Chainfire spoilers and, correspondingly, spoilers for the rest of the
series.
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As far as I can figure out, the Sisters of the Dark's plan can't work.
They're relying, as Darken Rahl did, on the words at the beginning on
the Book of Counted Shadows--that the words can only be verified by the
use of a Confessor, unless the reader of the book is also the person who
wants to use the Boxes. They're counting on being able to avoid Darken
Rahl's mistake because he told the Keeper about it--but nothing Darken
Rahl could tell the Keeper would change the simple fact that Richard's
love protects him from Kahlan's Confessor's touch. If Richard had
forgotten she existed when everyone else did then it might work, because
Richard would have no feelings for her to ****eld him from her magic, but
as it is, the Sisters are in a bind, though they probably don't realize
it (if anyone is likely to discount a magical effect connected to love,
it's the Sisters of the Dark). Verification of the words can only be
confirmed by the use of a Confessor; the only living Confessor can't use
her power on the one man who knows the words. Richard might not be able
to fool the Sisters as he did Darken Rahl, but they can't force him to
tell the complete truth either, not if the only way to do so is with a
Confessor's power.
If Darken Rahl had remembered and told the Keeper all the text of the
book--everything Richard recited--then the Sisters' plan could work.
But then they wouldn't need a Confessor, and apparently they do need
one. Knowing that it's supposed to be the box with two shadows won't do
them much good; the boxes undoubtedly need to be arranged in a different
pattern than before to account for the differences in time.
That doesn't mean their plan isn't dangerous. Any number of terrible
things could happen as a result of it, from Richard getting killed as he
nearly was in Chainfire, to Ulicia getting desperate, opening a box at
random, and not picking the one that kills just her. But their plan
actually succeeding as they've made it appears to be beyond the realm of
possibility.
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