The Duel

At least, they were well prepared. The monsters were excellent, brutal and fearless fighters. Without the Eldrakyn, they wouldn't have a chance against the bigger demons. The huge monsters were quick and strong enough to cause serious damage to the bodies of the demons. With exception of the Dryads, they were the only ones in the monster army who could understand the danger of this fight - and its importance. They defended the restored peace of UL, their renewed friendship with Dryads, monsters and men. They could see that it was their world, too.

The other monsters were driven mainly by hunger. The ripped off pieces of demon bodies were no worse food than anything else. The minotaurs, given backbone and training by their former master, the black hearted Gorgon, and also a deep seated fear of what might happen if they broke and ran, were between these two extremes. They fought in ranks, stood to the last man with an understanding of what this battle meant, but every time one of the enemy fell to their sharpened steel a few of them would succumb to their old hungers and fall upon them, clawing and feasting.

The bite-and-run tactics of the wild Hrulgin was rather successful. Of course, they needed some guidance to avoid causing confusion in their own ranks. The herd stallions were closely controlled by Sha-Dars. Hettar was among them - from a secure distance, they watched and directed the Hrulgin. Garth, of course, was the leader of the Hrulgin-mounted cavalry. The human forces and the Trolls attacked mainly medium sized demons, leaving the smaller ones to the Algroths and Minotaurs.

The united armies of the whole world were coordinated from one point. At the top of the hill, Ce'Nedra sat on her Hrulga. She watched the battlefield - not so much with her green eyes but with the amulet in her little fist. She was surrounded by her Algarian bodyguards and by her advisors - the best Tolnedran and Mallorean tacticians. Her decisions were signaled through horns, or brought by her messenger - a beautiful falcon with a lavender banded tail. Ce'Nedra's commands were followed by the human generals as well as by the Dryads - the generals of the monster army. They were probably the bravest generals in this battle. The Dryads didn't even have their bows and arrows, because they would be useless against demons. Often, they had to be in the first ranks to command the monsters. As long as their Eldrakyn bodyguards were alive, they were more or less safe. However, when the Eldrakyn were killed, the Dryads were without any defense.

This time, Ce'Nedra really was the Queen of the World. Her safety was guaranteed not only by normal forces, but Eriond had tried to concentrate most of the sorcery potential of the world near her. He couldn't allow them to dissipate into the battle - this could literally invite an attack at the Orb. The necessity to wait passively made them all very nervous.

Eriond looked over his assorted little army of sorcerers. Ka wasn't here yet, but Eriond was almost sure she would keep her promise. To his right hand, he saw the disciples of Aldur. Polgara, Durnik and Garion, Belgarath and Poledra stood closely together. Beldin discussed something with Beltira and Belkira.
To Eriond's left, there was the even smaller group of his own disciples - Pelath, Senji and Zedar. Not one of his former brothers even looked at Zedar. Of course, Eriond hadn't expected it, and neither did Zedar. He knew that it would probably take centuries to prove that he understood his mistakes, and regretted what he had done. At least now, he seemed determined to go through that.
And Vard was with them, the old sorcerer from Verkat. Technically, he wasn't a disciple, but he was the personification of the might of the Dals. He represented a terrible power - but would it be enough?

