Demon Lord of Karanda Read Online Free PDF

almost mechanical sound. Then he looked around with a faint frown. "I seem to note some absences," he said.
    "Queen Ce'Nedra fell ill during our journey, your Majesty." Atesca advised him. "Lady Polgara is attending her."
    "Ill? Is it serious?"
    "It's difficult to say at this point, your Imperial Majesty, " Sadi replied unctuously, "but we have given her certain medications, and I have every confidence in Lady Polgara's skill."
    Zakath looked at Garion. "You should have sent word on ahead, Belgarion. I have a healer on my personal staff -a Dalasian woman with remarkable gifts. I'll send her to the Queen's chambers at once. Our first concern must be your wife's health."
    "Thank you," Garion replied with genuine gratitude.
    Zakath touched a bellpull and spoke briefly with the servant who responded immediately to his summons.
    "Please," the Emperor said then, "seat yourselves. I have no particular interest in ceremony."
    As the guards hastily brought chairs for them, the cat sleeping in Zakath's lap half opened her golden eyes and looked around at them. She rose to her paws, arched her back, and yawned. Then she jumped heavily to the floor with an audible grunt and waddled over to sniff at Eriond's fingers. With a faintly amused look, Zakath watched his obviously pregnant cat make her matronly way across the carpet. "You'll note that my cat has been unfaithful to me -again." He sighed in mock resignation. "It happens fairly frequently, I'm afraid, and she never seems to feel the slightest guilt about it."
    The cat jumped up into Eriond's lap, nestled down, and began to purr contentedly.
    "You've grown, boy," Zakath said to the young man.
    "Have they taught you how to talk as yet?" .
    "I've picked up a few words, Zakath," Eriond said in his clear voice.
    "I know the rest of you -by reputation at least," Zakath said then. "Goodman Durnik and I met on the plains of Mishrak ac Thull, and of course I've heard of the Margravine Liselle of Drasnian Intelligence and of Prince Kheldar, who strives to become the richest man in the world."
    Velvet's graceful curtsy of acknowledgment was not quite so florid as Silk's grandiose bow. .
    "And here, of course," the Emperor continued, "is Sadi, Chief Eunuch in the palace of Queen Salmissra."
    Sadi bowed with fluid grace. "I must say that your Majesty is remarkably well informed," he said in his contralto voice. "You have read us all like an open book."
    "My chief of intelligence tries to keep me informed, Sadi. He may not be as gifted as the inestimable Javelin of Boktor, but he knows about most of what's going on in this part of the world. He's mentioned that huge fellow over in the corner, but so far he hasn't been able to discover his name."
    "He's called Toth," Eriond supplied. "He's a mute, so we have to do his talking for him."
    "And a Dalasian besides," Zakath noted. "A very curious circumstance."
    Garion had been closely watching this man. Beneath the polished, urbane exterior, he sensed a kind of subtle probing. The idle greetings, which seemed to be no more than a polite means of putting them at their ease, had a deeper motive behind them. In some obscure way he sensed that Zakath was somehow testing each of them.
    The emperor straightened then. "You have an oddly assorted company with you, Belgarion," he said, "and you're a long way from home. I'm curious about your reasons for being here in Cthol Murgos."
    "I'm afraid that's a private matter, Zakath."
    One of the Emperor's eyebrows rose slightly. " Under the circumstances, that's hardly a satisfactory answer, Belgarion. I can't really take the chance that you're allied with Urgit."
    "Would you accept my word that I'm not?"
    "Not until I know a bit more about your visit to Rak Urga. Urgit left there quite suddenly -apparently in your company- and reappeared just as suddenly on the plains of Morcth, where he and a young woman led his troops out of an ambush I'd gone to a great deal of trouble to arrange. You'll have to admit that's a