The party of five slowly trodded along the grasslands of Algaria. Garriel looked behind him every once and a while, trying to see just how far they had gone. He had always known that the grasslands were huge, people in his camp talked about it all the time. However, he had never seen it this way before. Upon horseback, trying to get somewhere, the grasslands were like an emerald sea, stretching on from horizon to horizon. It was clear to him now why Algar the Fleet-foot needed horses here. There would not, could not, be anyway to get across this ocean without them.
He and his friends, of course, had fallen in with slightly new companions. With every mile they walked, Garriel began to learn more and more about the short, weasel-faced Prince Kheldar, who incidentally, prefered to be called by his nickname, Silk. Silk was a Drasnian spy, the best infact. Silk regaled them all with stories of his exploits. His eyes seemed to dance as he told them of the all the secrets he'd learned, and all the people he had duped. What more, when he laughed, it was so contagious, everyone laughed along with him.
Garriel could not really figure out his wife's official title. As far as he knew, her name was Liselle, but he was not sure if she had a Princess in there somewhere. He found it far easier to just call her Velvet. She sat there, quiet at times, laughing a soft laugh when Silk said something. She was obviously madly in love with him for a long time, and knew far more things about him then Garriel ever would.
Silk was busy as they walked, telling about the time he had actually journyed with Belgarion the Godslayer. He was at the point where he, Belgarath, and Belgarion had snuck out of the castle at Riva, getting on their way so Belgarion could fight, Torak, the maimed Dragon God.
"So," Silk said with a certain soft quality that added a certain unpredictability to the story, "me, Belgarion and Belgarath slowly crept out of Riva. Belgarion had left a note for Polgara, explaining that they were leaving. It wouldn't have been to much use anyway because later.."
"Silk," Velvet began in a disapproving manner. "Don't get ahead in the story. You are going to ruin some of the good parts."
Silk chuckled. "Alright Velvet. Let me get gack to the story. We slowly crept out of the Citadel in the black sheet of the night. I always did enjoy sneaking around in the dark, and Belgarath had picked a good night to sneak out because there was not even a tiniest slither of the moon out. It was pitch black outside. We took a boat off the island.."
"Ship." Velvet corrected her husband absently.
"Boat. Ship. Whats the difference? They both float, don't they? Anyway, Belgarath wanted to get away from the Isle of the Winds as quickly as possible. He was right to do so, Polgara sent whole regiments to search for us. I wonder how badly she took it."
"I can tell you that." Velvet had an amused look on her face. "Would you like to hear?"
"Please Velvet, tell our friends of the way Polgara took it", Silk said with a a grin upon his weasel face. "Just, before you start, did she turn anyone in to radishes?"
"No Silk. I don't think she ever has."
"How about wheat. She could use them to make that gruel Eriond loved so much." Silk seemed to say that sarcastically.
"Silk, if you don't stop, we are going to have gruel for dinner tonight."
Silk stopped talking immediatly.
"Anyway," Velvet said, smiling to the three boys, "Polgara was furious when she read Garion's note. Oh, Garion is Belgarion by the way. Anyway, she started blasting things with sorcery. I was at the other side of the castle at the time, and I could hear it from all the way there."
Garriel thought about that concept for a second. He had always heard stories about sorcery, however, he thought that it was just some kind of trick. Maybe some illusion before the eyes, something like Setton used to do with that fire. Of course he knew that Belgarath and Polgara would have to be many times better then Setton was.
Velvet continued to talk about Polgara's anger, and how people in the city cowered before her while she blasted things into rubble. However, now the sun had drawn in his attention. Walking through the plains with Velvet's voice in the background, he began to sit in wonder of how the sun could just stay up there in the sky. Obviously, it had to be very big. Only something very big could actually burn that long. But, if it was so big, and it was burning, why was the day so cool? And why did it take up so little space in the sky? All these questions boggled his mind, so he stopped asking them. However, every time he glanced upwards, he began to fathom distances he could not even begin to comprehend.
Tearing his head from the sky, he glanced down at the ground. The only thing there was earth and grass. However, then he began to wonder about the earth and its components. What was the universe anyway? Did it have a life of its own?
In his camp he had gone to school like all the other boys his age. They had an Alorn tutor, who taught them about math, histoy and science. He had learned in science class that in living things, several smaller compontents worked together in order for the whole to process. According to that logic, the planet he was on, and the universe itself was living, but how could that be? The universe didn't have a mind like he or his friends had. It didn't have skin or hair, and it didn't eat. Even plants ate. How could the universe live? And if it was living, what was his purpose in it?
"Stop asking so many questions" A voice in his mind said irritably "Wait a little bit. The answers will come to you in time."
"Hello?" Garriel tried to call back to the voice, but it would not answer him. Oh, that was just perfect. Not only was he not able to get any rest because of his constant inquiry, but now he was hearing voices. What else could go wrong?
Sabre and Mikkal rode to the sides of Garriel. Mikkal seemed to just be riding easily, not caring all that much to what was going on around him. He was deep into Velvet's story. It seemed she had began to continue into Silk's story, and it was a very emotional story at that. Also, Mikkal happened to be a very emotional sort of person. He laughed at the good points, and cried at the bad ones. He appeared to be having a great tiem.
Sabre, on the other hand, was deep in thought. It seemed that something was bothering him greatly. Garriel was about to ask him what was wrong, but Silk had beat him to it. It seemed that Silk cared a little bit more about his fellow Drasnian then the other two boys.
"Sabre," Silk began, "What is troubling you? It looks like you have a question."
"Yeah, you have to confirm something for me." Sabre usually didn't ask question about people, but it appeared that he was more comfortable around Silk. Garriel didn't understand why, from what he had heard of Silk, and what he had experienced already that day, he wasn't the best person to consult when you had a problem.
