Once again, I’ll resist using the word ‘coincidence.’ It just ‘happened’ that Aldorigen also had a child of about eight years - a son named Korodullin.
Isn’t that interesting?
Aldorigen was no less stubborn than Eldallan had been, so Polgara was obliged to repeat her performance. The king came around as quickly as his Asturian counterpart had. The Asturians and Mimbrates have always claimed that they’re completely different from each other. To be honest with you, though, I’ve never been able to really tell them apart, even though Mimbrates still use archaic speech and Asturians don’t.
After Polgara’d brought Aldorigen to his senses, I spoke with the Sendarian ambassador and arranged for several go-betweens to carry information back and forth between Mimbre and Asturia, and then Pol and I proceeded - damply - to Tol Honeth.
Ran Borune’s skepticism about Torak’s intentions had been evaporated by what had happened in Drasnia, and he was at least willing to listen to us. ‘I assume the Alorns have a plan,’ he said after we’d explained the situation to him.
‘A tentative one,’ I replied. ‘Kal Torak’s invasion of Drasnia taught us not to lock our thinking in stone. We do know that this is going to be settled one way or another someplace in Arendia, but we can’t be certain which route Torak’s going to take to get there. What he did in Drasnia suggests that he wants to obliterate the Alorns before he gets to Arendia. Eldrig expects him to invade Cherek, but I’m not so sure. We do know that he’s going to lay siege to the Algarian Stronghold, but we’re not sure what he’ll do before that. He might even try to attack the Isle of the Winds. That’s his ultimate goal, and he might try to go there and retake the Orb of Aldur before he goes to Arendia.’
‘I thought you could see the future, Belgarath.’
‘Sort of,’ I replied, making a sour face. ‘There are a couple of prophecies, but they’re very obscure.’
‘Are your Alorns going to want help in the north?’
‘I think they can manage. If Torak does decide to go directly to the Isle, he’ll run head-on into the Cherek fleet, and the entire war could be settled in the Sea of the Winds. If it happens that way, I know who’s going to win. No navy on earth is a match for Eldrig’s war-boats.’
‘Are you and Lady Polgara planning to stay here for long?’
‘As long as it takes.’
‘I want to talk with my generals, but we’ll need to coordinate our strategy. Can I offer you the hospitality of the palace here?’
‘We appreciate the thought, Ran Borune,’ Polgara declined, ‘but it might cause you some problems. The Honethites and Vorduvians would probably make a very big issue of the fact that you’re consorting with “heathen sorcerers”.’
‘I’m the emperor here, Lady Polgara, and I’ll consort with whomever I bloody well please.’
‘Isn’t he a dear man?’ Pol said to me.
‘She’s right, Ran Borune,’ I told the emperor. ‘We’ve got enough trouble with Kal Torak. Let’s not go out of our way to pick fights with the other great families. We’ll stay at the Cherek embassy. The ambassador’s got a war-boat at his disposal, and I need to send the Alorn Kings a report about what we accomplished in Arendia. Who’s the current Nyissan ambassador?’
‘A reptilian sort of fellow named Podiss,’ Ran Borune replied with obvious distaste.
‘I’ll need to talk with him as well,’ I said. ‘I want to let Salmissra know that we’re coming.’
‘Why bring her into it at all?’
‘She has certain resources I might need later on. If something comes up, I’ll get word to you.’
He smiled faintly. ‘My door’s always open to you, Belgarath.’
Polgara and I went to the Cherek embassy, and I composed a dispatch for the ambassador’s courier ship to take to Riva. Then I went across town to the Nyissan embassy.
After I returned, Pol and I had a quiet supper and retired for the night. I was just getting ready for bed when Beltira’s voice came at me from out of nowhere. ‘Belgarath!’ He sounded excited.
‘Yes, I’m here. What’s happening?’
‘Torak’s made his move! He’s invading Algaria!’
‘Has he committed all his forces?’
‘Evidently so. There’s a small occupation army holding the ground in Drasnia - mostly to guard his rear, we think, but the rest of his troops are marching south.’
I breathed a very large sigh of relief. The possibility of Torak selecting one of his other options had been worrying me more than a little. ‘How far has he penetrated?’
