‘That’s really unfair,’ Silk complained to Garion as they all moved out in the Rivan Queen’s wake.
‘Did you want to share that seat with the she-wolf?’ Garion asked him.
Silk frowned. ‘I hadn’t thought of that, I guess,’ he admitted. ‘She wouldn’t really bite me, though, would she?’
‘I don’t think so, but then, you never know with wolves.’
‘I think I’ll stay where I am, then.’
‘That might be a good idea.’
‘Aren’t you just a little worried about Ce’Nedra? That wolf could eat her in two bites.’
‘No. She won’t do that. She knows that Ce’Nedra’s my mate and she sort of likes me.’
‘Ce’Nedra’s your wife.’ Silk shrugged. ‘If the wolf bites her in two, I suppose Polgara could put her back together again.’
As they started out, a thought came to Garion. He rode forward and fell in beside Zakath. ‘You’re the Emperor of Mallorea, right?’
‘How nice of you to notice finally,’ Zakath replied drily.
‘Then how is it that you didn’t know about that curse Beldin was talking about.’
‘As you may have noticed, Garion, I pay very little attention to the Grolims. I knew that most of them wouldn’t go there, but I thought it was just a superstition of some kind.’
‘A good ruler tries to know everything he can about his kingdom,’ Garion said, then realized how priggish that sounded. ‘Sorry, Zakath,’ he apologized. ‘That didn’t come out exactly the way I’d intended it to.’
‘Garion,’ Zakath said patiently, ‘your kingdom’s a small island. I’d imagine you know most of your subjects personally.’
‘Well, a lot of them—by sight, anyway.’
‘I thought you might. You know their problems, their dreams, and their hopes, and you take a personal interest in them.’
‘Well, yes, I suppose I do.’
‘You’re a good king—probably one of the best in the world—but it’s very easy to be a good king when your kingdom is so small. You’ve seen my empire, though—part of it anyway—and I’m sure you have at least some idea of how many people live here. It would be utterly impossible for me to be a good king. That’s why I’m an emperor instead.’
‘And a God?’ Garion asked slyly.
‘No. I’ll leave that particular delusion to Urvon and Zandramas. People’s wits seem to slip a bit when they aspire to divinity, and, believe me, I need all my wits about me. I found that out after I’d wasted half my life trying to destroy Taur Urgas.’
‘Garion, dear,’ Ce’Nedra called from the carriage.
‘Yes?’
‘Could you come back here a moment? The wolf is whimpering a little, and I don’t know how to ask her what the trouble is.’
‘I’ll be right back,’ Garion said to Zakath, turning Chretienne around and trotting back to the carriage.
Ce’Nedra sat in the carriage with the wolf pup in her lap. The little creature lay blissfully on his back with all four paws in the air while she scratched his furry tummy.
The she-wolf lay on the seat beside her. The wolf’s ears were twitching and her eyes were mournful.
‘Are you in pain?’ Garion asked her.
‘Does this she of yours always talk this much?’ she whined.
It was impossible to lie, and evasion was almost as much out of the question. ‘Yes,’ he admitted.
‘Can you make her stop?’
‘I can try.’ He looked at Ce’Nedra. ‘The wolf is very tired,’ he told her. ‘She wants to go to sleep.’
‘I’m not stopping her.’
‘You’ve been talking to her,’ he pointed out gently.
‘I was only trying to make friends with her, Garion.’
‘You’re already friends. She likes you. Now let her go to sleep.’
Ce’Nedra pouted. ‘I won’t bother her,’ she said, sounding a bit injured. ‘I’ll talk to the puppy instead.’
‘He’s tired, too.’
‘How can they be so tired in the daytime?’
‘Wolves usually hunt at night. This is their normal sleeping time.’
‘Oh. I didn’t know that. All right, Garion. Tell her that I’ll be quiet while they sleep.’
‘Little sister,’ he said to the wolf, ‘she promises not to talk to you if your eyes are closed.’
The wolf gave him a puzzled look.
‘She will think you’re sleeping.’
The wolf managed to look shocked. ‘Is it possible in the language of the man-things to say that which is not truth?’
‘Sometimes.’
