“I understand, Porenn,” Ce’Nedra assured her. “I’d do it that way myself.”
They beached the fleet on the northern bank of the river, and Garion’s forces began to disembark. “You’ll lead the ships back down-river and across to Darine, then?” Barak said to the bearded Greldik.
“Right,” Greldik said. “I’ll have Brendig and his Sendars back here within a week.”
“Good. Tell him to follow us to Rheon as quickly as he can. I’ve never been happy with the idea of long sieges.”
“Are you going to sendSeabird back with me?”
Barak scratched at his beard thoughtfully. “No,” he said finally. “I think I’ll leave her here.”
“Believe me, I’m not going to get her sunk, Barak.”
“I know, but I just feel better about the idea of having her here in case I need her. Will you come to Rheon with Brendig? There’s bound to be some good fighting.”
Greldik’s face grew mournful. “No,” he replied. “Anheg ordered me to come back to Val Alorn when I finish freighting the Sendars here.”
“Oh. That’s too bad.”
Greldik grunted sourly. “Have fun at Rheon,” he said, “and try not to get yourself killed.”
“I’ll make a special point of it.”
By the time the troops and supplies had all been unloaded, it was late afternoon. The clouds continued to roll in, though there was as yet no rain. “I think we may as well set up a camp here,” Garion said to the others as they all stood on the gently sloping riverbank. “We wouldn’t get too far before dark anyway, and if we get a good night’s sleep, we can start early in the morning.”
“That makes sense,” Silk agreed.
“Did you find out anything about Haldar?” Queen Porenn asked the rat-faced little man. “I know there was something about him that was bothering you.”
“Nothing really very specific.” Silk shrugged. “He’s been doing a lot of traveling lately, though.”
“He’s a general, Kheldar, and my Chief-of-Staff. Generalsdo have to make inspection tours from time to time, you know.”
“But usually not alone,” Silk replied. “When he makes these trips, he doesn’t even take his aide along.”
“I think you’re just being overly suspicious.”
“It’s my nature to be suspicious, Auntie dear.”
She stamped her foot.”Will you stop calling me that?”
He looked at her mildly. “Does it really bother you, Porenn?” he asked.
“I’ve told you that it bothers me.”
“Maybe I ought to try to remember that, then.”
“You’re absolutely impossible, do you know that?”
“Of course I do, Auntie dear.”
For the next two days the Rivan army marched steadily eastward across the desolate, gray-green moors, a wasteland of barren, sparsely vegetated hills interspersed with rank patches of thorn and bramble springing up around dark pools of stagnant water. The sky remained gray and threatening, but there was as yet no rain.
Garion rode at the head of the column with a bleakly determined look on his face, speaking infrequently except to issue commands. His scouts reported at intervals, announcing that there was no sign of cult forces ahead and with equal certainty that there was as yet no evidence that the Drasnian pikemen under General Haldar were coming up from the rear.
When they stopped for a hasty midday meal on that second day, Polgara approached him gravely. Her blue cloak seemed to whisper through the tall grass as she came, and her familiar fragrance came to him on the vagrant breeze. “Let’s walk a bit, Garion,” she said quietly. “There’s something we need to discuss.”
” All right.” His reply was short, even curt.
She did something then that she had rarely done in the past several years. With a kind of solemn affection, she linked her arm in his, and together they walked away from the army and the rest of their friends, moving up a grassy knoll.
“You’ve grown very grim in the past few weeks, dear,” she said as they stopped at the crest of the knoll.
“I think I’ve got reason enough, Aunt Pol.”
“I know that you’ve been hurt deeply by all of this, Garion, and that you’re filled with a great rage; but don’t let it turn you into a savage.”
“Aunt Pol, I didn’t start this,” he reminded her. “They tried to kill my wife. Then they murdered one of my closest friends and tried to start a war between me and Anheg. And now they’ve stolen my son. Don’t you think that a little punishment might be in order?”
