Rivan Codex Series

by Eddings, David

  "How do you know that?"

  Garion tapped his forehead. "He just told me."

  "That complicates things a bit."

  "Not too much," Silk disagreed. "There are very few places where a Nyissan ship can land without being searched from keel to topmast. Most monarchs don't care much for the idea of having drugs and poisons slipped into their kingdoms. Zandramas would definitely not want to sail into some port and get caught with the heir to the Rivan Throne aboard ship."

  "There are many hidden coves along the coast of Arendia, " Lelldorin suggested.

  Silk shook his head. "I don't think so," he said. "I think the ship would have just stayed out to sea. I'm sure Zandramas wanted to get as far away from the Alorn kingdoms as possible -and as quickly as possible. If this ruse that sent us here to Rheon hadn't worked, Garion would have had every man and every ship in the West out looking for his son."

  "How about southern Cthol Murgos?" General Brendig suggested.

  Javelin frowned. "No," he said. "There's a war going on down there and the whole west coast is being patrolled by Murgo ships. The only safe place for a Nyissan ship to land is in Nyissa itself."

  " And that brings us back to Salmissra, doesn't it?" Polgara said.

  "I think that if there had been any kind of official involvement in this, my people would have found out about it, Lady Polgara," Javelin said. "I've got Salmissra's palace thoroughly covered. The actual orders would have had to come from Sadi, Salmissra's Chief-Eunuch, and we watch him all the time. I don't think this came out of the palace."

  The door opened and Beldin, his face as dark as a thundercloud, entered. "By the Gods!" he swore. "I lost him!"

  "Lost him?" Belgarath asked. "How?"

  "When he got to the street, he turned himself into a hawk. I was right on his tail, but he went into the clouds and changed form on me again. When he came out, he was mixed up in the middle of a flock of geese flying south. Naturally, when the geese saw me, they flew off squawking in all directions. I couldn't tell which one of them he was."

  "You must be getting old."

  "Why don't you shut up, Belgarath?"

  "He's not important anymore, anyway." Belgarath shrugged. "We got what we needed out of him."

  "I think I'd prefer it if he were safely dead. If nothing else, the loss of one of his favorite dogs would irritate Urvon, and I'll go out of my way to do that any day in the week."

  "Why do you keep calling him a dog?" Hettar asked curiously.

  "Because he's one of the Chandim -and that's what they are- the Hounds of Torak."

  "Would you like to explain that?" Queen Porenn asked him.

  Beldin took a deep breath to get his irritation under control. "It's not too complicated," he said. "When they built Cthol Mishrak in Mallorea, Torak set certain Grolims the task of guarding the city. In order to do that, they became hounds."

  Garion shuddered, the memory of the huge dog-shapes they had encountered in the City of Night coming back to him with painful clarity.

  "Anyway." Beldin continued, "after the Battle of Vo Mimbre when Torak was put to sleep for all those centuries, Urvon went into the forbidden area around the ruins and managed to persuade a part of the pack of hounds that he was acting on behalf of old burnt-face. He took them back to Mal Yaska with him and gradually changed them back into Grolims, even though he had to kill about half of them in the process. Anyhow, they call themselves the Chandim -a sort of secret order within the Grolim church. They're absolutely loyal to Urvon. They're pretty fair sorcerers and they dabble a bit in magic as well. Underneath it all, though, they're still dogs -very obedient and much more dangerous in packs than they are as individuals."

  "What a fascinating little sidelight," Silk observed, looking up from a parchment scroll he had found in one of the cabinets.

  "You have a very clever mouth, Kheldar," Beldin said testily. "How would you like to have me brick it up for you?"

  "No, that's quite all right, Beldin."

  "Well, what now, Belgarath?" Queen Porenn asked.

  "Now? Now we go after Zandramas, of course. This hoax with the cult has put us a long way behind, but we'll catch up."

  "You can count on that," Garion said. "I dealt with the Child of Dark once before and I can do it again if I have to." He turned back to Errand. "Do you have any idea of why Urvon wants my son killed?"

  "It's something he found in a book of some kind. The book says that if your son ever falls into the hands of Zandramas, then Zandramas will be able to use him to do something. Whatever it is, Urvon would be willing to destroy the world to prevent it."

