Temple 7

**Chapter 7**

Since Richard specifically left two Dominatrices and one of the Aryan Boys to protect Kahlan, the first thing she does is get rid of them. Specifically, she makes up a nonsense errand to send Raina and Aryan Boy #2 after Richard, because no one in this book has any regard for anyone else's opinions. Kahlan writes a note, and Terry Goodkind is careful to let us know that Raina sticks the note *“between her breasts.”*

There are other ways to transport small objects, y'know. Like pockets. Or belt pouches.

Anyway, onward to Kahlan and Nadine. Nadine is packing to leave, and Kahlan, deciding to try this “empathy” business, is nice to her. The two have a fairly decent little scene, marred only by the fact that we can't go a page without a reminder of how super amazing awesomesauce Richard is, IKR? He's like OMG sooooo awesome.

*“I always liked Richard. Everybody liked Richard. He's nice to everyone.”*

Sure Nadine. If you say so. \~/

Oh, and we also get some more demonizing of Michael who is dead and unable to defend himself because he was *murdered by Richard.* Specifically, Nadine retroactively establishing that Michael *“[had] a mean streak”* and *“[didn't] care who he hurts,”* and she doesn't care that he's dead because he was an Evil Liberal and nobody likes them.

Kahlan recaps the previous books, making sure to emphasize Richard's amazingness again. \~/ Nadine takes this opportunity to share a story about the time Tommy Lancaster and his friend Lester – two deeply important characters, I'm sure – tried to rape her, and Richard beat them up and saved her because he's like, totally the best, I know, like OMG!!!11!1! \~/

Nadine then decides to praise Kahlan for a bit, mainly her gorgeousness, because that's the most important thing for a girl, right? She has to be pretty. Then we segue into a weird critique of sexual mores, as Nadine talks about how Tommy Lancaster was trying to *“lay claim to her,”* and how some people see a rape victim as soiled, and force her to marry her rapist. I'm not taking a drink for it, because it's a real, and vile, issue. Victim-blaming is never pretty, especially in cases of sexual assault. It doesn't really seem like it has a place here, though.

Nadine then confesses that she's been infatuated with Richard for a while ALL RIGHT WE GET IT RICHARD IS AMAZING AND EVERY WOMAN WANTS HIM GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!

Ahem.

Moving on.

Nadine recounts a time she tried to give Richard *“a shove,”* letting him catch her snogging with Michael, in the hopes that this would goad him into getting more serious with her. It worked about as well as you'd expect. Also, Nadine is careful to let us know that Michael was only interested in her because he was jealous of Richard (who, remember, wasn't actually interested in Nadine at all), because Evil Liberals are motivated entirely and exclusively by spite and malice. \~/ Astoundingly, this did not cause Richard to be overwhelmed with romantic notions, as any 12-year-old could have predicted.

Nadine heals the cut on Cara's cheek, thus establishing her mad healing skillz.

We then learn that Nadine pretty much up and left on her own – she was long gone from the Westland and looking for Richard before she met Shota. This would be kinda sweet if it wasn't so stupid. She also traveled from the Westland to Aydindril in a couple weeks, even though the journey should have taken months. This has something to do with dreams of riding on a flying horse, though Nadine proves too dense to understand it. I wonder if Nadine was introduced to make Kahlan look smart by comparison?

We learn, yet again, that the Mindrapists were terrible at their jobs: *“Confessors didn't need to know much about questioning people; once she had touched a person with her power, a Confessor simply asked the criminal to confess if they had truly committed the crimes they had been found guilty of, and if the answer was yes – which it always was, except in a couple of rare instances – then to recount the details.*

*“There was no art to it, and none needed. It was an infallible way of seeing to it that political dissenters weren't falsely accused and found guilty of crimes they didn't commit, simply to have them eliminated through a convenient execution.”*

Yes, interrogating the accused requires no skill or knowledge or finesse whatsoever; the Mindrapist would simply brutally crush the victim's free will and then order them to speak. I'm not saying that's not how it works – with magic, it apparently is – just noting what a terrible, inhumane, and all-around vile process this is. Lest we've forgotten, this is **mind rape.** This is the merciless and absolute annihilation of free will and personality, and this is something the *heroes* do. This is *worse* than rape, since a rape victim can potentially recover from their ordeal; this is **mind murder.**

And you expect me to sympathize with one of these subhuman monsters? Fuck you, Terry Goodkind. \~/\~/

Oh, but their victims are *always* guilty (except when they're not). That's very convenient, that is. Unbelievably convenient. \~/

And why are we specifically focusing on political dissenters? What about accused murderers, rapists, necromancers, and child molesters? It's just a weird detail to focus on.

Anyway . . . Kahlan wants to know exactly what Shota said to Nadine, which includes the phrases *“the wind hunts him”* and *“May the spirits have mercy on his soul.”* This causes Kahlan to decide that Nadine needs to stay around for a while, for reasons that aren't explained. Nadine demurs, Kahlan insists, Nadine acquiesces, and the chapter ends.

Drinks: 7

Rape Count: 1

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