spellsinger universe

There were a dozen possible explanations, of course, but Garion felt

his breath quicken. The man in the green cloak was still lurking about

the palace, Asharak the Murgo was somewhere in Val Alorn, and the

flaxen-haired nobleman was hiding somewhere in the forest with obviously

unfriendly intentions.

Garion realized that the situation might be dangerous and that he was

unarmed except for his small dagger. He retraced his steps quickly to a

snowy chamber he had just explored and took down a rusty sword from a

peg where it had hung forgotten for uncountable years. Then, feeling a

bit more secure, he returned to follow the silent tracks.

So long as the path of the unknown intruder lay in that roofless and

long-abandoned corridor, following him was simplicity itself; the

undisturbed snow made tracking easy. But once the trail led over a heap

of fallen debris and into the gaping blackness of a dusty corridor where

the roof was still intact, things became a bit more difficult. The dust

on the floor helped, but it was necessary to do a great deal of

stooping and bending over. Garion's ribs and legs were still sore, and

he winced and grunted each time he had to bend down to examine the stone

floor. In a very short while he was sweating and gritting his teeth and

thinking about giving the whole thing up.

Then he heard a faint sound far down the corridor ahead. He shrank

back against the wall, hoping that no light from behind him would filter

dimly through to allow him to be seen. Far ahead, a figure passed

stealthily through the pale light from a single tiny window. Garion

caught a momentary flicker of green and knew finally whom he was

following. He kept close to the wall and moved with catlike silence in

his soft leather shoes, the rusty sword gripped tightly in his hand. If

it had not been for the startling nearness of the voice of the Earl of

Seline, however, he would probably have walked directly into the man he

had been following.

"Is it at all possible, noble Belgarath, that our enemy can be

awakened before all the conditions of the ancient prophecy are met?" the

earl was asking.

Garion stopped. Directly ahead of him in a narrow embrasure in the

wall of the corridor, he caught sight of a slight movement. The green

cloaked man lurked there, listening in the dimness to the words that

seemed to come from somewhere beneath. Garion shrank back against the

wall, scarcely daring to breathe. Carefully he stepped backward until he

found another embrasure and drew himself into the concealing darkness.

"A most appropriate question, Belgarath," the quiet voice of ChoHag

of the Algars said. "Can this Apostate use the power now in his hands to

revive the Accursed One?"

"The power is there," the familiar voice of Mister Wolf said, "but he

might be afraid to use it. If it isn't done properly, the power will

destroy him. He won't rush into such an act, but will think very

carefully before he tries it. It's that hesitation that gives us the

little bit of time we have."

Then Silk spoke. "Didn't you say that he might want the thing for

himself? Maybe he plans to leave his Master in undisturbed slumber and

use the power he's stolen to raise himself as king in the lands of the

Angaraks."

King Rhodar of Drasnia chuckled. "Somehow I don't see the Grolim

Priesthood so easily relinquishing their power in the lands of Angarak

and bowing down to an outsider. The High Priest of the Grolims is no

mean sorcerer himself, I'm told."

"Forgive me, Rhodar," King Anheg said, "but if the power is in the

thief's hands, the Grolims won't have any choice but to accept his

dominion. I've studied the power of this thing, and if even half of what

I've read is true, he can use it to rip down Rak Cthol as easily as

you'd kick apart an anthill. Then, if they still resist, he could

depopulate all of Cthol Murgos from Rak Goska to the Tolnedran border.

No matter what, however, whether it's the Apostate or the Accursed One

who eventually raises that power, the Angaraks will follow and they will

come west."

"Shouldn't we inform the Arends and Tolnedrans-and the Ulgos as

well-what has happened then?" Brand, the Rivan Warder, asked. "Let's not

be taken by surprise again."

"I wouldn't be in too much hurry to rouse our southern neighbors,"

Mister Wolf said. "When Pol and I leave here, we'll be moving south. If

Arendia and Tolnedra are mobilizing for war, the general turmoil would

only hinder us. The Emperor's legions are soldiers. They can respond

quickly when the need arises, and the Arends are always ready for war.

The whole kingdom hovers on the brink of general warfare all the time."

"It's premature," Aunt Pol's familiar voice agreed. "Armies would

just get in the way of what we're trying to do. If we can apprehend my

father's old pupil and return the thing he pilfered to Riva, the crisis

will be past. Let's not stir up the southerners for nothing."

"She's right," Wolf said. "There's always a risk in a mobilization. A

king with an army on his hands often begins to think of mischief. I'll

advise the King of the Arends at Vo Mimbre and the Emperor at Tol Honeth

of as much as they need to know as I pass through. But we should get

word through to the Gorim of Ulgo. Cho-Hag, do you think you could get a

messenger through to Prolgu at this time of the year?"

"It's hard to say, Ancient One," Cho-Hag said. "The passes into those mountains are difficult in the winter. I'll try, though."

"Good," Wolf said. "Beyond that, there's not much more we can do. For

the time being it might not be a bad idea to keep this matter in the

family-so to speak. If worse comes to worst and the Angaraks invade

again, Aloria at least will be armed and ready. There'll be time for

Arendia and the Empire to make their preparations."

King Fulrach spoke then in a troubled voice. "It's easy for the Alorn

Kings to talk of war," he said. "Alorns are warriors; but my Sendaria

is a peaceful kingdom. We don't have castles or fortified keeps, and my

people are farmers and tradesmen. Kal Torak made a mistake when he chose

the battlefield at Vo Mimbre; and it's not likely that the Angaraks

will make the same mistake again. I think they'll strike directly across

the grasslands of northern Algaria and fall upon Sendaria. We have a

lot of food and very few soldiers. Our country would provide an ideal

base for a campaign in the west, and I'm afraid that we'd fall quite

easily."

Then, to Garion's amazement, Durnik spoke. "Don't cheapen the men of

Sendaria so, Lord King," he said in a firm voice. "I know my neighbors,

and they'll fight. We don't know very much about swords and lances, but

we'll fight. If Angaraks come to Sendaria, they won't find the taking as

easy as some might imagine, and if we put torches to the fields and

storehouses there won't be all that much food for them to eat."