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"Perhaps they have soested

"What possible reason could they have to be negotiating with the Murgos?"

"I don't know" Silk spread his hands "I wasn't there when theythey wanted"

Belgarath continued to swear

About a half-hour later, they adjourned to the dining room and took seats near one end of a table that could easily have accommodated a half a hundred The linen was snohite, the knives and forks were solid silver, and the porcelain plates were edged in gold The service was exquisite, and the meal was of banquet proportions

"I ered over dessert "He appears to be a man of talent"

"I should hope so," Silk replied "He's costing h"

"I'd say you can afford it," Durnik noted, looking around at the luxurious furnishings

Silk leaned back in his chair, toying with the steoblet "It doesn't really make much sense to maintain a place like this when I only come here about twice a year," he aduess"

"Doesn't Yarblek use it, too?" Garion asked hiree as he stays out of Melcena He doesn't really fit in here, and he insists on taking Vella with hioes Vella really shocks the Melcenes"

"She's a good wench, though," Beldin said, grinning "When this is all over, I !" Ce'Nedra flared

"What did I say?" Beldin looked contused

"She's not a cow, you know"

"No If I wanted a cow, I'd buy a cow"

"'You can't just buy people"

"Of course you can," he said "She's a Nadrak woman She'd be insulted if I didn't try to buy her"

"Just be careful of her knives, uncle," Polgara cautioned "She's very quick with theed "Everybody has a few bad habits"

Garion did not sleep well h the bed he shared with Ce'Nedra was deep and soft At first he thought that round for weeks now, and it seemed reasonable that he was just not used to a soft bed Aboutto do with his sleeplessness Ti with Zandramas marched toward him with a measured, unstoppable pace He still knew littleHe was, to be sure, closer to her than he had been at the start--no more than a week at most behind, if the reports were correct--but he was still trailing after her and he still did not knohere she was leading him Darkly, he muttered a few choice oaths at the madman who had written the Mrin Codex Why did it all have to be so cryptic? Why couldn't it have been written in plain language?

"Because if it had been, half the world would be waiting for you when you got to the place of the ,'' the dry voice in his mind told him "You're not the only one ants to find the Sardion, you know"

"I thought you 'd left for good''

"Oh, no, I'm still around"