Ainoukh and Geran stood apart, in a close embrace. Ainoukh was still almost sure that Geran wouldn't survive this day. Naturally, she wanted to be together with him as long as possible, and Geran didn't argue with her. There was only one way to convince her that he wouldn't die - hopefully. He thought of their little son, Daran. He was safe in Riva, and Geran didn't doubt that Beldaran would take care of him - she loved him like her own child. But how safe was Riva, if the demons would win?
Suddenly, Eriond sighed with relief. He felt Ka's presence, and her potential was even greater than he had expected. The big crow changed to her natural form, and Ka greeted him with a short nod. Her look was not very friendly - she disliked his exploring thought. Then, however, she shrugged and turned to Polgara. Garion stood immediately beside her, and this reminded Ka of something. She showed Polgara a vision only she could see - and Eriond, probably. Polgara saw Garion sleeping in Rak Cthol. She saw Ka sitting on his bed with her knife, watching his dream. And then, just for good measure, Ka showed her the dream.
"You are lying," Polgara said scornfully.
"No, she's not. Did you come only for that, Ka?" Eriond asked her with a slight rebuke.
Ka chuckled. "Can't you see the answer in my mind, Eriond?"
Then, she looked at Belgarath.
"I'm sorry, Ancient One, I made a mistake. I'm glad you recovered."
Her voice sounded sincere. Polgara looked at Eriond incredulously, but he nodded - Ka meant it.
Belgarath grinned at Ka. "Oh, it was my mistake, too. And the year as a whelp wasn't really that bad."
Poledra seemed amused, and Ka laughed.
"I'm so happy that you aren't holding grudges, Old Wolf!"
Eriond could see that Polgara grew irritated again. He tried to change the subject.
"I was worried that you wouldn't come, Ka."
He understood almost immediately that this was a very poor choice of words.
"I promised I'd come. Are you questioning my word, little boy?"
Zedar gasped. Obviously, he wanted to reply sharply. Pelath hurried to lay his hand on Zedar's arm, and he shook his head warningly.
"Sorry, Ka, I didn't mean to offend you. I was afraid you'd come late," Eriond tried to correct his mistake. It wasn't really much better, though.
"I was near for several hours, now, as I told your messengers I would," Ka said ironically. "You aren't really that naive to think that only you can feel Mordja coming, are you? There was no chance I'd be late. Maybe, you just wanted to look into my mind a little longer."
Of course, her words weren't very respectful. However, they didn't contain anything Eriond couldn't see in her mind, anyway. Zedar missed this point completely. He wouldn't tolerate any disrespect for his Master - who ever it was at the moment. This time, nobody managed to stop him.
"Watch your mouth, Grolim! Nobody speaks so to my Master."
There was a short awkward pause after his words. Most didn't approve of Ka's tone, but it was Eriond's decision to stay on the good side of this powerful woman. And they could believe that she was a reliable ally against demons. Everybody in the world knew how much she hated them. They all had many more doubts concerning Zedar. Even if Eriond trusted him not to change sides again, he could at least keep his mouth shut. However, nobody wanted to show that he noticed Zedar's presence - with one exception. Ainoukh marched toward him.
"You would be Zedar. My name is Ainoukh, and one of my ancestors was Etchquaw - the magician you burned."
"This was more than three thousand years ago," Zedar answered.
"He's still dead, and you are still alive. Why did you burn him?"
"He wouldn't obey my Master."
"Oh no, Zedar! You didn't obey your Master, and you forgot to mention that this was Torak, then. It was your chore to face Belgarath, but you feared him. You underestimated him, but you were afraid of him, nonetheless. That's pretty much cowardice for a single man. You failed, not Etchquaw. Torak, however, did not burn you, as I see. Could it be that you were worse than Torak, then?"
Zedar looked at her with a pained expression. "Listen, girl..."
"No, you listen, Zedar! My husband will fight Mordja today. I don't think he can win, but he will try. Try you not to be a coward today, try not to fail."
"You have my word on that, girl," Zedar said in a low voice.
"We don't need your word. Don't speak about it - just do it. We will see if you do - we are not blind."
Then, she returned to her husband. Unfortunately, there was no time left to embrace him again. Eriond's and Ka's warnings came at the same time. "Beware, Geran - Mordja's coming!"
Geran took the time for a short kiss. Then he stepped forward and walked slowly towards where the air had begun to crackle nearby. Lightning flashed a couple of times. On the field below, Geran noticed a column of Minotaurs breaking in the face of two huge demons which had evaded the advances of the Eldraks and had gone in search of easier prey. His attention was immediately drawn back as the air flashed and then finally the form of Mordja appeared. He looked somewhat different to what Garion had met. Understandable, Geran thought, since this time it was a form of his choosing rather than anyone else's. His skin was smooth and grey, and overlaid a frame covered in hard muscles. A pair of huge wings flapped behind the demon as he beat a fist upon his chest and roared once at the man standing before him, a sound akin to that of a thousand dragons. Geran stood firm and stared up at him, and up, and up... the demon was almost ten feet tall, and with a single flick of his barbed tail he doubled in size. His skin seemed covered in a strange natural stony armor, and he whirled the huge sword he carried above his head. Geran thought he caught a gasp coming from the tight knot of Sha - Dars who stood nearby, as Hettar thought he saw a creature he had faced himself more than once, but then the hook nosed man returned his attention to the Hrulgin once again and they swept in to try and help the fleeing minotaurs. Mordja's hideous figure crossed his arms, and waited for him. Geran had Riva's sword ready in a cast iron grip.
"I see you're bringing our sword back - Cthrek Goru," he said in a challenging voice.
Mordja laughed a chilling laugh. "I came to take something I want. Do you really think you can win, little human? This time, I'm not confined in the body of a stupid dragon."
"Oh, if you are worried about my size...," Geran shrugged. In the end of this shrug, he was as tall as Mordja. The Demon Lord didn't waste more time with threats - he attacked. "May Torak's spirit be with you, Geran," Ka murmured. The thought that this hideous creature had inhabited Torak's wonderful totem animal was nauseous. She knew that this had forced Belgarion and his friends to kill the last dragon at Korim.
Once again, Garion was surprised by Geran's instant reaction. Actually, he seemed to react even before Mordja's actions - which was impossible. In fast movements, Geran appeared as a doubled image. It was clear that he cheated. But Garion couldn't understand how he did it - much as during their stupid fight four years ago.
"He tampers with time," Eriond explained. "He translocated himself back in time half of an instant - just to receive warnings then from now. Present - that's the near future of this past. He is able to react - without Mordja being able to react to Geran's reactions."
"But it's terribly dangerous to disrupt the structure of time!" Beldin objected irritably.
"It is - unless you know what you are doing," Eriond replied. "Geran knows, believe me."

Ainoukh stood aside. She didn't even hear the talk of the sorcerers, let alone to understand it. All she did was watching the fight and trembling visibly. Ka experienced sympathy with this wonderful girl. She was the only one here without the "gift", and she probably felt left out. Ka went to her and laid her arm around Ainoukh's shoulder comfortingly. Ainoukh glanced at Ka gratefully. She didn't fear Ka. She could perceive her warmth and sympathy, although she hadn't anticipated something like that from a follower of Torak.
"Geran saved my life once," Ka said. "Let's hope that he saves this world today."
"Who can win against a Demon Lord?" Ainoukh asked.
"We'll see. Geran's still alive - and this is already more than you'd have believed before."
"That's true," Ainoukh admitted. "But he has no advantage, he just defends himself. Mordja can attack him for days or even weeks - and Geran can't resist that long."
Apparently, Geran had the same thought. Ka could hear how the complex play of his Will changed. His image doubled not only in fast motion - in fact it tripled, and the three Gerans spread out before Mordja.
"Oh my God! May Torak help him to keep this under control," Ka whispered.

