richard could see kahlan standing stiffly. there was something odd about her.
something was on her, moving. samuel turned his blotchy head back, pointing a long
gray finger at the rope. he looked up at richard with one yellow eye.

“seeker promises,” he said in a low growl.

richard untied the rope, took kahlan’s pack off the companion’s shoulder, and
laid it on the ground. samuel curled his bloodless lips up at richard, hissing, then
abruptly skittered off into the shadows, sitting in a squat to watch.

richard swallowed hard as he walked to kahlan, a tight knot in his stomach. with
a jolt, he saw at last what it was that was moving on her.

snakes.

kahlan was covered by a writhing mass of snakes. the ones he recognized were
all poisonous. big, fat ones were wrapped around her legs, one coiled tightly around
her waist, constricting–others were wrapped around her arms, which hung at her sides.

small snakes squiggled, tunneling through her thick hair, flicking their tongues
out–others curled around her neck–still more slithered down the front of her shirt,
poking their heads out between the buttons. he struggled to control his breathing as he
approached her. his heart was pounding. tears ran down kahlan’s cheeks, and she
shook the slightest bit.

“be still,” he said in a quiet voice. “i’ll get them off.”

“no!” she whispered back. her eyes, wide with panic, met his. “if you touch
them, or if i move, they will bite me.”
“it’s all right,” he tried to reassure her, “i’ll get you out of this.”
“richard,” she said in a pleading whisper, “i’m dead. leave me. get out of here.

run.”

he felt as if an invisible hand were constricting his throat. in her eyes, he could
see how she was struggling to control her panic. he tried to look as calm as he could,
to hearten her. “i’m not leaving you,” he breathed.

“please, richard,” she whispered hoarsely, “for me, before it’s too late. run.”

a thin, poisonous banded viper, its tail coiled in her hair, dropped its head down
in front of her face. the red tongue flicked at her. kahlan closed her eyes, and another
tear ran down her cheek. the snake wriggled around the side of her face, down over
her collarbone. the banded body disappeared into her shirt. she gave out the slightest
whimper.

“i’m going to die. you can’t save me now. please, richard, save yourself. please.
run. run while you still have a chance.”

richard was afraid she would move deliberately, to be bitten, to try to save him,
thinking he then would have no reason to stay. he had to convince her that that would
do no good. he gave her a sober look.

“no. i came here to find out where the box is. i’m not leaving until i know. now
be still.”


she opened her eyes wide at what the snake was doing in her shirt. she bit her
bottom lip–her eyebrows wrinkled together. richard swallowed back dryness in his
mouth.

“kahlan, just hold on. try to think of something else.”