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Though he would not have cared to adrateful to the princess Their descent into absurdity had cleared his head Quite clearly now he saw that he owed Aunt Pol an apology He had lashed out at her out of his own sense of deep-seated guilt, trying somehow to shift the blame to her Quite obviously there was no way to evade his own responsibility Having accepted that, he seerew darker The tropical night was heavy, and the snant water rolled in out of the trackless swamps A vicious little insect crawled down inside his tunic and began to bite him somewhere between his shoulders where he could not reach

There was absolutely no warning - no sound or lurch of the ship or any hint of danger His arms were seized from behind and a wet cloth was pressed firle, but the hands holding hiet his face clear enough to shout for help The cloth sly sweet, thick soreeaker He made one last effort before the dizziness overcame him and he sank down into unconsciousness

Chapter Twenty-seven

THEY WERE IN A LONG HALLWAY of sostone floor quite clearly Threeon his neck uncomfortably His nated the cloth they had crushed to his face lingered He raised his head, trying to look around"He's awake," theone of his arms said

"Finally," one of the others , Issus"

"I knohat I'," the first one said

"Put him down"

"Can you stand?" Issus asked Garion His shaved head was stubbled, and he had a long scar running froh the puckered vacancy of an empty eye-socket His belted robe was stained and spotted

"Get up," Issus ordered in a hissing kind of voice He nudged Garion with his foot Garion struggled to rise His knees were shaky, and he put his hand on the wall to steady himself The stones were da him," Issus told the others They took Garion's areway behind the oneeyed man When they came out of the corridor, they were in a vaulted area that seee roofed place Huge pillars, covered with carvings, supported the soaring ceiling, and s chains from above or sat on little stone shelves on the pillars There was a confused sense of roups of men in varicolored robes drifted froorous stupor

"You," Issus snapped at a plu man with dreamy eyes, "tell Sadi, the chief eunuch, that we have the boy"

"Tell hi voice "I don't take orders fro man sharply across the face

"You hithis hand to his mouth "You made my lip bleed - see?" He held out his hand to show the blood

"If you don't do what I tell you to do, I'll cut your fat throat," Issus told hi to tell Sadi what you did"

"Go ahead And as long as you're there, tell hiGarion's arm spat

"They have their uses," the other said with a coarse laugh

"Bring the boy," Issus ordered "Sadi doesn't like to be kept waiting"