Guardians of the West

by David Eddings

  ‘You keep talking about time. Could you be a bit more specific?’

  ‘He’s gone, Grandfather,’ Garion said, regaining control of his voice.

  ‘He always does that,’ Belgarath complained. ‘Just when the conversation gets interesting, he leaves.’

  ‘You know why he does it, Belgarath,’ Beldin said.

  Belgarath sighed. ‘Yes, I suppose I do.’ He turned to the others. ‘That’s it, then,’ he said. ‘I guess we do exactly what Cyradis told us to do.’

  ‘You’re surely not going to take Ce’Nedra with you,’ Porenn objected.

  ‘Of course I’m going, Porenn,’ Ce’Nedra declared with a little toss of her head. ‘I’d have gone anyway—no matter what that blind girl said.’

  ‘But she said that one of Garion’s companions would die.’

  ‘I’m not his companion, Porenn. I’m his wife.’

  There were actual tears in Barak’s eyes. ‘Isn’t there anything I can say to persuade you to change your mind?’ he pleaded.

  Garion felt the tears also welling up in his own eyes. Barak had always been one of the solid rocks in his life, and the thought of beginning this search without the big red-bearded man at his side left a great emptiness inside him. ‘I’m afraid we don’t have any choice, Barak,’ he said very sadly. ‘If it were up to me—’ He left it hanging, unable to go on.

  ‘This hath rent mine heart, dearest Ce’Nedra,’ Mandorallen said, kneeling before the queen. ‘I am thy true knight, thy champion and protector, and yet I am forbidden to accompany thee on thy perilous quest.’

  Great, glistening tears suddenly streamed down Ce’Nedra’s cheeks. She put her arms about the great knight’s neck. ‘Dear, dear Mandorallen,’ she said brokenly, kissing his cheek.

  ‘I’ve got some people working on a few things in Mallorea,’ Silk said to Yarblek. ‘I’ll give you a letter to them so that they can keep you advised. Don’t make any hasty decisions, but don’t pass up any opportunities, either.’

  ‘I know how to run the business, Silk,’ Yarblek retorted. ‘At least as well as you do.’

  ‘Of course you do, but you get excited. All I’m saying is that you should try to keep your head.’ The little man looked down rather sadly at his velvet doublet and all the jewels he was wearing. He sighed. ‘Oh, well, I’ve lived without all this before, I suppose.’ He turned to Durnik. ‘I guess we should start packing,’ he said.

  Garion looked at him in perplexity.

  ‘Weren’t you listening, Garion?’ the little man asked him. ‘Cyradis told you whom you were supposed to take along. Durnik’s the Man with Two Lives, Errand is the Bearer of the Orb, and in case you’ve forgotten, I’m the Guide.’

  Garion’s eyes widened.

  ‘Naturally I’m going with you,’ Silk said with an impudent grin. ‘You’d probably get lost if I weren’t along to show you the way.’

  Here ends Book I of The Malloreon

  Book II, King of the Murgos,

  begins the quest for Garion’s son across strange new

  lands

  to the place that is no more and a conflict of

  opposing

  destinies that will decide the fate of all

  mankind.