Pawn of Prophecy tb-1 Page 25

  And then, after a moment, he screamed. Then he screamed again and collapsed, his weight sagging down in the hands of the two men who held him.

  "Take it away," he whimpered, shuddering uncontrollably. "I'll talk, but please take it away."

  Silk, now lounging near Anheg's throne, looked at Hettar. "I wonder what he saw," he said.

  "I think it might be better not to know," Hettar replied.

  Queen Islena had watched intently as if hoping to gain some hint of how the trick was done. She winced visibly when Jarvik screamed, pulling her eyes away.

  "All right, Jarvik," Anheg said, his tone strangely subdued. "Begin at the beginning. I want it all."

  "It was a little thing at first," Jarvik said in a shaking voice. "There didn't seem to be any harm in it."

  "There never does," Brand said.

  The Earl of Jarvik drew in a deep breath, glanced once at Aunt Pol and shuddered again. Then he straightened. "It started about two years ago," he said. "I'd sailed to Kotu in Drasnia, and I met a Nadrak merchant named Grashor there. He seemed to be a good enough fellow and after we'd gotten to know each other he asked me if I'd be interested in a profitable venture. I told him that I was an earl and not a common tradesman, but he persisted. He said he was nervous about the pirates who live on the islands in the Gulf of Cherek and an earl's ship manned by armed warnors was not likely to be attacked. His cargo was a single chest—not very large. I think it was some jewels he'd managed to smuggle past the customs houses in Boktor, and he wanted them delivered to Darine in Sendaria. I said that I wasn't really interested, but then he opened his purse and poured out gold. The gold was bright red, I remember, and I couldn't seem to take my eyes off it. I did need money—who doesn't after all?-and I really couldn't see any dishonor in doing what he asked.

  "Anyway, I carried him and his cargo to Darine and met his associate—a Murgo named Asharak."

  Garion started at the name, and he heard Silk's low whistle of surprise.

  "As we'd agreed," Jarvik continued, "Asharak paid me a sum equal to what Grashor had given me, and I came away from the affair with a whole pouch of gold. Asharak told me that I'd done them a great favor and that if I ever needed more gold, he'd be happy to find ways for me to earn it.

  "I now had more gold than I'd ever had at one time before, but it somehow seemed that it wasn't enough. For some reason I felt that I needed more."

  "It's the nature of Angarak gold," Mister Wolf said. "It calls to its own. The more one has, the more it comes to possess him. That's why Murgos are so lavish with it. Asharak wasn't buying your services, Jarvik; he was buying your soul."

  Jarvik nodded, his face gloomy. "At any rate," he continued, "it wasn't long before I found an excuse to sail to Darine again. Asharak told me that since Murgos are forbidden to enter Cherek, he'd developed a great curiosity about us and our kingdom. He asked me many questions and he gave me gold for every answer. It seemed to me to be a foolish way to spend money, but I gave him the answers and took his gold. When I came back to Cherek, I had another pouch full. I went to Jarviksholm and put the new gold with that I already had. I saw that I was a rich man, and I still hadn't done anything dishonorable. But now it seemed that there weren't enough hours in the day. I spent all my time locked in my strongroom, counting my gold over and over, polishing it until it gleamed red as blood and filling my ears with the sound of its tinkling.

  But after a while it seemed that I didn't really have very much, and so I went back to Asharak. He said he was still curious about Cherek and that he'd like to know Anheg's mind. He told me that he'd give me as much gold as I already had if I sent him word of what was said in the high councils here in the palace for a year. At first I said no, because I knew it would be dishonorable; but then he showed me the gold, and I couldn't say no any more."

  From where he watched Garion could see the expressions of those in the hall below. Their faces had a curious mingling of pity and contempt as Jarvik's story continued.

  "It was then, Anheg," he said, "that your men captured one of my messengers, and I was banished to Jarviksholm. At first I didn't mind, '' because I could still play with my gold. But again it wasn't long before it seemed that I didn't have enough. I sent a fast ship through the Bore to Darine with a message to Asharak begging him to find something else for me to do to earn more gold. When the ship came back, Asharak was aboard her, and we sat down and talked about what I could do to increase my hoard."

