Guardians of the West

disaster."
    "You said was," Durnik noted.
    "Right. Noragon's indigestion proved fatal. It is widely suspected that some splendid Horbite sympathizer used certain exotic condiments that come from the jungles of Nyissa to season the Grand Duke's last lunch. The symptoms, I understand, were quite spectacular. The Honeths are in total disarray, and the other families are gloating outrageously."
    "Tolnedran politics are disgusting," Polgara declared.
    "Our Prince Kheldar appears to be well on his way toward becoming the wealthiest man in the world," Belgarath continued.
    "Silk?" Durnik looked a bit amazed. "Has he managed to steal that much already?"
    "I gather that what he's doing is sort of legitimate this time," Belgarath said. "He and that rascal Yarblek have somehow managed to gain control of the entire Nadrak fur harvest. I wasn't able to get all the details, but the screams of anguish coming from the major commercial houses in Boktor would seem to indicate that our friends are doing rather well."
    "I'm pleased to hear that," Durnik said.
    "That's probably because you haven't been in the market for a fur cape lately " Belgarath chuckled. "The price has taken quite a jump, I understand." The old man rocked back in his chair. "In Cthol Murgos, your friend Kal Zakath is methodically butchering his way down the east coast. He's added Rak Cthan and Rak Hagga to the list of cities he's captured and depopulated. I'm not too fond of Murgos, but it's just possible that Zakath is going a little too far."
    "Kal Zakath?" Polgara asked with one eyebrow slightly raised.
    "An affectation." Belgarath shrugged.
    "More likely a symptom," she observed. "Angarak rulers always seem to be unstable in one way or another." She turned to look at her father. "Well?"
    "Well what?"
    "Have you heard anything from Riva? How are Garion and Ce'Nedra doing?"
    "I haven't heard a sound -oh, a few official things. 'The Rivan King is pleased to announce the appointment of Earl what's-his-name as Rivan ambassador to the Kingdom of Drasnia.' That sort of thing, but nothing in the least bit personal."
    "We are sure he knows how to write, aren't we?" she demanded exasperatedly. "I'm sure that he's not so busy that he hasn't had the time to write at least one letter in the last two years."
    "He did," Errand said quietly. He might not have mentioned the letter, but it seemed very important to Polgara.
    She looked at him sharply. "What did you say?" she asked.
    "Belgarion wrote to you last winter," Errand said. "The letter got lost, though, when the ship his messenger was aboard sank."
    "If the ship sank, then how do you-"
    "Pol," Belgarath said in a tone that seemed uncharacteristically firm, "why don't you let me handle this?" He turned to Errand. "You say that Garion wrote a letter to Polgara last winter?"
    "Yes," Errand said.
    "But that the letter was lost when the messenger's ship sank?"
    Errand nodded.
    "Why didn't he write another one then?"
    "He doesn't know that the ship sank."
    "But you do?"
    Errand nodded again.
    "Do you by any chance know what the letter said?"
    "Yes."
    "Do you suppose you could recite it for us?"
    "I guess I could, if you want. Belgarion's going to write another one in a week or so, though."
    Belgarath gave him a strange look. "Why don't you tell us what the first one said? That way we won't miss anything."
    "All right," Errand agreed. He frowned, concentrating very hard. "He started out by saying, 'Dear Aunt Pol and Durnik.' I think that's sort of nice, don't you?"
    "Just recite the letter, Errand," Belgarath said patiently. "Save the comments for later."
    "All right." Errand stared thoughtfully into the fire.
    "'I'm sorry I haven't written earlier,"' he recited, "'but I've been terribly busy learning how to be a good king. It's easy enough to be King -all you need is to be born into the right family. To be a good king is harder, though. Brand helps me as much as he can, but I still have to make a lot of decisions about things that I don't really understand.
    "Ce'Nedra is well -at least I think so. We're hardly talking to each other any more, so it's kind of hard to say for sure. Brand is a bit concerned that we haven't had any children yet, but I don't think he needs to worry. So far as I can tell, we're never going to have any children, and maybe it's just as well. I really think we should have gotten to know each other a little better before we got married. I'm sure that there's some way that we could have called it off. Now