"He must be crazy! He'll rip the universe to pieces!" Beldin raged.
"Geran can handle it, Aldur taught him. You are right, it's very complicated - he has to coordinate the three times, and he has to put them together in the end." Eriond's voice was full of awe. "Of course, he can't do this for very long."
This, however, wasn't necessary. Mordja wasn't prepared for three swords attacking him. He didn't understand that some of the attacks were just the future or the past of another one. A heavy blow from an unexpected direction threw him, and before he could correct a clumsy backswing which crested through one of Geran's illusions the heavy blade was knocked spinning from his fingers. Then, the three images of Geran and his sword floated together - right between Mordja and his lost weapon. Mordja howled with fury. Nobody expected him to accept his defeat. He had not only been unable to win the Orb - he had lost Torak's sword. His frustration was even greater than the loathing between the disciples of the King of Hell. "Athal, help me!" he screamed. Beside him, the dreadful shape of the mightiest Demon Lord appeared.
"Join your Will with mine and with the Orb, now!" Eriond thundered. He held Poledra's hand, and Belgarath wasn't even aware that he grasped Zedar's. An evil green light reached out for Geran and the Orb. The Orb glowed bright white, but its light seemed to hardly be able to push back the green light of Hell. Eriond could hear the chorus of voices of the Dals - they all joined their wills with them. But Athal was here, and quite obviously, the King of Hell had given him much of his might. For a short desperate moment, Eriond thought of calling his father. But this would mean that he failed defending his world...

In this moment, Ka took Polgara's free hand. She added the blackness of her hatred, and now the light of evil retreated, surrounding only those two intruders into the world of their God. It didn't really matter, but it was Ka who released their joint Will. "Leave us alone."
The green light concentrated in two incredibly bright fireballs - and then they imploded, throwing the two Demon Lords back into Hell. They wouldn't be able to return. The effect of the detonation was disastrous. The sorcerers had trouble staying on their feet. Quite a few demons fled back to Hell - taking along magicians who were no longer able to control them. The monsters felt the weakening of their enemy, and attacked with renewed fury. The battle wasn't over yet.
"Behold the sword of thy brother, Belgarion - it will be thine now! Seize it, and join thy son - now we will win!"
Garion knew this voice very well, coming out of Eriond's mouth. He didn't hesitate to obey. With a few giant leaps, he reached the sword. Ka watched the scene with excitement. She could sense Torak's spirit here. What would happen when his brother touched Cthrek Goru?
All could hear Torak's voice, when Garion took the sword - all except Ainoukh. "Take thy sword, my hated brother. Thou hast won it at Cthol Mishrak, and thy son hath won it for thee, again. Now, I can go to rest. Follow my successor, my children, and fight for the world I made for you! Know, Ka, my beloved daughter, that I am proud of thee."
Geran and Garion run toward the Hrulgin. Two of Ce'Nedra's guards were wise enough to free their saddles before they were pushed out of them. Father and son mounted, and then they left in gallop. They followed Ce'Nedra's thought, showing them their place in the battle.

Ka dropped Polgara's hand. She bowed to her mockingly. "What a wonderful experience to exercise our gift together, dear sister! I clearly perceived that you were quite some help." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.
"It was my pleasure, dear Ka! Your potential is really remarkable for a Grolim." In Polgara's voice were all known sorts of acids and venom - and some.
Ka laughed. "As it looks now, I'll be around for some eons. It will be my favorite pastime to hate you, Polgara. Please, do me the favor to share this wonderful feeling!"
"I will, Ka!" Polgara's smile was as warm as ice, and her eyes were like steel.
Eriond sighed. There wasn't anything he could do about that. At least, he wasn't able to lessen their antipathy. Of course, if he told them just how similar they were, they would hate each other even more.

Ka returned to her favorite place at Ainoukh's side. She definitely liked that girl. "Geran is great. You made a good choice," she told her.
Ainoukh couldn't help smiling. "Eriond and Belar told me the same during my weddings."
"Not really," Ka objected. "Maybe, they used the same words. They may be Gods, but they are only men. I'm a woman, it doesn't mean the same if I say it."
Ainoukh understood this. Ka was a beautiful woman, and it was slightly worrying that she liked Geran. Ainoukh knew what he did to save Ka's life...
Ka saw what she thought. "No, Ainoukh, I wouldn't try something like that. I met Geran and his father at Cthol Mishrak again, as you know. I tried to find in their mind something about Eriond's plans. But I couldn't see anything in Geran's mind - only your picture. Yes, he hid something behind it, but not very much. He really thinks of you most of the time. He loves you, and I'm happy for you."
Ainoukh had no doubts that Ka told her the truth. Not only because Ka couldn't lie in Eriond's presence - she felt that Ka was a friend. This was strange, but she'd never understand it if she didn't ask. "Do you still want to bring back Torak?"
Ka remembered that Ainoukh could watch only with her eyes. She repeated the words of Torak's spirit.
"So you will follow Eriond, now," Ainoukh wondered.
"We'll see. I will fight for this world, though. Eriond might not always like my methods, but that's just too bad. He did a good job here," she admitted.
"It's not over yet," Ainoukh replied. Ka realized that she still worried.
"It will be over soon," she reassured her. "The demons can't stand Cthrek Goru - it was forged mainly for that. Cthrek Yaska is certainly not worse. Mordja could have used Torak's Sword of Shadows to challenge Athal and to become first disciple. But he wanted both swords - and lost all. Demons are fools - fortunately. Eriond must have foreseen all of that." There was a certain amount of respect in her voice by now. "When I first met him at Rak Cthol, he was just a foolish little boy. Ctuchik summoned me to ask why my father might have jumped down from Rak Cthol. This little boy was with him. The idiot Zedar hadn't even taught him how to speak. He just looked at me with pity in his blue eyes and said the only word he knew - 'errand'. He didn't try to give me Cthrag Yaska, though."
Ka didn't mention Polgara - Ainoukh knew the story, anyway.
"And what about your mother?" Ainoukh asked her.
Ka sighed. "I don't remember her. She was sacrificed when I was about one year old. Father was very proud of her. He told me that she was glad to be elected."
Ainoukh embraced Ka. "It's terrible without a mother. My mother died a few years ago, but now I have a mother again. She's wonderful."
Ka looked at Ce'Nedra. The light of the low sun let her hair shine like red gold. She still was fully concentrated on the battle, but Ka knew that she was on the verge of exhaustion.
"Oh yes, she's incredible. She will sleep for days when this is over. Fortunately, this will be in just a couple of minutes." Suddenly, Ka knew what she could give to her new friend.
"When I was in the library at Kell, I found a book about the Path of the Moon. It was written by a Dal woman when she visited Morindland. The Dals let me read the book only because I'm a woman," she added when she saw Ainoukh's worried look. "She wrote it after the words of the Mothers of the beaver clan."
Ainoukh's eyes grew wide. "The beaver clan vanished completely during the cracking of the world! There's only an old legend that they had twelve additional Resoon Kee. I never could accept that they are lost forever."
Ka smiled. "They aren't - they are all in that book."
"This book must be returned to the Mothers as soon as possible," Ainoukh said fervently.
Ka smiled even brighter. "Yes, probably so. But why do you want to wait that long? It's this kind of leather you use for them, right?" She took a hide right out of the air.
Ainoukh examined it thoroughly. "Yes, you're right. We burn them in - that's tedious, but it lasts longer."
"Oh, it's not very tedious." Ka made sure that no man could see this piece of leather. Then she concentrated on the skin. Under her look, the Resoon Kee appeared one by one, in three rows.
Ainoukh looked at them with bright eyes. "We cut them apart, it's more handy," she reminded Ka.
"That's no problem." Ka took out her famous knife. Neatly, she cut the hide in twelve Resoon Kee and gave them to Ainoukh. "That's my gift for you."
Ainoukh laughed happily while she hid the Resoon Kee under her clothes. "Thank you, Ka, it's a precious gift! I know you are much older than me, but you are like a sister." She rubbed her nose at Ka's.

