Page 2 (1/1)

And see quarreled with her father, Emperor Ran Borune XXIII of Tolnedra, fled his palace and beca of their quest Thus was completed the company foretold by the prophecy of the Mrin Codex

Their search led them to the Wood of the Dryads, where they were confronted by the Murgo Groli spied secretly upon Garion Then the voice of prophecy within Garion's mind spoke to Garion, and he struck Asharak with his hand and his Will And Asharak was utterly consumed in fire Thus Garion learned that he was possessed of the power of sorcery Polgara rejoiced, telling hiarion, as was proper for a sorcerer, for she knew then that the centuries of waiting were over and that Garion should be the one to reclaim the Rivan Throne, as foretold

Zedar the Apostate fled froarath in haste Unwisely, he entered the realh Priest of the western Grolims Like Zedar, Ctuchik was a disciple of Torak, but the two had lived in enhout the centuries As Zedar crossed the barren os, Ctuchik waited him in ambush and wrested from him the Orb of Aldur and the child whose innocence enabled hiarath went ahead to seek out the trail of Zedar, but Beltira, another disciple of Aldur, gave him the news that Ctuchik now held the child and the Orb The other companions went on to Nyissa, where Sal people, had Garion seized and brought to her palace But Polgara freed him and turned Salmissra into a serpent, to rule over the snake-people in that forarath rejoined his companions, he led the company on a difficult journey to the dark city of Rak Cthol, which was built atop a os

They accomplished the difficult cli and awaited with the child and the Orb Then Belgarath engaged Ctuchik in a duel of sorcery But Ctuchik, hard-pressed, tried a forbidden spell, and it rebounded on hi him so utterly that no trace of him remained

The shock of his destruction tumbled Rak Cthol from its mountaintop While the city of the Groli child who bore the Orb and carried hi of the Murgos, pursuing thearians caarath could turn toward the Isle of the Winds to restore the Orb to its rightful place

There in the Hall of the Rivan King at Erastide, the child whom they called Errand placed the Orb of Aldur into Garion's hand, and Garion stood on the throne to set it in its accusto As he did so, the Orb leaped into flans, all knew that Garion was indeed the true heir to the throne of Riva and they acclai of Riva, Overlord of the West, and the Keeper of the Orb

Soon, in keeping with the Accords signed after the Battle of Vo Mimbre, the boy who had co was betrothed to the Princess Ce'Nedra But before the wedding could take place, the voice of prophecy that ithin his head urged hio to the room of documents and there take down the copy of the Mrin Codex

In that ancient prophecy, he discovered that he was destined to take up Riva's sword and go with it to confront the maimed God Torak and to slay or be slain, thereby to decide the fate of the world For Torak had begun to end his long sluNecessities or prophecies would prevail

Garion knew that he could h his heart was filled with fear, he deterarath and Silk acco, they crept out of the Citadel of Riva and set out on the long northern journey to the dark ruins of the City of Night where Torak lay

But the Princess Ce'Nedra went to the Kings of the West and persuaded thearaks, so that Garion ara, she hty are the hosts of the East They ht between the forces of E of the Murgos, Taur Urgas, Ce'Nedra's ar, Chief of the Clan-Chiefs of Algaria, slew Taur Urgas; and the Nadrak King Drosta lek Thun changed sides, giving her forces tiara, Durnik, and the child Errand, however, were captured and sent to Zakath, who sent thee Zedar slew Durnik, and it was to see Polgara weeping over his body that Garion arrived

In a duel of sorcery, Belgarath sealed Zedar into the rocks far below the surface But by then Torak had awakened fully

The two destinies which had opposed each other since tiht And there in the darkness, Garion, the Child of Light, slew Torak, the Child of Dark, with the fla, and the dark prophecy fled wailing into the void

UL and the six living Gods caara i Durnik back to life Reluctantly they consented But since it would not be ave to hiift of sorcery

Then all returned to the city of Riva Belgarion ara took Durnik as her husband The Orb was again in its rightful place to protect the West And the war of Gods, kings, and men, which had endured for seven thousand years, was at an end

Or so ht

PART ONE - THE VALE OF ALDUR

CHAPTER ONE

It was late spring The rains had coround Warmed by the soft touch of the sun, dareen blush as the first tender shoots e, when the air was still cool, but the sky gave pro with his fa in one of the quieter districts of the bustling port city of Cadom of Sendaria Errand had never had a fa was new to hi around him seemed colored, overshadowed alhtly knit group of people bound together by love The purpose of the journey upon which they set out that springhome Just as he had not had a fah he had never seen the cottage in the Vale of Aldur which was their destination, he nonetheless yearned toward that place as if its every stone and tree and bush had been iination since the day he was bornA brief rain squall had swept in off the Sea of the Winds about ht and then had passed as quickly as it had coray, cobbled streets and tall, tile-roofed buildings of Ca sun