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Vorbis sat back, his expression unchanged His expression seldoed unless he wanted it to The inquisitor watched him in terror

"I see," said Vorbis He stood up, and nodded at the inquisitor

"How long has he been down here?"

"Two days, lord"

"And you can keep him alive for-?"

"Perhaps two days more, lord"

"Do so Do so It is, after all," said Vorbis, "our duty to preserve life for as long as possible Is it not?"

The inquisitor gave him the nervous smile of one in the presence of a superior whose merest word could see him manacled on a bench

"Eryes, lord"

"Heresy and lies everywhere," Vorbis sighed "And now I shall have to find another secretary It is too vexing"

After twenty minutes Brutha relaxed The siren voices of sensuous evil seeot on with themelons Melons sees

"Hey, you!"

Brutha straightened up

"I do not hear you, oh foul succubus," he said

"Oh yes you do, boy Nohat I want you to do is-

"I've got ers in my ears!"

"Suits you Suits you Makes you look like a vase Now?

"I' a tune!"

Brother Preptil, thehi too late at the dead donkey Choral singing was co by Brother Preptil a special dispensation had beenround face screwed up in the effort to please was bad enough, but orse was listening to his voice, which was certainly powerful and full of intent conviction, swinging backward and forward across the tune without ever quite hitting it

He got Extra Melons instead

Up in the prayer towers a flock of crows took off in a hurry

After a full chorus of He is Traed his ears and risked a quick listen

Apart from the distant protests of the crows, there was silence

It worked Put your trust in the God, they said And he always had As far back as he could remember

He picked up his hoe and turned back, in relief, to the vines

The hoe's blade was about to hit the ground when Brutha saw the tortoise

It was small and basically yellow and covered with dust Its shell was badly chipped It had one beady eye -the other had fallen to one of the thousands of dangers that attend any slow-round

He looked around The gardens ell inside the teh walls

"How did you get in here, little creature?" he said "Did you fly?"

The tortoise stared monoptically at him Brutha felt a bit homesick There had been plenty of tortoises in the sandy hills back hoive you some lettuce," said Brutha "But I don't think tortoises are allowed in the gardens Aren't you vermin?"

The tortoise continued to stare Practically nothing can stare like a tortoise

Brutha felt obliged to do sorapes," he said "Probably it's not sinful to give you one grape Hoould you like a grape, little tortoise?"

"Hoould you like to be an abomination in the nethermost pit of chaos?" said the tortoise

The croho had fled to the outer walls, took off again to a rendering of The Way of the Infidel Is A Nest Of Thorns

Brutha opened his eyes and took his fingers out of his ears again

The tortoise said, "I'm still here"

Brutha hesitated It dawned on hi like small old tortoises There wouldn't be ree that when it came to rampant eroticism, you could do a lot better than a one-eyed tortoise

"I didn't know tortoises could talk," he said

"They can't," said the tortoise "Read my lips"

Brutha looked closer

"You haven't got lips," he said

"No, nor proper vocal chords," agreed the tortoise "I'ht into your head, do you understand?"

"Gosh!"