“Ah,” Zedd said with a knowing nod. “Well, my boy, at times yes, at other times no.” Zedd smiled, looking a little less serious. “I think old age is nature’s way of preparing us for death, making us more willing to take our leave of this world. It gets tiring after so many years of seeing people continue to do such cruel and awful things. One just gets tired of the stupidity of it all. After a time, it saps the joy out of life.
“But on the other hand, being around for you and Kahlan makes it all worthwhile.”
Richard felt a little better. “That’s good to hear.”
Zedd put a hand on Richard’s shoulder as he leaned closer in the moonlight. “You make life worthwhile for me, Richard. You always have. In a way, I no longer live for myself, but instead for you and Kahlan. I think that maybe that’s a wonderful way to live—to have something meaningful to live for.” He cocked his head. “Isn’t it Kahlan who makes you fight for life? Think of life without her, and you will see what I mean, and see what you are really living for.”
Richard nodded. “That’s certainly true.” He looked down at Kahlan not far away as she pulled the blanket up, ready for him to crawl in beside her and keep her warm. “I can’t imagine life without her. I wouldn’t want to live without her.”
Zedd gave a firm nod. “That’s what I mean, Richard. That, and I’m perfectly happy to stick around to help you keep from falling on your face. Someone has to.”
Richard let out a deep breath as he nodded. “Good. I love you, you know.”
“I know. I love you too, my boy.” He gestured to Kahlan. “Now go get some sleep. I’ll be right here nearby if either of you needs anything—and I’ll be with you for a good long time to come. I’m not too old to be of use, you know.
“Soon we will free you of that sickness and then you can decide what you want to do. Either way—quit and go off to live your own lives, or continue to fight—I will still love you and support you in whatever you do. I know you will make the right choice, your own choice. As Magda Searus said, you make your own destiny.”
“Thanks, Zedd. I guess we’ve had quite the adventure since we left Hartland.”
“Quite the adventure, indeed. And it hasn’t been all bad. There have been a lot of good times along the way.”
“I’m all for the adventure being over, though,” Richard told his grandfather.
Zedd smiled. “That’s my wish, too. Now, get some rest. I don’t want to have you going unconscious on me again before I can heal you. The last time was a bother.”
“You can really heal us, though, right?”
Zedd stood up straight and looked Richard in the eye. “In a containment field, yes, of course. You have no need to doubt that, Richard. Now let me go so I can get some rest.”
“Sure. Rest well, then.”
The wizard looked around at the woods. “This really is a beautiful place. It’s important to take in beauty whenever you can, my boy. This is a good place for a rest. And then tomorrow we need to be on our way to get to where we can heal you.”
Richard smiled and gave his grandfather a nod before he went back and crawled into the blanket beside Kahlan. As he turned on his side, she spooned up against him.
“Everything all right?” she asked. “With Zedd, I mean.”
“He wants us to get some sleep.”
Kahlan squeezed her arm around his middle. “I’m all for that.”
As she snuggled close for warmth and simply to be close, Richard watched out over the camp. Nicci, Irena, and Samantha were already wrapped in their blankets, breathing evenly and slowly, as were most of the men.
Richard watched them all, worrying about them all, afraid to go to sleep lest he never wake.
CHAPTER
55
Richard woke sometime in the night when Zedd rose up. He had been sleeping fitfully because he was worried about a whole variety of things. There were a lot of problems but not very many solutions, other than getting to the citadel. He had also been sleeping lightly because he was on alert, so Zedd standing up was enough to wake him.
In the moonlight he could see his grandfather take the blanket off from around his shoulders, lay it down, and then stretch to one side. He yawned and after stretching to the other side he carefully tiptoed among a sleeping Nicci, Irena, Samantha, and some of the soldiers. Richard knew that while Zedd usually slept well, he sometimes said that his bones ached, and it was not uncommon for him to get up in the night for a while to “walk the kinks out,” as he put it.
Something about the night felt strange to Richard. Even the perfectly still woods they were camped in felt somehow peculiar, somehow unnatural. He saw that the moon had moved across the sky, so he knew that it was not long until dawn. As soon as there was enough light, they could all be on their way.