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This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. THE OMEN MACHINE Copyright © 2011 by Terry Goodkind All rights reserved. A Tor Book Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC 175 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10010 www.tor www .tor-forge -forge.com .com Tor® is a registered trademark of To Tom m Doherty Associates, LLC. ISBN 978-0978-0-76537653-27722772-7 7 (regular edition) ISBN 978-0978-0-76537653-2969-1 2969-1 (limited edition) First Edition: August 2011 Printed in the United States of America 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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here is darkness,” the boy said. R ichard frowned, not sure that he had understood understood the whispered whi spered words. He He glanced gla nced back over over his shoulder at the concern on Kahlan’s face. She didn’t look to have understood underst ood the t he meaning any a ny more more than tha n he had. The boy lay on a tattered tattered carpet car pet placed on the bare ground just outside a tent covered w ith st stri rings ngs of colorf colorful ul beads beads.. The tightly packed market outside the palace had become a small city made up of thousands of tents, wagons, wagons, and stands. Throngs of people who had come from near and far for the grand wedding the day before flocked to the marketplace, buying everything from souvenirs and jewelry to fresh bread and cooked meats, to exotic drinks and potions, to colorful beads. The boy’s chest rose a little with each shallow breath, but his eyes remained closed. Richard leaned down closer to the frail child. “Darkness?” The boy nodded weakly. “There is darkness all around.” There was, of course, no darkness. Streamers of morning sunlight played over the crowds of people coursing by the thousands through the haphazard streets between the tents 7

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and wagons. Richard didn’t think that the boy saw anything of the festive atmosphere atmosphere all al l around. a round. The child’s words, on the surface so soft, carried some other meaning, something more, somethi something ng grim, gri m, about about anRead Free For 30 Days other place entirely entirely.. From the corner of his eye, Richard saw people slow as they passed, watching the Lord Rahl and the Mother Confessor stopped to see an ill boy and his mother. The market out beyond beyond was filled fi lled with w ith lilti l ilting ng music, conversa conversation, tion, laughter,, and ter a nd animated an imated bargaining. bargain ing. For most of the people passing  DISCOVER BOOKS READ EVERYWHERE  BUILD was YOUR DIGITAL READING LISTS nearby,, seeing the Lord nearby L ord Ra hl NEW Rahl a nd and the Mother Confessor a once-inonce-in-a-lifetime a-lifetime event, one of many over over the last few days, that would be recounted back in their homelands for years to come. Guards of the First File stood not far away, also watching attentively, but they mostly watched the nearby crowds shuffling through the market. The soldiers wanted to make sure that those crowds didn’t close in too tightly, even though there was no real reason to expect any sort of trouble. Everyone was, after all, in a good mood. The years of war had ended. There was peace and growing prosperity. The weddi wed ding ng the day befor beforee seemed to mark a new beginning, beginn ing, a celebration of a world of possibilities never before imagined. Set amid that sunlit exuberance, the boy’s words felt to Richard like a shadow that didn’t belong. Kahlan Ka hlan squatt squatted ed down beside beside him. hi m. Her sati satiny ny white dress, the iconic symbol of her standing as the Mother Confessor, seemed to glow under the early-spring early- spring sky, as if she were a good spirit come among among them. Richard slipped sl ipped his hand unu nder the boy’s boy’s bony shoulders shoulders and sat him up a little litt le as Kahla K ahlan n lifted lif ted a waterskin waterskin up to the boy’s boy’s lips. “Can you take just a sip?” 8

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The boy didn’t seem to hear her. He ignored her offer and the waterskin. waterski n. “I’m alone,” alone,” he said in i n a frail fra il voice. “So alone.” alone.” The words sounded so forlorn that they moved Kahlan to reach out in silent compassion and touch the boy’s knobby Read Free For 30 Days shoulder. “You’ “Yo u’re re not alone,” alone,” Richard R ichard assu assured red the boy in a voice meant mea nt to dispel the t he gloom of such words. words. “There are people here here with wit h you. yo u. Your Your mother mother is here. here.” Behind closed eyelids, the boy’s eyes rolled and darted, as if looking for something in the darkness. NEW BOOKS  READ EVERYWHERE  BUILD YOUR DIGITAL READING LISTS “Why “W hy have have they all alDISCOVER l left me?” Kahla Ka hlan n laid a hand gently gently on the boy’s boy’s heaving heaving chest. “Left “Lef t you?” yo u?” The boy, lost in some inner vision, moaned and whined. His head tossed from side to side. “Why have they left me alone in the cold and dark?” dark ?” “Who “W ho left you?” you?” Richard R ichard asked, conc concentrating entrating in an a n effort to be sure he could hear the boy’s soft words. “Where did they leave you?” “I have had dreams,” the boy said, his h is voice a little litt le brighter. brighter. Richard frowned at the odd change of subject. “What kind of dreams?” Disoriented confusion returned to haunt the boy’s words. “Why “W hy have have I had dreams?” The question sounded to Richard like it was directed in ward and didn’t didn’t call for an answer. answer. Kahlan Ka hlan tried t ried anyway. anyway. “We don’t—” “Is the sky still blue?” Kahlan shared a look with Richard. “Quite blue,” she assured the boy. He didn’t appear to hear that answer, either. Richard didn’t think that there was any point in continuing to pester the boy for answers. He was obviously sick and 9


