Islena turned suddenly very pale and did not see the sly wink Mister Wolf directed at Anheg.
“I couldn’t permit it.,” Anheg said firmly. “My Queen is far too precious for me to allow her to take such a terrible risk.”
“I must accede to the will of my Lord,” Islena said in a relieved tone. “By his command I withdraw my suggestion.”
“The courage of my Queen honors me,” Anheg said with an absolutely straight face.
Islena bowed and backed away rather quickly. Aunt Pol looked at Mister Wolf with one raised eyebrow, but let it pass.
Wolf’s expression became more serious as he rose from the chair in which he had been sitting. “I think the time has come to make some decisions,” he said. “Things are beginning to move too fast for any more delay.” He looked at Anheg. “Is there some place where we can speak without risk of being overheard?”
“There’s a chamber in one of the towers,” Anheg said. “I thought about it before our first meeting but-” He paused and looked at Cho-Hag.
“You shouldn’t let it concern you,” Cho-Hag said. “I can manage stairs if I have to, and it would have been better for me to have been a little inconvenienced than to have Jarvik’s spy overhear us.”
“I’ll stay with Garion,” Durnik said to Aunt Pol.
Aunt Pol shook her head firmly. “No,” she said. “As long as Asharak is on the loose in Cherek, I don’t want him out of my sight.”
“Shall we go then?” Mister Wolf said. “It’s getting late, and I want to leave first thing in the morning. The trail I was following is getting colder.”
Queen Islena, still looking shaken stood to one side with Porenn and Silar and made no effort to follow as King Anheg led the way from the throne room.
I’ll let you know what happens, King Rhodar signalled to his queen.
Of course, Porenn gestured back. Her face was placid, but the snap of her fingers betrayed her irritability.
Calmly, child, Rhodar’s fingers told her. We’re guests here and have to obey local customs.
Whatever my Lord commands, she replied with a tilt of her hands that spoke whole volumes of sarcasm.
With Hettar’s help, King Cho-Hag managed the stairs although his progress was painfully slow. “I apologize for this,” he puffed, stopping halfway to catch his breath. “It’s as tiresome for me as it is for you.”
King Anheg posted guards at the foot of the stairs, then came up and closed the heavy door behind him. “Light the fire, cousin,” he said to Barak. “We might as well be comfortable.”
Barak nodded and put a torch to the wood in the fireplace.
The chamber was round and not too spacious, but there was adequate room for them all and chairs and benches to sit on.
Mister Wolf stood at one of the windows, looking down at the twinkling lights of Val Alorn below. “I’ve always been fond of towers,” he said, almost to himself. “My Master lived in one like this, and I enjoyed the time I spent there.”
“I’d give my life to have known Aldur,” Cho-Hag said softly. “Was he really surrounded by light as some say?”
“He seemed quite ordinary to me,” Mister Wolf said. “I lived with him for five years before I even knew who he was.”
“Was he really as wise as we’re told?” Anheg asked.
“Probably wiser,” Wolf said. “I was a wild and errant boy when he found me dying in a snowstorm outside his tower. He managed to tame me – though it took him several hundred years to do it.” He turned from the window with a deep sigh. “To work then,” he said.
“Where will you go to take up the search?” King Fulrach asked.
“Camaar,” Wolf said. “I found the trail there, I think it led down into Arendia.”
“We’ll send warriors with you,” Anheg said. “After what happened here, it looks like the Grolims may try to stop you.”
“No, Wolf said firmly. “Warriors are useless in dealing with the Grolims. I can’t move with an army underfoot, and I won’t have time to explain to the King of Arendia why I’m invading his kingdom with a horde of troops at my back. It takes even longer to explain things to Arends than it does to Alorns – impossible as that sounds.”
“Don’t be uncivil, Father,” Aunt Pol said. “It’s their world too, and they’re concerned.”
“you wouldn’t necessarily need an army, Belgarath,” King Rhodar said, “but wouldn’t it be prudent to take along a few good men?”
