"Are they trying to say that the Orb is only half of this original stone?" Garion asked incredulously.
"And the other half would be the Sardion," Belgarath agreed. "That would explain a great deal."
"I didn't know there was any connection between the two."
"Neither did I, but it does sort of fit together, doesn't it? Everything about this whole business has come in pairs from the very beginning—two Prophecies, two fates, a Child of Light and a Child of Dark—it only stands to reason that there'd have to be two stones, doesn't it?"
"And the Sardion would have the same power as the Orb," Polgara added gravely.
Belgarath nodded. "In the hands of the Child of Dark, it could do just about anything that Garion can do with the Orb—and we haven't even tested the limits of that yet."
"It gives us just a little more incentive to keep Zandramas from reaching the Sardion, doesn't it?" Silk said.
"I already have all the incentive in the world," Ce'Nedra said sadly.
Garion rose early the next morning. When he came out of the room he shared with Ce'Nedra, he found Belgarath seated at the table in the main room with the Book of Ages lying before him in the light of a guttering candle.
"Didn't you go to bed, Grandfather?"
"What? Oh—no. I wanted to read this all the way through without any interruptions."
"Did you find anything helpful?"
"A great deal, Garion. A very great deal. Now \ know what Cyradis is doing."
"Is she really involved in this?"
"She believes that she is." He closed the book and leaned back, staring thoughtfully at the far wall. "You see, these people, and the ones at Kell in Dalasia, believe that it's their task to choose between the two Prophecies—the two forces that have divided the universe—and they believe that it's their choice that's going to settle the matter once and for all."
"A choice? That's all? You mean that all they have to do is pick one or the other, and that's the end of it?"
"Roughly, yes. They believe that the choice has to be made during one of the meetings of the Child of Light and the Child of Dark—and both stones, the Orb and the Sardion, have to be present. Down through history, the task of making the choice has always been laid on just one of the seers. At every meeting between the Child of Light and the Child of Dark, that particular seer has been present. I expect that there was one lurking about somewhere at Cthol Mishrak when you met Torak. At any rate, the task has finally fallen to Cyradis. She knows where the Sardion is and she knows when this meeting is going to take place. She'll be there. If all the conditions have been met, she'll choose."
Garion sat down in a chair by the dying fire. "You don't actually believe all that, do you?"
"I don't know, Garion. We've spent our entire lives living out the pronouncements of the Prophecy, and it's gone to a great deal of trouble to get me here and put this book into my hands. I may not entirely believe all this mysticism, but I'm certainly not going to ignore it."
"Did it say anything at all about Geran? What's his part in all this?"
"I'm not sure. It could be as a sacrifice—the way Agachak believes. Or, it's possible that Zandramas abducted him just to force you to come after her and bring the Orb with you. Nothing is ever going to be settled until the Orb and the Sardion are brought together in the same place."
"The place which is no more," Garion added sourly.
Belgarath grunted. "There's something about that phrase that keeps nagging at me," he said. "Sometimes I can almost put my finger on it, but it keeps slipping away from me. I've seen it or heard it before, but I can't seem to remember where."
Polgara came into the room. "You're both up early," she said.
"Garion is," Belgarath replied. "I'm up late."
"Did you stay up all night, father?"
"It seems that way. I think that this was what I was waiting for." He laid his hand on the book in front of him. "As soon as the others get up, let's pack and get ready to leave. It's time for us to move on."
There was a light tap on the outer door. Garion rose, crossed the room, and opened it.
Vard stood outside in the pale gray light of the dawning day. "There's something I need to tell you," he said:
"Come in." Garion held the door open for him.
"Good morning, Vard," Belgarath greeted the white-robed man. "I didn't get the chance to thank you for this book."
"You must thank Cyradis for that. We gave it to you at her instruction. I think you and your friends should leave. There are soldiers coming."
"Malloreans?"
Vard nodded. "There's a column moving out from Rak Verkat. They'll probably reach our village before noon."
"Can you give us a ship of any kind?" Belgarath asked him. "We need to get to Mallorea."
"That wouldn't be wise just now. There are also Mallorean ships patrolling the coast."
"Do you think they're searching for us?" Polgara asked.
"It's possible, Lady Polgara," Vard admitted, "but the commander at Rak Verkat has ordered these sweeps through the countryside before—usually to round up any Murgos who still might be hidden on the Isle. They stir around for a few days and then return to their garrison in Rak Verkat. If this present excursion is merely one of those periodic searches, the troops won't be very thorough and they won't be in this vicinity for long. As soon as they're gone, you can come back here, and we'll provide you with a ship."
"Just how extensive is that forest out there?" Belgarath asked him.
"It's quite large, Ancient One."
"Good. Malloreans aren't comfortable in forests. Once we get back into the trees, it shouldn't be much of a problem to slip around them."
"You will need to avoid the hermit who dwells in the forest, however."
"The hermit?"
"A poor deranged fellow. He's not really an evil person, but he's mischievous and he likes to play tricks on travelers."
"We'll keep that in mind," Belgarath said. "Garion, go wake the others. Let's get ready to leave."
By the time everything was ready for their departure, the sun had risen over the low range of hills to the east. Sadi looked out the door at the bright sunlight streaming over the village and sparkling on the waves in the harbor. "Where's the fog when you need it?" he asked of no one in particular.