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They could hear footsteps Soer

"We must form a square," said the captain They all tried to foreant Colon

"What?"

"There it was again Sort of a leathery sound"

Captain Vi

There were, he knew, ars' god, a whores' goddess, a thieves' god, probably even an assassins' god

He wondered whether there was, sood ould look kindly on hard-pressed and fairly innocent law-enforcement officers ere quite definitely about to die

There probably wasn't, he thought bitterly Sood worrying about any poor sod trying to do his best for a handful of dollars a month Not them Gods went overboard for s the Ruby Eye of the Earwig King out of its socket, not for soht

"More sort of slithery," said the sergeant, who liked to get things right

And then there was a sound-

-perhaps a volcanic sound, or the sound of a boiling geyser, but at any rate a long, dry roar of a sound, like the bellows in the forges of the Titans-

-but it was not so bad as the light, which was blue-white and the sort of light to print the pattern of your eyeballs' blood vessels on the back of the inside of your skull

They both went on for hundreds of years and then, instantly, stopped

The dark afterained an ability to hear, a faint, clinkery sound

The guards remained perfectly still for some time

"Well, well," said the captain weakly

After a further pause he said, very clearly, every consonant slotting perfectly into place, "Sergeant, take soate what, sir?" said Colon, but it had already dawned on the captain that if the sergeant took some men it would leave him, Captain Vimes, all alone

"No, I've a better idea We'll all go," he said firmly They all went

Now that their eyes were used to the darkness they could see an indistinct red glow ahead of the rapidly Bits of calcined brickere falling off as they contracted,noises

That wasn't the worst bit The worst bit as on the wall

They stared at it

They stared at it for a long time

It was only an hour or two till dawn, and no-one even suggested trying to find their way back in the dark They waited by the wall At least it arm

They tried not to look at it

Eventually Colon stretched uneasily and said, ' 'Chin up, Captain It could have been worse"

Vimes finished the bottle It didn't have any effect There were soe

"Yes," he said "It could have been us"

The Supreain," he said, "we have achieved success"

The Brethren burst into a ragged cheer The Brothers Watchtower and Fingers linked aric circle

The Supreme Grand Master took a deep breath

First the carrot, he thought, and now the stick He liked the stick

"Silence!" he screaers, Brother Watchtower, cease this shameful display!" he screeched "The rest of you, be silent!"

They quietened down, like rowdy children who have just seen the teacher come into the room Then they quieted down a lot more, like children who have just seen the teacher's expression

The Supre their ragged ranks

"I suppose," he said, "that we think we've done soic, do we? Hmm? Brother Watchtower?"

Brother Watchtoed "Well, er, you said ere, er, I mean-"

' 'You haven't done ANYTHING yet!''

"Well, er, no, er-" Brother Watchtower trembled

"Do real wizards leap about after a tiny spell and start chanting 'Here we go, here we go, here we go', Brother Watchtower? Hmm?"

"Well, ere sort of-"

The Supreme Grand Master spun on his heel

"And do they keep looking apprehensively at the ork, Brother Plasterer? "

Brother Plasterer hung his head He hadn't realised anyone had noticed