The Seeress of Kell

that brings thee and thy companions to the gates of my keep?"
    "My name I may not reveal, Sir Knight," Garion replied. "There are certain reasons, which I will disclose unto thee in due course. My fellow knight and I are embarked with these diverse companions on a quest of gravest urgency, and we have come here in search of shelter for the night, which shall descend upon us, methinks, within the next few hours." Garion was rather proud of the speech.
    "Thou needst but ask, Sir Knight," the baron said, "for all true knights are compelled by honor, if not by courtesy, to offer aid and shelter to any fellow knight engaged in a quest.”
    "I cannot sufficiently express our gratitude to thee, Sir Astellig. We have, as thou canst see, ladies of quality with us whom the rigors of our journey have sorely fatigued."
    "Let us proceed straightaway to my keep then, Sir Knights.
    Attending to the well-being of ladies is the paramount duty of all men of gentle birth." He wheeled his horse with a grand flourish and led the way up the long hill to his castle with his men close behind him.
    "Elegant," Zakath commented admiringly.
    "I spent some time at Vo Mimbre," Garion told him. "You can pick up their speech after a while. About the only problem with it is that the sentences are so involved that you sometimes lose track of what you're saying before you get to the bottom end of it."
    Baron Astellig led the way across the drawbridge, and they all dismounted in a flagstone courtyard. "My servants will see thee and thy companions to suitable quarters, Sir Knight," he said, "where you may all refresh yourselves. Then, an it please you, join me in the great hall and disclose unto me how I may aid thee in thy noble quest."
    "Thy courtesy is most seemly, my Lord," Garion said. "Be assured that my brother knight and I will join you straightaway, as soon as we have seen to the comfort of the ladies."
    They followed one of the baron's servants to comfortable quarters on the second floor of the main keep.
    "I'm truly amazed at you, Garion," Polgara said. "I didn't mink you had the faintest idea of how to speak a civilized language."
    "Thank you," he said, "I think."
    "Maybe you and Zakath should speak with the baron alone," Belgarath told Garion. "You've covered your own need for anonymity fairly well, but if the rest of us are around, he might start asking for introductions. Feel him out rather carefully. Inquire about local customs, that sort of thing, and ask him about any incidental wars going on." He looked at Zakath. "What's the capital of the island?"
    "Dal Perivor, I think."
    "That's where we'll want to go then. Where is it?"
    "On the other side of the island."
    "Naturally." Silk sighed.
    "You'd better get started," Belgarath told the two armored men. "Don't keep our host waiting."
    "When this is all over, would you consider hiring him out to me?" Zakath asked Garion as the two of them clanked down the hall. "You could make a tidy profit, you know, and I'd have the most efficient government in the world."
    "Do you really want a man who's likely to live forever running your government?” Garion asked in an amused tone. "Not to mention the fact that he's probably more corrupt than Silk and Sadi put together? That is a very bad old man, Kal Zakath. He's wiser than whole generations, and he's got a large number of disgusting habits.”
    "He's your grandfather, Garion," Zakath protested. "How can you talk about him like that?"
    "Truth is truth, your Majesty."
    "You Alorns are a very strange people, my friend."
    "We've never tried to hide that, my friend."
    There was a clicking of toenails from behind, and the she-wolf slipped up between them. "One wonders where you are bound," she said to Garion.
    "One and one's friend go to speak with the master of this house, little sister," he replied.
    "One will accompany you and your friend," she said. "If needful, one may help to prevent missteps."
    "What did she say?" Zakath asked.
    "She's coming along to keep us from making any serious mistakes," Garion said.
    "A wolf?"
    "This is no ordinary wolf, Zakath. I'm beginning to have some suspicions about her.”
    "One is gratified that even a puppy may show some semblance of perception." The wolf sniffed.
    "Thank you," he said. "One is happy to gain approval from one so dearly loved."
    She wagged her tail at him. "One requests, however, that you keep your discovery to yourself."
    "Of course," he promised.
    "What was that all about?" Zakath asked.
    "It's