The Seeress of Kell

get the others?" Garion asked.
    "No. They'd all want to go along, and that'd only start an argument. We'll leave a note."
    "Again?"
    "These repetitions are cropping up more and more regularly, aren't they?"
    "Let's hope Aunt Pol doesn't react the same way this time."
    "What are you two talking about?" Zakath asked.
    "Silk, Grandfather, and I slipped out of Riva when we went to meet Torak," Garion explained. "We left a note, but Aunt Pol didn't take it too well. As I understand it, there was a lot of swearing and a number of explosions.”
    "Lady Polgara? She's the very soul of gentility."
    "Don't be deceived, Zakath," Belgarath told him. "Pol's got a vile temper when things don't go the way she wants them to go."
    "It must be a family trait," Zakath said blandly.
    "Are you trying to be funny? You two go down to the stables. Tell the grooms to saddle, our horses and find out where this village is. I want to talk with Cyradis a moment before we leave. I'm going to get some straight answers out of that girl. I'll join you in the courtyard in a few minutes."
    It was perhaps ten minutes later when they mounted. Garion and Zakath took their lances from the rack at the stable wall, and then the three of them rode out of the palace compound. "Any luck with Cyradis?" Garion asked Belgarath.
    "Some. She told me that the dragon out there is not Zandramas."
    "It's the real one then?"
    "Probably. She got cryptic on me then, though. She said that there's some other spirit influencing the dragon. That means you'll both have to be very careful. The dragon's very stupid normally, but if some spirit's guiding her, she might be a bit more perceptive."
    A shadow slunk from a dark side street. It was the she-wolf. "How is it with you, little sister?" Garion greeted her formally. At the last instant, he avoided calling her "Grandmother. “
    "One is content," she replied. "You go to hunt. One will accompany you."
    "One must advise you that the creature we seek is not fit for eating."
    "One does not hunt only to eat."
    "We will be glad of your company then."
    "What did she say?" Zakath asked.
    "She wants to go along. "
    "Did you warn her that it's going to be dangerous?"
    "I think she already knows."
    "It's up to her." Belgarath shrugged. "Trying to tell a wolf what to do is an exercise in futility."
    They passed out through the city gate and took the road to which one of the grooms had directed Garion. "He said it's about eight miles," Garion said.
    Belgarath squinted up at the night sky. "Good," he said, "there's a full moon. Let's try a gallop until we get to about a mile from that village."
    "How will we know when we're that close?" Zakath asked.
    "We'll know," Belgarath replied bleakly. "There'll be all kinds of fire.”
    "They don't really breathe fire, do they?"
    "Yes, as a matter of fact, they do. You're both wearing armor, so that makes it a little safer. Her sides and belly are a bit softer than her back. Try to get your lances into her, then finish her off with your swords. Let's not drag this out. I want to get back to the palace and get my hands on that map. Let's ride."
    It was about an hour later when they saw the red glow of fire just ahead. Belgarath reined in. "Let's go carefully," he said. "We'll want to pinpoint her location before we go charging in there."
    "One will go look," the she-wolf said, and loped off into the darkness.
    "I'm glad she came along," Belgarath said. "For some reason it's comforting to have her around."
    Garion's visor concealed his smile.
    The village of Dal Esta was perched on a hilltop, and they could see the sooty red flames shooting up out of burning bams and houses. They rode up the hill a ways and found the wolf waiting for them. "One has seen the creature we seek," she advised. "It is feeding just now on the other side of that hill where the dens of the man-things are."
    "What's it feeding on?" Garion asked apprehensively.
    "A beast such as the one upon which you sit."
    "Well?" Zakath asked.
    "The dragon's on the other side of the village," Belgarath told him. "She's eating a horse just now."
    "A horse! Belgarath, this isn't a good time for surprises. Just how big is that thing?”
    "About the size of a house that's not counting the wings, of course."
    Zakath swallowed hard. "Could we perhaps reconsider this? I haven't taken much joy in my life until recently. I 'd sort of like to savor it a little longer."
    "I'm afraid we're committed now," Garion told him. "She doesn't fly very fast, and