"In the company of Belgarath and Kheldar," the Emperor added."We heard of the search for them. Tell me, Princess, does he by any chance have Cthrag Yaska with him?"

"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?"