She rode on to Vo Wacune, and when she reached the gates of the city, she imperiously demanded to be taken to the palace of the duke.
Of all the cities of ancient Arendia, Vo Wacune was by far the loveliest. The cattle-fair at Muros was very profitable for the Wacite Arends, so they had plenty of money to spend on architecture. There were marble quarries in the foothills lying to the east of the city, and marble-sheathed buildings are always prettier than structures made of other kinds of rock. Vo Astur was built of granite, and Vo Mimbre’s made with that yellow-colored stone that’s so abundant in southern Arendia. It went further than that, though. Vo Astur and Vo Mimbre were fortresses, and they looked like fortresses, blocky and unlovely. Marble-clad Vo Wacune, however, looked like a city seen in a dream. It had tall, delicate spires, broad, shady avenues, and many parks and gardens. Anytime you read a fairy-tale that describes some mythic city of unspeakable beauty, you can be fairly certain that the description is based on Vo Wacune.
I paused in a grove of trees just outside the gates and watched Pol enter the city. Then, after a moment’s consideration, I changed form again. Arends are very fond of hunting dogs, so I took the form of a hound and followed along. The duke would assume that I was her dog, and she’d assume that I was his.
‘Your Grace,’ she greeted the duke with a flowing curtsy. ‘It is imperative that we speak privately. I must disclose my mind unto thee out of the hearing of others.’
‘That is not customary, Lady -?’ He left it delicately hanging in the air. He really wanted to know who this queenly visitor was.
‘I will identify myself unto thee when we are alone, your Grace. Unfriendly ears are everywhere in poor Arendia, and word of my visit must not reach Vo Mimbre nor Vo Astur. Thy realm is in peril, your Grace, and I am come to abate that peril. Let us not alert thine enemies to mine advisement of thee, and my name alone would so alert them.’
Where had she learned to speak in that archaic language?
‘Thy manner and bearing are such that I am inclined to give ear unto thee, my Lady,’ the duke replied. ‘Let us go apart so that thou mayest give me this vital instruction.’ He rose from his throne, offered Pol his arm, and led her from the room.
I padded along behind them, my toenails clicking on the floor. Arendish nobles always give their hunting dogs the free run of their houses, so nobody paid any attention to me. The duke, however, shooed me out when he and Pol went into a room just down the hall. That wasn’t really any problem, though. I curled up on the floor just outside with my head almost touching the door.
‘And now, Lady,’ the duke said, ‘prithee divulge thy name to me.’
‘My name’s Polgara,’ she replied, dropping the flowery speech. ‘You might have heard of me.’
‘The daughter of Ancient Belgarath?’ He sounded stunned.
‘Exactly. You’ve been receiving some bad advice lately, your Grace. A Tolnedran merchant’s been telling you that he speaks for Ran Vordue XVII. He does not. The House of Vordue is not offering an alliance. If you follow his advice and invade Mimbrate territory, the legions will not come to your aid. If you violate your alliance with the Mimbrates, they’ll immediately ally themselves with the Asturians, and you’ll be swarmed under.’
‘The Tolnedran merchant has documents, Lady Polgara,’ the duke protested. ‘They bear the imperial seal of Ran Vordue himself.’
‘The imperial seal isn’t that difficult to duplicate, your Grace. I can make one for you right here and now, if you’d like.’
‘If the Tolnedran doth not speak for Ran Vordue, then for whom?’
‘He speaks for Ctuchik, your Grace. The Murgos want strife in the west, and Arendia, already torn by this unending civil war, is the best place to set off new fires. Do with the deceitful Tolnedran as you will. I must go to Vo Astur now, and then on to Vo Mimbre. Ctuchik’s scheme is very complex, and if it succeeds, its ultimate goal will be war between Arendia and Tolnedra.’
‘That must not be!’ the duke exclaimed. ‘Divided as we are, the legions would crush us!’
‘Precisely. And then the Alorns would be drawn in, and general war would break out. Nothing would suit Ctuchik better.’
‘I will wring confirmation of this foul plot from the Tolnedran, Lady Polgara,’ he said. ‘Of that I give thee my pledge.’
The door opened, and the duke stepped over me. After your dogs have been underfoot long enough, you don’t even see them any more.