"I wonder what she's up to," Polgara said suspiciously, looking at Ka.
"They are making friends. Ka's appreciation for Ainoukh is absolutely sincere," Eriond replied. Things developed even better than he had hoped.
"I simply can't see why." Polgara never gave in easily.
"Maybe she liked her nice little speech to Zedar. I know that I enjoyed it a lot," Beldin stepped in.
Belgarath agreed. "Ka is a pupil of Ctuchik, she must hate Zedar and Urvon. If you come right down to it, only Ctuchik did what he was supposed to do - if you don't count his fatal mistake in the end."
Beldin barked his ugly laugh. "Hate Urvon, who dallied with Nahaz? You can say that again, brother. I wonder what she would do to Urvon if she had a chance to get him," he mused.
"Why don't you ask her, uncle?" Polgara suggested ironically.
Beldin's eyes brightened. "You know, that's an idea. Geran will probably finish his butcher job soon, and then Ka will miss her new friend for a while. That's the right moment for a long talk with her."
Polgara only rolled her eyes upward.

Ka and Beldin were right. The battle was almost over. No demon could stand these two swords. Cthrek Goru cut through their bodies like through paper. And the blue fire of the Orb was too hot even for the creatures of Hell. Finally, they had cut their way to the remaining two big demons through their troops. Geran and Garion were taking some risk attacking them, but it was not too big - several Eldrakyn distracted them. The two heroes tried to drive their mounts behind the backs of the demons and to chop off their heads. This was not as easy as it sounds - they had several heads. After a few rounds, it was done, though. The spirits of the two demon generals retired to Hell, and their underlings followed them. Geran and Garion realized that they had run out of enemies - they had won.
Ce'Nedra couldn't even feel happiness when she received the signal. She was the only one who knew the price for that victory - except Eriond, of course. Only now she felt her exhaustion. When Geran and Garion sent out their thought to Ce'Nedra, they saw that she wasn't even able to dismount without help.
"I'll take care of her. Go tell Ainoukh that you decided not to die today," Garion told Geran and galloped up the hill. He swung down when he reached her. Ce'Nedra literally fell into his arms, weeping. "Oh, Garion!"
Garion hugged her. "Don't cry, it's over - and we have won!"
"I've lost half of our army!" Ce'Nedra sobbed.
Polgara hurried to Ce'Nedra, too. She knew that the little queen needed her help. "She's exhausted, Garion, she must sleep now! We'll bring her to your tent!"
"I don't think I can sleep now, Aunt Pol," Ce'Nedra tried to object.
"I'll give you a medicine that helps you, dear. You absolutely need sleep now, believe me," Polgara insisted gently.

As soon as Geran galloped toward them, Ka knew what was coming. "Ah, Ainoukh, remember that we'd all like to congratulate Geran, please," she said with a smile.
Ainoukh smiled back. "I know. But I'm the first!"
Geran dismounted almost before his Hrulga stopped. And then he forgot all in a very long kiss. Without doubt, this kiss would have lasted for several hours, but suddenly he felt a light punch in the ribs.
"Sorry, Geran, but there are several people who wanted to thank you. I hope they won't keep you too long," Ainoukh apologized.
"I don't intend to discuss the whole battle with them," Geran promised.
"I'm so glad. I'll use the time to see mother - before she gets to sleep." Ainoukh ran in the direction of Ce'Nedra's and Garion's tent.
Ka was in a favorable position to be the next. She embraced Geran fiercely. "Thank you, Geran. I knew you were the best fighter of this world."
"Thank you, Ka. I don't want to think of where I'd be now without your help," Geran answered seriously.
"We all sent them back to Hell together. It's a shame that they probably arrived there in one piece," Ka sighed.
"May I, Ka?" Beldin asked with surprising courtesy. Then he squeezed Geran's hand in his. "Nicely done, brother! I almost fainted when I saw what you were doing to time. One of these days we should have a long talk about that."
"Sorry, Beldin, more likely one of these months. I sort of intended to discuss something with my wife first."
Beldin grinned. "It can't take that long, Geran. I'm not supposed to know more, but everybody knows there are only twenty-four of those - how do they call them?"
Ka laughed. "Actually, there are thirty-six Resoon Kee. Sorry, Beldin, I helped Ainoukh to find out about that."
"That's okay, Ka, I can wait. By the way, you did a nice job with Urvon's Grolims."
"I thought you might like it," Ka answered proudly. "You impressed Urvon very much with your white-hot hook - excellent idea, Beldin!"
"It's a pity we couldn't end this discussion with Urvon - Nahaz stole him," Beldin complained.
"That's one more reason to hate demons," Ka said seriously.
"You're right. By the way, over the eons I had some other ideas of what to do to Urvon. Maybe we should go someplace else to discuss it in more detail?"
"Why don't we?" Ka agreed with vivid interest. They left Geran to the embraces and handshakes of the others.

