Stone 65

**Chapter 65**

Richard is in the Grove Woods waiting for Liliana, who will hereafter be known as Sue Nun. Sue Nun appears, and she's gotten the *“aid”* she mentioned earlier: a statue of a man holding a clear crystal. This, she explains, will amplify Richard's Richard's power so she can use it to get the collar off him. That . . . doesn't make any sense to me, but the book's almost over so I'm not going to quibble.

Sue Nun warns Richard that what they're about to do will be extremely painful, but if Richard tries to rests once they've started, he will die. Richard says he trusts her and they begin. Richard meditates, and then suddenly, PAIN! Richard writhes in agony for about a page before suddenly, *“In the fading recesses of his mind, he felt a presence.”*

He thinks it's Misters, but he hears Sue Nun saying *“Wait, my pets. You may have what is left, when I am finished with him. Wait.”* Um . . . what would the Misters want with Richard's corpse? It was clearly stated a while back that, while Misters periodically kill people, they leave the bodies where they fall. \~/

Richard wonders what the hell is going on. Then he senses another presence, *“More gruesome by ten”* than the Misters. Sue Nun tells it to back off as well, which it does, though not as far. Then it comes back, and Sue Nun chases it off again, saying *“I will be finished in a moment, and then you may have the body.”*

Richard realizes that Sue Nun is trying to kill him, and SOMEHOW manages to *Sue ex machina* his way out of her clutches. \~/ There's an explosion that throws he and Sue Nun in opposite directions, leaving the Sword of the Homicidal Hobo at the center (why?). The Misters and the Tenfold-Worse-Than-A-Mister bail.

Sue Nun monologues for a short while, saying that since Richard won't do it the easy way, she has to skin him alive to steal his power. She produces a sword from somewhere, and Richard magicks the Sword of the Homicidal Hobo back into his hand.

They fight. Sue Nun is every bit as good with a sword as Richard is, even with his Magical Spirit Upgrade. The Tenfold Mister pops up and Richard annihilates it; I guess it was the namble. Richard notes that he doesn't seem able to shatter her sword, and deduces that *“She had a weapon the match of the Sword of Truth.”* While this could be a fascinating long-term development, (SPOILER!) Sue Nun's sword exists purely for this one fight. \~/

The fight (which, I must admit, is decently written) continues. Richard finally gets through Sue Nun's guard, but is thwarted by some magical defenses . . . so much for the Sword of the Homicidal Hobo's vaunted infallibility. Or maybe Richard doesn't honestly believe she's a threat? In any case, that's a drink. \~/

Sue Nun gets bored and starts throwing bolts of black lightning at Richard. Richard heroically falls on his ass, and Sue Nun stands over him, about to cut off his legs (umm . . . wouldn't that kill him from blood loss long before she could finish skinning him? \~/). Then . . . this happens:

*“[Richard] released himself, gave sanction to his inner self, his gift. He would surrender to whatever was there, or he would die. It was his only chance. He found the calm center within, and did its bidding.”*

I have no idea what just happened. In any case, this . . . SOMEHOW (there's that word again \~/) turns the sword white, because Richard . . . forgives Sue Nun? Wow, that's . . . I'm not sure what that is, although “stupid” comes to mind. \~/ This SOMEHOW (dammit, there it is again \~/) allows the Sword to cut right through Sue Nun's magical defenses, and her spine. Richard says he forgives her, there's a ripple of darkness, and Satan collects Sue Nun's soul. Which, yet again, should not be possible. \~/

Richard muses that, before, he had called up the White Magic of Lethal Forgiveness knowing full well what he was doing (except for the time or two that he didn't, if you recall). This time he did it on instinct, without conscious thought. Can you really forgive someone unconsciously?

*“Something within him had known that this was what was needed to counter the Keeper's hate that filled Liliana.”*

So, to sum up: Richard unconsciously used his magic to forgive Sue Nun, because SOMETHING WITHIN HIM knew that mortal forgiveness would overcome divine hatred and allow him to kill her.

Makes perfect sense. \~/\~/

Richard takes Sue Nun's sword – the one that was established as being *“the equal of the Sword of Truth”* – and breaks it across his knee. Because it's just that easy to destroy magical items of awesome power. For that matter, it's just that easy to break a normal sword. \~/

Richard notices something white nearby, which proves to be a skeleton . . . well, the top half of a skeleton, in the tattered remains of a dress. The bottom half is nearby. Richard examines the bones, and notices that *“the bones of the lower spine were shattered. He had never seen bones splintered in such a way. It was as if this woman had been blown in half, while alive.”*

Ouch. The Grammar Nazi in me is hurting.

SOMEHOW, \~/ Richard knows that *“magic killed this woman”* He asks the skeleton *“Who did this to you?”* and . . . this happens:

*“Slowly, a skeletal arm rose toward him in the moonlight. The fingers uncurled. A thin chain dropped down, dangling from the bones of the finger.”*

No, there is absolutely no explanation as to why this happens. \~/\~/ It just does.

I can certainly see how Terry Goodkind's **“****novels that deal in important human themes involving the faculty of reason”** are vastly superior to that fantasy twaddle he so disdains. You know, fantasy, with its “it's magic, so I don't have to explain!” mentality?

Anyway, the bauble that Skeletal Margaret handed out turn out to be a golden letter J. This somehow \~/ prompts Richard to say *“Jedidiah,”* despite the literally thousands of other possible reasons Skeletal Margaret could be sporting some J-shaped bling. \~/ Actually, I'd better finish this with the final line of the chapter:

*“ 'Jedidiah,' Richard whispered, now knowing what made him do so.”*

If Richard *“now know[s],”* how about sharing that info with the rest of us, hmm? Or is this yet another hilarious typo?

Drinks: 18

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