Polgara, however, didn’t step over me. ‘All right, father,’ she said to me in withering tones, ‘you can go home now. I can manage here without you very well.’
And, as a matter of fact, she did. I still followed her, though. She went to Vo Astur and spoke with the Asturian Duke in much the same way as she had with the Duke of Vo Wacune. Then she went on to Vo Mimbre and alerted them as well. In that one single journey, she dismantled something that had probably taken the cadaverous Ctuchik ten years to build. He’d never met her, and he already had reason to hate her.
She explained it all to me when we got back to the Vale - after she’d taken me to task for trailing along behind her. ‘Ctuchik’s got people here in the western kingdoms who don’t really look that much like Angaraks,’ she told me. ‘Some of them are modified Grolims, but there are others as well. Have you ever heard of the Dagashi?’
‘I can’t say that I have,’ I replied.
‘They’re a group of paid assassins based somewhere to the south of Nyissa. They’re very good spies as well as highly skilled murderers. At any rate, the Murgos have discovered gold in that spine of mountains that runs northeast from Urga to Goska, so Ctuchik can afford to bribe Tolnedrans.’
‘Anybody can bribe Tolnedrans, Pol.’
‘Possibly, yes. At any rate, his spies have been enlisting various Tolnedrans to present the three duchies here in Arendia with spurious offers of alliance that supposedly come from Ran Vordue. Ran Vordue, of course, doesn’t know anything about them. The idea was that when the legions didn’t turn up to assist the people who were expecting them, the Arends would attack northern Tolnedra in retaliation. Northern Tolnedra is Vorduvian territory, and the emperor would respond by crushing the Arendish duchies one by one. Once the Alorns heard about it, they’d believe that the empire was trying to expand its borders, and they’d take steps. It was a very clever plan, actually.’
‘But you put a stop to it.’
‘Yes, father, I know. We might want to keep an eye on Ctuchik. I think he’s planning something. He’s not trying to stir up all this mischief just for the fun of it.’
‘I’ll watch him,’ I promised her.
Beldin returned from one of his periodic trips to Mallorea not long after that, and he told us that nothing much was going on there. ‘Except that Zedar’s left Ashaba,’ he added, almost as an afterthought.
‘Any idea of where he’s gone?’ I asked.
‘Not a clue. Zedar’s as slippery as an eel. For all I know, he’s hiding out at Kell. What’s going on with the Nadraks?’
‘I don’t follow you.’
‘I came back from Mallorea that way, and they’re massing up about ten leagues east of the Drasnian border. I’d say that they’re planning something major.’
I started to swear. ‘That’s what it was all about!’
‘Talk sense, Belgarath. What’s been happening?’
‘There’d been a certain amount of limited trade back and forth across that border. Then the Nadraks started getting belligerent. They made a few raids into Drasnia, and Bull-neck’s son chased them back into the woods. It’s been quiet up there for quite some time now.’
‘I think it might get noisy again fairly soon. The Nadrak cities are almost deserted. Every man who can stand up, see lightning, and hear thunder is camped out in the woods a day’s march from the border.’
‘We’d better warn Rhonar.’
‘Who’s he?’
‘The current king of Drasnia. I’ll take a run up there and let him know what’s ha
ppening. Why don’t you go up into Algaria and see if you can find Cho-Dan, the Chief of the clan-chiefs? Let’s get some Algar cavalry just north of Lake Atun.’
‘Don’t the Algars have a king any more?’
‘The title’s sort of fallen into disuse. The Algars are nomads, and clan’s more important to them than nation. I’ll go to Boktor, and then over to Val Alorn to warn the Chereks.’
Beldin rubbed his hands together. ‘We haven’t had a war in a long time,’ he said.
‘I haven’t missed them all that much.’ I scratched at my beard. ‘I think maybe I’ll run on down to Rak Cthol and have another little chat with Ctuchik as soon as the Alorns are in place. Maybe I can head this off before it gets out of hand.’
‘Spoilsport. Where’s Pol?’
‘Over in Arendia - Vo Wacune, I think. Ctuchik’s been playing games there, too. Pol’s keeping an eye on things. Let’s go alert the Alorns.’
