"Nonsense!" But her face had grown quite pale.
"You're upset, mother," he pressed. "Why is that?"
"She can't tell you," Eriond said suddenly. The young man was seated on a bench in front of a nearby window with the autumn sun streaming golden on his pale hair.
"What?"
"Your mother can't tell you," Eriond repeated. "There's a secret she's had locked in her heart since before you were born."
"No!" Lady Tamazin gasped involuntarily. "You musn't!"
"What is this secret?" Urgit demanded, his eyes flickering suspiciously from face to face.
A slow flush crept up Eriond's cheeks. "I'd really rather not say," he replied in a slightly embarrassed tone.
Velvet had been watching the exchange with wholly absorbed fascination; even as a startling suspicion dawned in Garion's mind, she suddenly began to laugh.
"What's so funny, young lady?" Urgit asked irritably.
"A peculiar thought just occurred to me, your Majesty," she replied. She turned to Lady Tamazin. "Didn't you say that you knew Prince Kheldar's father, my Lady?"
Tamazin's chin lifted suddenly. Her face was still deadly pale, and she did not answer.
"How long ago would you say that was?" Velvet asked.
Tamazin's lips remained tightly closed.
Velvet sighed, then looked at Silk. "Kheldar," she said, "quite a long time back your father visited Rak Goska, didn't he? I think it had something to do with some trade negotiations on behalf of King Rhodar. Do you happen to recall just how many years ago that was?"
He looked puzzled. "I don't know," he replied. "It must have been—" He thought about it. "I remember that my mother and I stayed at the palace in Boktor while he was gone. I think I was eight or so at the time. That would make it about forty years, I guess. What's this all about, Liselle?"
"Interesting," she murmured, ignoring his question. "My Lady Tamazin," she said, "you keep telling your son that he isn't going to go mad—but doesn't every male in the Urga line fall prey to that hereditary affliction? What is it that makes you so positive that he's somehow going to escape the family curse?"
Tamazin's face grew even paler, and her lips were resolutely sealed.
"My Lord High Seneschal," Velvet said to Oskatat, "just out of curiosity, how old is his Majesty?"
Oskatat's face had also gone deadly pale. He looked at Lady Tamazin with a stricken expression, and then his lips also clamped shut.
"I'm thirty-nine," Urgit snapped. "What difference does it—" Then he suddenly stopped, his eyes going very wide. He turned with a look of stunned incredulity. "Mother!" he gasped.
Sadi began to laugh.
"I just adore happy endings, don't you?" Velvet said brightly to Ce'Nedra. She looked impishly at Silk. "Well, don't just sit there, Kheldar. Go embrace your brother."
The Lady Tamazin rose slowly from her chair, her face proud. "Summon the executioner, Oskatat," she said. "I am ready."
"No, my Lady," he replied. "I won't do that."
"It's the law, Oskatat," she insisted. "A Murgo woman who dishonors her husband is to be put to death immediately."
"Oh, sit down, mother," Urgit said, abstractedly gnawing at one of his knuckles. "This is no time for histrionics."
Silk's eyes were a bit wild. "You're very quick, Liselle," he said in a strained voice.
"Not really," she admitted. "I should have guessed quite some time ago. You and his Majesty could almost use each other for shaving mirrors, and he negotiates almost as shrewdly as you do." She looked at the stunned Murgo King, her cheeks dimpling. "If your Majesty ever grows weary of the throne, I'm certain that my uncle could find work for you."
"This alters things quite a bit, Urgit," Belgarath said. "The prejudices of your subjects are well known. If they find out that you're not a real Murgo, it might agitate them just a bit, wouldn't you say?"
Urgit had been staring at Silk. "Oh, just shut up, old man," he said absently. "Let me think my way through this."
"I'm sure that your Majesty realizes that you can rely totally on our discretion," Sadi said smoothly.
"Of course," Urgit replied drily. "Just as long as I do exactly what you tell me to do."
"Well, there's that, naturally."
Urgit looked at his seneschal. "Well, Oskatat," he said, "will you now dash to the highest window of the Drojim to proclaim this to the entire city?"
"Why should I?" Oskatat shrugged. "I've known since you were a little boy that you were not the son of Taur Urgas."
Lady Tamazin gasped, her hand going suddenly to her lips. "You've known, Oskatat? And you've kept my shame a secret?"
"My Lady," he said with a stiff bow, "I would not have betrayed you even on the rack."
She gave him a peculiar look. "And why is that, Oskatat?" she asked gently.
"You are of the House of Hagga," he replied, "as am I. Loyalty to blood is very strong in Cthol Murgos."
"And is that all, Oskatat? Is that the only reason you befriended me and protected my son?"
He looked her full in the face. "No, my Lady," he said almost proudly, "it is not."
She lowered her eyelashes.
"There were other reasons for my keeping your secret, however," he continued, "less personal, perhaps, but just as compelling. The Urga Dynasty has brought Cthol Murgos to the brink of disaster. I saw in young Urgit the best hope for the kingdom. I might have wished him to be stronger, but his agility of mind showed much promise. In the long run a clever king is often preferable to a strong one without any brains."
Belgarath rose from his chair. "I hate to break up these festivities," he said, "but it's time for us to leave. Too many secrets are starting to come out into the open." He looked at Urgit. "Did you send that messenger to the Temple? If Agachak's Dagashi wants to go along with us, he's going to have to get down to the harbor at once."
Urgit started to rise from his chair, his face angry. Then he stopped, his eyes narrowing. "Just who are you, old man?" he demanded. "You look like a vagabond, but you've been throwing commands around here like an emperor."
Lady Tamazin, however, had been looking at Belgarath with eyes suddenly gone wide. Then she turned to stare in awe at Aunt Pol. "Urgit!" she said in a half-strangled whisper.