Wizard 3

**Chapter 3**

Richard and Kahlan come to Michael's house, which is *“a massive structure of while stone.”* He has *“towering white oaks,” “sweeping stretches of lawn,”* and gardens full of flowers that *“have been raised in greenhouses just for the occasion.”* Clearly, Michael is filthy rich; common people simply didn't have lawns, let alone all that other opulence.

Richard feels out of place because he's dirty and sweaty. Kahlan, though...

“Kahlan, on the other hand, didn't look so out of place. The unusual but striking dress she wore belied the fact that she, too, had just walked out of the woods. Considering how much blood there had been up on Blunt Cliff, he was surprised that she didn't have any on her.”

More on the Teflon wedding gown. \~/

We meet Chase, who is a big, heavily-armed guy. He's a boundary warden, so I presume he wards the boundary that was mentioned at the end of the last chapter. The boundary wardens have been called in to guard Michael, which is odd because he has the Home Guard and the army as well. Michael is apparently the First Councilor.

Chase casually refers to having tortured some people. \~/

Chase doesn't think Michael believes in the good spirits. Another point against him, since the good spirits are, thus far, all the religion we've heard of. Both Richard and Kahlan have made reference to the good spirits protecting them. I find it strange that the good spirits don't seem to have names or individual identities...but maybe they just haven't been described yet.

Richard sees *“the same strange snakelike cloud.”* Which wasn't mentioned before, unless I missed it somehow.

Richard and Kahlan eat...apparently Michael is having some sort of feast. We find out that, in the Midlands, a woman's hair length indicates her social status: longer hair means higher status. This seems kind of sexist to me, since low-status women aren't allowed to grow their hair past a certain length, and no corresponding system is mentioned for men. Can low-status men have long hair? What about beards? Who knows?

Anyway, Kahlan gives Richard another tight-lipped smile, and it still doesn't make any sense. \~/ Richard gets food, including some ribs, and tells Kahlan *“Try these; they're my most treasured.”*

>\_<

Who talks like this?? It makes Richard sound like some British aristocrat referring to prize thoroughbreds, or family jewels, not a rough-and-tumble woods guide talking about meat. Is there something wrong with the word “favorite?” “Treasured” feels VERY inappropriate, both for the character and for the situation. \~/

More food is eaten. Kahlan notices some men watching Richard, but they're two of Michael's aides, so it's fine. We learn that Kahlan is a but paranoid about being followed, and that when she left her homeland, five wizards cast spells to hide her tracks, then killed themselves so they could not be made to talk. Which seems rather excessive, not to mention fanatical, but I'll let it go for now.

Kahlan is scared. Richard comforts her. They decide to go see Zedd the next day.

Michael comes out to give his speech. He's been waiting for a shaft of sunlight to fall on him as he speechifies. More evidence that he's no good.

Michael gives a speech which I won't bore you with here. The gist of it is that Michael is happy to be First Councilor, and he likes peace instead of war. He talks about a conspiracy to *“drag us into war,”* while Richard wonders who there is to go to war with. Fortunately, Michael's goon squad – er, I mean, the boundary wardens – are arresting the traitors, who will no doubt receive a swift but fair trial before a jury of their peers. Surely.

Michael expounds on how the boundary is coming down eventually, and he wants to be friends with whoever is on the other side. War is Bad, Peace is Good, a stranger is just a friend you haven't met yet, etc. Then he goes off on a weird tangent about fire. Fire is dangerous; fire causes accidents; fire hurts people. Michael and Richard's mother died in a fire. Fire bad! Smash fire! This is just sort of confusing.

Michael appears to be our Straw Liberal for the evening, since he's almost undoubtedly up to no good and is a lousy peacenik. Let's see what develops, shall we?

Michael comes over to talk to Richard. He ogles Kahlan, then grabs her ass and grinds against her. No, really.

“Michael reached around her with both arms, cupped both hands to her bottom and pulled the lower half of her body hard against him. His leg pressed between her thighs.”

Yeah...real smooth there, First Councilor. In public, no less. Sheesh, Bill Clinton was a Buddhist monk compared to this guy. \~/

Kahlan tells Michael to unhand her ass, to which he responds, *“You feel good.”* So she slowly claws a gash in his neck. Richard, meanwhile, does nothing.

Thus endeth the chapter.

Drinks: 5

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