King of The Murgos

years. He trusts you, my dear Kheldar—you must never think that he doesn't trust you— but he does sort of want somebody to keep an eye on you." She frowned. "I think that he's going to be quite cross when he hears about your midnight visits to the Honeth family."
    "You know the rules, Liselle," Silk replied. "Bethra was one of our people. We don't let those things go."
    "Naturally not. But Javelin prefers to order that sort of retaliation personally. Your somewhat hasty vengeance has robbed him of that opportunity. You're just too independent, Silk. He's right, you know. You do need to be watched." She pursed her lips slightly. "I must admit, though, that it was a very nice job."
    "Now you listen to me, young lady," Belgarath said hotly. "I am not conducting a guided tour for the benefit of the Drasnian spy network."
    She gave him a disarming little smile and fondly patted his bearded cheek. "Oh, come now, Belgarath," she said, her soft brown eyes appealing, "do be reasonable. Wouldn't it be more civilized—and convenient—to have me in your party rather than trailing along behind you? I am going to follow my orders, Revered One, whether you like it or not."
    "Why is it that I have to be surrounded by women who won't do as they're told?"
    Her eyes went very wide. "Because we love you, Immortal One," she explained outrageously. "You're the answer to every maiden's dreams, and we follow you out of blind devotion."
    "That's about enough of that, Miss," he said ominously. "You're not going with us, and that's final."
    "You know," the dry voice in Garion's mind mused, "I think I've finally isolated the difficulty I've always had with Belgarath. It's his pure, pigheaded contrariness. He doesn't really have any reason for these arbitrary decisions of his. He just does it to irritate me."
    "Do you mean that she's supposed to go along?" Garion blurted, so startled that he said it aloud.
    "Of course she is. Why do you think I went to all the trouble to get her to Tol Honeth before you all left. Go ahead and tell him."
    Belgarath's expression, however, clearly showed that Garion's inadvertent exclamation had already told him that he had just been overruled. "Another visitation, I take it?" he said in a slightly sick tone of voice.
    "Yes, Grandfather," Garion said. "I'm afraid so."
    "She goes along then?"
    Garion nodded.
    "I love to watch his expression when he loses one of these arguments," the dry voice said smugly.
    Polgara began to laugh.
    "What's so funny, Pol?" Belgarath demanded.
    "Nothing, father," she replied innocently.
    He suddenly threw his hands into the air. "Go ahead," he said in exasperation. "Invite all of Tol Honeth to come along. I don't care."
    "Oh, father," Polgara said to him, "stop trying to be such a curmudgeon."
    "Curmudgeon? Pol, you watch your tongue."
    "That's really very difficult, father, and it makes one look ridiculous. Now, I think we should make a few plans. While the rest of us are changing clothes and packing, why don't you and Garion go explain to Varana that we're going to have to leave. Think up some suitable excuse. I don't know that we necessarily want him to know about Silk's nocturnal activities." She looked at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Durnik and Eriond and Toth will see to the horses, of course," she mused, "and I have a rather special little job for you, Prince Kheldar."
    "Oh?"
    "Go wash—thoroughly."
    "I suppose I should have my clothes laundered as well," he noted, looking down at his garbage-saturated doublet and hose.
    "No, Silk. Not laundered—burned."
    "We can't leave tonight, Lady Polgara," Ce'Nedra said. "All the gates of the city are locked, and the legionnaires won't open them for anybody—except on the Emperor's direct orders."
    "I can get us out of the city," Velvet said confidently.
    "How are you going to manage that?" Belgarath asked her.
    "Trust me."
    "I wish people wouldn't keep saying that to me."
    "Oh, by the way," she continued, "I saw an old friend of ours today. A large group of Honeths were riding toward the south gate." She looked over at Silk. "You really must have frightened them, Kheldar. They had whole battalions of their soldiers drawn up around them to keep you at a distance. Anyway, riding right in the middle of them and looking every inch a Tolnedran gentleman was the Mallorean, Harakan."
    "Well, well," Silk said. "Isn't that interesting?"
    "Prince Kheldar," Velvet said pleasantly, "please do go visit the baths—or at the very least, don't