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"Grandfather," Garion protested

"Do you knohat the tere means?"

Garion shook his head, his face blank

"It's a tie temperature drops -just a bit In the extreme north, that means that the snow doesn'tup, year after year It forlaciers start to move farther and farther south In just a few centuries, that little display of yours could have had a wall of ice two hundred feet highdown across the moors of Drasnia You'd have buried Boktor and Val Alorn under solid ice, you idiot Is that what you wanted?"

"Of course not Grandfather, I honestly didn't knoouldn't have started it if I'd known"

"That would have been a great comfort to the arath retorted with a vast sarcas your hands on so there is to know about it Even then, it's best not to gamble"

"But -but- you and Aunt Pol called down the rainstorm in the Wood of the Dryads," Garion pointed out defensively

"We knee were doing," Belgarath aler there" With an enorot control of hiain, Garion -not until you've had at least a thousand years of study"

"A thousand years!"

"At least In your case, maybe two thousand You seee to be in the wrong place at the wrong tiain, Grandfather," Garion pro ice walls creeping inexorably across the world

Belgarath gave hi, hard look and then let the ained his coed in a chair by the fire with a tankard of ale in one hand Garion knew his Grandfather well enough to be aware of the fact that ale mellowed the old man's disposition and he had prudently sent for some as soon as the initial explosion had subsided "How are your studies going, boy?" the old sorcerer asked

"I've been a little pressed for tiarath gave hi, cold stare, and Garion could clearly see theon his neck that indicated that the old ain

"I'ized quickly "Froarath's eyes widened slightly "Don't do that," he said quickly "You got into enough trouble fooling around with the weather If you start in on time, not even the Gods could predict the outcome"

"I didn't exactly mean it that way, Grandfather"

"Say what you s, you know" He turned his attention then to Errand "What are you doing here, boy?" he asked

"Durnik and Polgara are here," Errand replied "They thought I ought to coarath seemed surprised

"I asked her to come," Garion told hi forsort of s so on?"

" Uh- " Garion glanced at Errand, who sat watching the two of thehtly

"It -uh- has to do with the -uh- heir to the Rivan Throne," he explained delicately

"What's the problearath demanded obtusely "You're the heir to the Rivan Throne"

"No, I mean the next one"