"Yes?"
"Why is it that all of this seems to have happened before?"
"All of what?"
"Everything. There are Angaraks in Arendia trying to stir up trouble—just as they were when we were following Zedar. There are intrigues and assassinations in Tolnedra— the same as last time. We ran into a monster—a dragon this time instead of the Algroths—but it's still pretty close to the same sort of thing. It seems almost as if we were repeating everything that happened when we were trying to find the Orb. We've even been running into the same people—Delvor, that customs man, even Jeebers."
"You know, that's a very interesting question, Garion." Belgarath pondered for a moment, absently taking a drink from his tankard. "If you think about it in a certain way, though, it does sort of make sense."
"I don't quite follow you."
"We're on our way to another meeting between the Child of Light and the Child of Dark," Belgarath explained. "That meeting is going to be a repetition of an event that's been happening over and over again since the beginning of time. Since it's the same event, it stands to reason that the circumstances leading up to it should also be similar." He thought about it a moment longer. "Actually," he continued, "they'd almost have to be, wouldn't they?"
"That's a little deep for me, I'm afraid."
"There are two Prophecies—two sides of the same thing. Something happened an unimaginably long time ago to separate them."
"Yes. I understand that."
"When they got separated, things sort of stopped."
"What things?"
"It's kind of hard to put into words. Let's call it the course of things that were supposed to happen—the future, I suppose. As long as those two forces are separate—and equal— the future can't happen. We all just keep going through the same series of events over and over again.
"When will it end?"
"When one of the Prophecies finally overcomes the other. When the Child of Light finally defeats the Child of Darker the other way around."
"I thought I already did that."
"I don't think it was conclusive enough, Garion."
"I killed Torak, Grandfather. You can't get much more conclusive than that, can you?"
"You killed Torak, Garion. You didn't kill the dark Prophecy. I think it's going to take something more significant than a sword fight in the City of Night to settle this."
"Such as what?"
Belgarath spread his hands. "I don't know. I really don't. This idea of yours could be very useful, though."
"Oh?"
"If we're going to go through a series of events that are similar to what happened last time, it could give us a notion of what to expect, couldn't it? You might want to think about that—maybe spend a little time this morning remembering exactly what happened last time."
"What are you going to do?"
Belgarath drained his tankard and stood up. "As I said— I'm going back to bed."
That afternoon, a polite official in a brown mantle tapped on the door of the room where Garion sat reading and advised him that the Emperor Varana wanted to see him. Garion set aside his book and followed the official through the echoing marble halls to Varana's study.
"Ah, Belgarion," Varana said as he entered. "A bit of news has just reached me that you might find interesting. Please, have a seat."
"Information?" Garion asked, sitting in the leather upholstered chair beside the Emperor's desk.
"That man you mentioned the other day—Naradas—has been seen here in Tol Honeth."
"Naradas? How did he manage to get down here that fast? The last I heard, he was riding north from the Great Fair in Arendia."
"Has he been following you?"
"He's been asking a lot of questions and spreading money around."
"I can have him picked up, if you want. I have a few questions I'd like to ask him myself, and I could hold him for several months if need be."
Garion thought about it. Finally he shook his head rather regretfully. "He's a Mallorean Grolim, and he could be out of any kind of prison cell you could put him in within a matter of minutes."
"The Imperial Dungeon is quite secure, Belgarion," Varana said a bit stiffly.
"Not that secure, Varana." Then Garion smiled briefly, remembering the Emperor's stubborn convictions about such things. "Let's just say that Naradas has some out-of-the-ordinary resources available to him. It's one of those things that makes you uncomfortable to talk about.
"Oh," Varana said distastefully, "that."
Garion nodded. "It might be better in the long run just to have your people keep an eye on him. If he doesn't know that we're aware that he's here, he might lead us to others— or at least to certain information. Harakan's been seen here in Tolnedra, too, I understand, and I'd like to find out if there's some kind of connection between the two of them." Varana smiled. "Your life is a great deal more complicated than mine, Belgarion," he said. "I only have one reality to deal with."
Garion gave a wry shrug. "It helps to fill up my spare time," he replied.
There was a light tap on the door, and Lord Morin slowly shuffled into the room. "I'm sorry to disturb your Majesties, but there's some unsettling news from the city."
"Oh?" Varana said. "What's been happening, Morin?"
"Someone's been killing members of the Honeth family— very quietly, but very efficiently. Quite a few have died in the last two nights."
"Poison?"
"No, your Majesty. This assassin is more direct. He smothered a few with their own pillows night before last, and there was one nasty fall. At first the deaths appeared to be of natural causes. Last night, though, he started using a knife." Morin shook his head disapprovingly. "Messy," he sniffed. "Very messy."
Varana frowned. "I thought that all the old feuds had settled down. Do you think it might be the Horbites? They hold grudges forever sometimes."
"No one seems to know, your Majesty. The Honeths are terrified. They're either fleeing the city or turning their houses into forts."
Varana smiled. "I think I can live with the discomfort of the Honeth family. Did this fellow leave any kind of trademark? Can we identify him as a known assassin?"
"We haven't a clue, your Majesty. Should I put guards around the houses of the Honeths—the ones who are left?"