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The High Priest held up his hands for silence Cutwell sidled towards him as the old an the invocation to the gods

Cutwell let his eyes slip back towards the duke

'Hearup into the bat-haunted darkness of the rafters?

'-- hear me, O Blind Io of the Hundred Eyes; hear me, O Great Offler of the Bird-Haunted Mouth: hear me, O Merciful Fate; hear me, O Cold, mm Destiny; hear me, O Seven-handed Sek; hear me, O Hoki of the Woods; hear me, O --'

With dull horror Cutwell realised that the daft old fool, against all instruction, was going to mention the whole lot There were ods on the Disc, and research theologians were discovering ation was already beginning to shuffle its feet

Keli was standing in front of the altar with a look of fury on her face Cutwell nudged the High Priest in the ribs, which had no noticeable effect, and then waggled his eyebrows ferociously at the young acolyte

'Stop hiods would be displeased --'

'Not as displeased as me, and I'm here'

The acolyte looked at Cutwell's expression for a ods later He tapped the High Priest on the shoulder and whispered sood of, mm, isolated cow byres; hear me, O – hello? What?'

Murular Very well, we shall go straight to the, e'

Murh Priest scowled at Cutwell, or at least where he believed Cutwell to be

'Oh, all right M of the Fourfold-Path'

Murh Priest's face darkened

'I suppose, mm, a short prayer, mm, is totally out of the question?' he said acidly

'If soet ato be trouble'

Murh Priest 'People ious, mm, ceremony at all Fetch the bloody elephant, then'

The acolyte gave Cutwell a frantic look and waved at the guards As they urged their gently-swaying charge forith shouts and pointed sticks the young priest sidled towards Cutwell and pushed so into his hand

He looked down It was a waterproof hat

'Is this necessary?'

'He's very devout,' said the acolyte 'We may need a snorkel'

The elephant reached the altar and was forced, without too much difficulty, to kneel It hiccupped

'Well, where is it, then?' snapped the High Priest 'Let's get this, mm, farce over with!'

Murravely, picked up his white-handled sacrificial knife and raised it double-handed over his head The whole hall watched, holding its breath Then he lowered it again

'Where in front of me?'

Murmur

'I certainly don't need your help,man and boy – and, mm, women and animals – for seventy years, and when I can't use the, mm, knife you can put ht the blade down in a wild shich, by sheer luck, gave the elephant a mild flesh wound on the trunk

The creature awoke from its pleasant reflective stupor and squealed The acolyte turned in horror to look at two tiny bloodshot eyes squinting down the length of an enraged trunk, and cleared the altar in one standing ju recollections flooded its aching head, of fires and shouts andheavy tree trunks It brought its trunk down across the altar stone and somewhat to its own surprise smashed it in two, levered the two parts into the air with its tusks, tried unsuccessfully to uproot a stone pillar and then, feeling the sudden need for a breath of fresh air, started to charge arthritically down the length of the hall

It hit the door at a dead run, its blood loud with the call of the herd and fizzing with alcohol, and took it off at the hinges Still wearing the frame on its shoulders it careened across the courtyard, s city and was still slowly accelerating when it sniffed the distant dark continent of Klatch on the night breeze and, tail raised, followed the ancient call of home

Back in the hall there was dust and shouts and confusion Cutwell pushed his hat out of his eyes and got to his hands and knees

'Thank you,' said Keli, who had been lying underneath him 'And why did you jump on top of me?'

'My first instinct was to protect you, your Majesty'

'Yes, instinct it may have been, but --' She started to say that ht of his big, serious and rather flushed face stopped her

'We will talk about this later,' she said, sitting up and brushing the dust off her 'In the meantime, I think ill dispense with the sacrifice I'hness, and now if someone will fetch the crown --'

There was the snick of a safety catch behind them

The wizard will put his hands where I can see them,' said the duke

Cutwell stood up slowly, and turned around The duke was backed by half a dozen large serious men, the type of men whose only function in life is to looe serious crossbohoseoff

The princess sprang to her feet and launched herself at her uncle, but Cutwell grabbed her

'No,' he said, quietly This isn't the kind of h time for the mice to eat your ropes before the flood-waters rise This is the kind of man who just kills you here and now'

The duke bowed

'I think it can be truly said that the gods have spoken,' he said 'Clearly the princess was tragically crushed by the rogue elephant The people will be upset I will personally decree a week of uests have seen – !' the princess began, nearly in tears