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Just before they reached the barricade and the alar behind it, they veered sharply to the left, then galloped around the obstruction and back onto the road

"After them!" a black-robed Grolim screamed at the startled troops "Don't let them escape!"

Garion rode on past the soldiers' picketed horses, then wheeled Chretienne around He charged back with the others close on his heels and rode full into the face of the confused Darshivans He did not really want to kill any of diem, so he laid about hie He put three of theh their ranks; behind him he could hear the sound of blows and cries of pain The Grolim rose before hi in his will He did not falter, but siain Toth was laying about hi in helmets with the butt Of his axe Zakath, however, was leaned far over in his saddle He had no weapon in his hand but rather was s his metal-clad fist into the faces of the Darshivan soldiers The glove appeared to be quite effective

Then, from where the soldiers' horses were picketed, there ca and snarling at the horses They lunged back in panic, the picket rope snapped, and they fled

"Let's go!" Garion shouted to his friends, and they galloped once again through the center of the Darshivans and on down the road to rejoin Polgara, Ce'Nedra, Velvet, and Eriond Belgarath loped after theed into his own form and walked back to his horse

"It seems to have worked more or less the e'd planned," Zakath noted He was panting, and his forehead was deith sweat "I seeh," he added

"Too ot on your hand?"

"It's called a cestus," the Mallorean replied, pulling it off "I'ht work just as well--particularly since Belgarath wanted to keep down the fatalities"

"Did we kill anybody?" Durnik asked

"Two," Sadi ader "It's a little hard to unpoison a knife"

"And one other," Silk told the s up behind you with a spear, so I threw a knife at hiet out of here"

They continued at a gallop for several ain They took shelter ht in a sizable stand of dead trees Durnik and Toth dug a shallow pit and built a small fire in it After the tents were pitched, Garion and Zakath walked to the edge of the trees to keep watch on the road

"Is it always like this?" Zakath asked quietly

"Like what?"

"All this sneaking and hiding?"

"Usually Belgarath tries to avoid trouble whenever he can He doesn't like to risk people in random skir that happened thisSilk--and Sadi, too, for that ht spots" He sroup of soldiers with a pouchful of brass Mallorean halfpennies"

"But they're virtually worthless"

"That's what Silk said, but ere quite a ways past the soldiers before they opened the pouch"

Then they heard a chilling howl

"A wolf?" Zakath asked "Belgarath again?"