King Rhonar of Drasnia received my news with a certain amount of enthusiasm. He was as bad or worse than Beldin. Then I went on across the Gulf of Cherek to Val Alorn and talked with King Bledar. He was even worse than Rhonar. His fleet sailed for Kotu the next day. I rather hoped that Beldin could keep a tight leash on the Alorns when they got to the Nadrak border. Pol and I had just spent several centuries trying to keep a lid on open hostilities here in the west, and this incipient confrontation threatened to blow that lid off.
Then I went to Rak Cthol.
I paused in the desert a few leagues to the west of that ugly mountain and considered a number of options. My last visit had undoubtedly convinced Ctuchik that posting sentries wouldn’t be a bad idea, so getting through the city unnoticed might have been a little tricky. It was with a certain distaste that I finally came to the conclusion that I didn’t really have to go through the city. I knew where Ctuchik’s turret was, after all, and it did have windows.
It was late at night, so there wasn’t any warm air rising up off the black sand. This meant that I had to literally claw my way up through the air as I circled the peak up and up. About the only good thing about it was the fact that after I was about fifty feet up, I couldn’t see the ground any more.
As luck had it, Ctuchik had fallen asleep over his worktable, and he had his head down on his folded arms when I flapped in through his window. I shed all those vulture feathers and shook him awake. The years hadn’t improved his appearance. He still looked like a walking dead man.
He half-rose with a startled exclamation, and then he got control of himself. ‘Good to see you again, old boy,’ he lied.
‘I’m glad you’re enjoying it. You’d better get word to your Nadraks. Tell them to call off this invasion. The Alorns know they’re coming.’
His eyes went flat. ‘Someday you’re going to irritate me, Belgarath.’
‘I certainly hope so. God knows you’ve irritated me enough lately.’
‘How did you find out about the Nadraks?’
‘I’ve got eyes everywhere, Ctuchik. You can’t hide what you’re doing from me. Didn’t what happened to your scheme in Arendia convince you of that?’
‘I’d sort of wondered why that fell apart.’
‘Now you know.’ I wasn’t actually trying to steal Pol’s credit, I just thought it might be a good idea to keep her part in that little coup a secret from Ctuchik for a while longer. Pol was good, but I wasn’t sure if she was ready for a confrontation with Ctuchik. Besides, I didn’t really want him to know about her just yet. You might say that I was holding her in reserve.
‘I’m awfully sorry, old chap,’ he said with a faint sneer. ‘I’m afraid I won’t be able to help you with the Nadraks. It’s not really my idea. I’m just following orders from Ashaba.’
‘Don’t try to be clever, Ctuchik. I know you can talk with Torak any time you need to. You’d better do that right now. You weren’t around when we invaded the country around Korim. Believe me, Torak gets very upset when large numbers of Angaraks get killed, and what’s right on the verge of happening on the Drasnian border is very likely to exterminate the Nadraks entirely. I’ve seen the way Alorns make war. It’s entirely up to you, of course; I’m not the one who’s going to have to answer to Torak.’ Then, just to twist the knife a bit and add to his confusion, I smirked at him. ‘You really need a copy of the Ashabine Oracles, old boy,’ I told him spitefully. ‘The Mrin Codex is giving me very good instructions. I knew all about this little game of yours a couple hundred years ago, so I’ve had lots of time to get ready for you.’ Then I smiled beatifically at him. ‘Always nice talking with you, Ctuchik,’ I told him. Then I stepped to the window and jumped.
That little exercise in gross theatricality almost got me killed. I was no more than a hundred feet above the desert floor when I finally got all my feathers in place. Changing form while you’re falling is very difficult. For some reason, it’s hard to concentrate when the ground’s coming up at you that fast.
Aside from the opportunity it gave me to add to Ctuchik’s confusion, however, my visit to Rak Cthol was largely a waste of time. I should have known that Torak would never back away from something once he’d set it in motion, no matter how many things got in his way. His ego simply would not permit it. The Nadraks came howling across the Drasnian border before I even got back from Rak Cthol, and, quite predictably, the Alorns met them head-on and soundly defeated them. A few of them did manage to escape, but it was centuries before there were enough Nadraks again even to worry about.