didn’t know what he was saying. It was pointless to try to question the product of delirium. The boy’s small hand suddenly grabbed Richard’s forearm. Richard heard the sound of steel being drawn from scabRead Free For 30 Days bards. Without turning, he lifted his other hand in a silent command to the soldiers behind him to stand down. “Why “W hy have have they all a ll left me? me?” ” the boy asked again. Richard leaned in a little closer, hoping to calm him at least. “Where did they leave you?” The boy’s eyes opened so abruptly that it startled both  DISCOVER BOOKS YOUR DIGITAL READING LISTS R ich ichard ard and Kahlan. Kahla n. His gazeNEWwas fixedREAD fixed onEVERYWHERE Richard,asBUILD if trying to see into his soul. The grip of the thin fingers on Richard’s forearm was powerful beyond what Richard would have believed the boy capable of. “There is darkness dark ness in the palace.” palace.” A chil chill, l, fed by a cold cold bre breath ath of bre breeze eze,, shive shivered red acr across oss R ichard’s flesh. The boy’s eyelids slid closed as he sagged back. Despite his intent to be gentle with the boy, Richard’s voice voi ce took took on an edge. edge. “What “W hat are you you talki tal king ng about? about? What darkness in the t he palace? palace?” ” “Darkness . . . is seeking darkness,” he whispered as he drifted down into incoherent mumbling. Richard’s brow drew tight as he tried to make some kind of sense of it. “What “W hat do you you mean, darkness da rkness is seeking darkness?” “He will find me, I know he will.” The boy’s hand, as if too heavy to hold up, slipped off R ichard’ ichard’ss arm. It was replaced by Kahlan’ Kah lan’ss as the t he two of them waited waite d a mom momen entt to see if the boy would say any a ny mor more. e. He seemed to finally have fallen silent for good.

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They needed to get back to the palace. People would be waiting for them. Besides, Richard R ichard didn’t think, thin k, even if the boy did say more, more, that it would be any more meaningful. He looked up at the Read Free For 30 Days boy’ss mother, boy’ mother, standing stand ing above him, dr dryy- washing washing her her hands. hands. The woman swallowed. “He scares me, he does, when he gets like this. t his. I’m sorry, sorry, Lord Rahl, R ahl, I didn’t mean mean to distract dist ract you yo u from yo your ur business. business.” ” She looke looked d to be a wom woman an aged prematurely by worries. “This is my business,” Richard said. “I came down here DISCOVER NEW BOOKS couldn’t  READ EVERYWHERE YOURthe DIGITAL READING LISTS today to be among people who make it BUILD up to palace yesterda yesterdayy for the ceremony. ceremony. Many Ma ny of you have travel t raveled ed a great distance. di stance. The Mother Confessor Confess or and I wanted to have have a chance to show our appreciation to everyone who came for our friends f riends’’ wedding. “I don’t like to see anyone in such obvious distress as you and your boy b oy.. We’ll We’ll see s ee if we can get a healer to find fi nd out what’s what’s wrong. wron g. May Maybe be they they can can give give him some something thing to to hel help p him.” him.” The woman was shaking her head. “I’ve tried healers. Healers can’t help him.” “Are you sure?” Kahlan asked. “There are very talented people here who might be able to help.” “I already took him to a woman of great powers, a Hedge Maid, all a ll the way to Kharga K harga Trace. Trace.” ” Kahlan’ Ka hlan’ss brow creased. “A “A Hedge Maid? What W hat kind ki nd of healer is that? t hat?” ” The woman hesitated, her gaze darting away. “Well, she’s a woman of remarkable abilities as I hear told. Hedge Maidss . . . have talents, Maid talents, so I thought t hought she she might be able to to help. But Jit—that’s Jit—that’s her name, Jit—said Jit—said that Henrik was special, not sick.”

