**Soulmates, pawns of prophecy and inheritors of an ancient conflict, Richard and Kahlan’s destinies have been bound together since their first encounter in *Wizard’s First Rule*. But now Richard lies on a funeral bier – suspended between the worlds of life and death and Kahlan faces her greatest challenge. She must fight for Richard’s very existence, and Richard, trapped in the underworld, must fight to keep the world of life from ending. Desperate sacrifices are required. This is the final battle in a war three-millennia old, a war that saw the Sword of Truth forged, a war that could mean the end, not only of their lives, but of their world.**