  "What is it that Zandramas would be able to do?" Belgarath asked, his eyes intent.

  "Harakan doesn't know. All he knows is that he's failed in the task Urvon set him."

  Belgarath smiled slowly, a cold, wintery kind of smile. "I don't think we need to waste any time chasing down Harakan," he said.

  "Not chase him?" Ce'Nedra exclaimed, "After all he's done to us?"

  "Urvon will take care of him for us and Urvon will do things to him that we couldn't even begin to think of."

  "Who is this Urvon?" General Brendig asked.

  "Torak's third disciple," Belgarath replied. "There used to be three of them -Ctuchik, Zedar, and Urvon. But he's the only one left."

  "We still don't know anything about Zandramas," Silk said.

  "We know a few things. We know that Zandramas is now the Child of Dark, for example."

  "That doesn't fit together, Belgarath," Barak rumbled. "Why would Urvon want to interfere with the Child of Dark? They're on the same side, aren't they?"

  "Apparently not. It begins to look as if there's a little dissension in the ranks on the other side."

  "That' s always helpful."

  "I'd like to know a bit more before I start gloating, though."

  It was midafternoon before the last fanatic resistance collapsed in the southeastern quarter of Rheon and the demoralized prisoners were herded through the streets of the burning town to join the others in the town square.

  Garion and General Brendig stood on the second floor balcony of the house where they had taken Harakan, talking quietly with the small, black-gowned Queen of Drasnia. "What will you do with them now, your Majesty?" General Brendig asked her, looking down at the frightened prisoners in the square.

  "I'm going to tell them the truth and let them go, Brendig."

  "Let them go?"

  "Of course."

  "I'm afraid I don't quite follow you."

  "They're going to be just a little upset when I tell them that they've been duped into betraying Aloria by a Mallorean Grolim."

  "I don't think they'll believe you."

  "Enough of them will," she replied placidly, adjusting the collar of her black dress. "I'll manage to convince at least some of them of the truth, and they'll spread the word. Once it becomes general knowledge that the cult fell under the domination of this Grolim Harakan, it's going to be more difficult for them to gain new converts, don't you think?"

  Brendig considered that. "I suppose you're right," he admitted. "But will you punish the ones who won't listen?"

  "That would be tyranny, General, and one should always try to avoid the appearance of tyranny -particularly when it's unnecessary. Once word of this gets around, I think that anyone who starts babbling about the divine mission of Aloria to subjugate the southern kingdoms is going to be greeted with a barrage of stones."

  "All right, then, what are you going to do about General Haldar?" he asked seriously. "You're not just going to let him go, too, are you?"

  "Haldar's quite another matter," she replied. "He's a traitor, and that sort of thing ought to be discouraged."

  "When he finds out what happened here, he'll probably try to run."

  "Appearances can be deceiving, General Brendig," she told him with a chill smile. "I may look like a helpless woman, but I have a very long arm. Haldar can't run far enough or fast enough to escape me. And when my people catch
him, he'll be brought back to Boktor in chains to stand trial. I think the outcome of that trial will be fairly predictable."

  "Would you excuse me?" Garion asked politely. "I need to go talk with my grandfather."

  "Of course, Garion," Queen Porenn said with a warm little smile.

  He went back downstairs and found Silk and Javelin still ransacking the chests and cabinets in the green-carpeted room. "Are you finding anything useful?" he asked.

  "Well, quite a bit, actually." Javelin replied. "I expect that by the time we're finished, we'll have the name of every cult member in Aloria."

  "It just proves something I've always said," Silk noted as he continued to read. "A man should never put anything down in writing."

  "Have either of you any idea where I can find Belgarath?"

  "You might try the kitchens at the back of the house," Silk replied. "He said something about being hungry. I think Beldin went with him."

  The kitchen in Harakan's house had escaped the general ransacking by Yarblek's men, who appeared to be more interested in loot than food, and the two old sorcerers sat comfortably at a table near a low, arched window picking at the remains of a roasted chicken. "Ah, Garion, my boy," Belgarath said expansively. "Come in and join us."

