Warheart is Terry Goodkind's 18th novel, the fourth and last in the Richard and Kahlan series. It is followed by Death's Mistress. The book starts off where the previous novel, Severed Souls, left off. Warheart was released as a hardcover copy on November 17, 2015.
Summary (spoilers)
Richards body is about to be cremated when Kahlan sees Hunter who is a messenger from Red and stops going on a hunch that she might be able to bring him back. Kahlan, Nicci and the mord sith follow Hunter to a meeting spot with Red who tells them a way to save Richard by seeing the flow of time. The key is to find a spiritist in the underworld who in turn helps them find another spiritist Naja Moon. They do this by Nicci using her Sister of the Dark knowledge and Kahlans and Richards blood. Nicci manages to travel the underworld with the help of the spiritists and their allies against the Emperor Sulachans minions holding Richards spirit and free him. However Richards still needs a bridge to pass back, during this they are attacked by undead that are hard to kill and Cara arrives and saves them; she decides to be the bridge and dies in the process. Richard is restored but he has kept the death's touch. During a ceremony for the dead they are attacked by Sammy and Richard tries to reason with her by explaining why he killed her mother but fails.
Richard restored they have to find a way to cure him but they are too far from any containment field (they are in the Citadel), Richard discovers the Cerulian scrolls which sheds light on prophecy and the Omen Machine (Regula) revealing that prophecy is from the underworld and has no place in the world of life and the anchor is Regula which is also how Sulachan has manipulated the world. Ultimately Richard has a hunch that there might be sliph well at Stroyza and they go there along with a dozen men including Commander Fister. They arrive at Stroyza and discover everyone is dead (revealed that Sammy killed them under the influence of a dark spirit and hate). She ambushes them in the caves and kills all the soldiers but ultimately dies by accident of her own devising that collapses the tunnels on top of her but trapping Richard, Kahlan and the Mord Sith. They follow the writing on the wall and find the sliph well of Lucy who is a one way sliph between the Wizard's Keep and Stroyza.
They arrive at the Wizzards Keep but it takes a long time and Richard is much sicker because he takes the sword of truth with him. The place they arrive is full of souls trapped in the world of the living. After a brief talk with Chase and Verna they travel to the People's Palace which is under siege by Sulachan and Arc. There Richard talks to Regula and discovers the final pieces of the puzzle for restoring balance to the world. They go to the containment field for the healing but Richard decives all and takes Cassia with him and travels to the Wizards Keep to collect all the souls inside the Sword of Truth which has been touched by death by traveling in the sliph, the souls are of the Half People. He returns again to the People's Palace and confronts Sulachan and traps him using wards in the presence of Regula and the Boxes of Orden where he unleashes the death inside him through a scream while plugging his ears with candle wax thus killing Sulachan and destroying the Boxes of Orden, the Omen Machine and returning Regula to the underworld where it belongs so prophecy loses the anchor in the world of the living. This completes the process started with the Opening of the Boxes of Orden which started the decay of the Veil.
On the way to find Kahlan and stop the fighting Richard is confronted by Vika and Hannis Arc who has captured Kahlan. Vika fakes loyalty until the end to Hannis Arc by humiliating Richard, she manages to get behind Hannis Arc and kill him with her Agial. She explains that Hannis Arcs occult powers would have killed Richard and accepts her death sentence for using her Agial on Richard. Richard instead forgives her and kisses her which he uses as a treat to keep her in line telling her he will let the other Mord Sith know of the kiss.
Richard releases the spirits who find their bodies and the fighting is over. The restored half-people ask to speak with Richard and then swear fealty to him by reciting the "master Rahl guide us, Master Rahl teach us..." devotion.
The world is restored Richard lets everyone know Prophecy is ended and prepares to purge books of prophecy. Vika is the new Mord Sith that serves as Richards and Kahlans protector. Nicci goes with Nathan on his travels who acts as an ambassador for Richard thus fulfilling his fantasy of an adventurer.
The stars have new configuration and Richard tells Kahlan that a new Golden Age is starting.
Resources
Wizard's Rule
- Main Article: Wizard's Rules
In this world everyone must die. None of us has any choice in that. Our choice is how we wish to live.
Characters
Here is a list of Characters who appear in Warheart:
- Mother Confessor Kahlan Amnell
- Lord Hannis Arc
- Baraccus (First appearance) (Appears as spirit)
- Berdine
- Chase Brandstone
- Cara
- Cassia
- Denna (Appears as spirit)
- Commander Jack Fister
- Hunter
- Isidore (Appears as spirit)
- Laurin
- Lucy (First appearance)
- Benjamin Meiffert (Appears as spirit)
- Merritt (Appears as spirit)
- Mohler
- Naja Moon (Appears as spirit)
- Nicci
- Nyda
- Rachel
- Lord Richard Rahl
- Wizard Nathan Rahl
- Red
- Rikka
- Samantha
- Prelate Verna Sauventreen
- Magda Searus (Appears as spirit)
- Sliph
- Emperor Sulachan
- Warren (Appears as spirit)
- Vale
- Vika
- General Zimmer
- Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander (Appears as spirit)