"Of course you're going to win. You always do."

"This time's a little different, Ce'Nedra." He sighed. "It's not just the meeting, though. I’ve got to choose my successor, and the one I choose is going to be the new Child of Light and most probably a God. If I pick the wrong person, it's possible that I'll create a God who'll be an absolute disaster. Could you imagine Silk as a God? He'd be out there picking the pockets of the other Gods and inscribing off-color jokes in the constellations."

"He doesn't really seem to have the right kind of temperament for it," she agreed. "I like him well enough, but I'm afraid UL might disapprove very strongly. What else is bothering you?"

"You know what else. One of us isn't going to live through tomorrow.”

"You don't really have to concern yourself about that, Garion," she said wistfully. "It's going to be me. I’ve known that from the very beginning."

"Don't be absurd. I can make sure it's not you."

"Oh? How?"

"I'll just tell them that I won't make the Choice if they hurt you in any way."

"Garion!" she gasped. "You can't do that! You'll destroy the universe if you do!"

“So what? The universe doesn't mean anything to me without you, you know."

"That's very sweet, but you can't do it. You wouldn't do it anyway. You’ve got too great a sense of responsibility.”

"What makes you think you're going to be the one?"

"The tasks, Garion. Every one of us has a task some of us more than one. Belgarath had to find out where the meeting's going to take place. Velvet had to kill Harakan. Even Sadi had a task. He had to kill Naradas. I have no task except to die."

Garion decided at that point to tell her. "You did have a task, Ce'Nedra," he told her, "and you did it very well."

"What are you talking about?"

"You wouldn't remember it. After we left Kell, you were very drowsy for several days.”

"Yes, I remember that."

"It wasn't because you were sleepy. Zandramas was tampering with your mind. She's done it before. You remember that you got sick on your way to Rak Hagga?"

"Yes."

"It was a different kind of sickness, but it was Zandramas again. She's been trying to take control of you for more than a year now.”

Ce'Nedra stared at him.

"Anyway, after we left Kell, she managed to put your mind to sleep. You wandered off and, out there in the forest, you thought you met Arell."

"Arell? She's dead."

"I know, but you thought you met her all the same, and she gave you what you thought was our baby. Then this supposed Arell asked you some questions, and you answered them."

"What kind of questions?"