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Authors: David Eddings
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about the victims' necks. Garion did not even stop to think. He discarded his lance, drew Iron-grip's sword, cautioned the Orb to avoid display, and then charged.
The Grolim was apparently so caught up in his religious frenzy that he neither heard nor saw Garion bearing down on him. He screamed once as Chretienne thundered over the top of him. The soldiers took one startled look at Garion, threw away their weapons, and fled. That did not seem to satisfy his anger, however. Implacably, he pursued them. His anger was not so great, though, as to goad him into killing unarmed men. Instead, he simply rode them down one by one. When the last had tumbled beneath the big gray's hooves, Garion wheeled, freed the prisoners, and cantered back to the road.
"Don't you think that was a little excessive?" Belgarath demanded angrily.
"Not under the circumstances, no," Garion snapped back. "At least I'm fairly sure that one group of soldiers in this stinking country won't be dragging civilians to the altar—at least not until all the broken bones mend."
Belgarath snorted in disgust and turned away.
Still enraged, Garion glared belligerently at Polgara. "Well?" he demanded.
"I didn't say anything, dear," she said mildly. "Next time, though, don't you think you should let your grandfather know what you're planning? These little surprises set his teeth on edge sometimes."
Beldin came flaring in. "What happened out there?" he asked curiously when he had resumed his own form. He pointed at the groaning soldiers dotting the nearby field.
"My horse needed some exercise," Garion said flatly. "Those soldiers got in his way."
"What's got you so foul-tempered this morning?"
"This is all so stupid."
"Of course it is, but get ready for some more of it. The border of Rengel is just ahead, and things are just as bad down there as they are here."
CHAPTER THREE
They paused at the border to consider their alternatives. The guardpost at the boundary was deserted, but black columns of smoke rose from burning villages, and they could clearly see large groups of men moving across the landscape, looking tiny in the distance.
"Things are a tittle more organized down here," Beldin reported. "About all we saw in Voresebo were fairly small bands, and they were more interested in loot than fighting. The groups are bigger on up ahead, and there's a certain semblance of discipline. I don't think we'll be able to bluff our way through Rengel the way we did Voresebo."
Toth made a series of obscure gestures.
"What did he say?" Belgarath asked Durnik.
"He suggests that we travel at night," Durnik replied.
"That's an absurd notion, Toth," Sadi protested. "If things are dangerous in the daytime, they'll be ten times more dangerous at night."
Toth's hands began to move again. For some reason, Garion found that he could almost understand what the huge mute was trying to say.
"He says that you looked at the idea too fast, Sadi," Durnik translated. "We've got certain advantages." The smith frowned slightly, and he looked back at his friend.
"How did you find out about that?" he asked.
Toth gestured again.
"Oh," Durnik nodded. "I guess she would know, wouldn't she?" He turned to the others. "He says that Belgarath, Pol, and Garion can lead the way in their other forms. The darkness wouldn't be that big a problem for a pair of wolves and an owl.''
Belgarath tugged thoughtfully at one earlobe. "It's got possibilities," he said to Beldin. "We could avoid just about anybody out there that way. Soldiers don't move around in the dark very much."
"They post sentries, though," the hunchback pointed out.
"Garion, Pol, and I wouldn't have much trouble locating them and leading the rest of you around them."
"It's going to be slow going," Velvet said. "We won't be able to travel at a gallop, and we'll have to detour around every sentry we come across."
"You know," Silk said, "now that I think about it, it's not such a bad idea. I sort of like it."
"You always enjoy
The Grolim was apparently so caught up in his religious frenzy that he neither heard nor saw Garion bearing down on him. He screamed once as Chretienne thundered over the top of him. The soldiers took one startled look at Garion, threw away their weapons, and fled. That did not seem to satisfy his anger, however. Implacably, he pursued them. His anger was not so great, though, as to goad him into killing unarmed men. Instead, he simply rode them down one by one. When the last had tumbled beneath the big gray's hooves, Garion wheeled, freed the prisoners, and cantered back to the road.
"Don't you think that was a little excessive?" Belgarath demanded angrily.
"Not under the circumstances, no," Garion snapped back. "At least I'm fairly sure that one group of soldiers in this stinking country won't be dragging civilians to the altar—at least not until all the broken bones mend."
Belgarath snorted in disgust and turned away.
Still enraged, Garion glared belligerently at Polgara. "Well?" he demanded.
"I didn't say anything, dear," she said mildly. "Next time, though, don't you think you should let your grandfather know what you're planning? These little surprises set his teeth on edge sometimes."
Beldin came flaring in. "What happened out there?" he asked curiously when he had resumed his own form. He pointed at the groaning soldiers dotting the nearby field.
"My horse needed some exercise," Garion said flatly. "Those soldiers got in his way."
"What's got you so foul-tempered this morning?"
"This is all so stupid."
"Of course it is, but get ready for some more of it. The border of Rengel is just ahead, and things are just as bad down there as they are here."
CHAPTER THREE
They paused at the border to consider their alternatives. The guardpost at the boundary was deserted, but black columns of smoke rose from burning villages, and they could clearly see large groups of men moving across the landscape, looking tiny in the distance.
"Things are a tittle more organized down here," Beldin reported. "About all we saw in Voresebo were fairly small bands, and they were more interested in loot than fighting. The groups are bigger on up ahead, and there's a certain semblance of discipline. I don't think we'll be able to bluff our way through Rengel the way we did Voresebo."
Toth made a series of obscure gestures.
"What did he say?" Belgarath asked Durnik.
"He suggests that we travel at night," Durnik replied.
"That's an absurd notion, Toth," Sadi protested. "If things are dangerous in the daytime, they'll be ten times more dangerous at night."
Toth's hands began to move again. For some reason, Garion found that he could almost understand what the huge mute was trying to say.
"He says that you looked at the idea too fast, Sadi," Durnik translated. "We've got certain advantages." The smith frowned slightly, and he looked back at his friend.
"How did you find out about that?" he asked.
Toth gestured again.
"Oh," Durnik nodded. "I guess she would know, wouldn't she?" He turned to the others. "He says that Belgarath, Pol, and Garion can lead the way in their other forms. The darkness wouldn't be that big a problem for a pair of wolves and an owl.''
Belgarath tugged thoughtfully at one earlobe. "It's got possibilities," he said to Beldin. "We could avoid just about anybody out there that way. Soldiers don't move around in the dark very much."
"They post sentries, though," the hunchback pointed out.
"Garion, Pol, and I wouldn't have much trouble locating them and leading the rest of you around them."
"It's going to be slow going," Velvet said. "We won't be able to travel at a gallop, and we'll have to detour around every sentry we come across."
"You know," Silk said, "now that I think about it, it's not such a bad idea. I sort of like it."
"You always enjoy
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