"Not a chance," Silk said roguishly. "I'm having too much fun with this, and I'm just starting to get warmed up. Please, gentlemen," he said to their friends, "let me get on with this. Otherwise the introductions are likely to last until midnight. This is Sadi. You should remember him Chief Eunuch in the palace of Queen Salmissra."

"Formerly Chief Eunuch, Kheldar," Sadi corrected. "My Lords." He bowed.

"Your Excellency," Hettar replied. "I'm sure there'll be all sorts of explanations later."

"You all remember Cyradis, of course," Silk went on, "the Holy Seeress of Kell. She's a little tired just now. She had to make a fairly important decision about noon today."

"Where's that big fellow who was with you at Rheon, Cyradis?" Barak asked her.

"Alas, my Lord of Trellheim," she said. "My guide and protector gave up his life to insure our success."

"I'm deeply sorry," Barak said simply.

"And this, of course," Silk said in an offhand voice, "is his Imperial Majesty, Kal Zakath of Mallorea. He's been rather helpful from time to time."

Garion's friends looked at Zakath warily, their eyes filled with surprise.

"I'd assume that we can set aside certain unpleasantnesses from the past," Zakath said urbanely. "Garion and I have more or less resolved our differences.”?

"It pleaseth me, your Imperial Majesty," Mandorallen said with a creaking bow, "to have lived to see near-universal peace restored to all the world."

"Thy reputation, the marvel of the known world, hath preceded thee, my Lord of Mandor," Zakath replied in an almost perfect Mimbrate dialect. "I do perceive now, however, that reputation is but a poor shade of the stupendous reality."

Mandorallen beamed.

"You'll do just fine," Hettar murmured to Zakath.

Zakath grinned at him. Then he looked at Barak. "The next time you see Anheg, my Lord of Trellheim, tell him that I'm still going to send him a bill for all those ships of mine he sank in the Sea of the East after Thull Mardu. I think some reparations might be in order.”

"I wish you all the luck in the world, your Majesty " Barak grinned " but I think you'll find that Anheg's very reluctant to open the doors of his treasury."

"Never mind," Garion said quietly to Lelldorin, who had drawn himself up, pale-faced and furious at the mention of Zakath's name.

"But "

"It wasn't his fault," Garion said. "Your cousin was killed in a battle. Those things happen, and there's no point in holding grudges. That's what's kept things stirred up in Arendia for the last twenty-five hundred years."

"And I'm sure you all recognize Eriond formerly Errand," Silk said once again in a deliberately offhand manner, ”the new God of Angarak."

"The what!” Barak exclaimed.

"You really should try to keep abreast of things, my dear Barak," Silk said, buffing his nails on the front of his tunic.

"Silk," Eriond said reprovingly.