Silk made a face. "She's probably right, you know," he admitted. "That's one of the things they stress at the academy. If you know what you're looking for, most people's faces are like open books." He squared his shoulders. "Well, Zakath," he said, "it looks as if we'll get to climb that mountain a little sooner than we'd expected."

"I don't think so, Kheldar," Polgara said firmly. "You could spend half a lifetime poking around in those glaciers and still not find the seers."

"Have you got a better idea?"

"Several, actually. "She rose to her feet. "Come along, Garion," she said. "You, too, uncle."

"What are you up to, Pol?" Belgarath asked.

"We're going to go up and have a look."

"That's what I suggested already," Silk objected.

"There's one difference, though, Kheldar," she said sweetly. "You can't fly."

"Well," he said in an offended tone, "if you're going to be that way about it."

"I am, Silk. It's one of the advantages of being a woman. I get to do all sorts of unfair things, and you have to accept them because you're too polite not to."

"One for her side," Garion murmured.

"You keep saying that," Zakath said, puzzled. "Why?"

"It's an Alorn joke," Garion told him.

"Why don't you save yourself a bit of time, Pol?" Belgarath suggested. "See if you can get some confirmation from that group mind before you go swooping off."

"That's a very good idea, father," she agreed. She closed her eyes and lifted her face. After a moment she shook her head. "They won't let me back in." She sighed.

"That's a kind of confirmation in itself." Beldin chuckled.

"I don't exactly follow that," Sadi said, rubbing his freshly shaved scalp.

"The Dals may be wise," the hunchback told him, "but they're not very shrewd. These two girls of ours have picked up some information. If the information wasn't correct, there wouldn't be any reason to keep Pol out. Since they did keep her out, it indicates that we're on to something. Let's go outside of town," he suggested to Polgara, "so that we don't give away any secrets."

"I don't really fly all that well, Aunt Pol," Garion said dubiously. "Are you sure you need me?"

"Let's not take chances, Garion. If the Dals go out of their way to make this place inaccessible, we might need to use the Orb to break through. We'll save time if you come along with it in the first place."

"Oh," he said, "maybe you're right."

"Keep in touch," Belgarath said as the three of them started out the door.

"Naturally," Beldin grunted.

Once they were out on the lawn, the dwarf squinted around. "Over there, I think," he said, pointing. "That thicket on the edge of town should hide what we're doing."

"All right, uncle," Polgara agreed.

"One other thing, Pol," he added, "and I'm not trying to be offensive."

"That's a novelty."