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"And we'd have been in soate demons from the netherworlds if Mad Hamish hadn't woken up," Cohen went on Hae fish fillets inexpertly wrapped in saffron robes "Whut?"

"I SAID YOU WERE GROUCHY WHAT WITH MISSING YER NAP!" Cohen shouted "Ach, right!" Boy Willie rubbed his thigh "I got to adoing to have to give this up" Cohen turned around quickly "And die like old Old Vincent?" he said "Well, not-"

"Where would he have been if eren't there to give hi bonfire, that's the funeral of a hero And everyone else said it was a waste of a good boat! So stop talking like that and follow , and finally the words ca ently on the shoulder as they turned to follow their leader "We prefer the word berserk, lad," he said Soons at night," Leonard said conversationally as Ponder Stibbons adjusted the static-firing mechanism "And it is clear to me that the flame is quite useful to theon is a living rocket A strange creature to have coht, I suspect they come from elsewhere,"

"They tend to explode a lot," said Ponder, standing back The dragon in the steel cage watched him carefully "Bad diet" said Leonard firmly "Possibly not what they were used to But I a and safe and will haveusable effect"

"But ill go and get behind the sandbags now, sir" said Ponder

"Oh, do you really think-?"

"Yes, sir" With his back firs Ponder shut his eyes and pulled the string In front of the dragon's cage, adown, just for a on on seeing another male is to flameThere was a roar The two reen lance of fire thundering out across the evening sea Thirty-three seconds!" said Ponder, when it finally winked out He leapt up The sone, so it was the dampest explosion Ponder had ever experienced "Ah," said Leonard, arising fro a piece of scaly skin off his head "Nearly there, I think Just a pinch more charcoal and seaweed extract to prevent blowback" Ponder reht now, he felt, was a bath And then another bath "I' bits of dragon off his face But an hour later another flame lanced over the waves, thin and white with a blue coreand this tion n on," said Caleb "One of the proper old ones, too, not the little fireworky ones you get today"

"Once they get you signin' your naot you where they want you," said Cohen "Too many letters," said Truckle "All different shapes, too I always put an X" The Horde had stopped for a breather and a sreen valley Snoas thick on the ground, but the air was alh ical field "Readin', now," said Cohen, "that's another matter I don't mind a man who does a bit of readin' Now, you co cross on it, well, a readin'from that"

"What? That it's Truckle's map?" said Boy Willie "Exactly Could very well be"

"I can read and write," said Evil Harry "Sorry Part of the job Etiquette, too You've got to be polite to people when you march them out on the plank over the shark tankityou, Harry," said Cohen "Huh, not that I could get sharks" said Harry "I should've known better when Johnny No Hands told rown all their fins yet, but all they did iin' for fish When I throw people into a torture tank it's to be torn to bits, not to get in touch with their inner self and be one with the cosmos"

"Shark'd be better than this fish" said Caleb,a face "Nah, shark tastes like piss," said Cohen He sniffed "Now that"

"Now that? said Truckle, "is what I call cookery? They followed the sh a maze of rocks to a cave To the minstrel's amazement, each man drew his sword as they approached "You can't trust cookery" said Cohen, apparently as an atte monstrous mad devil fish!" said the minstrel

"No, the priests were mad, the fish werehard to tell with fish Anyway, you knohere you stand with a ht up here - well, that's a et you killed"

"You're not dead, though" Cohen's sword swished through the air The ht he heard it sizzle "I solve mysteries," he said "Oh With your swordlike Carelinus untied the Tsortean Knot?"

"Don't know anything about any knots, lad" In a clear space a over a fire and an elderly lady orking at her embroidery It was not a scene the h the lady was soe on the sa, surrounded by little flowers, was EAT COLD STEEL PIGDOG "Well, well" said Cohen, sheathing his sword "I thought I recognised the handiwork back there How're you doing Vena?"

"You're looking well, Cohen," said the wo them "You boys want so "Let the bard try it first, though"

"Sha aside her e me and steal a load of jewels off o, oblins"

"I knew you'd beat the goblins, though"

"I knew you didn't need the jewels Morning, Evil Harry Hello, boys Pull up a rock Who's the thin streak of misery?" This is the bard," said Cohen "Bard, this is Vena the Raven-Haired"

"What?" said the bard "No, she's not! Even I've heard of Vena the Raven- Haired, and she's a tall young wo around so, don't they?" she said, patting her grey hair "And it's Mrs McGarry now, boys"