Sorceress of Darshiva

restlessly for a while and then finally dropped off. The following morning they all slept late, and Garion emerged from the curtained-off compartment he shared with Ce'Nedra to find Silk pacing up and down restlessly.
    "Finally," the little man said with some relief. "I thought everybody was going to sleep till noon."
    "What's your problem?" Garion asked him.
    "I need somebody to talk to, that's all."
    "Lonesome?"
    "No. Edgy. Zakath's probably going to show up today. Do you suppose we ought to wake Belgarath?"
    "Why?"
    "To find out if Beldin's come up with a way to get us out of here, naturally."
    "You worry too much."
    "My, aren't we complacent this morning?" Silk snapped.
    "Not really, but there's not much point in chewing off all our fingernails over something that's out of our hands, is there?"
    "Garion, why don't you go back to bed?"
    "I thought you were lonesome."
    "Not that lonesome."
    "Has Atesca come by this morning?"
    "No. He's probably fairly busy. He's going to have some sort of campaign mapped out by thie time Zakath gets here.'' The little man flung himself into one of the folding chairs. ‘‘No matter what Beldin comes up with, we're very likely to have at least a regiment hot on our heels when we ride out of here," he predicted, "and I hate being chased."
    "We've had people chasing us ever since the night we left Faldor's farm. You should be used to it by now."
    "Oh, I am, Garion. I still don't like it, though."
    Perhaps an hour or so later, the others began to wake up, and not long after that, the same red-garbed soldiers brought them breakfast. The two men were the only people they had seen since they had been confined in the pavilion. They spent the rest of the morning in desultory conversation. By unspoken agreement, no one mentioned their present situation.
    About noon, General Atesca entered the tent. "His Imperial Majesty will arrive shortly," he announced. "His ships are approaching the docks."
    "Thank you, General," Belgaratb replied.
    Atesca bowed stiffly and went back out.
    Polgara rose to her feet. "Come along, ladies," she said to Ce'Nedra and Velvet. "Let's go make ourselves presentable."
    Sadi looked down at his plain tunic and hose. "Hardly suitable for an imperial audience," he said. "Do you think we ought to change?"
    "Why bother?" Belgarath shrugged. "Let's not give Zakath the impression that we take him seriously.''
    "Don't we?"
    "Maybe, but we don't need to let him know about it."
    Not much later, the Emperor of Mallorea entered with General Atesca and the Chief of the Bureau of Internal Affairs. As was his custom, Zakath wore a plain linen robe, but he had a scarlet military cape draped across his shoulders. His eyes were once again melancholy, and his pallid lips expressionless. "Good day, your Majesty," he said to Garion in a flat, emotionless tone. "You've been well, I trust?"
    "Tolerably, your Majesty," Garion replied. If Zakath wanted formality, Garion would give him formality.
    "Your extensive travels must have been fatiguing," Zakath said in that same flat tone, "particularly for the ladies. I'll see to it that your return journey to Mal Zeth is made in easy stages."
    "Your Majesty is very kind, but we're not going back to Mal Zeth."
    "You're wrong, Belgarion. You are going back to Mal Zeth."
    "Sorry. I've got a pressing engagement elsewhere."
    "I'll convey your regrets to Zandramas when I see her."
    "I'm sure she'd be overjoyed to hear that I'm not coming."
    "Not for very long, she won't. I fully intend to have her burned as a witch."
    "Good luck, your Majesty, but I don't think you'll find that she's very combustible."
    "Aren't you gentlemen being just a little silly?" Polgara asked then. She had changed into a blue dress and she sat at a table, calmly mending a pair of Eriond's socks.
    "Silly?" Zakath snapped, his eyes suddenly flashing.
    "You're still friends and you both know it. Now stop behaving like a couple of schoolboys."
    "I think you go too far, Lady Polgara," Zakath told her in a frigid tone.
    "Really?" she replied. "I thought I'd described the situation rather accurately. You're not going to put Garion in chains, and he's not going to turn you into a radish, so stop trying to bully each other."
    "I think we can continue this discussion some other time," Zakath said curtly. He bowed slightly to Polgara and left the tent.
    "Wasn't that perhaps a trifle abrupt, Lady Polgara?" Sadi asked her.
    "I don't think so," she replied. "It cut through a lot of nonsense."