"Eddings, David - Malloreon 01 - Guardians Of The West" - читать интересную книгу автора (Eddings David)

Belgarath, whom he knew as a storyteller who sometimes visited the farm and whom he
called Grandfather.
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EDDINGS, David - Malloreon 1 - Guardians of the West.txt
Durnik, the farm smith, insisted on going with them. Soon they were joined by Barak
of Cherek and by Kheldar of Drasnia, whom men called Silk. In time, their quest for
the Orb was joined by others: Hettar, horse-lord of Algaria; Mandorallen, the
Mimbrate knight; and Relg, an Ulgo zealot.
And seemingly by chance, the Princess Ce'Nedra, having quarreled with her father,
Emperor Ran Borune XXIII of Tolnedra, fled his palace and became one of the
companions, though she knew nothing of their quest. Thus was completed the company
foretold by the prophecy of the Mrin Codex.
Their search led them to the Wood of the Dryads, where they were confronted by the
Murgo Grolim Asharak, who had long spied secretly upon Garion. Then the voice of
prophecy within Garion's mind spoke to Garion, and he struck Asharak with his hand
and his Will. And Asharak was utterly consumed in fire. Thus Garion learned that he
was possessed of the power of sorcery. Polgara rejoiced, telling him that henceforth
he should be named Belgarion, as was proper for a sorcerer, for she knew then that
the centuries of waiting were over and that Garion should be the one to reclaim the
Rivan Throne, as foretold.
Zedar the Apostate fled from Belgarath in haste. Unwisely, he entered the realms of
Ctuchik, High Priest of the western Grolims. Like Zedar, Ctuchik was a disciple of
Torak, but the two had lived in enmity throughout the centuries. As Zedar crossed
the barren mountains of Cthol Murgos, Ctuchik waited him in ambush and wrested from
him the Orb of Aldur and the child whose innocence enabled him to touch the Orb and
not die.
Belgarath went ahead to seek out the trail of Zedar, but Beltira, another disciple
of Aldur, gave him the news that Ctuchik now held the child and the Orb. The other
companions went on to Nyissa, where Salmissra, Queen of the snake-loving people, had
Garion seized and brought to her palace. But Polgara freed him and turned Salmissra
into a serpent, to rule over the snake-people in that form forever.
When Belgarath rejoined his companions, he led the company on a difficult journey to
the dark city of Rak Cthol, which was built atop a mountain in the desert of Murgos.
They accomplished the difficult climb to confront Ctuchik, who knew of their coming
and awaited with the child and the Orb. Then Belgarath engaged Ctuchik in a duel of
sorcery. But Ctuchik, hard-pressed, tried a forbidden spell, and it rebounded on
him, destroying him so utterly that no trace of him remained.
The shock of his destruction tumbled Rak Cthol from its mountaintop. While the city
of the Grolims shuddered into rubble, Garion snatched up the trusting child who bore
the Orb and carried him to safety. They fled, with the hordes of Taur Urgas, King of
the Murgos, pursuing them. But when they crossed into the lands of Algaria, the
Algarians came against the Murgos and defeated them. Then at last, Belgarath could
turn toward the Isle of the Winds to restore the Orb to its rightful place.
There in the Hall of the Rivan King at Erastide, the child whom they called Errand
placed the Orb of Aldur into Garion's hand, and Garion stood on the throne to set it
in its accustomed place on the pommel of the great Sword of the Rivan King. As he
did so, the Orb leaped into flame, and the sword blazed with cold blue fire. By
these signs, all knew that Garion was indeed the true heir to the throne of Riva and
they acclaimed him King of Riva, Overlord of the West, and the Keeper of the Orb.
Soon, in keeping with the Accords signed after the Battle of Vo Mimbre, the boy who