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Curiously enough, Assassins learned hardly any unarh at armed combat not to need it Gentlemen bore arms; only the lower classes used their hands

'I've got you,' Vimes panted 'You're under arrest Be under arrest, will you?'

But Cruces wouldn't let go Vionne would be twisted out of his grip It was pulled backwards and forwards between theonne exploded

There was a tongue of red fire, a firework stink and a zing-zing noise froed away towards the ceiling

Vimes stared at Cruces'contorted features Then he lowered his head and yanked the gonne hard

The Assassin screaonne in both hands

It ainst his shoulder and his finger was on the trigger

You're mine

We don't need hireat that he cried out

He swore afterwards that he didn't pull the trigger It onne slammed into his shoulder and a six-inch hole appeared in the wall by the Assassin's head, spraying hih the redto a door and lurching through it, sla it behind hi – I can put it right

Vimes reached the door, and tried the handle It was locked

He brought the gonne around, not aware of thinking, and let the trigger pull his finger again A large area of the door and frame became a splinter-bordered hole

Vionne

He was in a passageway A dozen youngat hi black

He was inside the Assassins' Guild

A trainee Assassin looked at Vimes with his nostrils

'Who are you, pray?'

The gonne swung towards hied to haul the barrel upwards just as it fired, and the shot took away a lot Of ceiling

'The law, you sons of bitchesl' he shouted

They stared at him

Shoot them all Clean up the world

'Shut up!' Vi fro student

'Where did Cruces go?' The mist rolled around his head His hand creaked with the effort of not firing

The young ht of stairs He'd been standing very close when the gonne fired Plaster dust draped hiain, dragging Vimes past the boys and up the stairs, where black mud still trailed There was another corridor there Doors were opening Doors closed again after the gonne fired again, save out on to a wide landing at the top of aoaken door

Viht the gonne long enough to duck A crossbow bolt whirred over his head and hit someone, far down the corridor

Shoot hi by his desk, feverishly trying to slot another bolt into his bow--

Vi in his ears

Butwhy not? Why not fire? Who was this man? He'd alanted to ht as well start here And then people would find out what the laas

Clean up the world

Noon started

The cracked bronze bell in the Teachers' Guild began the chis before the Guild of Bakers' clock, running fast, caught up with it

Cruces straightened up, and began to edge towards the cover of one of the stone pillars

'You can't shoot onne 'I know the law And so do you You're a guard You can't shootthe barrel

It'd be so easy The trigger tugged at his finger

A third bell began chi

'You can't just kill uard,' Dr Cruces repeated He licked his dry lips

The barrel lowered a little Cruces aluard'

The barrel rose again, pointed at Cruces' forehead

'But when the bells stop,' said Viuard any more'

Shoot him! SHOOT HIM!

Vimes forced the butt under his arm, so that he had one hand free

'We'll do it by the rules,' he said 'By the rules Got to do it by the rules'

Without looking down, he tugged his badge off the releam He'd always kept it polished When he spun it once or twice, like a coin, the copper caught the light

Cruces watched it like a cat

The bells were slackening Most of the towers had stopped Now there was only the sound of the gong on the Temple of Small Gods, and the bells of the Assassins' Guild, which were always fashionably late

The gong stopped

Dr Cruces put the crossbow, neatly and meticulously, on the desk beside him

'There! I've put it down!'

'Ah,' said Viain'

The black bell of the Assassins' Guild hammered its way to noon

And stopped

Silence slammed in like a thunderclap

The little e bounced on the floor filled it froently, let the tension ease out of his hand

A bell started

It was a tinny, jolly little tune, barely to be heard at all except in this pool of silence

Cling, bing, a-bing, bong

but lasses, water-clocks and penduluonne, captain,' said Carrot, cli slowly up the stairs

He held his sword in one hand, and the presentation watch in the other