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He nodded and quietly followed her into the adjoining roo e fire "What was that all about?" he asked, softly closing the door

"There's soravely

"He's only a baby," Garion protested

"His enemy fears him for what he may become -not for what he is now It's happened that way before, you'll recall"

"You mean when Asharak killed et at you"

"But how can I protect Geran from his own mother? I mean -if this man can cos, how can I possibly-?"

"It won't happen again, Belgarion I took care of that"

"But how could you? I ether accurate, but no matter Geran is safe for theelse we need to discuss"

"All right"

"You're getting very close to so, but you do need to look at the Mrin Codex -the real one, not one of the copies You must see what's hidden there"

"I can't leave Ce'Nedra -not now"

"She's going to be all right, and this is so that only you can do Go to that shrine on the River Mrin and look at the Codex It's desperately iht," he said "I'll leave in the "

"What?"

"You must take the Orb with you"

"The Orb?"

"You won't be able to see what you have to see without it"

"I don't quite understand"

"You hen you get there"

"All right, Poledra," he said Then heI've been doing things I didn't understand allwill become clear in time," she assured him Then she looked at him rather critically "Garion," she said in a tone so like Aunt Pol's that he answered autoht without a robe, you know You'll catch cold"

The ship he hired at Kotu was sned for river travel It was a shallow-draft, broad-beamed little ship that sometimes bobbed like a chip of wood The oarsainst the sluggish current of the Mrin River as it htfall they were ten leagues upriver from Kotu, and the captain prudentlywith one of the tar-sood idea to try to find the channel in the dark," he told Garion "One wrong turn and we could spend the nextaround in the fens"

"You knohat you're doing, Captain," Garion told hi to interfere"

"Would you like a tankard of ale, your Majesty?" the captain offered

"That reed