and I've sort of rubbed off the rough edges and corners. Garion's only been wearing his 'Bel' for a dozen years, and it still squeaks when he turns around too quickly "
Garion felt slightly offended by that.
"Anyway," the old man continued, "after Torak was dead, Garion and Ce'Nedra got married. About a year or so ago, she gave birth to a son. Garion's attention at that time was on the Bear-cult. Someone had tried to kill Ce'Nedra and had succeeded in killing the Rivan Warder."
"I'd heard about that," Zakath said.
"Anyway, he was in the process of stamping out the cult -he stamps quite well once he puts his mind to it- when someone crept into the Citadel at Riva and abducted his infant son- my great-grandson."
"No!" Zakath exclaimed.
"Oh, yes," Belgarath continued grimly. "We thought it was the cult and marched to Rheon in Drasnia, their headquarters, but it was all a clever ruse. Zandramas had abducted prince Geran and misdirected us to Rheon. The leader of the cult turned out to be Harakan, one of the henchmen of Urvon -is this coming too fast for you?"
Zakath's face was startled, and his eyes had gone wide again. "No," he said, swallowing hard. "I think I can keep up."
"There isn't too much more. After we discovered our mistakes, we took up the abductor's trail. We know that she's going to Mallorea -to a 'place which is no more.' That's where the Sardion is. We have to stop her, or at least arrive there at the same time. Cyradis believes that when we all arrive at this 'place which is no more,' there's going to be one of those confrontations between the Child of Light and the Child of Dark which have been happening since before the beginning of time -except that this is going to be the last one. She'll choose between them, and that's supposed to be the end of it."
"I'm afraid that it's at that point that my skepticism reasserts itself, Belgarath," Zakath said. "You don't actually expect me to believe that these two shadowy figures that predate the world are going to arrive at this mysterious place to grapple once more, do you?"
"What makes you think they're shadowy? The spirits that are at the core of the two possible destinies infuse real people to act as their instruments during these meetings. Right now, for example, Zandramas is the Child of Dark. It used to be Torak -until Garion killed him."
"And who's the Child of Light?"
"I thought that would be obvious."
Zakath turned to stare incredulously into Garion's blue eyes. "You?" he gasped.
"That's what they tell me," Garion replied.
CHAPTER FIVE
Kal Zakath, dread Emperor of boundless Mallorea, looked first at Belgarath, then again at Garion, and finally at Velvet. "Why do I feel that I'm losing control of things here?" he asked. "When you people came here, you were more or less my prisoners. Now somehow I'm yours."
"We told you some things you didn't know before, that's all," Belgarath told him.
"Or some things that you've cleverly made up."
"Why would we do that?"
"I can think of any number of reasons. For the sake of argument I'll accept your story about the abduction of Belgarion's son, but don't you see how that makes all your motives completely obvious? You need my aid in your search. All this mystical nonsense, and your wild story about Urgit's parentage, could have been designed to divert me from my campaign here in Cthol Murgos and to trick me into returning with you to Mallorea. Everything you've done or said since you've come here could have been directed toward that end."
"Do you really think we'd do that?" Garion asked him.
"Belgarion, if I had a son and someone had abducted him, I'd do anything to get him back. I sympathize with your situation, but I have my own concerns, and they're here, not in Mallorea. I'm sorry, but the more I think about this, the less of it I believe. I could not have misjudged the world so much. Demons? Prophecies? Magic? Immortal old men? It's all been very entertaining, but I don't believe one word of
Garion felt slightly offended by that.
"Anyway," the old man continued, "after Torak was dead, Garion and Ce'Nedra got married. About a year or so ago, she gave birth to a son. Garion's attention at that time was on the Bear-cult. Someone had tried to kill Ce'Nedra and had succeeded in killing the Rivan Warder."
"I'd heard about that," Zakath said.
"Anyway, he was in the process of stamping out the cult -he stamps quite well once he puts his mind to it- when someone crept into the Citadel at Riva and abducted his infant son- my great-grandson."
"No!" Zakath exclaimed.
"Oh, yes," Belgarath continued grimly. "We thought it was the cult and marched to Rheon in Drasnia, their headquarters, but it was all a clever ruse. Zandramas had abducted prince Geran and misdirected us to Rheon. The leader of the cult turned out to be Harakan, one of the henchmen of Urvon -is this coming too fast for you?"
Zakath's face was startled, and his eyes had gone wide again. "No," he said, swallowing hard. "I think I can keep up."
"There isn't too much more. After we discovered our mistakes, we took up the abductor's trail. We know that she's going to Mallorea -to a 'place which is no more.' That's where the Sardion is. We have to stop her, or at least arrive there at the same time. Cyradis believes that when we all arrive at this 'place which is no more,' there's going to be one of those confrontations between the Child of Light and the Child of Dark which have been happening since before the beginning of time -except that this is going to be the last one. She'll choose between them, and that's supposed to be the end of it."
"I'm afraid that it's at that point that my skepticism reasserts itself, Belgarath," Zakath said. "You don't actually expect me to believe that these two shadowy figures that predate the world are going to arrive at this mysterious place to grapple once more, do you?"
"What makes you think they're shadowy? The spirits that are at the core of the two possible destinies infuse real people to act as their instruments during these meetings. Right now, for example, Zandramas is the Child of Dark. It used to be Torak -until Garion killed him."
"And who's the Child of Light?"
"I thought that would be obvious."
Zakath turned to stare incredulously into Garion's blue eyes. "You?" he gasped.
"That's what they tell me," Garion replied.
CHAPTER FIVE
Kal Zakath, dread Emperor of boundless Mallorea, looked first at Belgarath, then again at Garion, and finally at Velvet. "Why do I feel that I'm losing control of things here?" he asked. "When you people came here, you were more or less my prisoners. Now somehow I'm yours."
"We told you some things you didn't know before, that's all," Belgarath told him.
"Or some things that you've cleverly made up."
"Why would we do that?"
"I can think of any number of reasons. For the sake of argument I'll accept your story about the abduction of Belgarion's son, but don't you see how that makes all your motives completely obvious? You need my aid in your search. All this mystical nonsense, and your wild story about Urgit's parentage, could have been designed to divert me from my campaign here in Cthol Murgos and to trick me into returning with you to Mallorea. Everything you've done or said since you've come here could have been directed toward that end."
"Do you really think we'd do that?" Garion asked him.
"Belgarion, if I had a son and someone had abducted him, I'd do anything to get him back. I sympathize with your situation, but I have my own concerns, and they're here, not in Mallorea. I'm sorry, but the more I think about this, the less of it I believe. I could not have misjudged the world so much. Demons? Prophecies? Magic? Immortal old men? It's all been very entertaining, but I don't believe one word of
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