Sorceress of Darshiva

"What's the matter, dear?" he asked her.
    "She didn't have Geran with her," the little queen murmured sadly.
    "Zandramas. you mean? No, she didn't, did she?"
    "Was she really there, Garion?"
    "In a way, but in a way she wasn't. It was sort of the way Cyradis was here and not here at the same time."
    "I don't understand."
    "It was more man a projection, but less than actually being there. We talked it over last night, and Beldin explained it. I didn't understand very much of what he said.
    Beldin's explanations get a little obscure sometimes."
    "He's very wise, isn't he?"
    Garion nodded. "But he's not a very good teacher. He gets impatient with people who can't keep up with him. Anyway, this business of being somewhere between a projection and the real thing makes Zandramas very dangerous. We can't hurt her, but she can hurt us. She came very close to killing you yesterday, you know—until Poledra stopped her. She's very much afraid of Poledra."
    "That's the first time I've ever seen your grandmother."
    "No, actually it's not. She was there at Aunt Pol's wedding, remember? And she helped us in Ulgoland when we had to fight the Eldrak."
    "But one time she was an owl, and the other time she was a wolf."
    "In Poledra's case, I don't think that really matters."
    Ce'Nedra suddenly laughed.
    "What's so funny?"
    "When this is all over and we're back home with our baby, why don't you change into a wolf for a while?" she suggested.
    "Why?"
    "It might be nice having a big gray wolf lying before the fire. And then on cold nights, I could burrow my feet into your fur to keep them warm."
    He gave her a long steady look.
    "I'd scratch your ears for you, Garion," she offered by way of inducement, "and get you nice bones from die kitchen to chew on."
    "Never mind," he said flatly.
    "But my feet get cold."
    "I've noticed."
    Just ahead of them as they rode up through a shady mountain pass, Silk and Sadi were engaged in a heated discussion. "Absolutely not," Silk said vehemently.
    "I really think you're being unreasonable about this, Kheldar," Sadi protested. The eunuch had discarded his iridescent silk robe and now wore western-style tunic and hose and stout boots. "You have the distribution system already in place, and I have access to unlimited supplies. We could make millions."
    "Forget it, Sadi. I won't deal in drugs."
    "You deal in everything else, Kheldar. There's a market out there just waiting to be tapped. Why let scruples stand in the way of business?"
    "You're Nyissan, Sadi. Drugs are a part of your culture, so you wouldn't understand."
    "Lady Polgara uses drugs when she treats the sick," Sadi pointed out defensively.
    "That's different."
    "I don't see how."
    "I could never explain it to you."
    Sadi sighed. "I'm very disappointed in you, Kheldar. You're a spy, an assassin, and a thief. You cheat at dice, you counterfeit money, and you're unscrupulous with married women. You swindle your customers outrageously and you soak up ale like a sponge. You're the most corrupt man I've ever known, but you refuse to transport a few harmless little compounds that would make your customers very happy."
    "A man has to draw the line somewhere," Silk replied loftily.
    Velvet shifted in her saddle to look back at them. "That was one of the more fascinating conversations I've ever heard, gentlemen," she complimented them. "The implications in the field of comparative morality are absolutely staggering." She gave them a sunny smile with her dimples flashing into view.
    "Uh—Margravine Liselle," Sadi said. "Do you happen to have Zith again?"
    "Why, yes, Sadi, as a matter of fact, I do." The honey-blond girl held up one hand to head off his objections. "But I didn't steal her this time. She crawled into my tent in the middle of the night and crept into her favorite hiding place all on her own. The poor dear was actually shivering."
    Silk turned slightly pale.
    "Would you like to have her back?" Velvet asked the shaved-headed eunuch.
    "No," Sadi sighed, rubbing his hand over his scalp, "I suppose not. As long as she's happy where she is, we might as well leave her there."
    "She's very happy. In fact, she's purring." Velvet frowned slightly. "I think you should watch her diet just a bit, Sadi," she said critically. "Her little tummy seems to be getting bigger." She smiled again. "We wouldn't want a fat snake on our hands, would we?"
    "Well, excuse me!" Sadi said, sounding very offended.
    There was a large snag at the top of the pass, and the