  "Do you suppose there's anything to drink around here?" Beldin asked, wiping his fingers on the front of his tunic.

  "There should be," Belgarath replied. "It's a kitchen, after all. Why don't you look in that pantry?"

  Beldin rose and crossed the kitchen floor toward the pantry.

  Garion bent slightly to look out the low window at the houses burning one street over. "It's starting to snow again," he observed.

  Belgarath grunted. "I think we'll want to get out of here as quickly as we can," he said. "I don't really want to spend the winter here."

  Ah, ha!" Beldin said from the pantry. He emerged with a triumphant grin carrying a small wooden cask.

  "You'd better taste it first," Belgarath told him. "It might be vinegar." Beldin set the cask on the floor and bashed in its top with his fist. Then he licked his fingers and smacked his lips. "No," he said, "it's definitely not vinegar." He rummaged through a nearby cupboard and produced three earthenware cups.

  "Well, brother," Belgarath said, "what are your plans?"

  Beldin dipped into the cask with one of the cups. "I think I'll see if I can track down Harakan. I'd like to finish him off before I go back to Mallorea. He's not the kind you want lurking in alleys behind you as you go by."

  "You're going to Mallorea, then?" Belgarath tore a wing off the chicken lying on the table.

  "That's possibly the only place where we can get any solid information about this Zandramas." Beldin belched.

  "Javelin says that he thinks it's a Darshivan name," Garion told him.

  Beldin grunted. "That could help a little. This time I'll start there. I couldn't get anything at all at Mal Zeth, and those half-wits in Karanda fell over in a dead faint every time I mentioned the name."

  "Did you try Mal Yaska?" Belgarath asked him.

  "Hardly. Urvon's got my description posted on every wall in that place. For some reason, he's afraid that someday I might show up and yank out several yards of his guts."

  "I wonder why."

  "I told him so, that's why."

  "You'll be in Darshiva, then?"

  "For the time being -at least, I will after I've got Harakan safely under the ground. If I find out anything about Zandramas, I'll get word to you." "Keep your eyes open for clear copies of the Mallorean Gospels and the Ashabine Oracles, too," Belgarath told him. " According to the Codex, I'm supposed to find clues in them."

  " And what are you going to do?"

  "I think we'll go on down to Nyissa and see if the Orb can pick up the trail of my great-grandson."

  "The fact that some Rivan shepherd saw a Nyissan ship is a pretty slender lead, Belgarath."

  "I know, but at the moment it's the only one we've got."

  Garion absently pulled a few fragments off the picked-over chicken and put them in his mouth. He suddenly realized that he was ravenously hungry.

  " Are you going to take Polgara with you?" Beldin asked.

  "I don't think so. Garion and I are likely to be out of touch, and we'll need somebody here in the north to keep an eye on things. The Alorns are feeling muscular at the moment and they're going to need a firm hand to keep them out of mischief."

  "That's a normal condition for Alorns. You realize that Polgara's not going to be happy when you tell her she has to stay behind, don't you?"

  "I know," Belgarath replied with a gloomy look. "Maybe I'll just leave her a note. That worked pretty well last time."

  "Just try to make sure she's not in the vicinity of anything breakable when she gets the note." Beldin laughed. "Like large cities and mountain ranges. I heard what happened when she got the last note you left."

  The door opened, and Barak stuck his head into the kitchen. "Oh," he said. "There you are. There are a couple people out here who want to see you. Mandorallen found them on the outskirts of town -a very strange pair."

  "How do you mean strange?" Garion asked.

  "The man's as big as a house. He's got arms like tree trunks, but he can't talk. The girl's pretty enough, but she's blind."

  Belgarath and Beldin exchanged a quick look. "How do you know she's blind?" Belgarath asked.

  "She's got a cloth tied across her eyes." Barak shrugged. "I just assumed that was what it meant."

  "I guess we'd better go talk to her." Beldin said, rising from his seat. "A seeress wouldn't be in this part of the world unless it was pretty important."

  "A seeress?" Garion asked.

  "One of those people from Kell," Belgarath explained. "They're always blindfolded, and their guides are always mutes. Let's go see what she has to say."

