King of The Murgos

knows? I don't go looking for Malloreans. You don't really want to go into the forest, though. All this killing has stirred up the Raveners."
    "Raveners? What's that?"
    "Ghouls. They feed on dead bodies most of the time, but I've heard some very ugly stories lately. I'd make a special point of staying out of the forest, my friend."
    "We might have to keep that in mind. Thanks for the information. Good luck when you get to Rak Cthaka, and I hope you make it back to Camaar."
    "Right now, I'd settle for Tol Honeth. Tolnedran jails aren't really all that bad."
    Silk grinned at him quickly, turned his horse, and led Garion away from the road at a gallop to rejoin the others.
    That afternoon they forded the River Cthaka some leagues upstream from the coast. The drizzle slackened as evening approached, though the sky remained cloudy. Once they had reached the far side of the river, they could see the irregular, dark shape of the edge of the Great Southern Forest, looming up beyond perhaps a league of open grassland.
    "Shall we try for it?" Silk asked.
    "Let's wait," Belgarath decided. "I'm just a little concerned about what that fellow you talked with said. I'm not sure I want any surprises—particularly in the dark."
    "There's a willow thicket downstream a ways," Durnik said, pointing at a fair-sized grove of spindly trees bordering the river a half mile or so to the south. "Toth and I can pitch the tents there."
    "All right," Belgarath agreed.
    "How far is it to Verkat now, Grandfather?" Garion asked as they rode down along the rain-swollen river toward the willows.
    "According to the map, it's about fifty leagues to the southeast before we reach the coast opposite the island. Then we'll have to find a boat to get us across."
    Garion sighed.
    "Don't get discouraged," Belgarath told him. "We're making better time than I'd originally expected, and Zandramas can't run forever. There's only so much land in the world. Sooner or later we'll chase her down."
    As Durnik and Toth pitched the tents, Garion and Eriond ranged out through the sodden willow thicket in search of firewood. It was difficult to find anything sufficiently dry to burn, and the effort of an hour yielded only enough twigs and small branches from under fallen trees to make a meager cook fire for Polgara. As she began to prepare their evening meal of beans and venison, Garion noted that Sadi was walking about their campsite, combing the ground with his eyes. "This isn't funny, dear," he said quite firmly. "Now you come out this very minute."
    "What's the matter?" Durnik asked him.
    "Zith isn't in her bottle," Sadi replied, still searching.
    Durnik rose from where he was sitting quite rapidly. "Are you sure?"
    "She thinks it's amusing to hide from me sometimes. Now, you come out immediately, you naughty snake."
    "You probably shouldn't tell Silk," Belgarath advised. "He'll go directly into hysterics if he finds out that she's loose." The old man looked around. "Where is he, by the way?"
    "He and Liselle went for a walk," Eriond told him.
    "In all this wet? Sometimes I wonder about him."
    Ce'Nedra came over and sat on the log beside Garion. He put his arm about her shoulders and drew her close to him. She snuggled down and sighed. "I wonder what Geran is doing tonight," she said wistfully.
    "Sleeping, probably."
    "He always looked so adorable when he was asleep." She sighed again and then closed her eyes.
    There was a crashing back in the willows, and Silk suddenly ran into the circle of firelight, his eyes very wide and his face deathly pale.
    "What's the matter?" Durnik exclaimed.
    "She had that snake in her bodice!" Silk blurted.
    "Who did?"
    "Liselle!"
    Polgara, holding a ladle in one hand, turned to regard the violently trembling little man with one raised eyebrow. "Tell me, Prince Kheldar," she said in a cool voice, "exactly what were you doing in the Margravine Liselle's bodice?"
    Silk endured that steady gaze for a moment; then he actually began to blush furiously.
    "Oh," she said, "I see." She turned back to her cooking.
    It was past midnight, and Garion was not sure what it was that had awakened him. He moved slowly to avoid waking Ce'Nedra and carefully parted the tentflap to look out. A dense, clinging fog had arisen from the river, and all that he could see was a curtain of solid, dirty white. He lay quietly, straining his ears to catch any sound.
    From somewhere off in the fog, he heard a faint clinking sound; it took him a moment to identify it.