Ainoukh arrived at the tent at the same moment that a lavender banded falcon swooped down and shimmered into Vella.
"So you can really change form without Beldin's help?" Ainoukh wondered.
"Beldin changed my form that often that I picked it up somehow," Vella said in an offhand way. "It's not really difficult. But it's the only thing I can do, I can't even cope with a simple translocation - I don't have the talent."
"Geran changed my form every day on our way from Morindland to Riva. Sometimes it seemed to me that I know how. But I never tried - I'm a little careless with details, and a wolf without fur would look very strange."
"You wouldn't forget the fur," Vella said. "But you must keep the whole image firmly in your mind, and you must not doubt that it works."
"I'll try some day, it's a useful thing. But not now - I think mother will sleep soon."
When they came into the tent, they noticed that Eriond was there too. Ce'Nedra lay on her bed and drank something. "It tastes rather good - are you sure it's the right medicine, Aunt Pol?" she asked with a faint smile.
Polgara smiled. "It's all right, dear. You're not ill, just exhausted. This potion will calm you down and allow you to get some sleep."
"I came just to congratulate you, Ce'Nedra," Vella said. "You are the greatest little queen I ever saw."
"How do you feel, mother?" Ainoukh asked. "Ka told me you'd sleep for days now. She admires you."
"I'm fine, Ainoukh, only very tired. Ka... I heard through my amulet what Torak's spirit told her. What did she do?"
"I don't like to admit it, but her potential probably decided all. Her hate for demons helped us to send Mordja and Athal back to Hell ," Polgara answered reluctantly. "You knew this would happen, didn't you?" she turned to Eriond.
"I hoped this would happen, that's why I invited her," Eriond agreed.
"Ka gave me something invaluable, mother," Ainoukh said with a happy smile.
"What can a Black Grolim give you?" Polgara wondered.
"The twelve special Resoon Kee of the beaver clan - they were lost after the cracking of the world. Ka found them in a Dalish book. Eriond, this book belongs to the Mothers of the clans of the Morindim!"
"Of course, Ainoukh. The Dals are just caring for it until the Morindim abandon the practice of demon worshiping. They will return it gladly."
Polgara was startled. She knew enough about the Path of the Moon by now to realize that this was indeed something holy for a Morind woman.
"I'd like to show you, mother, but I can't in the presence of these men," Ainoukh added with a glance at Garion, sitting on Ce'Nedra's bed and holding her hand.
Eriond tried to smile. "Garion, why don't we bid Ce'Nedra good-night and get out of here? Ce'Nedra will sleep, and we've got things to do. As it seems, the women have taken over in your tent."
Garion could feel the deep sadness under this faint attempt at a joke. Eriond knew what was waiting for them in the battlefield. "Sleep well, dear." Garion kissed Ce'Nedra and followed Eriond.
"I'm afraid not even your pictures will keep her attentive for long now, Ainoukh," Polgara warned her. For some reason she smiled. After all, she wasn't that old, and to take a look wouldn't hurt...
"I know, Lady Polgara, I just wanted to show her this Resoon Ka. We can study them all more thoroughly later."
Ce'Nedra giggled while she looked. "Interesting idea, indeed!"
Vella gasped. "That's worth a try!"
Polgara looked at the picture. Vella might be right. Suddenly, she remembered the advice she gave Garion once in Mallorea - not to ignore the physical side of his marriage. And she told him that a carefully planned seduction had its charm. Why not follow this advice herself? Of course, Durnik would be surprised. However, Sendars weren't really that prudish. Polgara couldn't help chuckling when she thought about it.
Ainoukh looked at her in surprise. She hadn't expected this reaction from the usually almost stern Polgara.
Polgara noticed her confusion. "That's all right, child. Maybe I'll explain it to you some day." She felt much younger now. In a sense, this was a gift for her, too. Probably, Ka wouldn't like the notion. "Let's go out of here now, ladies. Ce'Nedra has to sleep."

