Page 9 (1/2)

Porenn sighed

"We could invade Cthol Murgos," Cho-Hag suggested thoughtfully

"Yes!" Hettar agreed fiercely

Cho-Hag held up his hand "Only as a ruse, my son," he said "Zakath has coos If the ared to try to counter us, wouldn't he?"

Varana slid lower in his chair "It's got possibilities," he admitted, "but it's already autuos are brutal in the winter It's a bad time to move troops around down there An arht be able to accole toe''

"Trust a Tolnedran to be devious," Anheg growled

"Do you like freezing, Anheg?" Varana asked

Anheg shrugged "It's so to do in the wintertiward "Alorns," he said

"All right," Anheg said by way of apology "I was only joking What's this brilliantly devious plan of yours?"

Varana looked across the rooence service, Margrave Khendon?" he asked bluntly

Javelin rose to his feet, straightening his pearl-gray doublet "By hiood, your Imperial Majesty," he replied "His people are sometimes aard and obvious, but he has a lot of thehtly reproachful glance at Queen Porenn

"Be nice, Khendon," she et"

"Yes, htened and spoke in a crisp, businesslike ence is crude by our standards, but Brador has the resources to put as ents in the field as he needs Neither Drasnian nor Tolnedran intelligence has that luxury Brador sometimes loses a hundred people in the process, but he can usually get the information" He sniffed disdainfully "I prefer a neater type of operation, personally"

"Then this Brador has operatives in Rak Urga?" Varana pressed

"Almost certainly," Javelin replied "I have four in the Drojim Palace at this time myself--and your Majesty's service has two that I know of''

"I didn't know that," Varana said with an innocent look

"Really?"

Varana laughed "All right," he went on, "ould Zakath do if word reached Mal Zeth that the Kingdoms of the West were about to conclude a an to pace up and down "It's very hard to know exactly what Zakath will do in any given situation," he mused "A lot depends on just how serious his doos and the West would pose a major threat to Mallorea He'd almost have to come back ios before our troops could reinforce theos?" Hettar exclai a real alliance, my Lord Hettar," Kail, the son of the Rivan Warder, told hiive Belgarion the ti on and then fall apart later on"

"Oh," Hettar said, looking a bit abashed, "that's different, then--I suppose"