waiting for dinner?" Silk asked.
"I thought you'd never ask," Beldin growled, sprawling in a chair and scratching his beard.
Silk tugged at a bellpull, and a servant entered immediately. "I think we'll have some wine," Silk told him.
"Yes, your Highness."
"Bring several varieties."
"Have you got any ale?" Beldin asked. "Wine sours my stomach."
"Bring ale for my messy friend as well," Silk ordered, "and tell the kitchen that there'll be eleven of us for dinner."
"At once, your Highness." The servant bowed and quietly left the room.
"You have bathing facilities, I assume?" Polgara asked, removing the light cloak she had worn on the voyage.
"You bathed just last night in Jarot, Pol," Belgarath pointed out.
"Yes, father," she said dreamily. "I know."
"Each suite has its own bath," Silk told her. "They're not quite as large as the ones in Zakath's palace, but they'll get you wet."
She smiled and sat on one of the divans.
"Please, everybody, sit down," Silk said to the rest of them.
"Do you think any of your people here might know what's going on in the world?" Belgarath asked the little man.
"Naturally."
"Why naturally?"
"My boyhood occupation was spying, Belgarath, and old habits die hard. All of my people are instructed to gather information."
"What do you do with it?" Velvet asked him.
He shrugged. "I sort through it. I get almost as much pleasure from handling information as I do from handling money. ‘'
"Do you forward any of this information to Javelin in Boktor?"
"I send him a few crumbs now and then—just to remind him that I'm still alive."
"I'm sure he knows that, Silk."
"Why don't you send for someone who can bring us up to date?" Belgarath suggested.
"We've been out of touch for quite a while, and I'd sort of like to know what certain people are up to."
"Right," Silk agreed. He tugged the bellpull again, and another liveried servant responded. "Would you ask Vetter to step in here for a moment?" Silk asked.
The servant bowed and left.
"My factor here," Silk said, taking a seat, "We lured him away from Brador's secret police. He's got a good head for business and he's had all that training in the intelligence service."
Vetter proved to be a narrow-faced man with a nervous tic in his left eyelid. "Your Highness wanted to see me?" he asked respectfully as he entered the room.
"Ah, there you are, Vetter," Silk said. "I've been back in the hinterlands and I was wondering if you could fill me in on what's been happening lately."
"Here in Melcena, your Highness?"
"Perhaps a bit more general than that."
"All right," Vetter paused, gathering his thoughts. "There was a plague in Mal Zeth," he began. "The Emperor sealed the city to prevent the spread of the disease, so, for a time, we couldn't get any information out of the capital. The plague has subsided, however, so the gates have been opened again. The Emperor's agents are moving freely around Mallorea now.
"There was an upheaval in central Karanda. It appeared to have been fomented by a former Grolim named Mengha. The Karands all believed that there were demons involved, but Karands think that there's a demon behind any unusual occurrence. It does appear, though, that there were at least a few supernatural events in the region. Mengha hasn't been seen for quite some time, and order is being gradually re-stored. The Emperor took the business seriously enough to summon the army back from Cthol Murgos to put down the uprising."
"Has he rescinded that order yet?" Silk asked. "If things are quieting down in Karanda, he's not going to need all those troops, is he?"
Vetter shook his head in disagreement. "The troops are still landing at Mal Gemila," he reported. "The word we've been getting out of Mal Zeth is that the Emperor has lost his enthusiasm for the conquest of Cthol Murgos. He had personal reasons for the campaign in the first place, and those reasons don't seem to be as pressing any more. His major concern at the moment seems to be the
"I thought you'd never ask," Beldin growled, sprawling in a chair and scratching his beard.
Silk tugged at a bellpull, and a servant entered immediately. "I think we'll have some wine," Silk told him.
"Yes, your Highness."
"Bring several varieties."
"Have you got any ale?" Beldin asked. "Wine sours my stomach."
"Bring ale for my messy friend as well," Silk ordered, "and tell the kitchen that there'll be eleven of us for dinner."
"At once, your Highness." The servant bowed and quietly left the room.
"You have bathing facilities, I assume?" Polgara asked, removing the light cloak she had worn on the voyage.
"You bathed just last night in Jarot, Pol," Belgarath pointed out.
"Yes, father," she said dreamily. "I know."
"Each suite has its own bath," Silk told her. "They're not quite as large as the ones in Zakath's palace, but they'll get you wet."
She smiled and sat on one of the divans.
"Please, everybody, sit down," Silk said to the rest of them.
"Do you think any of your people here might know what's going on in the world?" Belgarath asked the little man.
"Naturally."
"Why naturally?"
"My boyhood occupation was spying, Belgarath, and old habits die hard. All of my people are instructed to gather information."
"What do you do with it?" Velvet asked him.
He shrugged. "I sort through it. I get almost as much pleasure from handling information as I do from handling money. ‘'
"Do you forward any of this information to Javelin in Boktor?"
"I send him a few crumbs now and then—just to remind him that I'm still alive."
"I'm sure he knows that, Silk."
"Why don't you send for someone who can bring us up to date?" Belgarath suggested.
"We've been out of touch for quite a while, and I'd sort of like to know what certain people are up to."
"Right," Silk agreed. He tugged the bellpull again, and another liveried servant responded. "Would you ask Vetter to step in here for a moment?" Silk asked.
The servant bowed and left.
"My factor here," Silk said, taking a seat, "We lured him away from Brador's secret police. He's got a good head for business and he's had all that training in the intelligence service."
Vetter proved to be a narrow-faced man with a nervous tic in his left eyelid. "Your Highness wanted to see me?" he asked respectfully as he entered the room.
"Ah, there you are, Vetter," Silk said. "I've been back in the hinterlands and I was wondering if you could fill me in on what's been happening lately."
"Here in Melcena, your Highness?"
"Perhaps a bit more general than that."
"All right," Vetter paused, gathering his thoughts. "There was a plague in Mal Zeth," he began. "The Emperor sealed the city to prevent the spread of the disease, so, for a time, we couldn't get any information out of the capital. The plague has subsided, however, so the gates have been opened again. The Emperor's agents are moving freely around Mallorea now.
"There was an upheaval in central Karanda. It appeared to have been fomented by a former Grolim named Mengha. The Karands all believed that there were demons involved, but Karands think that there's a demon behind any unusual occurrence. It does appear, though, that there were at least a few supernatural events in the region. Mengha hasn't been seen for quite some time, and order is being gradually re-stored. The Emperor took the business seriously enough to summon the army back from Cthol Murgos to put down the uprising."
"Has he rescinded that order yet?" Silk asked. "If things are quieting down in Karanda, he's not going to need all those troops, is he?"
Vetter shook his head in disagreement. "The troops are still landing at Mal Gemila," he reported. "The word we've been getting out of Mal Zeth is that the Emperor has lost his enthusiasm for the conquest of Cthol Murgos. He had personal reasons for the campaign in the first place, and those reasons don't seem to be as pressing any more. His major concern at the moment seems to be the
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