LITMIR.BIZ

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‘It is not I who have turned from the fellowship and sought lordship and dominion.’

      And Torak was shamed by the words of Aldur, his brother, and was made sore wroth, and rose he up against his brother and smote him and reached forth his hand and took from his brother the jewel which he coveted, and then he fled.

      And Aldur went unto the other Gods and spoke with them of what had come to pass, and the Gods rose up, and each of them besought Torak that he return the Orb to Aldur, but he in no wise would do it. And thus it came to pass that the Gods caused each his own people to gird themselves for war.

      And behold, Torak did raise the Orb of Aldur and did cause the earth to split asunder, and the mountains were cast down, and the sea came in and did engulf the lands of the east where the people of the Gods dwelt. And the Gods took their people and fled from the great inrushing of the sea, but Aldur and Belar joined their hands and their wills and did cause mountains to rise up to set limits upon the sea which had come in. And the Gods were parted one from the other, and the people also. And men began to reckon time from the day in which Torak caused the seas to come in.

      Now it came to pass that the six Gods went even unto the west with their people, but Torak took the Angaraks unto the east, and the sea that had rushed in separated the Angaraks from the other peoples.

      Not without hurt, however, did Torak crack the earth, for such was the virtue of the Orb that in the day when Torak raised it against the earth and against the mountains did the Orb begin to glow. Faint at first, the fire of the Orb waxed stronger with each of the commands of Torak. And the blue fire of those distant stars seared the flesh of Torak. In pain did he cast down the mountains. In anguish did he crack the earth asunder. In agony did he let in the seas. And thus did the Orb of Aldur requite Torak for putting its virtue to evil purpose – Behold, the left hand of Torak was consumed utterly by the fire of the Orb, and like dry twigs did the fingers thereof flare and burn down to ashes. And the flesh on the left side of Torak’s face did melt like wax in the holy fire of the Orb, and the eye of that side did boil in its socket.^*

      And Torak cried out a great cry and cast himself into the sea to still the burning which the Orb had caused, but it availed him not. Truly it is written that the pain of Torak which the Orb had caused in punishment will endure until the end of days.

      And the Angaraks were dismayed by the anguish of their God, and they went unto him and asked what they might do to end his pain.

      And Torak spake, calling the name of the Orb.

      And they sought to bring the Orb unto him, but the fire which had awakened in the Orb consumed all who touched it, and they devised a great iron cask to bear it in.

      And behold, when Torak opened the cask, the Orb burned with renewed fire, and Torak cried a great cry and cast it away from him.

      And the Angaraks spake unto him, saying, ‘Lord, wouldst thou have us destroy this thing or cast it even into the sea?’

      And Torak cried a great cry again and spake, saying, ‘No! Truly will I destroy utterly him who would raise his hand against the jewel. Though I may not touch it nor even behold it, I have dearly purchased it, and never will I relinquish it.’

      And behold, Torak, who had once been the most beautiful of the Gods, arose from the waters. Fair still was his right side, but his left was burned and scarred by the fire of the Orb which had requited him thus for raising it against the earth and the other Gods with evil intent.

      And Torak led his people away to the east and caused them to build a great city, and they called its name Cthol Mishrak, which is the City of Night, for Torak was ashamed that men saw him marred by the fire of the Orb, and the light of the sun caused him pain. And the Angaraks built for him a great iron tower that he might dwell therein and that their prayers and the smells of incense and the smoke of burning sacrifice might rise up unto him and ease his pain. And he caused the Iron Cask which contained the Orb to be placed in the top-most chamber thereof, and often went he and stood before the Iron Cask and stretched forth his remaining hand as he would touch the Orb. And his remaining eye yearned to behold its beauty, and then would he turn and flee weeping from the chamber lest his yearning become too great and he open the Iron Cask and perish.

      And so it prevailed in the lands of the Angaraks which men called Mallorea for a thousand years and yet another thousand years. And the Angaraks began to call the maimed God KAL-TORAK – a name signifying at once King and God.

      Of the six Gods who had with their people gone unto the west thus was their disposition. To the south and west to jungles dank and rivers sluggish went Issa, the serpent God and the snake people. And Nedra went even unto the fertile land to the north of jungle, and Chaldan took his people, the Arends, unto the northwest coast, and Mara sought the mountains above the Tolnedran plain.

      But Aldur, in the pain of the loss of the Orb and the shame over what the jewel that he had made had wrought upon the world retreated even unto the Vale which lay at the headwaters of the river bearing his name, and shut himself away from the sight of men and of Gods – and none came nigh him but Belgarath, his first Disciple.

      Now it came to pass that Belar, the youngest of the Gods and most dear to Aldur, took his people unto the north and sought they for a thousand years and yet another thousand years a way by which they might come upon the Angaraks and overthrow them and regain the Orb that Aldur might come forth again and men and Gods be rejoined in fellowship one with the other.

      And the Alorns, the people of Belar the Bear-God, were a hardy people and warlike, and clad themselves in the skins of bears and wolves and shirts cunningly wrought of rings of steel, and terrible were the swords and axes of the Alorns. And they ranged the north – yea, even unto the land of eternal ice, to find the way they might follow into Mallorea to come upon their ancient foes and destroy them and to restore the Orb unto Aldur. And in his pride did each Alorn warrior upon his passage into manhood raise sword or axe unto the deathless stars and call forth his challenge even unto Torak himself. And in the iron tower of Cthol Mishrak did the maimed God hear the challenge of the Alorns and did see the cold light of the north flickering from their sword edges, and the pain of Kal-Torak did increase ten-fold, and his hatred of his youngest brother and of the rash people who followed him and cast their threats even in the teeth of the stars cankered in his soul.

      Now, of all the kings of the Alorns, the bravest and most crafty was Cherek of the broad shoulders, and went he even unto the Vale of Aldur and sought out Belgarath, Disciple of Aldur and spake unto him, saying, ‘Now are the ways of the north open, and I have sons exceedingly bold. The signs and the auguries are propitious. The time is ripe to seek our way to the city of endless night and to regain the Orb from the usurper.’

      But Belgarath was loath to go from the Vale of Aldur for behold, his wife Poledra was exceedingly great with child, and her time was nigh.

      And yet did Cherek prevail upon him, and by night they stole away and were joined a thousand leagues^* to the north by the sons of Cherek. And the eldest Dras was named and of great power and craftiness was he. And the second son Algar was named and fleet was he as the wind and bold. And the youngest was named Riva and pure was he and steadfast and his grip was as death, for naught upon which he set his hand could escape him.

      And behold, the time of darkness was upon the north, and the season of snow and of ice and of mist, and the moors of the north glittered beneath the stars with rime-frost and steel-grey ice in the deathly cold. And Belgarath the Sorcerer took the shape of a great dark wolf, and on silent feet did he slink through the dark, snow-floored forests of the north where the trees cracked and shattered in the sundering cold.

      And in those days were the ruff and shoulders of the great wolf Belgarath silvered by frost, and ever after was the Sorcerer Belgarath silver of hair and beard.

      And it came to pass that the companions passed toward the south into Mallorea and even unto the City of Darkness which was Cthol Mishrak, wherein dwelt the maimed God who was king of the Angaraks. And ever were they guided by the wolf Belgarath who ran before them, his belly low to the ground and

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