"Always is a long time, Garion. Eriond was present in spirit since the accident. When you were born, he began to move around in the world."

"We're the same age then?"

"Age is a meaningless concept to the Gods. They can be any age they choose to be. It was the theft of the Orb that started things moving toward what happened here today. Zedar wanted to steal the Orb, so Eriond found him and showed him how to do it. That's what got you moving in the first place. If Zedar hadn't stolen the Orb, you'd probably still be at Faldor's farm-married to Zubrette, I'd imagine. Try to keep your perspective about this, Garion, but in a very peculiar way this world was created just to give you something to stand on while you were fixing things."

“Please stop joking.”

"I'm not joking, Garion. You're the most important person who's ever lived or ever will with the possible exception of Cyradis. You killed a bad God and replaced him with a good one. You did a lot of floundering around in the process, but you finally managed to get it all done. I 'm sort of proud of you, actually. All in all, you turned out rather well."

"I had a lot of help."

"Granted, but you're entitled to a bit of conceit for a moment or two, anyway. I wouldn't overdo it, though. It's not a very becoming sort of thing."

Garion concealed a smile. "Why me?" he asked, making it sound as plaintive and imbecilic as possible.

There was a startled silence, and then the voice actually laughed. "Please don't go back to asking that, Garion."

"I'm sorry. What happens now?"

"You get to go home."

"No, I mean to the world?"

"A lot of that's going to depend on Zakath. Eriond is the God of Angarak now, and despite Urgit and Drosta and Nathel, Zakath's the real Overking of Angarak. It might take a bit of doing and he may have to use up a large number of Grolims in the process, but before he's done, Zakath is going to have to ram Eriond down the throats of all the Angaraks in the world."

"He'll manage." Garion shrugged. "Zakath's very good at ramming things down people's throats."

"Cyradis will be able to soften that side of him, I expect."

"All right, then. What about afterward? After all the Angaraks have accepted Eriond?"

"The movement will spread. You'll probably live long enough to see the day when Eriond is the God of the whole world. That's what was intended from the beginning."

”And he shall have Lordship and Dominion'?" Garion quoted with a sinking feeling, remembering certain Grolim prophecies.

"You know Eriond better than that. Can you possibly see him sitting on a throne gloating over sacrifices?"

"No, not really. What happens to the other Gods then? Aldur and the rest of them?”