When they had left the tent, Eriond looked at Garion sadly. "We'll have to inspect the battlefield now. And we have to decide what to do with the remains of our fighters, and with the cadavers of the demons."
Garion nodded. "I'll call together our generals and the sorcerers."
"Please, tell them to bring along the few captives! Let them look at the consequences of what they did."
Eriond knew that there were very few captives. The demons were all destroyed, of course. The magicians had kept behind the ranks of the demons, so they didn't encounter the enemy. Some were killed by the demons they had raised, some fled. Just a few of them were encircled by an attack at the flanks, however. Most of them were killed by the human warriors, and they made sure that it wasn't an easy death. Eriond didn't like that, but he could understand the men. They had seen what demons did to their friends, and they knew who to blame for calling the demons. That there were some captives at all was the consequence of the restored Peace of UL. Monsters no longer killed humans, not even human enemies. Now the small group of Morinds and Karands was driven to Eriond by Minotaurs. They were alive, but frightened and obviously beaten up. Not all of them could walk without help.
When everyone had arrived, they started downhill. Eriond knew more or less what to expect. Everything that Ce'Nedra could perceive through her amulet, he saw as well. She had been right - they had lost slightly more than half of their army. But only now, seeing it, did they understand what it meant. During the fight, Geran and Garion had other things on their mind than to look at the fallen. Now, they stared in horror at the mutilated bodies of monsters and men. They all tried not to look at the demon corpses. Hrulgin, Eldrakyn and other monsters were feeding on them. Nobody even thought of disturbing them. They had fought bravely, and now they ate - they had deserved it. This didn't make the look any more pleasant, though.
The Dryads were the first to start weeping. There were fallen very many Dryads, far more than half of them. And the surviving Dryads had known the fallen personally, and not always were they able to recognize them. Garion was not surprised that Eriond joined them soon. It was not the same as Mara's grief, not his insane howling. Eriond's mourning was a monition - it said "Never again!" Indeed, they couldn't afford another such victory. What they saw was more than even old soldiers could stand, almost all had tears in their eyes.
Ka had continued her talk with Beldin at first, then she grew more and more sullen. It was an insult to the dignity of individual death what the demons had done. Her loathing was around her like an aura of blackness. She was already thinking of what to do to those captured magicians. However, she doubted that Eriond would let her. And a look into their minds showed her that there was no need to do anything. They were convinced that they were shown this to prepare them for their punishment. And the punishment they were awaiting after this was enough to drive them to the edge of madness - and quite a few beyond. To kill them now would be a completely unjustified act of mercy.
They had reached the other end of the battlefield. Eriond was still weeping. He was kneeling before the remains of a Dryad. There wasn't much of her left, only the head and a part of her chest with one arm. Her Eldrak bodyguard lay beside her. He looked much worse.
"This is terrible, but we still have to decide what to do with the dead," General Derron reminded them in a low voice. "We can't simply leave them where they are now."
"We can't bury that many fallen - as we couldn't at Vo Mimbre," Beldin replied.
"It's even worse in this case, uncle," Polgara said. "The earth here in the North is frozen even in summer, as soon as you get deeper than a few feet."
"Then we'll have to burn them, as we did at Vo Mimbre," Beldin concluded.
"There aren't any trees here, where do we take wood?" Polgara asked.
"We could possibly find naphtha somewhere," Durnik mused. "Or we could set fire to them with sorcery."
The Dryads didn't believe their ears during this conversation. Their grief more and more turned to anger.
"That's absolutely out of the question," Queen Xera said with exasperation. "You will not set fire to the bodies of our dead sisters, not if I can help it. The peace and friendship between humans, Dryads and monsters does not only mean that we fight and die together. You could as well respect our traditions."
They all were impressed and ashamed by the outburst of the tiny Dryad queen. Of course, nobody had forgotten that the monster army had decided the outcome of the battle.
"She's right, you know? We'll have to come up with a better solution," Belgarath said.
"We could bury them..."
"... if we use our gift," Beltira and Belkira said, as usual one ending the sentence of the other.
Garion and Geran had a short conference. "We could use the Orb to move away a rather large amount of earth, frozen or not. Then we can lay in the dead, and move the earth back over them. Flowers will grow on that grave hill in summer," Garion summed it up.
"Sorry, cousin Xera, I'm afraid that's all we can do. I'm sure nobody tried to offend our dear allies. Just our grief let some of us forget about the discomfort of the Dryads with fire," he apologized.
"That's very much better," Xera said satisfied. "You can burn the cadavers of the demons, if you wish - after the monsters have eaten their fill, and after we have withdrawn. My Dryad sisters are not eager to see the greasy smoke and soot of that fire."
"Let me do that. There won't be any smoke at all - the fire will be too hot for that," Ka promised.
"We'll have trouble finding a suitable place," Belgarath warned them. "Down in the plain it's marshy, and up here the solid rock is probably not far below the surface."
"We'll explain it to the Orb, it will show us the right place. If necessary, it'll have to shatter some rock to gravel." Geran sounded fairly optimistic about it. He asked Derron about the necessary size of the grave. The answer of the experienced soldier left no room for further discussion - only the Orb was capable of doing that.
"Let's get started, then." Geran laid the palm of his right hand on the Orb and spoke to it with his mind. The Orb was a stone itself, so it could tell apart earth and rock. Even more - it could sense the difference. It was more challenging to translate Derron's figures into something comprehensible by the Orb. They certainly didn't want to waste half of Morindland in the process.
Eventually, Geran decided that the Orb had understood. He held Riva's sword in his hands, and followed it's soft pull, until the tip of the sword pointed down sharply. Fortunately, it wasn't very far from the edge of the battlefield.
Garion had accompanied him, now he gripped the hilt, too. They concentrated on the Orb and on the earth before them. Then they spoke the word - "Flow away!"
The earth on a vast area before them seemed to melt. In a giant wave, it rolled away from the hill, leaving behind naked rock deep below. At some distance, the wave froze.
Derron was satisfied by their work. "That will be large enough, I guess," he said. Then he sighed. "Now we'll have to bring the fallen here."
What followed now, the veterans of the demon battle would remember for the rest of their lives. The bodies of their dead friends looked terrible. Very few were still in one piece and they had to transport the remains over some one hundred yards to the pit. Of course, they were using carts, but on the uneven ground of the hill this was not easy. The men worked with few words, some were sobbing. Nobody could stand it for more than two or three hours, then they had to be replaced by others. The men off duty were drinking themselves into insensitivity, or they slept even without this from exhaustion.
