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The trees grew taller, then i the banks like grotesquely s, and trunks vast as castles reached up into the stea sky Ropey vines undulated down fro to writhe with a kind of vegetable will of their own in the breathless air Shaggy tatters of grayishstreareat coils thatas it needed to be

"Unpleasant sort of place," Hettar gru out over the bow at the weedy surface of the river ahead He had removed his horsehide jacket and linen undertunic, and his lean torso gleary welts of insect bites

"My very thought," Mandorallen agreed

One of the sailors shouted and ju, sli his flesh with an eyeless voracity

"Leech," Durnik said with a shudder as the hideous thing dropped with a wet plop back into the stinking river "I've never seen one so big It ood place for swi it," Durnik said

"Good" Aunt Pol, wearing a light linen dress, cah stern where Greldik and Barak were taking turns at the tiller She had been caring for Ce'Nedra, who had drooped and wilted like a flower in the brutal climate of the river

"Can't you do so?" Garion demanded of her silently

"About what?"

"All of this"He looked around helplessly

"What do you wantelse"

"Why don't you do it yourself, Belgarion?"

He set his jaw "No!" It was almost a silent shout

"It isn't really very hard"

"No"

She shrugged and turned away, leaving hi with frustration It took them three more days to reach Sthiss Tor The city was embraced in a wide coil of the river and was built of black stone The houses and buildings were low and for the most part less In the center of the city a vast pile of a building rose with strangely shaped spires and do Wharves and jetties poked out into the turbid river, and Greldik guided his ship toward one which was er than the rest "We have to stop at custoe at custo the goods of Radek of Boktor to the Drasnian trade enclave Then he handed a jingling purse to the shaven-headed customs official, and the ship was allowed to proceed without inspection

"You owe me for that, Barak," Greldik said "The trip here was out of friendship, but the ain"

"Write it down soet back to Val Alorn"

"If you ever get back to Val Alorn," Greldik said sourly