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Chapter Ten

THE CITY OF THE MIMBRATE ARENDS reared al river Its thick, high walls were surreat towers and slender spires with bright banners at their tips rose within the walls, gleaolden in the afternoon sun"Behold Vo Mimbre," Mandorallen proclaimed with pride, "queen of cities Upon that rock the tide of Angarak crashed and recoiled and crashed again Upon this field met they their ruin The soul and pride of Arendia loth reside within that fortress, and the power of the Dark One ainst it"

"We've been here before, Mandorallen," Mister Wolf said sourly

"Don't be impolite, father," Aunt Pol told the old man Then she turned to Mandorallen and to Garion's amazement she spoke in an idiom he had never heard froht, convey us presently into the palace of thy king? We ency" She delivered this without the least trace of self-consciousness as if the archaic formality cahtiest knight on life, we place ourselves under the protection of thy arm"

Mandorallen, after a startled instant, slid with a crash froara," he replied in a voice throbbing with respect - with reverence even, "I accept thy charge and will convey thee safely unto King Korodullin Should any 's attention, I shall prove his folly upon his body"

Aunt Pol sly, and he vaulted into his saddle with a clang and led the way at a rolling trot, his whole bearing seething with a willingness to do battle

"What was that all about?" Wolf asked

"Mandorallen needed so to take his mind off his troubles," she replied "He's been out of sorts for the last few days"

As they drew closer to the city, Garion could see the scars on the great walls where heavy stones fro rock The battleh above were chipped and pitted from the impact of showers of steel-tipped arrows The stone archway that led into the city revealed the incredible thickness of the walls, and the ironbound gate was h the archway and into the narrow, crooked streets The people they passed seemed for the most part to be commoners, who quickly moved aside The faces of the men in dun-colored tunics and the women in patched dresses were dull and uncurious

"They don't seem very interested in us," Garion commented quietly to Durnik

"I don't think the ordinary people and the gentry pay much attention to each other here," Durnik replied "They live side by side, but they don't know anything about each other Maybe that's what's wrong with Arendia"

Garion nodded soberly

Although the commoners were indifferent, the nobles at the palace seemed afire with curiosity Word of the party's entrance into the city apparently had raced ahead of theh the narrow streets, and the s and parapets of the palace were alive with people in brightly colored clothes