  When they entered the large main room, they found the others curiously eyeing the two strangers. The blindfolded seeress was a slight girl in a white robe. She had dark blond hair, and a serene smile touched her lips. She stood quietly in the center of the room, patiently waiting. Beside her stood one of the largest men Garion had ever seen. He wore a kind of sleeveless kirtle of coarse, undyed cloth belted at the waist, and he carried no weapon except for a stout, polished staff. He towered above even Hettar, and his bare arms were awesomely muscled. In a curious way, he seemed almost to hover over his slender mistress, his eyes watchful and protective.

  "Has she said who she is?" Belgarath quietly asked Polgara as they joined the others.

  "No," she replied. "All that she says is that she has to speak with you and Garion."

  "Her name is Cyradis," Errand said from nearby.

  "Do you know her?" Garion asked him.

  "We met once -in the Vale. She wanted to find out something about me, so she came there, and we talked."

  "What did she want to find out?"

  "She didn't say."

  "Didn't you ask her?"

  "I think that if she'd wanted me to know, she'd have told me."

  "I would speak with thee, Ancient Belgarath," the seeress said then in a light, clear voice, "and with thee, also, Belgarion."

  They drew closer.

  "I am permitted a short time here to tell thee certain truths. First, know that your tasks are not yet completed. Necessity doth command yet one more meeting between the Child of Light and the Child of Dark; and mark me well -this meeting shall be the last, for it is during this meeting that the final choice between the Light and the Dark shall be made."

  "And where will this meeting take place, Cyradis?" Belgarath asked her, his face intent.

  "In the presence of the Sardion -in the place which is no more."

  "And where is that?"

  "The path to that dread place lies in the mysteries, Ancient One. Thou must seek it there." She turned her face toward Garion, half-reaching out to him with one slender hand.

  "Thy heart is sore, Belgarion," she said with a great sympathy in her voice, "for
Zandramas, the Child of Dark, hath reft away thy son and even now doth flee with him toward the Sardion. It lies upon thee to bar the path of Zandramas to that stone -for the stars and the voices of the earth proclaim that the power of the Dark doth reside in the Sardion, even as the power of the Light doth reside in the Orb of Aldur. Should Zandramas reach the Dark Stone with the babe, the Dark shall triumph, and its triumph shall be eternal."

  "Is my baby all right?" Ce'Nedra demanded, her face pale and a dreadful fear in her eyes.

  "Thy child is safe and well, Ce'Nedra," Cyradis told her. "Zandramas will protect him from all harm -not out of love, but out of Necessity." The seeress' face grew still. "Thou must steel thy heart, however," she continued, "for should there be no other way to prevent Zandramas from reaching the Sardion with thine infant son, it falls to thee -or to thy husband -to slay the child."

  "Slay?" Ce'Nedra exclaimed, "Never!"

  "Then the Dark shall prevail," Cyradis said simply. She turned back to Garion. "My time grows short," she said to him. "Heed what I say. Thy choice of companions to aid thee in this task of thine must be guided by Necessity and not thine own preference. Shouldst thou choose awry, then shalt thou fail thy task, and Zandramas will defeat thee. Thy son shall be lost to thee forever, and the world as thou knowest it shall be no more." Garion's face was bleak. "Go ahead," he told her shortly. "Say the rest of what you have to say." Her suggestion that either he or Ce'Nedra could ever under any circumstances kill their own child had filled him with a sudden anger.

  "Thou wilt leave this place in the company of Ancient Belgarath and his most revered daughter. Thou must also take with thee the Bearer of the Orb and thy wife."

  "Absurd!" he burst out. "I'm not going to expose Ce'Nedra -or Errand- to that kind of danger."

  "Then thou wilt surely fail."

  He looked at her helplessly.

  "Thou must have with thee as well the Guide and the Man with Two Lives -and one other whom I will reveal to thee. Thou wilt be joined at some later times by others -the Huntress, the Man Who Is No Man, the Empty One, and by the Woman Who Watches."

  "That's fairly typical seer gibberish," Beldin muttered sourly.

  "The words are not mine, gentle Beldin," she told him.