"David Eddings. Castle of wizardry enchanters' end game (The Belgariad, Part two)" - читать интересную книгу автора

"He needs sleep, rest and quiet more than anything right now," Polgara
told him, her eyes intent on the old man's sleeping face.
"We'll leave you with him, Polgara," Queen Silar said. She turned to
the rest of them. "Why don't we all go down to the main hall? Supper's
nearly ready, but in the meantime I'll have some ale brought in."
Barak's eyes brightened noticeably, and he started toward the door.
"Barak," Polgara called to him, "aren't you and Hettar forgetting
something?" She looked pointedly at the bed they had used for a stretcher.
Barak sighed. He and Hettar picked up the bed again.
"I'll send some supper up for you, Polgara," the queen said.
"Thank you, Silar." Aunt Pol turned to Garion, her eyes grave. "Stay
for a few moments, dear," she asked, and he remained as the others all
quietly left.
"Close the door, Garion," she said, pulling a chair up beside the
sleeping old man's bed.
He shut the door and crossed the room back to her. "Is he really
getting better, Aunt Pol?"
She nodded. "I think we're past the immediate danger. He seems stronger
physically. But it's not his physical body I'm worried aboutit's his mind.
That's why I wanted to talk to you alone."
Garion felt a sudden cold grip of fear. "His mind?"
"Keep your voice down, dear," she told him quietly. "This has to be
kept strictly between us." Her eyes were still on Belgarath's face. "An
episode like this can have very serious effects, and there's no way to
know how it will be with him when he recovers. He could be very seriously
weakened."
"Weakened? How?"
"His will could be greatly reduced - to that of any other old man. He
drained it to the utter limit, and he might have gone so far that he could
never regain his powers."
"You mean he wouldn't be a sorcerer any more?"
"Don't repeat the obvious, Garion," she said wearily. "If that happens,
it's going to be up to you and me to conceal it from everybody. Your
grandfather's power is the one thing that has held the Angaraks in check
for all these years. If something has happened to that power, then you and
I will have to make it look as if he's the same as he always was. We'll
have to conceal the truth even from him, if that is possible."
"What can we do without him?"
"We'd go on, Garion," she replied quietly, looking directly into his
eyes. "Our task is too important for us to falter because a man falls by
the wayside - even if that man happens to be your grandfather. We're
racing against time in all this, Garion. We absolutely must fulfill the
Prophecy and get the Orb back to Riva by Erastide, and there are people
who must be gathered up to go with us."
"Who?"
"Princess Ce'Nedra, for one."
"Ce'Nedra?" Garion had never really forgotten the little princess, but
he failed to see why Aunt Pol was making such an issue of her going with
them to Riva.
"In time you'll understand, dear. All of this is part of a series of