Chapters 1-5 Summary

Wizard's First Rule is the story of the journey of Richard and Kahlan, the Mother Confessor, in their quest to thwart an attempt by the villain Darken Rahl to gain power over the living and the underworld by collecting the three boxes of Orden and opening the right one. They must avoid vicious animals, supernatural Shadow People, spells and a hungry dragon to prevent the abuse of defenseless people. Richard's hidden knowledge of the sacred Book of the Counted Shadows proves to be the final piece of the puzzle needed to save the world.

In Chapter 1, young forest guide Richard Cypher discovers a foul-smelling variegated vine strangling a small tree in Ven Forest in the fall. He has learned most of the herbs and plants in the forest from his lifelong friend, the elderly herbalist and cloud-reader Zedd. However, Richard is...