‘How remarkable. Very well,’ she said. ‘If it is the rule of the pack, I will do this. It is, however, very unnatural.’
‘Yes. I know.’
‘I will close my eyes,’ the wolf said. ‘I will keep them closed all day if it will keep her from chattering at me.’ She let out a long sigh and closed her eyes.
‘Is she asleep?’ Ce’Nedra whispered.
‘I think so,’ Garion whispered back. Then he turned and rode back to the head of the column.
The countryside grew more hilly and broken as they rode west. Although the overcast continued to be as heavy as before, there appeared to be some hint of light along the western horizon as the afternoon progressed.
They clattered across a stone bridge that arched over a tumbling stream. ‘It smells clean, Belgarath,’ Durnik said. ‘I think it’s coming down out of the mountains.’
Belgarath squinted up the gully from which the stream emerged. ‘Why don’t you have a look?’ he suggested. ‘See if there’s a place to make camp. Good water has been hard to find, so let’s not pass any up.’
‘I was thinking the same thing myself.’ Then the smith and his towering mute friend rode off upstream.
They set up camp for the night several hundred yards up the gully where a bend in the stream had opened out a kind of curved gravel bench. After they had watered the horses and set up the tents, Polgara began cooking supper. She cut steaks from the side of beef and made a thick soup of dried peas, seasoned with chunks of ham. Then she set a large loaf of dark peasant bread near the fire to warm, humming to herself all the while. As always, cooking seemed to satisfy some deep-seated need in her.
The supper which came from her fire that evening was of near-banquet proportions, and evening was settling in as they finished eating and leaned back contentedly.
‘Very good, Pol.’ Beldin belched. ‘I guess you haven’t lost your touch after all.’
‘Thank you, uncle.’ She smiled. Then she looked at Eriond. ‘Don’t get too comfortable,’ she told him. ‘At least not until you’ve finished helping with the dishes.’
Eriond sighed and took a bucket down to the stream for water.
‘That used to be my job,’ Garion told Zakath. ‘I’m glad there’s someone younger along this time.’
‘Isn’t that women’s work?’
‘Would you like to tell her that?’
‘Ah—now that you mention it, perhaps not.’
‘You learn very fast, Zakath.’
‘I don’t believe I’ve ever washed a dish—not in my entire life.’
‘I’ve washed enough for both of us, and I wouldn’t say that too loudly. She might decide that it’s time for you to learn how.’ Garion gave Polgara a speculative sidelong glance. ‘Let’s go feed the wolf and her puppy,’ he suggested. ‘Idleness in others irritates Aunt Pol for some reason, and she can almost always think of things for people to do.’
‘Garion, dear,’ Polgara said sweetly as they rose. ‘After the dishes are done, we’ll need water for bathing.’
‘Yes, Aunt Pol,’ he said automatically. ‘You see?’ he muttered to the Emperor of Mallorea, ‘I knew we hadn’t moved quite fast enough.’
‘Do you always do what she asks? And does she mean me, too?’
Garion sighed. ‘Yes,’ he replied, ‘on both counts.’
They rose early the next morning, and Beldi
n soared off to scout on ahead while the rest ate breakfast, struck camp, and saddled their horses. The damp, sullen chill which had hovered over this desolate countryside was now edged with a drier kind of cold as the prevailing wind swept down from the summits of the Dalasian mountains. Garion pulled his cloak about him and rode on. They had gone only a league or so when Beldin spiraled down out of the overcast sky. ‘I think you’d better turn south,’ he advised. ‘Urvon’s just ahead, and his whole army’s right behind him.’
Belgarath swore.
‘There’s more,’ the hunchback told him. ‘The Darshivans managed to get past Atesca—or through him. They’re coming up from behind. The elephants are leading the march. We’re right between two armies here.’
‘How far ahead of us is Urvon?’ Belgarath asked him.
‘Six or eight leagues. He’s in the foothills of the mountains.’
‘And how far behind us are the elephants?’
‘About five leagues. It looks to me as if they’re going to try to cut Urvon’s column off. There’s no help for it, Belgarath. We’re going to have to run. We have to get out of the middle of this before the fighting starts.’
