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"Beg pardon, sir That's just a broken turret giving the effect"

They watched it for a while

Then Vieant-I ask in a spirit of pure inquiry-what do you think's causing the effect of a pair of huge wings unfurling?"

Colon sed

"I think that's caused by a pair of huge wings, sir," he said

"Spot on, Sergeant"

The dragon dropped It wasn't a swoop It simply kicked away froht doards, disappearing froht hion was in view again,like so that has somehow turned a thirty-two feet per second plulided over the rooftops at little ht, all the h the air was slowly and carefully being torn in half

The Watch threw theuely horse-like features before it slid past

"Sodding arseholes," said Nobby, fro

Viht "You are in unifor at all

"Sorry, Captain Sodding arseholes, sir "

"Where's Sergeant Colon?"

"Down here, sir Holding on to this drainpipe, sir"

"Oh, for goodness sake Help him up, Carrot"

' 'Gosh,'' said Carrot, "look at it go!"

You could tell the position of the dragon by the rattle of arrows across the city, and by the screales of all those hit by the misses and ricochets

"He hasn't even flapped his wings yet!" shouted Carrot, trying to stand on the chio!''

It shouldn't be that big, Vie shape wheel over the river It's as long as a street!

There was a puff of flame above the docks, and for a moment the creature passed in front of the s, once, with a sound like the da slapped across a cliff

It turned in a tight circle, pounded the air a few times to build up speed, and came back

When it passed over the Watch House it coughed a colu white fire Tiles under it didn't just melt, they erupted in red-hot droplets The chimney stack exploded and rained bricks across the street

Vast wings ha building, fire spearing down on what rapidly beca heap Then, when all that was left was a spreading puddle ofstreaks and bubbles in it, the dragon raised itself with a contes and soared away and upwards, over the city

Lady Ramkin lowered her telescope and shook her head slowly

"That's not right," she whispered "That's not right at all Shouldn't be able to do anything like that "

She raised the lens again and squinted, trying to see as on fire Down below, in their long kennels, the little dragons howled

Traditionally, upon waking from blissfully uneventful insensibility, you ask: "Where am I?" It's probably part of the racial consciousness or so

Vimes said it

Tradition allows a choice of second lines A key point in the selection process is an audit to see that the body has all the bits it re yesterday

Vi bit Now that the snowball of consciousness is starting to roll, is it going to find that it's waking up inside a body lying in a gutter with so multiple, the noun doesn't ood ever follows " to be a case of crisp sheets, a soothing hand, and a businesslike figure in white pulling open the curtains on a bright new day? Is it all over, with nothing worse to look forward to now than weak tea, nourishing gruel, short, strengthening walks in the garden and possibly a brief platonic love affair with a el, or was this all just a et down to real business with the thick end of a pickaxe helve? Are there, the consciousness wants to know, going to be grapes?

At this point soht" is favourite, whereas "Did anyone get his nun; either, however, is better than "You two hold his hands behind his back"

In fact sooner there, Captain"

The pain sensations, which had taken advantage of Vimes's unconscious state to bunk oflF for a arette, rushed back

Vih" Then he opened his eyes

There was a ceiling This ruled out one particular range of unpleasant options and was very welcome His blurred vision also revealed Corporal Nobbs, which was less so Corporal Nobbs proved nothing; you could be dead and see so like Corporal Nobbs

Ankh-Morpork did not have many hospitals All the Guilds maintained their own sanitariuious organisations, like the Balancing Monks, but by and large medical assistance was nonexistent and people had to die inefficiently, without the aid of doctors It was generally thought that the existence of cures encouraged slackness and was in any case probably against Nature's way

"Have I already said 'Where am I?' " said Viet an answer?"