"She's completed all her tasks then, hasn't she?" Ce'Nedra asked sadly. "Zandramas, I mean. She has my son and an Angarak king. I do so wish I could see him one more time before I die."
"Die?" Garion asked incredulously. "What do you mean, die?"
"One of us is going to," she said simply. "I'm sure it's going to be me. There's no other reason for me being along, is there? We all have tasks to perform. Mine is to die, I think.''
"Nonsense!"
"Really?" She sighed.
"Actually, Zandramas still has several more tasks," Belgarath told her. "She has to deal with Urvon at the very least."
"And Agachak, I think," Sadi added. "He wants to play, too, as I recall."
"Agachak's in Cthol Murgos," Silk objected.
"So were we—until some months back," the eunuch pointed out. "All it takes to get to Mallorea from Cthol Murgos is a boat and a little luck with the weather."
"Zandramas has one other thing she has to do as well,"
Velvet said, moving over until she was beside Ce'Nedra and wrapping her arms about the sad little queen.
"Oh?" Ce'Nedra said without much interest. "What's that?"
"The prophecy told Garion that she still doesn't know where the Place Which Is No More is. She can't go there until she finds out, can she?"
Ce'Nedra's face brightened just a bit. "That's true, isn't it?" she conceded. "I suppose it's something," she said, laying her head against Velvet's shoulder.
"Zandramas isn't the only one with things left to do," Belgarath said. "I still have to find an unmutilated copy of the Ashabine Oracles." He looked at Silk. "How long do you think it's going to take your men to find out what we need to know?"
Silk spread his hands. "It's a little hard to say," he admitted. "A lot could depend on luck. A day at the most, I'd imagine."
"How fast is that ship of yours?" Garion asked him. "I mean, can it go any faster than it did when we were coming here?"
"Not by very much," Silk replied. "Melcenes are better shipbuilders than Angaraks, but that ship was built to carry cargo, not to win races. If the wind gets too strong, the captain's going to have to shorten his sails."
"I'd give a lot to have a Cherek warship right now," Garion said. "A fast boat could make up for a lot of lost time." He gazed thoughtfully at the floor. "It wouldn't really be too hard, would it?" he suggested. He looked at Belgarath. "Maybe you and I could put our heads together, and—" He made a kind of vague gesture with his hand.
"Uh—Garion," Durnik interrupted him, "even if you did have a Cherek boat, who would you find to sail her? I don't think the sailors here would understand what's involved."
"Oh," Garion said glumly. "I hadn't thought about that, I guess."
There was a light rap at the door, and Vetter entered carrying a sheaf of parchments. "The men have been dispatched to the south wharves, your Highness," he reported. "You suggested that the matter was of some urgency, so I took the liberty of posting couriers on fast horses to central locations near the waterfront. As soon as anyone gets news of any kind, the word should reach us here within five minutes." He glanced at Ce'Nedra. "I hope that will relieve some of her Majesty's anxiety," he added.
"Her—" Silk burst out, then controlled himself. He stared at his factor for a moment, then burst out laughing. "How did you find out, Vetter?" he asked. "I didn't introduce anybody."
"Please, your Highness," Vetter replied with a pained look. "You didn't engage me in this position to be stupid, did you? I've maintained certain contacts with my former associates in Mal Zeth, so I more or less know who your guests are and what your mission is. You chose not to mention the matter, so I didn't make an issue of it, but you aren't paying me to keep my eyes and ears closed, are you?"
"Don't you just love Melcenes?" Velvet said to Sadi.
Sadi, however, was already looking at Vetter with a certain interest. "It may just happen that in time I'll be able to resolve the slight misunderstanding I presently have with my queen," he said delicately to Silk's factor. "Should that happen, I might want to make you aware of certain employment opportunities in Sthiss Tor."
"Sadi!" Silk gasped.
"Business is business, Prince Kheldar," Sadi said blandly.
Vetter smiled. "There are these few documents, your Highness," he said to Silk, handing over the parchments he carried. "As long as you're waiting, I thought you might want to glance at them. A few require your signature."
Silk sighed. "I suppose I might as well," he agreed.
"It does save time, your Highness. Sometimes it takes quite a while for things to catch up with you."
Silk riffled through the stack. "This all seems fairly routine. Is there anything else of note going on?"
"The house is being watched, your Highness," Vetter reported. "A couple of Rolla's secret policemen. I imagine they'll try to follow you when you leave."
Silk frowned. "I'd forgotten about him. Is there some way to get them off our trail?"
"I think I can manage that for your Highness."
"Nothing fatal, though," Silk cautioned. "The Rivan King here disapproves of random fatalities." He grinned at Garion.
"I think we'll be able to deal with the situation without bloodshed, your Highness."
"Anything else I should know about?"
"The Consortium will make an offer on our bean holdings tomorrow morning," Vetter replied. "They'll start at three points below market and go as high as five above it."
"How did you find that out?" Silk looked amazed.
"I've bribed one of the members." Vetter shrugged. "I promised to give him a quarter point commission on everything over ten—a bit generous, perhaps, but we may need him again sometime, and now I'll have a hold on him."
"That's worth a quarter of a point right there."
"I thought so myself, your Highness." Vetter laughed suddenly. "Oh, one other thing, Prince Kheldar. We have this investment opportunity.''
"Oh?"
"Actually, it's more in the nature of a charitable contribution."
"I gave at the office," Silk said with an absolutely straight face. Then his nose twitched slightly. "It wouldn't hurt to hear about it, though, I guess."