‘Is Atesca pursuing Zandramas’ army?’ Zakath asked intently.
‘No. I think he followed your orders and pulled back to that enclave on the bank of the Magan.’
Belgarath was still swearing. ‘How did Urvon get this far south so fast?’ he muttered.
‘He’s killing his troops by the score,’ Beldin replied. ‘He’s making them run, and Nahaz has demons whipping them along.’
‘I guess we don’t have any choice,’ Belgarath said. ‘We’ll have to go south. Toth, will you be able to lead us to Kell if we go into the mountains down near the border of Gandahar?’
The big mute nodded, then gestured to Durnik.
‘It’s going to be more difficult, though,’ the smith translated. ‘The mountains are very rugged down there, and there’s still a lot of snow at the higher elevations.’
‘We’ll lose a lot of time, grandfather,’ Garion said.
‘Not as much as we’ll lose if we get caught in the middle of a battle. All right. Let’s go south.’
‘In a moment, father,’ Polgara said. ‘Ce’Nedra,’ she called, ‘come up here.’
Ce’Nedra shook her reins and drove her carriage up to where they stood.
Polgara quickly explained the situation to her. ‘Now then,’ she said, ‘we need to know exactly what they’re doing and what they’re planning to do—both armies. I think it’s time for you to use my sister’s amulet.’
‘Why didn’t I think of that?’ Belgarath said, sounding a bit embarrassed.
‘You were too busy trying to remember all the swear words you’ve ever heard,’ Beldin suggested.
‘Can you do that and drive the carriage at the same time?’ Polgara asked the little queen.
‘I can try, Lady Polgara.’ Ce’Nedra sounded a little dubious. She lifted the sleeping puppy out of her lap and laid him beside his mother.
‘Let’s move out,’ Belgarath said.
They turned off the road and jolted across an open field through long-dead grass. After they had gone a short distance, Ce’Nedra called to Polgara. ‘It’s not working, Lady Polgara,’ she said. ‘I need both hands on the reins on this rough ground.’
They reined in.
‘It’s not that big a problem,’ Velvet said. ‘I’ll lead the carriage horse, and Ce’Nedra can concentrate on what she’s doing.’
‘It’s a little dangerous, Liselle,’ Belgarath objected. ‘If that carriage horse shies, he’ll jerk you out of the saddle and the carriage will run right over you.’
‘Have you ever seen me fall off a horse, Ancient One? Don’t worry, I’ll be perfectly fine.’ She rode over to the carriage horse and took hold of his reins. They started out slowly and then gradually picked up speed. Polgara rode beside the carriage, and Ce’Nedra, a little frown of concentration on her face, kept her hand on the amulet chained about her throat.
‘Anything?’ Polgara asked.
‘I’m hearing a lot of random conversation, Lady Polgara,’ the little queen replied. ‘There are great numbers of people out there. Wait a minute,’ she said, ‘I think I’ve pinpointed Nahaz. That’s not the sort of voice you forget.’ She frowned. ‘I think he’s talking to Urvon’s generals. They’ve had the Hounds out, so they know the elephants are coming.’
‘Will you be able to come back to them?’ Belgarath asked her.
‘I think so. Once I find somebody, I can usually locate him again fairly quickly.’
‘Good. See if you can find out if the Darshivan generals know that Urvon’s just ahead of them. If there’s going to be a battle, I want to know exactly where it’s going to happen.’
Ce’Nedra turned slightly, her amulet clenched tightly in her fist. She closed her eyes. After a moment, she opened them. ‘I do wish they’d be still,’ she fretted.
‘Who?’ Silk asked her.
‘The elephant herders. They babble worse than old women. Wait. There they are. I’ve got them now.’ She listened for a few moments as the carriage jolted along over the rough ground. ‘The Darshivan officers are very worried,’ she reported. ‘They know that Urvon’s army is somewhere in the mountains, but they don’t know his exact location. None of their scouts came back to report.’
‘The Hounds are probably seeing to that,’ Silk said.
‘What are the Darshivans planning?’ Belgarath asked.
‘They’re undecided. They’re going to push on cautiously and send out more scouts.’
