When they had first come across it, in a recess of rock beside the trail, looking almost like part of the rock itself, the thing was opaque, with a dull, dark surface, yet it was clearly recognizable as Kahlan. It was lying on its side.
Cara wasn't pleased to find such a thing and didn't want to leave a representation of Kahlan lying about for anyone to find and to pick up for who-knew-what. Cara snatched it up, then, even though Richard started to yell at her to leave such a thing be.
When she picked it up, it started turning translucent.
In a panic, Cara set it back down.
That was when the right arm had lifted and pointed east.
That was when they could begin to see through the thing, to see the sand inside trickling down.
The implied danger of the sand running out had them all upset. Cara wanted to pick it up again and turn it over, to stop the sand from falling.
Richard, not knowing anything about such an object and doubting that so simple a solution would have any beneficial effect, hadn't allowed Cara to touch it again. He had piled rocks and brush around it so no one else would know it was there. Obviously, that hadn't worked.
He knew now that Cara's touch had nothing to do with what was happening, except to initiate the warning, so he thought to confirm his original belief. "Cara, put it down."
"Down?"
"On its side-like you wanted to do the last time-to see if that will stop the sand."
Cara stared at him for a moment and then used the toe of her boot to tip the figure over on its side.
The sand continued to run as if it still stood upright.
"How can the sand do that?" Jennsen asked, sounding quite shaken. "How can the sand still fall-how can it fall sideways?"
"You can see it?" Kahlan asked. "You can see the sand falling?"
Jennsen nodded. "I sure can, and I have to tell you, it's giving my goose bumps goose bumps."
Richard could only stare at her staring at the statue of Kahlan lying on its side. If nothing else, the sand running sideways through the statue had to be magic. Jennsen was a pillar of Creation, a hole in the world, a pristinely ungifted offspring of Darken Rahl. She should not be able to see magic.
And yet, she was seeing it.
"I have to agree with the young lady," Sabar said. "That's even more frightening than those big black birds that I've seen circling for the last week."
Kahlan straightened. "You been seeing-"
When he heard Tom's urgent warning yell, Richard rose up in a rush, drawing his sword in one swift movement. The unique sound of ringing steel filled the night air.
The magic did not come out with the sword.
KahIan ducked to the side, out of harm's way, as Richard pulled his sword free. The distinctive ring of steel being drawn in anger fused with Tom's warning yell still echoing through the surrounding hills to send a flash of fright tingling across her flesh. As she stared out into the empty blackness of the surrounding night, her instinct was to reach for her own sword, but she had packed it in the wagon rather than wear it, so as not to raise suspicions about who they might be-women in the Old World did not carry weapons.
By the light of the fire, Kahlan could clearly see Richard's face. She had seen him draw the Sword of Truth countless times and in a variety of situations, from that very first time when Zedd, after giving him the sword, commanded him to draw it and Richard tentatively pulled it from its scabbard, to times he pulled it free in the heat of battle, to times like this when he drew it suddenly in defense.
When Richard drew the sword, he was also drawing its attendant magic.
That was the function of the weapon; the magic had not been created simply to defend the sword's true owner, but, more importantly, to be a projection of his intent. The Sword of Truth was not even really a talisman, but rather a tool, of the Seeker of Truth.
The true weapon was the rightly named Seeker who wielded the sword. The sword's magic answered to him.
Each and every one of the times Richard had drawn the sword, Kahlan had seen that magic dancing dangerously in his gray eyes.
This was the first time he had drawn the sword that she didn't see the magic in his eyes; the raptor's glare was pure Richard.
While seeing him draw the sword without seeing its concomitant magic evident in his eyes shocked her, it seemed to surprise Richard even more.
For an instant he hesitated, as if mentally stumbling.
Before they had time to even wonder what had prompted Tom's warning yell, shadowy shapes slipping through the cover of the nearby trees suddenly stormed out of the darkness and into their midst. The sudden sound and fury of bloodcurdling cries filled the night air as men rampaged into the camp, lit at last by firelight.
They didn't appear to be soldiers-they weren't wearing uniforms- and they weren't attacking as soldiers would, with weapons drawn. Kahlan didn't see any of the men brandishing swords or axes or even knives.
