Page 2 (1/2)

Most of the stallkeepers had packed up and gone Even the hot ard for personal safety, was eating one

The last of Mort's fellow hopefuls had vanished hours ago He was a wall-eyed young e's one licensed beggar had pronounced hione off to be a toymaker One by one they had trooped off – the masons, the farriers, the assassins, the hmen In a few minutes it would be the new year and a hundred boys would be starting out hopefully on their careers, nehile lives of useful service rolling out in front of them

Mort wondered miserably why he hadn't been picked He'd tried to look respectable, and had looked all prospective masters squarely in the eye to impress them with his excellent nature and extreht effect

'Would you like a hot meat pie?' said his father

'No'

'He's selling them cheap'

'No Thank you'

'Oh'

Lezek hesitated

'I could ask the man if he wants an apprentice,' he said, helpfully 'Very reliable, the catering trade'

'I don't think he does,' said Mort

'No, probably not,' said Lezek 'Bit of a one-one now, anyway Tell you what, I'll save you a bit of ry, dad'

'There's hardly any gristle'

'No But thanks all the same'

'Oh' Lezek deflated a little He danced about a bit to stamp some life back into his feet, and whistled a few tuneless bars between his teeth He felt he ought to say so, to offer some kind of advice, to point out that life had its ups and downs, to put his arm around his son's shoulder and talk expansively about the proble up, to indicate – in short – that the world is a funny old lace where one should never, , be so proud as to turn down the offer of a perfectly good hot meat pie

They were alone now The frost, the last one of the year, tightened its grip on the stones

High in the tower above theed wheel went clonk, tripped a lever, released a ratchet and let a heavy lead weight drop down There was a dreadfulnoise and the trapdoors in the clock face slid open, releasing the clockworktheir hammers jerkily, as if they were afflicted with robotic arthritis, they began to ring in the new day

'Well, that's it,' said Lezek, hopefully They'd have to find soht was no ti in the mountains Perhaps there was a stable soht until the last stroke,' said Mort, distantly

Lezek shrugged The sheer strength of Mort's obstinacy was defeating hiht,' he said 'We'll wait, then'

And then they heard the clip-clop of hooves, which boomed rather more loudly around the chilly square than common acoustics should really allow In fact clip-clop was an astonishingly inaccurate word for the kind of noise which rattled around Mort's head; clip-clop suggested a rather jolly little pony, quite possibly wearing a straw hat with holes cut out for its ears An edge to this sound made it very clear that straw hats weren't an option

The horse entered the square by the Hub road, stea up froer It was definitely not wearing a straw hat

The tall figure on its back rapped up gainst the cold When the horse reached the centre of the square the rider dis behind the saddle Eventually he – or she – produced a nosebag, fastened it over the horse's ears, and gave it a friendly pat on the neck

The air took on a thick, greasy feel, and the deep shadows around Mort becaed with blue and purple rainbows The rider strode towards hi sounds on the cobbles They were the only noises – silence clareat drifts of cotton wool

The impressive effect was rather spoilt by a patch of ice

OH, BUGGER

It wasn't exactly a voice The words were there all right, but they arrived in Mort's head without bothering to pass through his ears

He rushed forward to help the fallen figure, and found hi more than polished bone, sure's hood fell back, and a naked skull turned its empty eyesockets towards hih Deep within theulfs of space, were two tiny blue stars

It occurred to Mort that he ought to feel horrified, so he was slightly shocked to find that he wasn't It was a skeleton sitting in front of hi, but it was a live one, curiously i

THANK YOU, BOY, said the skull WHAT IS YOUR NAME?

'Uh,' said Mort, 'Mortimersir They call me Mort'

WHAT A COINCIDENCE, said the skull HELP ME UP, PLEASE

The figure rose unsteadily, brushing itself down Now Mort could see there was a heavy belt around its waist, fro a white-handled sword

'I hope you are not hurt, sir,' he said politely

The skull grinned Of course, Mort thought, it hasn't much of a choice

NO HARM DONE, I AM SURE The skull looked around and seemed to see Lezek, who appeared to be frozen to the spot, for the first tiht an explanation was called for

'My father,' he said, trying toany offence 'Excuse me, sir, but are you Death?'

CORRECT FULL MARKS FOR OBSERVATION, THAT BOY

Mort sed

'My father is a good ood I'd rather you left him alone, if it's all the same to you I don't knohat you have done to him, but I'd like you to stop it No offence meant'

Death stepped back, his skull on one side

I HAVE MERELY PUT US OUTSIDE TIME FOR A MOMENT, he said HE WILL SEE AND HEAR NOTHING THAT DISTURBS HIM NO, BOY, IT WAS YOU I CAME FOR

'Me?'

YOU ARE HERE SEEKING EMPLOYMENT?

Light dawned on Mort 'You are looking for an apprentice?' he said

The eyesockets turned towards hi

OF COURSE

Death waved a bony hand There was a wash of purple light, a sort of visible 'pop', and Lezek unfroze Above his head the clockwork autoht, as Ti back

Lezek blinked