King of The Murgos

splashing beside them. After a few hundred yards, the ravine angled sharply to the left; farther along, it twisted back to the right again and opened out into a wooded basin. The brook they had been following upstream spilled out over the edge of a steep limestone cliff above the basin to fall as a misty spray into a pond at the upper end of the little canyon.
    "Very nice, Durnik," Polgara congratulated her husband. "And that pond really didn't have anything at all to do with your choice, did it?"
    "Well—" he said.
    She laughed a rich, warm laugh, leaned across, and kissed him lightly. "It's all right, Durnik," she said, "but first we'll need shelter. Then you can see if the pond is occupied."
    "Oh, it is, Pol," he assured her. "I saw one jumping." He hesitated. "I mean—well, I just happened to notice it in passing, is all."
    "Of course, dear."
    He lowered his head slightly, much like an abashed schoolboy, but Garion could see the faint flicker of a smile playing about the smith's lips. It was almost with a shock that he realized that his plain, honest friend was far more devious than he sometimes appeared. Since Polgara enjoyed catching him in these little subterfuges so much, Durnik often arranged things so that she could catch him—just for the sake of the pleasure it gave her.
    They set the tents back under the trees, not too far from the edge of the pond. As usual, the chore of gathering firewood fell to Garion and Eriond while Durnik and Toth put up the tents. Also, as usual, Silk and Belgarath disappeared until all the work was completed. Sadi sat chatting with Velvet and Ce'Nedra, and his contralto voice seemed somehow as feminine as theirs.
    As Polgara began to busy herself with supper, Durnik looked critically around at the campsite. "I guess that's about it," he said.
    "Yes, dear," Polgara agreed.
    "Do you need anything else?"
    "No, dear."
    "Well, I suppose—" He glanced toward the pond.
    "Go ahead, Durnik," she told him. "Just be sure to come back when supper's ready."
    "Are you coming, Toth?" Durnik asked his friend.
    As evening darkened their concealed basin, and the stars came out in the velvety sky overhead, they gathered about the fire and ate a supper consisting of lightly grilled lamb, steamed vegetables, and dark bread, all drawn from the supplies Vard had pressed upon them before they had left the village near the beach.
    "A meal fit for a king, Lady Polgara," Sadi said expansively, leaning back.
    "Yes," Garion murmured.
    Sadi laughed. "I keep forgetting," he said. "You're such an unassuming fellow, Belgarion. If you asserted yourself a bit, people might take more note of your royalty."
    "I couldn't agree more, Sadi," Ce'Nedra said.
    "I'm not sure that's such a good idea at the moment," Garion told them. "Just now, I don't really want that kind of recognition."
    Silk rose from the place where he had been sitting.
    "Where are you going, Kheldar?" Velvet asked him.
    "I'm going to have a look around," he replied. "I'll give you a full report when I come back, so that you can make note of it in the document you're preparing for Javelin."
    "You're not taking this situation well at all, Prince Kheldar."
    "I just don't like being spied on."
    "Try to look at it as a friendly concern for your welfare. It's not really spying, if you consider it in that light, is it?"
    "It amounts to the same thing, Liselle."
    "Of course, but it doesn't seem quite so unpleasant that way, now does it?"
    "Very clever."
    "I thought so myself. Try not to get lost out there."
    He went off into the darkness muttering to himself.
    "How long do you think the soldiers will keep searching, Grandfather?" Garion asked.
    The old man scratched absently at his bearded chin. "It's hard to say," he replied. "Malloreans don't have the same kind of brainless tenacity that Murgos do; but if the orders came from someone with enough authority, they probably won't give up until they've at least gone through the motions of making a thorough search."
    "Several days, then?"
    "At least."
    "And all the time Zandramas is getting farther and farther ahead of us with my son."
    "I'm afraid that can't be helped."
    "Don't you think the slavers' robes would deceive them, Belgarath?" Sadi asked.
    "I don't believe I want to take the chance. Murgos have seen Nyissan slavers moving around down here for so many years that they don't give them a second glance. Malloreans are probably more alert—besides, we don't know exactly what they're looking for. For