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Zedd shook his head sadly “I wish it were so, my boy, but it is not”

“Then what am I to do?” Richard asked in a broken whisper

His old friend put his skinny ared him close in the darkness Richard felt numb

“Just be her friend, Richard That’s what she needs But you can be nothing more”

Richard nodded in Zedd’s arms

After a few minutes the Seeker, a suspicious look in his eye, pushed away, holding the wizard at arth

“What is it you came out here for?”

“To sit with a friend”

Richard shook his head “You came out here as wizard, away from the others, to counsel the Seeker Now, tell me why you’re here”

“Very well I came here in my capacity as wizard, to tell the Seeker he almost made a serious mistake today”

Richard took his hands froaze “I know that A Seeker cannot put hi he puts everyone else at risk”

“But you were going to do it anyway,” Zedd pressed

“When you naood I’m new at the responsibilities of the position It’s hard for me to see a friend in trouble and not help I know I can’t afford that luxury anymore Consider me reprimanded”

Zedd smiled “Well, that part ell” He sat a er than just what happened today You must understand that, as Seeker, you may cause the death of innocent people In order to succeed in stopping Rahl you ht be saved with your help A soldier knows that on the battlefield, if he bends to help a downed coht take a sword in the back, and so, if he is to win, he ht on despite the cries for help from his fellows You must be able to do this to win; it may be the only way You le for survival, and in this battle the ones crying for help probably won’t be soldiers, but innocents Darken Rahl will kill anyone to win Those who fight on his side will do the saressor makes the rules You must play by them, or you will surely die by them”

“How could anyone fight on his side? Darken Rahl wants to doht for him?”

The wizard leaned back against the rock and looked out over the hills, as if seeing more than was there His tone was sorrowful “Because, Richard, many people reed, they see free people as their oppressors They wish to have a leader ill cut the taller plants so the sun will reach therow taller than the shortest, and in that way give light to all They would rather be provided a guiding light, regardless of the fuel, than light a candle themselves

“Some of them think that when Rahl wins, he will smile on them, and they will be rewarded, and so they are as ruthless as he to gain his favor Soht for the lies they hear And so chains, and then it is too late” Zedd shed “There have always been wars, Richard Every war is a le between foes And yet, no ar that the Creator had sided with their enemy”

Richard shook his head “It doesn’t make sense”

“I am quite sure that Rahl’s followers think we are bloodthirstyThey will have been told endless tales of their enemy’s ruthless brutality I’m sure none of them know much about Darken Rahl except what they have been told by Darken Rahl” The wizard frowned, his intelligent eyes sharp “It ic, but that , or deadly Rahl’s followers need only to crush us, they don’t have to understand anything else But for you to win, against a stronger foe, you must use your head”

Richard ran his fingers through his hair “That leaves ht crack I may have to let innocent people die, yet I can’t kill Darken Rahl”

Zedd gave hiful look “No I never said you couldn’t kill Darken Rahl; I said you couldn’t use the sword to kill him”

Richard looked intently over at his old friend, the ht lit in the darkness of his mood