‘As far as Lake Atun. It’s slow going for him. The Algar cavalry’s been slicing large pieces out of his flanks.’
‘Good. Keep an eye on him and let me know if he changes direction. I don’t want to commit any troops until I’m sure this isn’t a feint.’
‘I don’t think so, Belgarath. We’ve heard from Beldin, and he says that the army that invaded Drasnia’s only about half of Torak’s force. He’s gathered a huge fleet at Dal Zerba on the west coast of the Dalasian protectorates. Urvon’s in charge there, and Beldin’s positive that he’s going to ferry that army across the Sea of the East to march across southern Cthol Murgos to attack us from that direction. We’ve got two armies coming at us.’
I started to swear. Torak had divided his forces after all, but he’d done it before he even left Mallorea. ‘I’ll get back to you,’ I told Beltira. ‘Pol and I’d better go to the palace and let Ran Borune know what’s afoot.’
I went down the hall to Pol’s room and knocked on her door. ‘It’s me, Pol,’ I said. ‘Let me in.’
‘I’m bathing, father. Go away.’
‘You can do that later. Torak just invaded Algaria.’
I heard some splashing and a moment or two later, Pol opened the door. She’d thrown on a robe, but her hair was still dripping. ‘He what?’ she demanded.
‘I just told you. Torak’s on the move, and he’s coming south.’
‘Garel’s at the Stronghold, father. I’d better move him.’
‘He’s safe there, Pol. We know that the Stronghold won’t fall, and Torak can’t stay there forever. He’s got an appointment he has to keep in Arendia. There’s some other bad news, though. Beldin told the twins that Urvon’s commanding a second Mallorean army. They’re crossing the Sea of the East. They’ll be coming at us from southern Cthol Murgos. Torak’s going to try to put us in a vise. We’d better go back to the palace and alert Ran Borune.’
‘I’ll get dressed.’
It was almost midnight when we reached the palace, and it took us a while to persuade the servants to wake the emperor. He was sleepy-eyed and tousled when we were finally admitted to his private quarters. ‘Don’t you people ever sleep?’ he asked in a grouchy tone of voice.
‘Only when there’s nothing better to do, your Majesty,’ I told him. ‘Torak’s invaded Algaria.’
That woke him up. ‘I’ll start the legions north immediately,’ he said.
‘I’d hold off on that, Ran Borune,’ Pol suggested. ‘I think you’re going to need them someplace else.’
I told him about the second army gathering at Dal Zerba, and it was one of the few times I’ve ever heard a Borune swear. ‘How many people does that madman have?’ he demanded.
‘They don’t call it “Boundless Mallorea” for nothing,’ I replied.
‘What are we going to do?’
‘We still have some time, I think,’ I said. ‘Urvon’s not going to be able to ferry his army across the Sea of the East in a single day, and it’s a long way across southern Cthol Murgos.’
‘What about Kal Torak? He could be on my eastern frontier in a week.’
‘Not very likely, Ran Borune. He has to get past the Algars first.’
‘Drasnia didn’t slow him down very much.’
‘There’s a world of difference between Drasnia and Algaria,’ Pol told him. ‘The Algars don’t have towns to defend, for one thing, and they’ve got the finest horses in the world, for another. Kal Torak’s going to find a trip into Algaria very expensive.’
‘You do realize that the second Mallorean army means that I won’t be able to lend you a hand in Arendia, don’t you?’ he said. ‘I’m going to have to put my legions on my southern border.’
‘We were fairly certain you’d feel that way about it,’ Pol murmured.
I scratched at my beard. ‘It’s still not a disaster,’ I told them. ‘We could probably use the help of the legions in Arendia, but I’d much rather they concentrated on keeping that second Mallorean column away from the battlefield. As I said before, we’ve still got time. Urvon won’t get here overnight, and Kal Torak’s going to have his own problems in Algaria. I think Pol and I’d better go to Sthiss Tor and have a talk with the snake-woman. We don’t want her to just open her borders to that piebald Urvon and stand aside while he marches through. I want to do everything I possibly can to upset Kal Torak’s timetable.’