking　on　more　than　enough　wood；　until　the　heat　drove　them　back。　His　father　handed　him　the　book；　and　told　him　that　if　he　was　sure；　to　throw　the　book　into　the　fire。　Richard　held　the　Book　of　Counted　Shadows　in　the　crook　of　his　arm；　running　his　fingers　over　the　leather　cover。　He　held　his　father's　trust　in　his　arms；　held　the　trust　of　everyone　in　his　arms；　and　he　felt　the　weight　of　the　burden。　He　gave　the　book　to　the　fire。　In　that　moment；　he　was　no　longer　a　child。
　
　The　flames　swirled　around　the　book；　embracing；　caressing；　consuming。　Colors　and　forms　spiraled　up；　and　a　roaring　cry　came　forth。　Strange　beams　of　light　shot　skyward。　Wind　made　their　cloaks　flap　as　the　fire　sucked　leaves　and　twigs