  "You're doubly a traitor then, Jarvik," Anheg said in a voice that was almost sad. "You've betrayed me and you've broken the oldest law in Cherek. No Angarak has set foot on Cherek soil since the days of Bear-shoulders himself."

  Jarvik shrugged. "I didn't really care by then," he said. "Asharak had a plan, and it seemed like a good one to me. If we could get through the city a few at a time, we could hide an army in the ruined southern wings of the palace. With surprise and a bit of luck we could kill Anheg and the other Alorn Kings, and I could take the throne of Cherek and maybe of all Aloria as well."

  "And what was Asharak's price?" Mister Wolf demanded, his eyes narrowing. "What did he want in return for making you king?"

  "A thing so small that I laughed when he told me what he wanted," Jarvik said. "But he said that he'd not only give me the crown but a roomful of gold if I'd get it for him."

  "What was it?" Wolf repeated.

  "He said that there was a boy—about fourteen—in the party of King Fulrach of Sendaria. He told me that as soon as that boy was delivered to him, he'd give me more gold than I could count and the throne of Cherek as well."

  King Fulrach looked startled.

  "The boy Garion?" he asked. "Why would Asharak want him?"

  Aunt Pol's single frightened gasp carried even up to where Garion was concealed.

  "Durnik!" she said in a ringing voice, but Durnik was already on his feet and racing toward the door with Silk close behind him. Aunt Pol spun with eyes blazing and the white lock at her brow almost incandescent in the midnight of her hair. The Earl of Jarvik flinched as her glare fell on him.

  "If anything's happened to the boy, Jarvik, men will tremble at the memory of your fate for a thousand years," she told him.

  It had gone far enough. Garion was ashamed and a little frightened by the fury of Aunt Pol's reaction.

  "I'm all right, Aunt Pol," he called down to her through the narrow slot in the wall. "I'm up here."

  "Garion?" She looked up, trying to see him. "Where are you?"

  "Up here near the ceiling," he said, "behind the wall."

  "How did you get up there?"

  "I don't know. Some men were chasing me, and I ran. This is where I ended up."

  "Come down here at once."

  "I don't know how, Aunt Pol," he said. "I ran so far and took so many turns that I don't know how to get back. I'm lost."

  "All right," she said, regaining her composure. "Stay where you are. We'll think of a way to get you down."

  "I hope so," he said.

  Chapter Nineteen

  "Well it has to come out someplace," King Anheg said, squinting up toward the spot where Garion waited nervously. "All he has to do is follow it."

  "And walk directly into the arms of Asharak the Murgo?" Aunt Pol asked. "He's better off staying where he is."

  "Asharak is fleeing for his life," Anheg said. "He's no-where in the palace."

  "As I recall, he's not even supposed to be in the kingdom," she said pointedly.

  "All right Pol," Mister Wolf said. He called up, "Garion, which way does the passage run?"

  "It seems to go on toward the back of the hall where the thrones are," Garion answered. "I can't tell for sure if it turns off or not. It's pretty dark up here."

  "We'll pass you up a couple of torches," Wolf said. "Set one at the spot where you are now and then go on down the passage with the other. As long as you can see the first one, you'll be going in a straight line."

  "Very clever," Silk said. "I wish I were seven thousand
years old so I could solve problems so easily."

  Wolf let that pass.

  "I still think the safest way would be to get some ladders and break a hole in the wall," Barak said.

  King Anheg looked pained. "Couldn't we try Belgarath's suggestion first?" he asked.

  Barak shrugged. "You're the king."

  "Thanks," Anheg said dryly.

  A warrior fetched a long pole and two torches were passed up to Garion.

  "If the line of the passageway holds straight," Anheg said, "he should come out somewhere in the royal apartments."

  "Interesting," King Rhodar said with one raised eyebrow. "It would be most enlightening to know if the passage led to the royal chambers or from them."

  "It's entirely possible that the passageway is just some long-forgotten escape route," Anheg said in an injured tone. "Our history, after all, has not been all that peaceful. There's no need to expect the worst, is there?"

  "Of course not," King Rhodar said blandly, "no need at all."

