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The steely ring of sword on sword echoed through Korodullin's throne rooainst edge With huge blows, Mandorallen smashed at a second ht's shield, and the h his ar froh his body

Barak, with a deft backswing of his war axe, caved in the side of the burly knight's helht half spun and fell to the floor Hettar feinted a quick reen-arht stiffened as the sabre ran into his brain

As the ed across the polished floor, the nobles and ladies scurried this way and that to avoid being overrun by the struggling hts were systematically destroyed before his eyes Then, quite suddenly he turned and fled

"He's getting away!" Garion shouted, but Hettar was already in pursuit, his dreadful face and blood-s ladies out of his path as he ran to cut off Nachak's flight The Murgo had al strides carried hih the crowd to block the doorway With a cry of despair, the ambassador yanked his sword froe, o raised his sword, Hettar flicked his sabre al him once on each shoulder Nachak desperately tried to raise his numbed arms to protect his head, but Hettar's blade dropped low instead Then, with a peculiar fluid grace, the grih Garion saw the sabre blade co sharply upward The aripped Hettar's wrist with both hands, but the hawk-facedthe sharp, curved blade inside the Murgo's body Nachak groaned and shuddered horribly Then his hands slipped off Hettar's wrist and his legs buckled under hi limply off Hettar's blade

Chapter Eleven

A MOMENT OF DREADFUL SILENCE filled the throne roo the death of Nachak Then the two uard ere still on their feet threw their weapons down on the bloodspattered floor with a sudden clatter Mandorallen raised his visor and turned toward the throne "Sire," he said respectfully, "the treachery of Nachak stands proved by reason of this trial at arret is that thy enthusias this cause hath deprived us of the opportunity to probe more deeply into the full extent of Nachak's duplicity"

"I expect that the plots he hatched will dry up once word of what happened here gets around," Mister Wolf observed

"Perhaps so," the king acknowledged "I would have pursued the matter further, however I would know if this villainy was Nachak's own or if I htfully, then shook his head as if to put certain dark speculations aside "Arendia stands in thy debt, Ancient Belgarath This brave cootten" He looked sadly at the blood-s it "My throne room hath become as a battlefield The curse of Arendia extends even here" He sighed "Have it cleansed," he ordered shortly and turned his head so that he would not have to watch the grian to buzz as the dead were removed and the polished stone floor was quickly ht," Barak commented as he carefully wiped his axe blade

"I aravely "Thy aid was fortuitous"

Barak shrugged "It seemed appropriate"

Hettar rejoined therim satisfaction

"You did a nice job on Nachak," Barak complimented hios always seeht I think there's a gap in their training soested with vast insincerity