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"In the presence of the Sardion -in the place which is no more"

"And where is that?"

"The path to that dread place lies in the mysteries, Ancient One Thou must seek it there" She turned her face toward Garion, half-reaching out to hiarion," she said with a great sympathy in her voice, "for Zandramas, the Child of Dark, hath reft away thy son and even now doth flee with him toward the Sardion It lies upon thee to bar the path of Zandramas to that stone -for the stars and the voices of the earth proclaim that the power of the Dark doth reside in the Sardion, even as the power of the Light doth reside in the Orb of Aldur Should Zandramas reach the Dark Stone with the babe, the Dark shall triuht?" Ce'Nedra demanded, her face pale and a dreadful fear in her eyes

"Thy child is safe and well, Ce'Nedra," Cyradis told her "Zandramas will protect him from all harrew still "Thou must steel thy heart, however," she continued, "for should there be no other way to prevent Zandra the Sardion with thine infant son, it falls to thee -or to thy husband -to slay the child"

"Slay?" Ce'Nedra exclaimed, "Never!"

"Then the Dark shall prevail," Cyradis said sirows short," she said to him "Heed what I say Thy choice of couided by Necessity and not thine own preference Shouldst thou choose awry, then shalt thou fail thy task, and Zandramas will defeat thee Thy son shall be lost to thee forever, and the world as thou knowest it shall be no more" Garion's face was bleak "Go ahead," he told her shortly "Say the rest of what you have to say" Her suggestion that either he or Ce'Nedra could ever under any circuer

"Thou wilt leave this place in the cohter Thou must also take with thee the Bearer of the Orb and thy wife"

"Absurd!" he burst out "I' to expose Ce'Nedra -or Errand- to that kind of danger"

"Then thou wilt surely fail"

He looked at her helplessly

"Thou must have with thee as well the Guide and the Man with Two Lives -and one other whom I will reveal to thee Thou wilt be joined at some later times by others -the Huntress, the Man Who Is No Man, the Empty One, and by the Woibberish," Beldin entle Beldin," she told him

"These are the names as they are written in the stars -and in the prophecies The incidental and worldly naiven them at the time of their births are of no moment in the timeless realm of the two Necessities which contend with each other at the center of all that is or ever will be Each of these companions hath a certain task, and all taskswhich is to couided thy steps since tiara asked her coolly"

"It is as it hath ever been, Holy Polgara Thou uide, and nurture, and protect, for thou art the arath is the father" The faintest of sirl's lips "Others will aid thee in thy quest froarion," she continued, "but those I have na"

"What about us?" Barak demanded, "Hettar and Mandorallen and Lelldorin and me?"