‘All right. Now see if you can go back to Nahaz.’
‘I’ll try.’ She closed her eyes again. ‘Oh, that’s revolting!’ she exclaimed after a moment.
‘What is it, dear?’ Polgara asked her.
‘The Karands have found a narrow gorge. They’re going to lure the elephants into it and then roll boulders and burning bushes down on them from the top.’ She listened for a few moments longer. ‘Once they’ve eliminated the elephants, the whole army is going to charge down out of the foothills and attack the rest of the Darshivans.’
‘Is Urvon there?’ Beldin asked, his eyes intent.
‘No. He’s off to the side someplace. He’s raving.’
‘I think you’d better go find that gorge,’ Belgarath told the dwarf. ‘That’s where the battle’s going to be, and I want to be sure it’s behind us and not on up ahead somewhere.’
‘Right,’ Beldin agreed, crouching and spreading his arms. ‘Keep in touch,’ he suggested even as he began to change form.
They rode along at a careful walk, and Garion buckled on his shield.
‘Do you really think that’s going to help if we run into an entire army?’ Zakath asked him.
‘It may not help much, but it won’t hurt.’
Belgarath rode now with his face lifted toward the murky sky. Garion could feel the old man’s thought reaching out.
‘Not so loud, father,’ Polgara cautioned. ‘We’ve got Grolims all around us.’
‘Good,’ he replied. ‘None of them will be able to tell who’s making the noise. They’ll all think it’s just another Grolim.’
They rode on slowly with all of them watching the old sorcerer. ‘North!’ he exploded finally. ‘Beldin’s found the gorge where the ambush is. It’s behind us. A little hard riding now and we’ll be completely clear of both armies.’
‘Why don’t we just sort of step right along, then?’ Silk suggested.
Chapter Twenty-Three
They galloped south through the desolate countryside of western Darshiva with Velvet once again leading Ce’Nedra’s horse. The little queen clung to the side of the carriage with one hand and kept the other on her amulet. ‘The Darshivans still don’t know that Urvon’s waiting in ambush for them,’ she called.
‘I’d imagine they’ll find out before too long,’ Silk called back.
‘How far is it to the border of Gandahar?’ Garion a
sked Zakath.
‘I’d guess about twenty leagues.’
‘Grandfather,’ Garion said, ‘do we really have to go that far south?’
‘Probably not,’ the old man replied. ‘Beldin’s on up ahead. As soon as we’re well past Urvon’s scouts, he’ll lead us up into the mountains. I don’t have any particular urge to explore Gandahar, do you?’
‘Not really, no.’
They rode on.
The overcast grew perceptibly thicker, and Garion felt the first drops of a chill rain striking his face.
They crested a hill, and Belgarath rose in his stirrups the better to see what lay ahead. ‘There,’ he said, pointing. ‘He’s circling.’
Garion peered out across the shallow valley on the far side of the hill. A solitary bird, hardly more than a minuscule black speck in the distance, swung almost lazily in the air. They plunged down the hill, and the bird veered and flew off toward the west with slow strokes of its wings. They turned and followed.
The intermittent rain turned to a chilly drizzle, obscuring the surrounding countryside with its filmy haze.
‘Don’t you just love to ride in the rain?’ Silk said with heavy irony.
‘Under the circumstances, yes,’ Sadi replied. ‘Rain’s not quite as good as fog, but it does cut down the visibility, and there are all manner of people looking for us.’
‘You’ve got a point there,’ Silk admitted, pulling his cloak tighter about him.
The terrain grew increasingly rugged with outcroppings of weathered stone jutting up out of the ground. After about a half-hour of hard riding, Beldin led them into a shallow gully. They rode on, and the gully walls grew progressively steeper and higher. Soon they were riding up a narrow, rocky ravine.
It was midafternoon by now, and they were all thoroughly soaked. Garion wiped his face and peered ahead. The sky to the west appeared to be growing lighter, giving promise of clearing. He had perhaps not even been aware of how much the prevailing gloom hanging over Darshiva had depressed him. He urged Chretienne into a run. Somehow he seemed to feel that once they reached the sunlight again, they would be safe.