"She can be very irritating at times, can't she?" Zakath said to Garion.

"You’ve noticed."

"You don't have to like me," she said with a toss of her curls, "either one of you. As long as the Gods like a girl, she'll do all right."

Garion began to have some hope at that point. If Ce'Nedra was willing to banter with them, it was a fair indication that she did not take her supposed intimations of her own incipient demise all that seriously. He did, however, wish that he could get that knife away from her.

"During the course of your fascinating explorations, did you by any chance happen to locate that cave?" Belgarath asked Silk. "I more or less thought that's why you were out there sneaking around in the fog."

"The cave?" Silk said. "Oh, that's around on the north side. There's a sort of amphitheater in front of it. It's almost exactly in the middle of that face. I found that in the first ten minutes."

Belgarath glared at him.

"It's not exactly a cave, though," Silk added. "There may be a cave back inside the peak, but the opening is more like a wide doorway. It's got pillars on each side and a familiar face above the lintel."

"Torak?" Garion said with a sinking feeling.

"None other."

"Hadn't we better get started then?" Durnik suggested. "If Zandramas is already on the island . . ." He spread his hands.

"So what?" Beldin said.

They all stared at the grotesque little hunchback.

"Zandramas can't go into the cave until we get there, can she?" he asked Cyradis.

"Nay, Beldin," she replied. "That is forbidden."

"Good. Let her wait, then. I'm sure she'll enjoy the anticipation. Did anybody think to bring anything to eat? I may have to be a seagull, but I don't have to eat raw fish."

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

They waited for almost an hour until Beldin decided that by now Zandramas must be keyed to a fever pitch. Garion and Zakath took advantage of the delay to put on their armor. "I'll take a look," the dwarf said finally. He slowly slipped into the shape of a seagull and drifted away into the fog. When he returned, he was chuckling evilly. "I’ve never heard a woman use that kind of language," he said. "She even puts you to shame, Pol."

"What's she doing?" Belgarath asked him.

"She's standing outside the cave mouth or door, or whatever you want to call it. She had about forty Grolims with her."

"Forty?" Garion exclaimed. He turned on Cyradis. "I thought you said we'd be evenly matched," he accused.

"Art thou not a match for at least five, Belgarion?” she asked simply.

"Well-"

"You said had," Belgarath said to his brother.