Legends tell how the evil god Torak was imprisoned in a centuries-old slumber, unable to awaken without the Orb of Aldur - an object of almost unimaginable power. But now a renegade priest has stolen the Orb and is trying to reawaken the maimed god.Following his trial are Belgarath the sorcerer and his daughter Polgara. With them is Garion, a young farm lad whose life has been totally overturned and who is struggling to come to terms with the fact that he, too, has the potential to be a great sorcerer. In this second title, the group travel through strange lands - on into Nyissa, where a snake queen aims to have her coils around Garion...