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It was hours before they could sit up, and I ell healed by then They did not thank me, still black in their misery, but the snakes of their hair hissed sweet and co in their sorrow like drunkards, theyfro each other

As they passed est of them kicked it over, and they vanished in the flash of spark and thick smoke

HE HAD FINISHED HIS TALE

“Oh!” I interrupted, “the poor Basilisk! Has he no tongue at all now? What a wretched fate! He sang so beautifully last Equinox when I visited his caves!” Laakea glared sternly atit quite clear that the hap penstance of my friend the Basilisk was of no concern to him

“So you understand, Bird-Brother When the creature comes, you must stop him”

“How to stop a creature on a Quest? What do you expect me to do? Spoil the hospitality of my hall?”

Laakea snorted “I do not care Kill him Lock him away in a tree trunk I trust in your wisdolected in my journey to your marsh—I must attend to the funeral rites of our sister”

“It is not the place of any of us to interfere in the Quests of men They insist on them—they are as fond of Quests as of their own hearts”

“Who is to say it will be a man?” Laakea answered, bored as a babe

With this the white-clad Star left rass onceup veils of one and not even his footfalls could be heard

“SO YOU SEE, MY DEAR LAD, THE DILEMMA” THE Marsh King crossed his reedlike legs in a curiously fey gesture “In no way can I allow you to do what you intend It is not personal, of course It is best in the end to let woeance Those who meddle are seldom thanked—take my dear Harpoon’s story as exemplum! Now I don’t suppose I can convince you to scurry on hoood bear from now on?”

I shifted on my paws and ive up! I will go on, whether or not you tell rave, perhaps she can grant ods conspire to robto mate?”

“It is, in fact, quite insignificant,” the Marsh King said gently “The gods, if you insist on calling them such, do not conspire, but events themselves order the world like a pack of cards, and there is little you or I can do to change the cut of the deck We racefully Duty is a noble word, after all”

I stamped in frustration and the branches of the hall shook wildly “There un a Quest! Quests do not simply end You win or you lose; it is not just suddenly over”

“I believe that you have, so to speak, put your finger on it I see that it is not possible for you to accept that, this time, you si for your kind—norfor men It is their invention, their hts in perpetuity Every step you take, ht treasure It is sad for the to sustain them But they are a sad race We must weep for them, but not too much And we certainly must not take on their ridiculous penchant for self-destructive behavior Therefore, I have devised a way to prevent you fro the land of my late sister and yet preserve a small chance for you to achieve the end you desire I shall make you into the very model of a Quest—I shall make you a man”