Eriond didn't weep any more. He sat at the edge of the battlefield with his face buried in his hands. His grief could be sensed even in the camp on the other side of the hill. It hang over their minds like a dark cloud.
The sorcerers proposed their help and suggested to translocate the remains. However, the warriors wouldn't hear of that. The thought that sorcery would touch the fallen didn't seem natural to them. So the sorcerers translocated only the remains of the Hrulgin, Algroths and some other monsters.
The Dryads were not able to do much for their dead. The Eldrakyn took care of that. Garion hadn't had much sympathy for them, he just respected them as allies. He remembered their fight with Grul long ago too well. But when he saw now how carefully they transported not only their fallen, but also the bodies of their dead little friends, with big tears streaming down their shaggy faces, he began to understand why the Dryads were so fond of the huge creatures.
It was difficult to keep track of time during this sad work. The sun always was above the horizon in the arctic summer. Nobody had the leisure to look if it almost touched the Northern horizon, or if it was higher in the South. However, even this seemingly endless torment ended and only the demon cadavers remained on the field. The generals commanded their fighters to return to the camp. The sorcerers would finish this ghastly funeral.
Geran and Garion went to the other side of the huge wave of earth. Again they gripped the hilt of Riva's sword, and commanded - "Flow back!" The earth melted, and the wave rolled back uphill, covering the dead heroes with a hill of naked earth.
Then they returned to the other sorcerers.
"Are you sure you can burn all those cadavers without our help, Ka?" Beldin demanded dubiously.
"Yes, I'm sure, Beldin. Please, let me do it!" she pleaded.
Nobody objected, so Ka went uphill to a place from where she could overlook the whole battlefield. The demon cadavers had begun to decay. The monsters had ended their feast long ago. Now only hundreds of crows and ravens were feeding on the stinking cadavers.
Ka decided to warn them - she often was a crow herself, after all and her cry let them flee in a large flock. Now she concentrated on the hideous corpses. She fed her hate with the power she drew out of the surrounding air.
The sorcerers watched how Ka almost vanished in a big thundercloud. As it became noticeably colder, Belgarath noticed that Zedar was very pale, and that he had prepared a shield. Maybe he was afraid of a possible accident. How funny - Ka wouldn't do that in Eriond's presence. And then they heard how Ka released her Will - "Burn!" she thundered.
Thousands of lightning bolts jerked out of the cloud and set fire to the demon corpses, and the thunder shook the earth. It was a very hot fire with almost white flames, which quickly consumed every part of the corpses that could burn. Only the bones remained, glowing red at first and then turning white before the black background of the burnt hillside. The skeletons still looked grotesque, but it was a definite improvement. The cloud dissipated, and they could see Ka standing motionless, still in the same place, looking at the result of her work with a certain satisfaction.
Belgarath broke the silence. "We were lucky that she was only thirteen, then," he remarked dryly.
"We were three at Rak Cthol, father," Polgara objected.
The sorcerers watched how Ka returned to them. She didn't go straight through the burnt field, but circled around its edge. She went slowly, pausing now and then to pluck off a flower. When she arrived at the other sorcerers, she held a small bouquet in her hand - Adara's roses.
"Respect, where respect is due - that was masterful," Beldin told her.
Ka smiled at him gratefully. "I'm a little tired," she confessed, "but I feel much better now." Then she looked at the naked grave hill and at the mourning God. "But I see we still have a problem or two," she said with a sigh.
"You are right, we promised flowers on that hill." Garion looked at the huge grave. "We will need very many flowers."
"I'd propose this flower - Adara's rose," Ka said.
"You know about it?" Garion asked with some pride.
Ka laughed. "All the world knows about it, Belgarion. The flower you created has conquered this world."
"You are right, Ka," Poledra said calmly, "Adara's rose is the most appropriate choice. We'll have to cover the whole grave with them."
All looked at her in surprise. Poledra didn't speak very often, so it got their immediate attention, when she did.
"Do you suppose the Orb could help here?" Durnik asked. "It's a terribly large grave hill."
"No, I'm afraid that's too subtle for the Orb," Geran replied, "I wouldn't even know how to explain it."
"Don't you think that Eriond should do that?" Ka asked them. "Those fighters died for his world, for him."
"There is much truth in your words, Ka," Pelath answered. "But I don't think it would be wise to disturb our Master now. His grief still is very big."
"I can understand his grief, Pelath. He is dreaming of a world where people no longer kill each other - and he got this." Ka pointed at the grave. "It's impossible, of course, but he should try. To win this battle and to get back Cthrek Goru seemed impossible, too. The best method to cope with grief is to do something useful. It's not good for him to just sit here."
Polgara realized that it'd be rather challenging to hate this woman for eons. Of course, she accepted the challenge.
"I don't intend to give orders to a God," she said. "If he thought he has to do that, he'd probably not wait for your advice."
Ka looked at her with an amused smile. "I've been told you're giving orders to everybody, whichever rank he has."
"But not to a God!" Polgara snapped.
Ka voice softened. "You were like a mother for him, Polgara. I'm sure you told him often what to do."
"He's grown up, Ka," Belgarath answered. "There was a moment when he told Polgara in no uncertain terms that he knows what he's doing."
"Father, don't tell stories!" Polgara said irritably.
Ka laughed out loud. "But I know that story, Polgara. By the way, I can understand his feelings for Dryads. What I saw in the last few days convinced me that they are remarkable creatures."
Belgarath was startled. "You seem to be very well informed, Ka. I don't suppose you'd like to reveal your sources?"
"Why not?" Ka answered with a shrug. "When Belgarion was at Rak Cthol, his mind was open like a book. Two other books he helped me to copy from his memory onto parchment - your books, Belgarath and Polgara. I was interested mainly in your memories of Torak, of course. Not all in your books is true, and neither is it the whole truth, but it's a valuable source. Yes, I'm very well informed, indeed."
Polgara looked at Garion with eyes like steel. "Thank you, Garion. We'll speak about that later - at some length." Then she turned to Ka. "Why don't you try to tell Eriond what to do? You spoke to him very disrespectfully before the duel - you knew he'd need you later. Try to get away with something like that now - I wish you luck!
"Thank you, dear sister," Ka replied ironically, "but I don't think I'll need luck."
She turned around and went to the grief-stricken God. When she bowed to him, Eriond could perceive the fragrance of Adara's roses in her hand. He felt her gentle fingers in his hair.
"Eriond, come to your senses," she called him softly. "You know that all those fighters didn't die for nothing. They died for our world, they died for you - it's your world now. It was a great sacrifice."
She could feel his protest already before he answered.
"Don't say that, Ka! I don't need sacrifices - I'm not Torak!" Eriond rose to his feet.

