The dragon shrieked, belching fire, and she tried to turn toward Garion. As he had hoped, the lances protruding from her sides impeded her movements. Then Belgarath and the she-wolf darted in, savagely biting and tearing at the scaly tail. Desperately the dragon began to flap her sail-like wings. She rose ponderously into the air, screeching and belching out fire.

"She's getting away!" Garion threw the thought at his grandfather.

“She'll be back. She's a very vindictive beast.”

Garion rode past the dead horse and rejoined Zakath.

"The wounds we inflicted are probably mortal, aren't they?" the Mallorean said hopefully.

"I wouldn't count on it," Garion replied. "We didn't get the lances in deep enough, I'm afraid. We should have backed off another hundred yards to pick up more momentum. Grandfather says that we can expect her back."

"Garion," Belgarath's voice sounded in his mind, "I'm going to do something. Tell Zakath not to panic.”

"Zakath," Garion said, "Grandfather's going to use sorcery of some kind. Don't get excited."

"What's he going to do?"

"I don't know. He didn't tell me." Then Garion felt the familiar surge and rush of sound. The air around them turned a pale azure.

"Colorful," Zakath said. "What's it supposed to do?" His voice sounded nervous.

Belgarath came padding out of the darkness. "Good enough," he said in the language of wolves.

"What is it?" Garion asked.

"It's a kind of a shield. It'll protect you from the fire at least partially. The armor should take care of the rest. You might get singed a bit, but the fire won't really hurt you. Don't get too brave, though. She still has claws and fangs."

"It's a shield of sorts," Garion told Zakath. "It should help to protect us from the flame."

Then from off to the east there was a scream and a sooty belch of fire up in the sky. "Get ready!" Garion said sharply. "She's coming back!" Cautioning the Orb to behave itself, he drew Iron-grip's sword. Zakath also pulled his broadsword from its sheath with a steely hiss. "Spread out," Garion said. "Get far enough away so that she can attack only one of us at a time. If she comes at you, I'll attack her from behind. If she comes at me, you do the same. If you can manage it, try for her tail. She goes all to pieces when somebody attacks that. She'll try to turn around to protect it. Then whichever one of us is in front of her might be able to get a clear swing at her neck.”

"Right," Zakath said.

They fanned out again, tensely awaiting the dragon's attack.

Their lances, Garion saw, had been bitten off, leaving only short stumps protruding from the dragon's sides. It was upon Zakath that she fell, and the force of her strike knocked him out of his saddle. He floundered, trying to get to his feet as the dragon bathed him in flames.