  Garion set one of the torches beside the slot in the wall and followed the dusty passageway, looking back often to be sure that the torch was still in plain sight. Eventually he came to a narrow door which opened into the back of an empty closet. The closet was attached to a splendid-looking bedchamber, and outside there was a broad, well-lighted corridor.

  Several warriors were coming down the corridor, and Garion recognized Torvik the huntsman among them. "Here I am", he said, stepping out with a surge of relief.

  "You've been busy, haven't you?" Torvik said with a grin.

  "It wasn't my idea," Garion said.

  "Let's get you back to King Anheg," Torvik said. "The lady, your Aunt, seemed concerned about you."

  "She's angry with me, I suppose," Garion said, falling into step beside the broad-shouldered man.

  "More than likely," Torvik said. "Women are almost alwasy angry with us for one reason or another. It's one of the things you'll have to get used to as you get older."

  Aunt Pol was waiting at the door to the throne room. There were no reproaches Ц not yet, at any rate. For one brief moment she clasped him fiercely to her and then looked at him gravely. "We've been waiting for you dear," she said almost calmly; then she led him to where the others waited.

  "In my grandmother's quarters, you say?" Anheg was saying to Torvik. "What an astonishing thing. I remember her as a crotchety old lady who walked with a cane."

  "No one is born old, Anheg," King Rhodar said with a sly look.

  "I'm sure there are many explanations, Anheg," Queen Porenn said. "My husband is just teasing you."

  "One of the men looked into the passage, your Majesty," Torvik said tactfully. "The dust is very thick. It's possible that it hasn't been used in centuries."

  "What an astonishing thing," Anheg said again.

  The matter was then delicately allowed to drop, though King Rhodar's sly expression spoke volumes.

  The Earl of Seline coughed politely. "I think young Garion here may have a story for us," he said.

  "I expect he has," Aunt Pol said, turning toward Garion. "I seem to remember telling you to stay in your room."

  "Asharak was in my room," Garion said, "and he had warriors with him. He tried to make me with him. When I wouldn't, he said he'd had me once and could get me again. I didn't understand wxactly what he meant, but I told him that he'd have to catch me first. Then I ran."

  Brand, the Rivan Warder, chuckled. "I don't see how you can find much fault with that, Polgara," he said. "I think if I found a Grolim priest in my room, I'd probably run away too."

  "You're sure it was Asharak?" Silk asked.

  Garion nodded. "I've known him for a long time," he said. "All my life, I guess. And he knew me. He called me by name."

  "I think I'd like to have a long talk with this Asharak," Anheg said. "I want to ask him some questions about all the mischief he's been stirring up in my kingdom."

  "I doubt if you'll find him, Anheg," Mister Wolf said. "He seems to be more than just a Grolim Priest. I touched his mind once Ц in Muros. It's not an ordinary mind."

  "I'll amuse myself with the search for him," Anheg said with a bleak expression. "Not even a Grolim can walk on water so I believe I'll just seal off all the ports in Cherek and then put my warriors to searching the mountains and forests for him. They get fat and troublesome in the wintertime anyway, and it'll give them something to do."

  "Driving fat, troublesome warriors into the snow in the dead of winter isn't going to make you a popular king, Anheg," Rhodar observed.

  "Offer a reward," Silk suggested. "That way you get the job done and stay popular as well."

  "That's an idea," Anheg said. "What kind of reward would you suggest, Prince Kheldar?"

  "Promise to equal the weight of Asharak's head in gold," Silk said. "That should lure the fattest warrior away from the dice cup and the ale keg."

  Anheg winced.

  "He's a Grolim," Silk said. "They probably won't find him, but they'll take the kingdom apart looking. Your gold is safe, your warriors get a bit of exercise, you get a reputation for generosity, and, with every man in Cherek looking for him with an axe, Asharak's going to be much to busy hiding to stir up any more mischief. A man whose head is more valuable to others than it is to himself has little time for foolishness."

  "Prince Kheldar," Anheg said gravely, "you are a devious man."

  "I try, King Anheg," Silk said with an ironic bow.

  "I don't suppose you'd care to come to work for me?" the King of Cherek offered.

  "Anheg!" Rhodar protested.

  Silk sighed. "Blood, King Anheg," he said. "I'm committed to my uncle by our bonds of kinship. I'd be interested to hear your offer, though. It might help in future negotiations about compensation for my services."

