The Rivan Codex: Ancient Texts of The Belgariad and The Malloreon. David Eddings

      And so it came to pass that the Gods departed from the world which they had made, and in spirit only did they sojourn each with his people. And Torak only of the seven Gods did remain, but he was restrained by the Orb of Aldur from lordship over the world and prevented from the enslavement of all peoples of the world. And in the wastelands of Mallorea in the east did the maimed God know this, and the knowledge cankered in his soul.

      And Belgarath spake unto Cherek and his sons, saying, ‘Hearken unto the words of the Gods, for behold, this is their judgement and their doom^* upon you. Here must we part and be sundered one from the other even as in the day wherein all men were sundered.’

      And to Riva he spake, saying, ‘Thy journey is longest, Iron-grip. Bear thou the Orb even unto the Isle of the Winds. Take with thee thy people and thy goods and thy cattle, for thou shalt not return. Build there a fortress and a sanctuary and maintain it and defend the Orb with thy life and with the lives of thy people, for know ye that the Orb alone hinders Torak from Lordship and Dominion – even over the whole world.’

      And to Dras he spake, saying, ‘Turn thou aside here, Bull-neck, and maintain the marches of the north against the Angaraks and against Kal-Torak. Take thy people and thy goods and thy cattle also and return no more, lest the marches be unguarded.’

      And to Algar he spake, saying, ‘Turn thou also aside here, Fleet-foot, and maintain the plains to the south against the enemy. Take thy people and thy goods and thy cattle also and return no more lest the plains be unguarded.’

      And to Cherek he spake, saying, ‘Upon thee, Bear-shoulders, lies the doom of the sea. Go thou onward even unto the peninsula of the north that is named for the Alorns. And build thou thereon a sea port and a fleet of swift ships and tall, and maintain the seas that the enemy come not by water against Riva, thy son. And maintain there thy people and thy goods and thy cattle. And teach unto thy people the ways of the sea that none upon the waters may prevail against them.’

      And he raised up his face and spake in a great voice, saying, ‘Hear me, Torak-One-eye. Thus is the Orb defended and made secure against thee. And thou shalt not prevail against it. I, Belgarath, first Disciple of Aldur, proclaim it. In the day that thou comest against the west shall I raise war upon thee, and I shall destroy thee utterly. And I will maintain watch upon thee by day and by night. And I will abide against thy coming – yea, verily, be it even unto the end of days.’

      And in the wastelands of Mallorea Kal-Torak heard the voice of Belgarath and was wroth and smote about him in his fury, destroying even the very rocks, for he knew that in the day when he went against the kingdoms of the west, in that day would he surely perish.

      And then did Cherek Bear-shoulders embrace his sons and turned away and saw them no more.

      And Dras Bull-neck turned aside and abode in the lands drained by the Mrin River, from Aldurfens north to the steppes and beyond, and from the coast to the mountains of Nadrak. And he builded a city at Boktor east of the junction of Mrin and Atun. And men called this northern land the country of Dras, or, in the language of the Alorns, Drasnia. And for a thousand years and yet another thousand years dwelt the descendants of Dras Bull-neck in the north and stood they athwart the northern marches and denied them unto the enemy. And tamed they the vast herds of reindeer, and the horned beast became as cat or dog unto them, and they took from the rivers and marshes furs and skins most luxuriant; and bright gold they found and silver also and did commerce with the kingdoms of the west and with the strange-faced merchants of the east also. And Drasnia prospered, and Kotu at Mrin-mouth was a city of wealth and power.

      And Algar Fleet-foot turned aside and went to the south with his people and his goods and his cattle. And horses were there on the broad plains drained by the Aldur river, and Algar Fleet-foot and his people caught horses and tamed them, and for the first time in the world men rode upon horses. And the people of Algar named their country for their leader and called its name Algaria. And they became nomads, following after their herds and ever keeping watch that the enemy not come upon them. And they builded a fortress to the south of Algaria and called it The Stronghold, and they garrisoned it but they dwelt not there, preferring to remain with their herds. And for twenty centuries they dwelt in these lands and traded horses to other kingdoms.

      And Cherek Bear-shoulders returned even unto Aloria which is to the north and west, and because he had been divided from his sons and the Alorn people were no longer one, he called the name of the country with his own name, and ever after for a score of centuries was the land known as Cherek. And he builded a great city at Val Alorn and a seaport there at the mouth of the Alorn River, and ships caused he to be built unlike the ships of other nations – for behold, the ships of others were for commerce and the carrying of goods, but the ships of Cherek were for war. And the people of Cherek became sea warriors and patrolled they the seas that the enemy not come across the dark water unto the Isle of the Winds. And it was rumored that the people of Cherek were pirates and brigands of the sea, but none could say for sure.

      And Riva Iron-grip went forth even unto the west coast of Sendaria and took ship and did sail with his people and his goods and his cattle across the Sea of the Winds unto the Isle that lay therein. And many days did he search the coast until he found the spot where he might land. And upon all the Isle of the Winds there is but one place to land a ship and he did alight there and took his people and his goods and his cattle and placed them on the strand, and then burned he the ships which had borne him thence that none might return. And he caused to be built a fortress and a walled city around it. And they called the name of the city Riva and nought that was builded therein was for commerce or for display, but for war only.

      And within the fortress in the most heavily defended spot caused Riva to be built a throne-room and carved he a great throne therein of black rock. And high was the back thereof.

      And it came to pass that a deep sleep fell upon Riva, and Belar, Bear-God of the Alorns, came to him in a dream. And Belar spake unto him, saying, ‘Behold, Guardian of the Orb, I will cause two stars to fall down from out the sky, and I will show thee where they lie, and thou shalt take up the two stars and shall place them in a great fire and shall forge them. And the one star shall be a blade, and the other a hilt, and it shall be a sword that shall guard the Orb of my brother Aldur.’

      And Riva awoke, and behold, two stars did fall from out the sky, and Riva sought them, and the spirit of the Bear-God was with him and showed him where the stars that had fallen had come to earth. And Riva took them up and bore them back to the city and forged them even as Belar had instructed.

      But behold, when it was done, the blade and the hilt could in no way be joined together.

      And Riva lifted his face and cried out unto Belar. ‘Behold, I have marred the work, for the blade will not be joined unto the hilts, and the sword will not become one.’

      And a fox which had sat near, watching the work, spake unto Riva, saying, ‘The work is not marred, Iron-grip. Take up the hilt and place the Orb thereon even as a pommel-stone.’

      And Riva knew that he was in the presence of an enchantment and did even that which the fox had commanded. And behold, the Orb became as one with the hilts which Riva had forged from the star Belar had caused to fall. And even the strength of Riva’s hand could not sunder them one from the other.

      And Riva spake, saying, ‘Still is the work marred, for the blade and the hilts still remain unjoined.’

      And the fox spake again, saying, ‘Take the blade in thy left hand, Iron-grip, and the hilts in thy right and join them.’

      ‘It may not be,’ quoth Riva, ‘for they will not join.’

      And the fox laughed, saying, ‘How is it that thou knowest that they will not join when thou hast not yet attempted it?’

      And Riva was ashamed, and took up the blade in his left hand and the hilts in his right and did set them together, and behold, the blade passed into the hilts even as a stick into water, and the sword was joined and even the strength of Riva’s hand could not unjoin it.

      And the fox laughed again, saying, ‘Take up