there long enough to really settle down yet but the Angaraks managed to slog through far enough in to keep from drowning. Torak himself was busy screaming, so his army commanders were obliged to take charge. It didn’t take them very long to realize that all that muck wasn’t exactly suitable for human habitation.’
‘I’m surprised that it bothered them. Angaraks adore ugliness.’
‘Anyway, there was a big argument between the generals and the Grolims, I understand. The Grolims were hoping that the sea would recede so that they could all go back to Korim. The altars were there, after all. The generals were more practical. They knew that the water wasn’t going to go down. They stopped wasting time arguing and ordered the army to march off toward the northwest and to take the rest of Angarak with them. They marched away and left the Grolims standing on the beach staring longingly off toward Korim.’ He belched again and held out his empty tankard.
‘You know where it is,’ I told him sourly.
‘You’re not much of a host, Belgarath.’ He rose, stumped over to the keg, and scooped his tankard full, slopping beer all over my floor. Then he stumped back. ‘The Grolims weren’t very happy about the generals’ decision. They wanted to go back, but if they went back all alone, there wouldn’t be anybody to butcher but each other, and they’re not quite that devout. They went chasing after the horde, haranguing them to turn around. That irritated the generals, and there were a number of ugly incidents. I guess that’s what started the break-up of Angarak society.’
‘The what?’ I said, startled.
‘I speak plainly, Belgarath. Is your hearing starting to fail? I’ve heard that happens to you old people.’
‘What do you mean, “the break-up of Angarak society”?’
‘They’re coming apart at the seams. As long as Torak was functioning, the Grolim priesthood had everything their way. During the war, the generals got a taste of power, and they liked it. With Torak incapacitated, the Grolims really don’t have any authority; most Angaraks feel the same way about Grolims as Belsambar does. Anyway, the generals led the Angaraks up through the mountains, and they came down on a plain that was more or less habitable. They built a large military camp at a place they call Mal Zeth, and they put guards around it to keep the Grolims out. Eventually, the Grolims gave up and took their followers north and built another encampment. They call it Mal Yaska. So now you’ve got two different kinds of Angaraks in Mallorea. The soldiers at Mal Zeth are like soldiers everywhere; religion isn’t one of their highest priorities. The zealots at Mal Yaska spend so much time praying to Torak that they haven’t gotten around to building houses yet.’
‘I wouldn’t have believed that could ever happen,’ I said, ‘not to Angaraks. Religion’s the only thing they’ve ever been able to think about.’ Then I thought of something. ‘How did Belsambar react when you told him about this?’
Beldin shrugged. ‘He didn’t believe me. He can’t accept the fact that Angarak society disintegrated. Our brother’s having a lot of trouble right now, Belgarath. I think he’s feeling some obscure racial guilt. He is an Angarak, after all, and Torak did drown more than half of mankind. Maybe you’d better have a talk with him – persuade him that it’s not really his fault.’
‘I’ll see what I can do,’ I promised. ‘Is that the way things stand in Mallorea right now?’
He laughed. ‘Oh, no. It gets better. Here about twenty years ago, Torak stopped feeling sorry for himself and came to his senses. Back in the old days, he’d have simply stamped Mal Zeth into a mud-puddle and let it go at that, but now he’s got his mind on other things. He stole the Orb, but he can’t do anything with it. The frustration’s making him more than a little crazy. He winnowed through Mal Zeth and Mal Yaska, took the most fanatic of his worshipers, and went to the far northeast coast – up near the lands of the Karands. When they got there, he ordered his followers to build him a tower – out of iron.’
‘Iron?’ I said incredulously. ‘An iron tower wouldn’t last ten years. It’d start to rust before you even got it put together.’
‘He ordered it not to, I guess. Torak’s fond of iron for some reason. Maybe he got the idea from that iron box he keeps the Orb in. I think he’s got some strange notion that if he piles enough iron around the Orb, he can weaken it to the point that he can control it.’
‘That’s pure nonsense!’
‘Don’t blame me. It’s Torak’s idea, not mine. The people he took with him built a city up there, and Torak covered it with clouds – gloomiest place you ever saw. The Angaraks call it Cthol Mishrak – the City of Endless Night. Torak’s not nearly as pretty as he used to be – not with half of his face gone – so maybe he’s trying to hide. Ugly people do that sometimes. I was born ugly, so I’m used to it. That’s pretty much it, Belgarath. The Angaraks have three cities now, Cthol Mishrak, Mal Yaska, and Mal Zeth, and they’re going in three different directions. Torak’s so busy trying to subdue the Orb that he’s not paying any attention to what’s going on in Mal Zeth and Mal Yaska. Angarak society’s disintegrating, and it couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of people. Oh, one other thing. Evidently Torak was quite impressed with us. He’s decided to take disciples of his own.’
‘Oh? How many?’
‘Three so far. There may be more later on. I guess the war taught Torak that disciples are useful people to have around. Before the war, he wasn’t interested in sharing power, but that seems to have changed. Did you know that an ordinary priest is powerless once he gets past the boundaries of his own country?’
‘I don’t quite follow you.’
‘The Gods aren’t above a little cheating now and then. They’ve each invested their priests with certain limited powers. It helps to keep the faithful in line. An ordinary Grolim – or one of the priests of Nedra or Chaldan, and Salmissra certainly – has some ability to do the kinds of things we do. Once they leave the region occupied by the worshipers of their own God, though, that ability goes out the window. A disciple, on the other hand, carries it with him wherever he goes. That’s the reason we could do things at Korim. Torak saw the value of that and started gathering disciples of his own.’
‘Any idea of who they are?’
‘Two of them used to be Grolims – Urvon and Ctuchik. I couldn’t find anything out about the third one.’
‘Where was Belzedar during all of this?’
‘I haven’t got the slightest idea. After we flew in and went back to our own shapes, he gave me a few lame excuses about wanting to survey the whole continent, and then went off toward the east. I haven’t seen him since then. I have no idea of what he’s been doing. I’ll tell you one thing, though.’
‘Oh? What’s that?’
‘Something’s definitely gnawing on his bowels. He couldn’t wait to get away from me.’
‘You have that effect on some people, my brother.’
‘Very funny, Belgarath. Very funny. How much beer have you got left?’
‘Just what’s in the keg. You’ve been hitting it fairly hard.’
‘I’ve managed to build up a thirst. Have you ever tasted Angarak beer?’
‘Not