  Queen Porenn's laughter was like a small silver bell, and King Rhodar's face became tragic. "You see," he said. "I'm absolutely surrounded by traitors. What's a poor fat old man to do?"

  A grim-looking warrior entered the hall and marched up to Anheg. "It's done, King," he said. "Do you want to look at his head?"

  "No," Anheg said shortly.

  "Should we put it on a pole near the harbor?" The warrior asked.

  "No," Anheg said. "Jarvik was a brave man once and my kinsman by marriage. Have him delivered to his wife for proper burial."

  The warrior bowed and left the hall.

  "This problem of the Grolim, Asharak, interests me," Queen Islena said to Aunt Pol. "Might we not between us, Lady Polgara, devise a way to locate him?" Her expression had a certain quality of self-importance to it.

  Mister Wolf spoke quickly before Aunt Pol could answer. "Bravely spoken, Islena," he said. "But we couldn't allow the Queen of Cherek to take such a risk. I'm sure your skills are formidable, but such a search opens the mind completely. If Asharak felt you looking for him he'd retaliate instantly. Polgara wouldn't be in any danger, but I'm afraid your mind could be blown out like a candle. It would be a great shame to have the Queen of Cherek live out the rest of her life as a raving lunatic."

  Islena turned suddenly very pale and did not see the sly wink Mister Wolf directed at Anheg.

  "I couldn't permit it.," Anheg said firmly. "My Queen is far too precious for me to allow her to take such a terrible risk."

  "I must accede to the will of my Lord," Islena said in a relieved tone. "By his command I withdraw my suggestion."

  "The courage of my Queen honors me," Anheg said with an absolutely straight face.

  Islena bowed and backed away rather quickly. Aunt Pol looked at Mister Wolf with one raised eyebrow, but let it pass.

  Wolf's expression became more serious as he rose from the chair in which he had been sitting. "I think the time has come to make some decisions," he said. "Things are beginning to move too fast for any more delay." He looked at Anheg. "Is there some place where we can speak without risk of being overheard?"

  "There's a chamber in one of the towers," Anheg said. "I thought about it b
efore our first meeting but-" He paused and looked at Cho-Hag.

  "You shouldn't let it concern you," Cho-Hag said. "I can manage stairs if I have to, and it would have been better for me to have been a little inconvenienced than to have Jarvik's spy overhear us."

  "I'll stay with Garion," Durnik said to Aunt Pol.

  Aunt Pol shook her head firmly. "No," she said. "As long as Asharak is on the loose in Cherek, I don't want him out of my sight."

  "Shall we go then?" Mister Wolf said. "It's getting late, and I want to leave first thing in the morning. The trail I was following is getting colder."

  Queen Islena, still looking shaken stood to one side with Porenn and Silar and made no effort to follow as King Anheg led the way from the throne room.

  I'll let you know what happens, King Rhodar signalled to his queen.

  Of course, Porenn gestured back. Her face was placid, but the snap of her fingers betrayed her irritability.

  Calmly, child, Rhodar's fingers told her. We're guests here and have to obey local customs.

  Whatever my Lord commands, she replied with a tilt of her hands that spoke whole volumes of sarcasm.

  With Hettar's help, King Cho-Hag managed the stairs although his progress was painfully slow. "I apologize for this," he puffed, stopping halfway to catch his breath. "It's as tiresome for me as it is for you."

  King Anheg posted guards at the foot of the stairs, then came up and closed the heavy door behind him. "Light the fire, cousin," he said to Barak. "We might as well be comfortable."

  Barak nodded and put a torch to the wood in the fireplace.

  The chamber was round and not too spacious, but there was adequate room for them all and chairs and benches to sit on.

  Mister Wolf stood at one of the windows, looking down at the twinkling lights of Val Alorn below. "I've always been fond of towers," he said, almost to himself. "My Master lived in one like this, and I enjoyed the time I spent there."

  "I'd give my life to have known Aldur," Cho-Hag said softly. "Was he really surrounded by light as some say?"

  "He seemed quite ordinary to me," Mister Wolf said. "I lived with him for five years before I even knew who he was."