"Its about you and Liselle's names."
"What about our names?"
"Well," Sabre said, "I mean, it is sort of confusing. How didn't you know that Liselle was after you, from the very beginning, I mean. She had given herself the nickname Velvet. That would probably tell you she had something in mind. I mean, Silk and Velvet? Didn't that sound suspisious to you."
Velvet was obviously listening in, because she stopped her story with a laugh. Silk visably turned red, as he looked at his wife helplessly. "I guess I was too mixed up with the buisness at the time to notice."
Sabre smiled. It seemed that it had been bothering him for a while. However, his face then turned a little bit disappointed. Obviously, Prince Kheldar was a hero to him, someone that he wanted to be exactly like, and as it looked to him, Silk was missing something Sabre thought he had.
"Alright everyone, we are stopped to have some lunch." Velvet said, with a tone that just could not be ignored. "So what would you all like?"
Velvet turned out to be a great cook. She gave all credit to Polgara. Silk disagreed, however.
"You are by far a better cook then Polgara, Velvet", Silk said with a sincere tone.
"Why, Kheldar, what a nice thing for you to say." Velvet said, with girlish glee in her voice. He smiled slightly to Silk, her eyes glimmering with a certain charm.
"Just make sure that you never cook gruel. If you can stay away from that, I don't think I will ever go out to a tavern again." Silk said, getting up from the ground. Slowly, he stumbled through the supplies they had brought, until he came upon a wooden barrel. As he opened it, Garriel saw its contents burst through onto the ground below. It was an ale keg.
"Silk, dear." Velvet began, "Don't you think it is a litle bit early to start drinking?"
"I'll ask Barak the next time I see him." Silk said, placing a mug of the drink to his lips. Quickly he drank the ale, and whiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Velvet rolled her eyes upwards, shaking her head slightly.
Silk turned to his wife and his three new friends. "Lets get going. I don't want to sit out here all day and eat. We have a town to get to, and I have goods to sell."
"Does money mean all that much do you?" Garriel asked simply, as he began to get up from ground. The three Drasnians turned to him quickly, a twinkle in their eyes. "I guess so...", Garriel concluded.
The five once again began to move at a steady pace across the plains of Algaria. The sun moved above them, from the east to the west, as it slowly took its leave from the grounds which surrounded them all. It seemed that the day was passing, and nightfall would soon be upon them.
The three had always heard stories of what happened to unprotected people during the night. Even though Torak was dead, the Murgos still held grudges against the Alorns. They would come out at night to rob and kill any people that might be in the plains. The three talked nervously about the stories, as night came closer and closer.
Finally, Garriel turned to Silk to ask him about it. "Silk, do Murgos really come out at night here, trying to kill people?"
Silk turned to him, with an evil chuckle. "All the time. Did you hear about how they bring you to a Gromlin priest and sacrafice you?"
The three of them lurched back on their horses. It they were not mounted, they might have turned an fled.
"Did you here that they actually chain you before the altar first, so you can watch other people die?" Silk said, clawing his hand out to the three boys.
"Oh, stop scaring them Silk. You know as well as I do that the Murgos tend to stay where they are." Velvet said.
"You might not believe me now, but just wait until the Murgos come out." Silk cautioned, a long smirk on his face.
"Silk!" Velvet cried out. Silk collapsed into laughed, almost falling off his cart in the process. Sudddenly, the three boys laughed at their fears of the dreaded Murgos, as they all stopped.
"I guess we can stop here for the night", Velvet said. She hopped off the cart, and began to look around.
"Perchance, mine lady," Mikkal started, in a way that always meant that he was about to offer to do something, which usually meant he was gong to drag his friends along with it. "Couldst mine friends and myself go out among the plains in search of minute amounts of firewood? Thou might need it for a cooking flame?"
"Why Mikkal, that would be must generous of you." Velvet smiled at the young Arend. Mikkal beamed, and quickly dragged his friends out into the field to look for some bushes that might give them the firewood that he offered Velvet. Sabre and Garriel were obviously not too happy about it, but Mikkal was stronger then the both of them.
Chopping wood, even thin branches like a bush had, was decently hard work, and it took a while for the three of them to find enough of it to have the fire burn all night. The two friends took it lightly, as they knew that this is what Mikkal was like. They came back about an hour later, and somehow, there was already a fire burning. Velvet had been cooking food for the past half an hour, and it was almost done. Silk seemed to have a mourning look upon his face, while Velvet on the other hand, had a look of pure satisfaction.
Garriel looked at Silk, scratching the back of his head. Unfortunately, he could not hold all of the wood in just one hand, and it all came tumbling to the floor. His two friends motioned for him to pick it up, but he ignored them. "What is wrong, Silk?"
Silk shuddered, as he looked gravely at the three boys. "I can't believe she would do something so horrible?"
Now Sabre looked a little bit upset. He and Garriel looked at each other. "What did she do?" Garriel asked.
"Something so horrible, I can't even mention it." Silk replied, shaking his head.
"What did she do?" Sabre said, his voice a little bit harder then Garriels was.
Silk just stared at him and shook his head quickly. By now Mikkal had join in on staring at Silk. "Was has thine wife done, my lord?"
Silk sighed, as he hung his head downcast. "She made gruel for dinner…" Sabre burst out in laughter. He fell to the ground, dropping his own wood, as he rolled on the ground almost in tears.
"That is it?" Garriel asked incredulously. "That is the terrible thing that Velvet did? I don't believe you Silk!"
Silk looked at Garriel sheepishly, as he too began to laugh. "You're right. It really doesn't matter. What does matter though, is if you are going to join me for a drink tonight? I think I would enjoy a long drink with a couple of friends."
They all laughed at his comment. After they finished eating, the five friends pitched their tents and began a good night's rest.