The Seeress of Kell

""You know, you might be right at that. She has a definite personality, doesn't she?"
    The wolf wagged her tail at him and then loped off.
    "All right, gentlemen," Garion said, loosening Iron-grip's sword in its sheath, "let's go pay these lurking Darshivans a visit."
    "Won't Naradas cause some problems?" Zakath asked, handing his note to Beldin.
    "I certainly hope he tries," Garion replied.
    Naradas, however, proved to no longer be among the Darshivan soldiers hidden in the grove of trees. The skirmish was short, since most of the ambushers seemed to be much better at running than at fighting.
    "Amateurs," Zakath said scornfully, wiping his sword blade on the cloak of one of the fallen.
    "You're getting fairly competent with that, you know?" Garion complimented him.
    “The training I was given when I was young seems to be coming back," Zakath replied modestly.
    "He handles that sword almost the same way Hettar handles his saber, doesn't he?" Silk noted, pulling one of his daggers out of a Darshivan's chest.
    "Much the same," Garion agreed, "and Hettar got his training from Cho-Hag, the finest swordsman in Algaria."
    "Which Taur Urgas discovered the hard way," Silk added.
    "I'd have given a great deal to watch that fight," Zakath said wistfully.
    "So would I," Garion said, "but I was busy somewhere else at the time."
    "Sneaking up on Torak?" Zakath suggested.
    "I don't think 'sneaking' is the right word. He knew I was coming."
    "I'll go get the ladies and Belgarath," Durnik said.
    "Beldin spoke with me," Belgarath told them when he rode up. "Naradas flew out of this grove before you got here. Beldin considered killing him, but he had that parchment in his talons.”
    "What form did he take?" Silk asked. "Naradas, I mean?"
    "A raven," Belgarath said with distaste. "Grolims are always fond of ravens for some reason.”
    Silk suddenly laughed. "Remember the time when Asharak the Murgo changed into a raven on the plain of Arendia, and Polgara called that eagle down to deal with him? It rained black feathers for almost an hour."
    "Who's Asharak the Murgo?" Zakath asked.
    "He was one of Ctuchik's underlings," Belgarath replied.
    "Did the eagle kill him?"
    "No," Silk said. "Garion did that later."
    "With his sword?"
    "No. With his hand."
    "That must have been a mighty blow. Murgos are bulky people."
    "Actually it was only a slap," Garion said. "I set fire to him." He hadn't thought of Asharak in years. Surprisingly, he found that the memory no longer bothered him.
    Zakath was staring at him in horror.
    "He was the one who killed my parents," Garion told him. "The action seemed appropriate. He burned them to death, so I did the same thing to him. Shall we ride on?"
    The tireless she-wolf ranged out ahead of them and located two more groups of ambushers before the sun went down. The survivors of the first, failed ambush had spread the word, however, and as soon as these other two groups of Darshivans saw Garion and his companions bearing down on them, they fled in panic.
    "Disappointing," Sadi said after they had flushed out the second group. He slipped his small, poisoned dagger back into its sheath.
    "I expect that Naradas is going to speak quite firmly with those fellows when he finds out that he's gone to all this trouble for nothing," Silk added gaily. "He'll probably sacrifice a goodly number of them just as soon as he can find an altar.”
    They met the men of Zakath's imperial garrison from Lengha about noon the following day. The commander of the garrison rode forward and stared at Zakath in some amazement. "Your Imperial Majesty," he said, "is that really you?"
    Zakath rubbed at his black beard, "Oh, you mean this, Colonel?" He laughed. "It was the suggestion of that old man over there." He pointed at Belgarath. "We didn't want people to recognize me, and my face is stamped on every coin in Mallorea. Did you have any trouble on your way north?"
    "Nothing worth mentioning, your Majesty. We encountered a dozen or so groups of Darshivan soldiers usually hiding in clumps of trees. We encircled each clump, and they all surrendered immediately. They're very good at surrendering."
    "They run quite well, too, we’ve noticed." Zakath smiled.
    The colonel looked at his emperor a bit hesitantly. "I hope you won't be offended at my saying this, your Majesty, but you seem to have changed since the last time I was in Mal Zeth."
    "Oh?"
    "I’ve never seen you under arms, for one thing.”
    "Troubled times, Colonel. Troubled