‘Indeed, Master Garath,’ the king said, ‘I do assure thee that thine informant was not in error. The chart you seek is one of our most prized relics, for it is the self-same chart which guided our ancestors to the shores of this isle eons ago. As soon as we have leisure, I will be most happy to provide thee access to it in furtherance of thy studies.’
Then Naradas stepped from behind the purple drape at the back of the throne. ‘There will be, I fear me, scant time for studies for some while, your Majesty,’ he said, sounding just a bit smug. ‘Forgive me, my King, but I chanced to overhear thy last remark as I was hurrying to bring thee perhaps distressing news. A messenger hath arrived from the east advising that the foul dragon doth even now ravage the village of Dal Esta not three leagues from here. The beast is unpredictable in its depradations and may lurk in the forest for days ’ere it emerge again. It well may be that this tragic occurrence is to our advantage. Now is the time to strike. What better opportunity than this for our two brave champions to sally forth and rid us of this nuisance? And I do perceive that these powerful knights do rely heavily upon the advice of this ancient man, and it is fitting therefore that he should accompany them to guide their strategy.’
‘Well spoken, Erezel,’ the silly king agreed enthusiastically. ‘I had feared me that flushing the beast from hiding might have consumed weeks. Now it is accomplished in the space of a single night. Venture forth then, my champions and Master Garath. Rid my kingdom of this dragon, and no boon ye ask shall be denied thee.’
‘Thy happy discovery was timely, Master Erezel,’ Belgarath said. The words were bland, but Garion knew his grandfather well enough to recognize their implication. ‘As his Majesty hath said, thou hast saved us much time this night. As soon as I have leisure, I will think of some way to thank thee properly.’
Naradas shrank back slightly, his face apprehensive. ‘No thanks are necessary, Master Garath,’ he said. ‘I did no more than my duty to my king and his realm.’
‘Ah yes,’ Belgarath said, ‘duty. We all have many duties, don’t we? Commend me to the Child of Dark when next thou prayest to her. Advise her that, as is foreordained, we shall meet anon.’
Then he turned and, with Garion and Zakath close behind him, he strode out among the dancers and left the throne room. So long as he had been in the presence of strangers, the old man’s expression had been neutral. Once they reached the deserted corridor, however, he began to swear savagely. ‘I was right on the verge of getting my hands on that chart,’ he fumed. ‘Naradas has done it to me again.’
‘Should I go back and get the others?’ Garion asked.
‘No. They’d all want to go along, and that’d only start an argument. We’ll leave a note.’
‘Again?’
‘These repetitions are cropping up more and more regularly, aren’t they?’
‘Let’s hope Aunt Pol doesn’t react the same way this time.’
‘What are you two talking about?’ Zakath asked.
‘Silk, Grandfather, and I slipped out of Riva when we went to meet Torak,’ Garion explained. ‘We left a note, but Aunt Pol didn’t take it too well. As I understand it, there was a lot of swearing and a number of explosions.’
‘Lady Polgara? She’s the very soul of gentility.’
‘Don’t be deceived, Zakath,’ Belgarath told him. ‘Pol’s got a vile temper when things don’t go the way she wants them to go.’
‘It must be a family trait,’ Zakath said blandly.
‘Are you trying to be funny? You two go down to the stables. Tell the grooms to saddle our horses and find out where this village is. I want to talk with Cyradis a moment before we leave. I’m going to get some straight answers out of that girl. I’ll join you in the courtyard in a few minutes.’
It was perhaps ten minutes later when they mounted. Garion and Zakath took their lances from the rack at the stable wall, and then the three of them rode out of the palace compound. ‘Any luck with Cyradis?’ Garion asked Belgarath.
‘Some. She told me that the dragon out there is not Zandramas.’
‘It’s the real one then?’
‘Probably. She got cryptic on me then, though. She said that there’s some other spirit influencing the dragon. That means you’ll both have to be very careful. The dragon’s very stupid normally, but if some spirit’s guiding her, she might be a bit more perceptive.’
A shadow slunk from a dark side street. It was the she-wolf.
‘How is it with you, little sister?’ Garion greeted her formally. At the last instant, he avoided calling her ‘Grandmother.’
‘One is content,’ she replied. ‘You go to hunt. One will accompany you.’
‘One must advise you that the creature we seek is not fit for eating.’
‘One does not hunt only to eat.’
‘We will be glad of your company then.’
‘What did she say?’ Zakath asked.
‘She wants to go along.’
‘Did you warn her that it’s going to be dangerous?’
‘I think she already knows.’
‘It’s up to her,’ Belgarath shrugged. ‘Trying to tell a wolf what to do is an exercise in futility.’
They passed out through the city gate and took the road to which one of the grooms had directed Garion. ‘He said it’s about eight miles,’ Garion said.
Belgarath squinted up at the night sky. ‘Good,’ he said, ‘there’s a full moon. Let’s try a gallop until we get to about a mile from that village.’
‘How will we know when we’re that close?’ Zakath asked.
‘We’ll know,’ Belgarath replied bleakly. ‘There’ll be all kinds of fire.’
‘They don’t really breathe fire, do they?’
‘Yes, as a matter of fact, they do. You’re both wearing armor, so that makes it a little safer. Her sides and belly are a bit softer than her back. Try to get your lances into her, then finish her off with your swords. Let’s not drag this out. I want to get back to the palace and get my hands on that map. Let’s ride.’
It was about an hour later when they saw the red glow of fire just ahead. Belgarath reined in. ‘Let’s go carefully,’ he said. ‘We’ll want to pinpoint her location before we go charging in there.’
‘One will go look,’ the she-wolf said and loped off into the darkness.