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Later, he leaned against the railing with his tankard in hand, watching the darting lights of the fireflies and listening to the endless chorus of the frogs It was a warht, and the damp, rich odor of the fens filled his nostrils

He heard a faint splash, a fish arion?" It was a strange, piping kind of voice, but it was quite distinct It was also co

Garion peered out into the velvet darkness

"Belgarion?" The voice caain It was somewhere below him

"Yes?" Garion answered cautiously

"I need to tell you so" There was another shtly The hawser thatshadow ran quickly up it and slid over the railing in a curiously fluid way The shadow stood up, and Garion could clearly hear the water dripping froure was short, scarcely more than four feet tall, and it ait

"You are older," it said

"That happens," Garion replied, peering at the form as he tried to make out its face Then the moon slid out fro directly into the furry, wide-eyed face of a fenling "Tupik?" he asked incredulously "Is that you?"

"You remember" The small, furry creature seeain, and another furry shadow ran up the hawser Tupik turned with irritation "Poppi!" he chittered angrily "Go home!"

"No," she answered quite cal his feet on the deck

"Why?"

Tupik stared at her in obvious frustration " Are they all like that?" he demanded of Garion

"All what?"

"Feust

"Most of thehed

"How is Vordai?" Garion asked the sound "Our one," she said sadly

"I'm sorry"

"She was very tired," Tupik said

"We covered her with flowers," Poppi said "And then we closed up her house"

"She would have liked that"