"Cthrag Yaska?"
"The burning stone - what you in the west call the Orb of Aldur "
"I'm not at liberty to discuss that, your Majesty," she told him rather primly, "and I'm sure you're too courteous to try to wring the information out of me."
"Princess," he said reprovingly.
"I'm sorry, your Majesty," she apologized and gave him that quick, little girl smile that was always her weapon of last resort.
'Zakath smiled gently. "You're a devious young woman, Ce'Nedra," he said.
"Yes, your Majesty," she acknowledged. "What prompted you and Taur Urgas to bury your enmity and unite against us?" Ce'Nedra wanted to demonstrate that she too could ask surprise questions.
"There was no unity in our attack, Princess," he replied. "I was merely responding to Taur Urgas."
"I don't understand."
"So long as he remained at Rak Goska, I was perfectly content to stay at Thull Zelik; but as soon as he began to march north, I had to respond. The land of the Thulls is of too much strategic importance to allow it to be occupied by a hostile force."
"And what now, 'Zakath?" Ce'Nedra asked him impudently. "Taur Urgas is dead. Where will you turn now in search of an enemy?"
He smiled a wintry smile. "How little you understand us, Ce'Nedra. Taur Urgas was only the symbol of Murgo fanaticism. Ctuchik is dead, and Taur Urgas is dead, but Murgodom lives on - even as Mallorea will live on when I am gone. Our enmity goes back for eons. At last, how-ever, a Mallorean Emperor is in a position to crush Cthol Murgos once and for all and make himself undisputed overking of Angarak."
"It's all for power, then?"
"What else is there?" he asked sadly. "When I was very young, I thought that there might be something else-but events proved that I was wrong." A brief look of pain crossed his face, and he sighed. "In time you will discover that same truth. Your Belgarion will grow colder as the years pass and the chill satisfaction of power comes more and more to possess him. When it is complete, and only his love of power remains, then he and I will move against each other as inevitably as two great tides. I will not attack him until his education is complete. There is no satisfaction in destroying a man who does not fully comprehend reality. When all of his illusions are gone and only his love of power remains, then he will be a fit opponent." His face had grown bleak. He looked at her, his eyes as dead and cold as ice. "I think I've kept you from your rest too long, Princess," he said. "Go to bed and dream of love and other absurdities. The dreams will die all too soon, so enjoy them while you can."
Early the next morning, Ce'Nedra entered the pavilion where Polgara rested, recuperating from the struggle with the Grolims at Thull Mardu. She was alert, but still dreadfully weak.
"He's every bit as insane as Taur Urgas was," Ce'Nedra reported. "He's so obsessed with the idea of becoming overking of Angarak that he isn't even paying any attention to what we've been doing."
"That may change once Anheg starts sinking his troop ships," Polgara replied. "There's nothing we can do at the moment, so just keep listening to him and be polite."
"Do you think we should try to escape?"
"No."
Ce'Nedra looked at her, a bit startled.
"What's happening is supposed to happen. There's some reason that the four of us - you, Durnik, Errand, and I - are supposed to go to Mallorea. Let's not tamper with it."
"You knew this was going to happen?"
Polgara gave her a weary smile. "I knew that's where we were going. I didn't know how, exactly. 'Zakath isn't interfering in any way, so don't aggravate him."
Ce'Nedra sighed in resignation. "Whatever you say, Lady Polgara," she said.
It was early afternoon of that same day when the first reports of King Anheg's activities in the Sea of the East reached the Emperor 'Zakath. Ce'Nedra, who was present when the dispatches were delivered, felt a secret sense of satisfaction as the icy man showed the first hint of irritation she had seen in him.
"Are you certain of this?" he demanded of the trembling messenger, holding up the parchment.
"I only carried the dispatch, dread Lord." The messenger quailed, cringing back from his Emperor's anger.
"Were you at Thull Zelik when the ships arnved?"
"There was only one ship, dread Lord."
"One ship out of fifty?" 'Zakath's tone was incredulous. "Weren't there others - perhaps coming along the coast?"
"The sailors said there weren't, your Imperial Majesty."
"What kind of barbarian is this Anheg of Cherek?" 'Zakath exclaimed to Ce'Nedra. "Each of those ships carried two hundred men."
"King Anheg is an Alorn, your Majesty," Ce'Nedra replied coolly. "They're an unpredictable people."
With a great deal of effort, 'Zakath regained his composure. "I see," he said after a moment's reflection. "This was your plan from the beginning, wasn't it, Princess? The entire attack on Thull Mardu was a subterfuge."
"Not entirely, your Majesty. I was assured that the city had to be neutralized to permit the passage of the fleet."
"But why is he drowning my soldiers? I bear the Alorns no malice."
"Torak does - or so I'm told - and it is Torak who will command the combined armies of Angarak. We cannot allow your forces to land on this continent, your Majesty. We cannot give Torak that advantage."
"Torak is asleep - and he's likely to remain so for a number of years yet."
"Our information indicates that it will not be nearly so long. Belgarath himself is convinced that the time is near at hand."
His eyes narrowed slightly. "I must hand you all over to the Grolims, then," he said. "I'd hoped to wait until Polgara had regained her strength before subjecting her to the journey; but if what you say is true, there is little time to waste. Advise your friends to make their preparations, Princess. You will depart for Thull Zelik tomorrow morning."
"As your Majesty wishes," Ce'Nedra replied, a chill going down her spine as she bowed her head in acquiescence.
"I am a secular man, Princess," he said by way of explanation. "I bow to the altar of Torak when the occasion demands it, but I make no pretence at excessive piety. I will not involve myself in a religious dispute between Belgarath and Zedar, and I most certainly will not stand between Torak and Aldur when they confront each other. I would strongly advise you to follow the same course."