‘That’s probably because you’ve got Ce’Nedra to help you figure it out. That’s what you really need, Zakath – a wife, someone to keep you looking reasonably presentable.’

‘I’m afraid that’s quite out of the question, Belgarath,’ Zakath sighed.

‘We’ll see,’ the Eternal Man said.

The greetings they received in their quarters in the royal palace at Dal Perivor were not cordial.

‘You old fool!’ Polgara began, speaking to her father. Things deteriorated quite rapidly from there.

‘You idiot!’ Ce’Nedra shrieked at Garion.

‘Please, Ce’Nedra,’ Polgara said patiently, ‘let me finish first.’

‘Oh, of course, Lady Polgara,’ the Rivan Queen agreed politely. ‘Sorry. You have many more years of aggravation than I do. Besides, I can get this one alone in bed and give him a piece of my mind.’

‘And you wanted me to get married?’ Zakath asked Belgarath.

‘It has its drawbacks,’ Belgarath replied calmly. He looked around. ‘The walls are still standing, I see, and there doesn’t seem to be any evidence of explosions. Maybe, eventually, you’ll grow up after all, Pol.’

‘Another note?’ she half-shrieked. ‘A miserable note?’

‘We were pressed for time.’

‘The three of you went up against the dragon alone?’

‘More or less–yes. The she-wolf was with us, however.’

‘An animal? That’s your idea of protection?’

‘She was very helpful.’

At that point, Polgara began to swear – in several different languages.

‘Why, Pol,’ he objected mildly, ‘you don’t even know what those words mean – at least I hope you don’t.’

‘Don’t underestimate me, old man. This isn’t over yet. All right, Ce’Nedra, it’s your turn.’

‘I think I’d prefer to conduct my discussions with his Majesty in private – where I can be much more direct,’ the tiny queen said in an icy tone.

Garion winced.

Then, surprisingly, Cyradis spoke. ‘It was discourteous of thee, Emperor of Mallorea, to hurl thyself into mortal danger without first consulting me.’ Belgarath, it appeared, had been characteristically obscure in his discussion with her before they had gone forth to face the dragon, conveniently forgetting to mention what they proposed to do.

‘I beg thy forgiveness, Holy Seeress,’ Zakath apologized, lapsing, perhaps unconsciously, into archaic language. ‘The urgency of the matter was such that there was no time for consultation.’

‘Nicely spoken,’ Velvet murmured. ‘We’ll make a gentleman out of him yet.’

Zakath raised his visor and grinned at her – a surprisingly boyish grin.

‘As it may be, Kal Zakath,’ Cyradis continued sternly, ‘know that I am wroth with thee for thy hasty and unthinking rashness.’

‘I am covered with confusion, Holy Seeress, that I have offended thee, and I hope that thou canst find it in thy heart to forgive mine error.’

‘Oh,’ Velvet sighed, ‘he’ll be just fine. Kheldar, were you taking notes?’

‘Me?’ Silk sounded surprised.

‘Yes. You.’

There were far too many things going on, and Garion was hovering on the verge of exhaustion. ‘Durnik,’ he said a bit plaintively, ‘can you help me out of this?’ He rapped his knuckles on the breastplate of his armor.

‘If you wish.’ Even Durnik’s voice sounded cold.

‘Does he really have to sleep with us?’ Garion complained about midmorning.

‘He’s warm,’ Ce’Nedra replied in a snippy tone, ‘which is more than I can say for some others. Besides, he sort of fills the vacancy I have in my heart – in a small way, of course.’

The wolf puppy under the covers was enthusiastically licking Garion’s toes, then, inevitably, fell to nibbling.

They slept for a goodly part of the day, rising about midafternoon. They sent a servant to the king, asking to be excused from this night’s festivities, pleading extreme fatigue.

‘Wouldn’t this be a good time to ask to see that map?’ Beldin asked.

‘I don’t think so,’ Belgarath replied. ‘Naradas is getting desperate now. He knows how unforgiving Zandramas can be, so he’ll do just about anything to keep us away from that chart. He still has the king’s ear, and he’ll come up with all kinds of excuses to stop us. Why don’t we just let him wonder about what we’re up to. It might help to keep him off-balance until Sadi has the chance to put him to sleep.’

The eunuch bowed a bit mockingly.

‘There’s an alternative, Belgarath,’ Silk volunteered. ‘I could slip around a bit and fish for information. If I can pinpoint the location of the map, a bit of burglary could solve our problem.’

‘What if you got caught?’ Durnik asked.

‘Please, Durnik,’ Silk said in a pained voice, ‘don’t be insulting.’

‘It’s got some possibilities,’ Velvet said. ‘Kheldar could steal a man’s teeth even if the man had his mouth closed.’

‘Better not chance it,’ Polgara told her. ‘Naradas is a Grolim, and he may very well have laid a few traps around that chart. He knows all of us, by reputation at least, and I’m sure he’s fully aware of Silk’s specialized talents.’

‘Do we really have to kill him?’ Eriond asked sadly, ‘Naradas, I mean?’

‘I don’t think we have any choice, Eriond,’ Garion said. ‘As long as he’s still alive, we’ll be stumbling over him at every turn.’ He frowned. ‘It may be my imagination, but Zandramas seems very reluctant to leave the choice to Cyradis. If she can block us, she’ll win by default.’

‘Thy perception is not altogether awry, Belgarion,’ Cyradis told him. ‘Zandramas indeed hath done all in her power to thwart my task.’ She smiled briefly. ‘I tell thee truly, she hath caused me much vexation, and were the choice to be between her and thee, well might I be tempted to choose against her by way of retribution.’

‘I never thought I’d hear that from one of the seers,’ Beldin said. ‘Are you actually coming down off that fence, Cyradis?’

She smiled again. ‘Dear, gentle Beldin,’ she said affectionately, ‘our neutrality is not the result of whim, but of duty – a duty laid upon us before even thou wast born.’