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She set her candle down and sray dress with a satisfied expression "The house will do very nicely, uncle," she told Beldin

"I'h-backed bench by theand was carefully re-tying the thong that held his ragged left sleeve in place

"How far are we froood day's hard riding at least I can't be much more exact than that When the wind came up, it almost blew off my feathers"

"Is the country on up ahead still eh, and if there are any people out there, they'd all have taken cover fro" Belgarath leaned back in his chair and stretched his feet out toward the hearth "That fire was a good idea," he said

"There's a definite chill in the air''

"That happens soround," Beldin told hihtfully "If this sort of storular afternoon occurrence around here, we'll need to cross the Magan during the ht in a hailstorm in an open boat isn't my idea of fun''

"Now you stop that!" Sadi said sharply to Zith's earthenware bottle

"What's the trouble?" Ce'Nedra asked

"She wasa funny little noise," Sadi replied "1 wanted to see if she was all right, and she hissed at me"

"She does that every now and then, doesn't she?"

"This was a bit different She was actually warning me to stay away from her"

"Could she be ill?"

"I wouldn't think so She's a fairly young snake, and I've been very careful about what I feed her"

"Perhaps she needs a tonic" Ce'Nedra looked questioningly at Polgara

Polgara laughed helplessly "I'm sorry, Ce'Nedra," she said, "but I have no experience with the illnesses of reptiles"

"Do you suppose we could talk about soh little animal, I suppose, but she's still a snake"

Ce'Nedra whirled on hi "How can you say that?" she snapped angrily "She's saved our lives twice--once in Rak Urga when she nipped that Groliain at Ashaba when she bit Harakan Without her, ouldn't be here You ratitude"

"Well " he said a little uncertainly "You could be right, I suppose, but hang it all, Ce'Nedra, I can't abide snakes"

"I don't even think of her as a snake"

"Ce'Nedra," he said patiently, "she's long and skinny, she wriggles, she doesn't have any ars, and she's poisonous By definition, she's a snake"

"You're prejudiced," she accused