Torak evidently juggled things around in his mind sufficiently that it wasn’t his fault for ignoring my warning. In commemoration of the event, he ordered his Grolims to quadruple the number of sacrifices. Over the centuries, his Grolims have killed more Angaraks than the Alorns ever have.
After the survivors of that debacle limped back to Gar og Nadrak and hid out in the forest, I went to Arendia to see what Pol was up to. I finally located her in Vo Wacune, living in a splendid house not far from the ducal palace. Like all the rest of Vo Wacune, her house had been constructed of marble, and it positively gleamed. It was quite a large house, and it had wings to it that partially enclosed a well-tended flower garden with paved walks, neatly-trimmed hedges and manicured lawns. ‘What’s all this?’ I asked her when her servants finally ushered me into her presence.
She was sitting in an ornate chair by a rose quartz fireplace that glowed pink, wearing a truly stunning blue gown. ‘I’m moving up in the world, father.’
‘You found a gold mine somewhere?’
‘Something better, actually. My estate is quite large, and the land’s very fertile.’
‘Your estate?’
‘It’s just to the north of Lake Medalia - over on the other side of the River Camaar. I even have a manor house up there. You have the distinct honor to be addressing her Grace, the Duchess of Erat.’
‘Be serious, Pol.’
‘I am serious, father. The old duke was very grateful for the information I gave him about Ctuchik’s scheme, so I’ve always been welcome at the ducal palace.’
I gave her a hard look. ‘He gave you a title just for following the Master’s instructions? And you accepted it? Tacky, Pol, very tacky. We aren’t supposed to take rewards for obeying orders.’
‘It went a little further, old wolf. You know the situation here in Arendia?’
‘Last I heard, the Wacites and the Mimbrates were allied against the Asturians. That alliance seems to be lasting longer than most of the others.’
‘It’s still in effect, father. Anyway, after the old duke died, his son Alleran took the ducal throne. He and I were quite close, since I’d helped his mother raise him. We married Alleran off - I even persuaded his mother not to let him marry his cousin - and in due time, his wife presented him with a son. The Duke of Vo Astur saw a chance to muddy the waters here in Arendia when that happened, and he sent a group of his underlings to abduct the little boy. The current Duke of Vo Astur is a crude sort of fellow, and the note his hirelings left was very dir
ect. He told Alleran that he’d kill his son unless Wacune abrogated the treaty with Mimbre and stayed strictly neutral. I went to Vo Astur and rescued the little boy. I also gave the Asturian Duke a lesson in good manners.’
‘What did you do to him?’ I asked the question a bit apprehensively. There are certain rules concerning the use of our gift. ‘You didn’t kill him, did you?’
‘Of course not, father. I know better than that. The Duke of Vo Astur has an open sore on the lining of his stomach now. It provides him with all sorts of entertainment, and it keeps him out of mischief. That was five years ago, and there hasn’t been a major battle in Arendia since I visited Vo Astur.’
‘You’ve made peace in Arendia?’ I was stunned.
‘A temporary peace, father,’ she corrected. ‘It’s probably too early to tell if it’s permanent. I’ll ulcerate stomachs from one end of Arendia to the other if I have to in order to put an end to this foolishness, though. Duke Alleran was very grateful, and that’s why I’m the Duchess of Erat now.’
‘Why didn’t I think of that?’ I exclaimed. ‘It’s so simple. You ended the Arendish civil wars with a belly-ache.’ I bowed to her. ‘I’m proud of you, your Grace.’
‘Why, thank you, father,’ she beamed. Then she pursed her lips thoughtfully. ‘The congratulations might be a little premature, though. As soon as there’s a new duke in either Vo Mimbre or Vo Astur, hostilities might break out again. I think I’d better stay here in Vo Wacune. These Wacites are the least aggressive of the Arends, and I have a certain amount of authority here because of my friendship with the duke’s family. Possibly I can guide them in the right direction. Somebody in Arendia is going to have to take the role of peacemaker. Give me a little time here, and I might just be able to establish a custom. Maybe I can get the Mimbrates and Asturians into the habit of bringing their disputes to Vo Wacune for mediation instead of trying to solve them on the battlefield.’
Belgarath the Sorcerer Page 45