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“Does this happen with your son often, then?” Kahlan asked. The woman worked some of the cloth of her simple dress into her fist. “Not often. But it happens. He sees things. Sees Read Free For 30 Days things through the eyes of others, I think.” Kahlan pressed her hand to the boy’s forehead a moment and then ran her fingers back back throu th rough gh his hi s hair. “I think thi nk maybe it’ss fevered dreams, it’ drea ms, that’ t hat’ss all,” a ll,” she said. “He’ “He’ss burni bur ning ng up.” up.” The woman was nodding knowingly. “He gets like that, alll fevered al fevered and such, when he sees things through t hrough the eyes of  DISCOVER NEW“Some BOOKS kind READ EVERYWHERE YOUR others.” others. ” She met met Richard R ichard’ ’s gaze. of telling, telli ng, IBUILD th ink. thin k.DIGITAL READING LISTS I think that’s what he does when he gets like this. Some kind of forete foretell lling. ing.” ” Richard, like Kahlan, didn’t think the boy saw anything more than fevered visions, but he didn’t say so. The woman alread al readyy looked distressed di stressed enough. Richard also didn’t hold much favor with prophecy. He liked prophecy even less than he liked riddles and he didn’t like li ke riddles at all. a ll. He thought t hought people people made far more of prophprophecy than was justified. “Doesn’t “Doesn ’t sound sound at all al l specific,” Richard R ichard said. “I don’t don’t think thi nk it’s anything more than a childhood fever.” The woman didn’t look to believe one word of it, but she also didn’t look look inclined incl ined to contradict contradict the t he Lord Rah R ahl. l. It wasn’t wasn’t all that long ago that the Lord Rahl was a greatly feared figure in the land of D’Hara, and with good reason. Old fears, like l ike old grudge gr udges, s, live l ived d long lives. “Maybe he ate ate something somethi ng that was bad,” Kahlan Kah lan suggested. “No, nothing bad,” the woman insisted. “He eats the same things I eat.” She studied their faces for a moment before adding, “But the hounds have come around bothering him.” 12


Richard frowned up at the woman. “What do you mean, the hounds have come around bothering him?” Her tongue darted out to wet her lips. “Well, hounds— wild wi ld hounds hounds I th think— ink—came came sniffing snif fing around a round here here last night. night. I Read Free For 30 Days had just run out to get us a loaf of bread. Henrik was watching our bead wares. He was scared when the hounds showed up so he hid inside. When I got back they were sniffing and growling around the doorway of our tent, the hair on their backs standing up all stiff and such. I grabbed a stick and chased them off. This morning he was like this.”  DISCOVER BOOKS  READ EVERYWHERE  BUILD YOUR DIGITAL READING LISTS R ichard was about to sayNEW to something when the boy abruptly twisted wildly. He lashed out with clawed fingers at both Richard and Kahlan as if he were a cornered animal. Richard jumped up, pulling Kahlan back out of the boy’s reach as soldiers brought swords out. Quick as a rabbit, the boy darted away toward the confusion of tents and crowds. Two soldiers immediately raced after him. The boy dove under a low wagon and popped up on the other side. The men were too big to follow and had to go around the wagon, giving givi ng the boy a head start of a dozen strides. Richard didn’t think his lead would last long. In an instant the boy, with the soldiers hot on his heels, vanished among among the wagons, wagons, tents, tents, and people. people. It was a mistake to run ru n from men of the First File. R ichard saw that the scratch on on the back of Kah K ahlan’ lan’ss hand had drawn blood. “It’s just a little scratch, Richard,” she assured him when she saw the look in his eyes. “I’m fine. It just startled me.” R ichard glanced down at the lines oozing blood on on the back of his own hand and let out a sigh of frustration. “Me too.” The captain of the guards, sword in hand, stepped for ward. “We “We’ll ’ll find him, Lord Ra Rahl. hl. Out her heree on the Azr Azrith ith 13


Plain there’s no real place to hide. He won’t get far. We’ll find him.” The man didn’t look at all pleased that someone, even a boy, had drawn the Lord Rahl’s blood. “Like “Li ke the Mother Confessor Confes sor said, sa id, it’s it’s just a scratch. scr atch. But I’d I’d Read Free For 30 Days like you to find the boy.” A doze dozen n men of the guard detail clapped fists to their hearts. “We’ll find him, Lord Rahl,” the captain said, “you can count on that.” Richard nodded. “Good. When you do, see to it that he  DISCOVER NEW BOOKSThere  READ are EVERYWHERE  BUILD YOUR DIGITAL READING LISTS gets safely back here to his mother. healers among the people selling their wares and ser vices. Bring one her heree when you you find the boy and see see if they can help him.” him.” As the captain detailed detai led additional additional guards g uards to search for the boy, Kahlan leaned closer to Richard. “We had better get back up to the palace. We have a lot of guests.” R ichard nodded. “I hope your boy is well soon,” he said to the woman before starting out toward the im mense plateau atop which sat the People’s Palace, the place he had inherited when he had inherited the rule of D’Hara, a land that he had never even known existed as he’d grown up. In many ways D’Hara, the empire he ruled, ru led, was still sti ll a complete complete mystery mystery to him.

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