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'Yes, dear'

'I thought I liked beef'

'No, dear Beef gives you wind'

'Oh' War sighed 'Any chance of onions?'

'You don't like onions, dear'

'I don't?'

'Because of your stomach, dear'

'Oh' War smiled aardly at Death 'It's rabbit,' he said 'Ermdear, do I ride out for Apocalypses?' Mrs War took the lid off a saucepan and prodded viciously at so inside 'No, dear,' she said firht I rather, er, sort of liked that kind of thing ?'

'No, dear You don't' Despite himself, Death was fascinated He had never co your memory inside someone else's head 'Perhaps I would like a beer?' War ventured 'You don't like beer, dear'

'I don't?'

'No, it brings on your trouble'

'Ah Uh, how do I feel about brandy?'

'You don't like brandy, dear You like your special oat drink with the vitaotten I liked that' He looked sheepishly at Death 'It's quite nice,' he said COULD I HAVE A WORD WITH YOU, said Death, IN PRIVATE? War looked puzzled 'Do I like wo-' IN PRIVATE, PLEASE, Death thundered Mrs War turned and gave Death a disdainful look

'I understand, I quite understand,' she said haughtily 'But don't you dare say anything to bring on his acid, that's all I shall say' Mrs War had been a Valkyrie once, Death remembered It was another reason to be extremely careful on the battlefield 'You've never been tee, old one NO ABSOLUTELY NOT IN NO WAY 'Why not?' Death was nonplussed It was like asking a brick hat it thought of dentistry As a question, it noring it FAMINE DOESN'T CARE AND PESTILENCE IS FRIGHTENED 'The two of us, against the Auditors?' said War RIGHT IS ON OUR SIDE 'Speaking as War,' said War, 'I'd hate to tell you what happens to very sht on their side' I HAVE SEEN YOU FIGHT'My old right arm isn't what it was' War murmured YOU ARE IMMORTAL YOU ARE NOT ILL, said Death, but he could see the worried, slightly hunted look in Wars eyes and knew that there was only one way this was going to go To be hue, Death realized The Horsemen were horsemen Men had wished upon theods, and the Tooth Fairy, and the Hogfather, their shape had changed theht aspects of huh they were so, nothing, had one aspect and one aspect alone Men would envisage a being called Fas and eyes, that meant he had to have a brain That ues of locusts all the tiain Coed THANK GOODNESS, thought Death, THAT I AM COMPLETELY UNCHANGED AND EXACTLY THE SAME AS I EVER WAS And then there was one

Tick The hammer stopped, halfway across the room Mr White walked over and picked it out of the air 'Really, your ladyship,' he said 'You think we don't watch you? You, the Igor, or looked from him to Lady LeJean and back 'I only take orderth from Marthter Jeremy, thank you,' he said 'The world will end if you start that clock!' said Lady LeJean 'What a foolish idea,' said Mr White 'We laugh at it'

'Hahaha,' said the other Auditors obediently 'I don't needDr Hopkins out of the way 'And I don't need people to tell rumbled in the clouds 'Thank you,' said Jeremy, more calmly 'Now, I hope I am a rational man, and I shall approach this rationally A clock is adevice I have built the perfect clock, entle' He reached up and moved the hands of the clock to alripped the pendulu The world continued to exist 'You see? The universe doesn't stop even for my clock,' Jeremy went on He folded his hands and sat down 'Watch,' he said cal rattled in the an to sizzle 'Well, nothing see' Sparks crackled around the lightning rod positioned above the clock 'This is just ,' said Jere up, and a lotinside the clock There was a sound best represented as fizzle, and greenish-blue light filled the case 'Ah, the cascade has initialized,' said Jeremy 'As a little exercise, the, ah,Clock, you'll see, so that every second it will be readjusted to the correct time' He smiled, and one cheek twitched 'Some day all clocks will

be like this,' he said, and added, 'While I normally hate such an imprecise terht going on in the square In the strange colours involved in the ti state known as Ziht blue By the look of it, a couple of watch Onethere without support Another had fired a crossbow directly at one of the watch exa to touch it, aren't you?' said a voice behind Lobsang 'You're just going to reach out and touch it, despite everything I've told you Pay attention to the daot a few inches away froid in the air 'Are you sure you can't feel where it is?' he snapped 'It's all round us, Sweeper We're so close, it it's like trying to see the hen you're standing under the trees!'