The other sorcerers could not understand his words, but they could feel his irritation.
"She handles it very smoothly, as I see," Polgara remarked acidly.
"Don't you understand?" Belgarath asked her. In fact, he understood it only now himself. "She did it deliberately. She wanted him to remember that he's the God here. He will calm down as soon as he sees in her mind why she did it. She's very clever. I wonder what she told him to get his attention," he mused.
Polgara knew better this time than to suggest him to ask. He'd probably do it, and, even worse, Ka would answer. She was angry with herself. "I could have done the same, and she suggested it to me almost explicitly. Probably, she had a good time when I failed to understand her."

Ka looked at the angry God calmly. "Why not speak out loud what you can see in my mind, anyway, Eriond? You knew that this battle was inevitable, and you knew that you were not allowed to take part directly. No, you are not Torak, he'd probably ignored the rules. But you respected them, and those heroes had to die for you - and for us all. This is called a sacrifice, Eriond, wether you like it or not."
Eriond did not like it, of course, but he couldn't deny that it was true. At least, she was absolutely sure that it was the truth - he could see that in her mind. And he could see much more there.
"You don't like it that I can look into your mind," he said.
It wasn't really a question, but Ka answered. "No, I don't. I feel naked if you do."
"But you do it a lot yourself," Eriond reminded her.
"Yes, you're right. Consistency's the defense of a small mind, right?" she replied smiling. "But I don't think it's the same. I don't do it habitually, only if there's an emergency. And I don't expect that people will love me for that."
Eriond looked at her thoughtfully. "I remember how I met you for the first time at Rak Cthol. You were very sad, and very proud."
"You are very sad now," Ka answered seriously, "and I wished you were a little bit more proud. We've won, and you can take much of the credit for that. You know that I didn't take you seriously, but you have foreseen all, and you have prepared this fight excellently. "
She didn't really have to say all of that, because he could read it in her head, anyway. However, it helped her to concentrate on the thoughts she wanted to communicate.
His answer was completely unexpected. For a short time, she could look into his mind. She saw the endless way lying before him until his vision of a better world would come true. She knew that he would be alone most of the time, only now and then would somebody accompany him for a little longer. Dryads lived for only a few hundred years, some sorcerers maybe eons - but hardly until the end of eternity, whenever this might be. And there were very few women among them. She saw all that he knew about Poledra, and suddenly she realized that he had no right to reveal this to her or to anybody else - UL had forbidden it. She could see why, and she accepted it. She wouldn't share this knowledge with anybody. Then she saw his image of Polgara, and she had serious doubts that she would be able to hate her for eons. It was worth a try, though. And she could see how Eriond saw her. She saw how fascinating he found her, she saw his joy that she began to respect him, and his sadness that it never would be more. However, he accepted that there wasn't anything he could do - the gap between God and sorceress was too large. Torak would have taken Polgara despite this, but Eriond could not and would not take Ka.
And then his mind closed for her again.
"I'm sorry, Eriond. You can't make me a Goddess."
"No, not even my father could do that, unless he's bowing to Necessity."
"You aren't always an obedient son, though."
"That was different, and you will keep the secret. Making you a Goddess would have serious consequences for this world. I only can make you my disciple, but I won't even propose it."
Ka smiled. "The fourth disciple, after Zedar? Thank you very much. I was almost Torak's fourth disciple - but I preferred not to be called that. I didn't want to be mentioned in the same sentence with Urvon and Zedar. You're his successor, and this makes me something like your disciple. And I'll act as one, even though you might dislike my methods."
"Please, don't kill all those magicians, Ka."
Ka sighed. "I respect your dream, Eriond, but if you are too gentle now, you'll lose this world. I'm sure neither Mordja nor the King of Hell would be good successors. What about a compromise? Try to convince the magicians that they don't raise demons, and don't take pupils - with your methods. I'll let them know that I'll take steps if they don't obey - that's what I have my knife for. We'll see which argument gets their attention."
Now Eriond sighed. "You'll do what you think you have to do, I can see that. Do you suppose we could be friends, at least?"
"Why not, I'd be glad - if you can accept that it won't be more. Most men can't." Ka handed over her bouquet. "I don't think you'll need help with the flowers?"
Eriond smiled. "I hope not. It would be nice to do it together with you, though."
"I don't think so, Eriond. It's something you have to do."
Eriond nodded. "You know, Ka, I can see all in your mind, but that doesn't mean that I'm able to understand all what I see. Or that I can predict what you will do."
Ka smiled at him graciously. "Thank you, Eriond! I'll leave now. I want to have a little chat with Ainoukh before our champion returns to her. And then, I've got things to do. Good-bye, Eriond."
"Do I have to look for you in my whole world again when I want to talk?" Eriond asked.
"Just call me, I'll answer," Ka promised. She blurred into the shape of a crow and left.
Eriond looked at the flowers in his hand, and then he concentrated on the naked earth on the giant grave. Slowly, it covered with green leaves, and then the first blossoms appeared. After a while, the whole grave was covered with lavender flowers. It was a strange contrast to the heaps of white bones nearby. Eriond beheld this picture for a while. His sadness was not gone, of course. But he knew that Ka was right - they all had things to do. He sighed again.

It's hard to be a God.

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