The Seeress of Kell

dangerous. She hinted at the fact that it's a man-eater."
    "What does it look like?"
    "She hasn't seen it. She's smelled it, though, and seen its tracks."
    "I'll watch for it."
    "Good idea." Garion turned and rode back to where Belgarath and Aunt Pol were deep in a discussion.
    "Durnik needs a tower somewhere in the Vale," Belgarath was saying.
    "I don't see why, father," Polgara replied.
    "All of Aldur's disciples have towers, Pol. It's the custom."
    "Old customs persist—even when there's no longer any need for them."
    "He's going to need to study, Pol. How can he possibly study with you underfoot all the time?"
    She gave him a long, chilly stare.
    "Maybe I should rephrase that."
    "Take as long as you need, father. I'm willing to wait."
    "Grandfather," Garion said, reining in. "I was just talking with the wolf, and she says there's a very large animal out in the forest."
    "A bear maybe?"
    "I don't think so. She's caught its scent a few times, and she'd probably recognize the smell of a bear, wouldn't she?"
    "I'd think so, yes."
    "She didn't say it exactly, but I got the impression that it's not too selective about what it eats." He paused. "Is it my imagination, or is she a very strange wolf?"
    "How do you mean, exactly?"
    "She stretches the language about as far as it will go, and I get the feeling that she still has more to say."
    "She's intelligent, that's all. It's an uncommon trait in females, but it's not unheard of."
    "What a fascinating turn this conversation has taken," Polgara observed.
    "Oh," the old man said blandly, "are you still here, Pol? I thought you'd have found something else to do by now."
    Her gaze was icy, but Belgarath seemed totally unperturbed. "I’d better warn the others," he told Garion. "A wolf would pass an ordinary animal without comment. Whatever this thing is, it's unusual, and unusual usually means dangerous. Tell Ce'Nedra to get up here among the rest of us. She's a bit vulnerable trailing along behind the way she is." He considered it. "Don't say anything to alarm her, but have Liselle ride in the carriage with her."
    "Liselle?"
    "The blond girl. The one with the dimples."
    "I know who she is, Grandfather. Wouldn't Durnik—or maybe Toth—be a better idea?"
    "No. If either of them got in the carriage with Ce'Nedra, she'd know something was wrong, and that might frighten her. An animal who's hunting can smell fear. Let's not expose her to that kind of danger. Liselle's very well trained, and she's probably got two or three daggers hidden in various places." He grinned slyly. "I'd imagine Silk could tell you where they are," he added.
    "Father!" Polgara gasped.
    "You mean you didn't know, Pol? My goodness, how unobservant of you."
    "One for your side," Garion noted.
    "I'm glad you liked it." Belgarath smirked at Polgara.
    Garion turned Chretienne so that his aunt would not see his smile. They took a bit more care setting up camp that night, choosing a small grove of aspens backed by a steep cliff and with a deep mountain river at its front. As the sun sank into the eternal snowfields above them and twilight filled the ravines and gorges with azure shadows, Beldin returned from his wide-ranging vigil. "Isn't it a bit early to be stopping?" he rasped after he had shimmered and changed.
    "The horses are tired," Belgarath replied, casting a sidelong glance at Ce'Nedra.
    "This is a very steep trail."
    "Wait a bit," Beldin told him, limping toward the fire. "It gets steeper on up ahead."
    "What happened to your foot?"
    "I had a little disagreement with an eagle—stupid birds, eagles. He couldn't tell the difference between a hawk and a pigeon. I had to educate him. He bit me while I was tearing out a sizable number of his wing feathers.''
    "Uncle," Polgara said reproachfully.
    "He started it."
    "Are there any soldiers coming up behind us?" Belgarath asked him.
    "Some Darshivans. They're two or three days behind, though. Urvon's army is retreating. Now that he and Nahaz are gone, there's not much point in their staying."
    "That gets at least some of the troops off our backs," Silk said.
    "Don't be too quick to start gloating," Beldin told him. "With the Guardsmen and the Karands gone, the Darshivans are free to concentrate on us."
    "That's true, I suppose. Do you think they know we're here?"
    "Zandramas does, and I don't think she'd hide the information from her soldiers. You'll probably hit snow sometime late tomorrow. You might want to be thinking about some way to hide your