“Perhaps,” she replied, looking directly into his face, “but you must not allow your sense of outrage to run away with you and make you decide to start wading in blood. You have tremendous power, Garion, and you could very easily use it to do unspeakable things to your enemies. If you do that, the power will turn you into something as vile as Torak was. You’ll begin to take pleasure in the horrors you inflict. In time, that pleasure will come to own you.”
He stared at her, startled by the intensity in her voice and by the way the single white lock at her brow seemed to blaze up suddenly.
“It’s a very real danger, Garion. In a peculiar way, you’re in more peril right now than you were when you faced Torak.”
“I’m not going to let them get away with what they’ve done,” he said stubbornly. “I’m not just going to let them go.”
“I’m not suggesting that, dear. We’ll be at Rheon soon, and there’ll be fighting. You’re an Alorn, and I’m sure that you’ll be very enthusiastic about the fighting. I want you to promise me that you won’t let that enthusiasm and your sense of outrage push you over the line into wanton slaughter.”
“Not if they surrender,” he replied stiffly.
“And what then? What will you do with your prisoners?”
He frowned. He hadn’t really considered that.
“For the most part, the Bear-cult is composed of the ignorant and the misguided. They’re so obsessed with a single idea that they can’t even comprehend the enormity of what they’ve done. Will you butcher them for stupidity? Stupidity is unfortunate, but it hardly deservesthat kind of punishment.”
“What about Ulfgar?” he demanded.
She smiled a bleak little smile. “Nowthat,” she said, “is another matter.”
A large, blue-banded hawk spiraled down out of the murky sky. “Are we having a little family get-together?” Beldin asked harshly, even as he shimmered into his own form.
“Where have you been, uncle?” Aunt Pol asked him quite calmly. “I left word with the twins for you to catch up with us.”
“I just got back from Mallorea,” he grunted, scratching at his stomach. “Where’s Belgarath?”
“At Val Alorn,” she replied, “and then he’s going on to Mar Terrin. He’s trying to follow the trail that’s supposed to be hidden in the mysteries. You’ve heard about what’s happened?”
“Most of it, I think. The twins showed me the passage that was hidden in the Mrin Codex, and I heard about the Rivan Warder and Belgarion’s son. You’re moving against Rheon, right?”
“Naturally.” she answered. “That’s the source of the infection.”
The hunchback looked speculatively at Garion. “I’m sure you’re an expert tactician, Belgarion,” he said, “but your reasoning escapes me this time.”
Garion looked at him blankly.
“You’re moving to attack a superior force in a fortified city, right?”
“I suppose you could put it that way.”
“Then why is more than half your army camped at the shallows of the Mrin, two days behind you? Don’t you think you might need them?”
“What are you talking about, uncle?” Aunt Pol asked sharply .
“I thought I was speaking quite plainly. The Drasnian army’s camped at the shallows. They don’t show signs of planning to move at any time in the near future. They’re even fortifying their positions.”
“That’s impossible.”
He shrugged. “Fly back and have a look for yourself.”
“We’d better go tell the others, Garion,” Aunt Pol said gravely. “Something has gone terribly wrong somewhere.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“What is that man thinking of?” Queen Porenn burst out in a sudden uncharacteristic fury. “I specifically ordered him to catch up with us.”
Silk’s face was bleak. “I think we should have checked the inestimable General Haldar’s feet for that telltale brand.” he said.
“You’re not serious!” Porenn exclaimed.
“He’s deliberately disobeying your orders, Porenn, and he’s doing it in such a way as to endanger you and all the rest of us.”
“Believe me, I’ll get to the bottom of this as soon as I get back to Boktor.”
“Unfortunately, we’re not going in that direction just now.”
“Then I’ll go back to the shallows alone,” she declared. “If necessary, I’ll relieve him of his command.”
“No,” he said firmly, “you won’t.”
She stared at him incredulously. ” Kheldar, do you realize to whom you’re speaking?”
“Perfectly, Porenn, but it’s too dangerous.”
“It’s my duty.”
“No,” he corrected. “Actually, your duty is to stay alive long enough to raise Kheva to be King of Drasnia.”