There’s very little that Polgara and I can’t deal with by ourselves,” Wolf said, “and Silk, Barak and Durnik are along to deal with the more mundane problems. The smaller our group, the less attention we’ll attract.” He turned to Cho-Hag. “As long as we’re on the subject, though, I’d like to have your son with us. We’re likely to need his rather specialized talents.”
“Impossible,” Hettar said flatly. “I have to remain with my father.”
“No, Hettar,” Cho-Hag said. “I don’t intend for you to live out your life as a cripple’s legs.”
“I’ve never felt any restriction in serving you, Father,” Hettar said. “There are plenty of others with the same talents I have. Let the Ancient One choose another.”
“How many other Sha-Darim are there among the Algars?” Mister Wolf asked gravely?
Hettar looked at him sharply as if trying to tell him something with his eyes.
King Cho-Hag drew his breath sharply. “Hettar,” he asked, “is this true?”
Hettar shrugged. “It may be, Father,” he said. “I didn’t think it was important.”
Cho-Hag looked at Mister Wolf.
Wolf nodded. “It’s true,” he said. “I knew it the first time I saw him. He’s a Sha-Dar. He had to find out for himself, though.”
Cho-Hag’s eyes suddenly brimmed with tears. “My son!” he said proudly, pulling Hettar into a rough embrace.
“It’s no great thing, Father,” Hettar said quietly, as if suddenly embarrassed.
“What are they talking about? Garion whispered to Silk.
“It’s something the Algars take very seriously,” Silk said softly. “They think that there are some people who can talk to horses with their thoughts alone. They call these people the Sha-Darim – Clan-Chiefs of the horses. It’s very rare – maybe only two or three in a whole generation. It’s instant nobility for any Algar who has it. Cho-Hag’s going to explode with pride when he gets back to Algaria.”
“Is it that important?” Garion asked.
Silk shrugged. “The Algars seem to think so,” he said. “All the clans gather at the Stronghold when they find a new Sha-Dar. The whole nation celebrates for six weeks. There are all kinds of gifts. Hettar’ll be a rich man if he chooses to accept them. He may not. He’s a strange man.”
“You must go,” Cho-Hag said to Hettar. “The pride of Algaria goes with you, your duty is clear.”
“As my father decides,” Hettar said reluctantly.
“Good,” Mister Wolf said. “How long will it take you to go to Algaria, pick up a dozen or so of your best horses and take them to Camaar?”
Hettar thought for a moment. “Two weeks,” he said, “if there aren’t any blizzards in the mountains of Sendaria.”
“We’ll all leave here in the morning then,” Wolf said. “Anheg can give you a ship. Take the horses along the Great North Road to the place a few leagues east of Camaar where another road strikes off to the south. It fords the Great Camaar River and runs down to join the Great West Road at the ruins of Vo Wacune in northern Arendia. We’ll meet you there in two weeks.”
Hettar nodded.
“We’ll also be joined at Vo Wacune by an Asturian Arend,” Wolf went on, “and somewhat later by a Mimbrate. They might be useful to us in the south.”
“And will also fulfill the prophecies,” Anheg said cryptically.
Wolf shrugged, his bright blue eyes twinkling suddenly. “I don’t object to fulfilling prophecies,” he said, “as long as it doesn’t inconvenience me too much.”
“Is there anything we can do to help in the search?” Brand asked.
You’llhave enough to do,” Wold said. “No matter how our search turns out, it’s obvious that the Angaraks are getting ready for some kind of major action. If we’re successful, they might hesitate, but Angaraks don’t think the way we do. Even after what happened at Vo Mimbre, they may decide to risk an all-out attack on the west. It could be that they are responding to prophecies of their own that we don’t know anything about. In any event, I think you should be ready for something fairly major from them. You’ll need to make preparations.”
Anheg grinned wolfishly. “We’ve been preparing for them for five thousand years,” he said. “This time we’ll purge the whole world of this Angarak infection. When Torak One-eye awakes, he’ll find himself as alone as Mara – and just as powerless.”