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"That wasn't cheating!" Cohen growled "Leavin' scrolls around to lure heroes to their death, that's cheatin"!"

"But where would heroes be without ic maps?" said Blind Io "Many of' em 'd still be alive!" snapped Cohen "Not pieces in so in half? said Fate "Shohere it says that in the rules! Yeah, why not show e "Show o, is it? Double or quits? Double stakes?"

"You ood thtroke," said Offler Several of the lesser gods nodded "What? Are you prepared to let them stand here and defy us?" said Fate "Defy you, est they have won He did cheat Fate If you do cheat Fate, I do not believe it says anywhere that Fate's subsequent opinion ods parted to let her pass They recognised a legend in thewhen they saw it "And who are you?" snapped Cohen, still red with rage "I?" The Lady unfolded her hands A dice lay on each pal up But at a flick of her wrist the two flew together, lengthened, entwined, beca in the air - and vanished "I am the million-to-one-chance," she said "Yeah?" said Cohen, less iht to be "And who are all the other chances?"

"I am those, also" Cohen sniffed "Then you ain't no lady"

"Er, that's not really-" the an "Oh, that wasn't what I was supposed to say, was it?" said Cohen "I was supposed to say "Ooh, ta, ed"? Well, I ain't They say fortune favours the brave, but I say I've seen too many brave men walkin' into battles they never walked out of The hell with all of it- What's up with you?" The e of the crowd "It's you, isn't it?" he growled "You're Nuggan, aren't you?" The little god took a step backward, but nity "Be silent, mortal!"

"You utter, utterfifteen years! Fifteen daarlic! And the priests used to get up early in the countryside round us to jump on all the mushrooms! And do you kno much a small slab of chocolate cost in our town, and what they did to people ere caught with one?" The minstrel shouldered the Horde aside and advanced on the retreating god his lyre raised like a club "I shall s his hands to protect himself "You can't! Not here! You can only do that stuff back in the world! All you can do here is bluff and illusion! And bullying That's what prayers areit's frightened people trying to make friends with the bully! All those te but a little-" Cohen laid a gentle hand on his shoulder "Well said, lad Well said But it's tioin"

"Broccoli," o wrong with broccoli? "I prohibit the practice of panupunitoplasty" said Sweevo "What'th that?"

"Search ive him one wallop-" shouted theto hold his to do with that lyre than sht? A few little verses -it's 'mazin' how they stick in the mind

Listen to ot a sword and it's a good one, but all the bleedin' thing can do is keep so can keep someone immortal Good or bad!" The an had taken refuge behind a group of other gods "He'll wait until I'roaned the er!"

"Ah, your famous firework" said Blind Io "But, ods "

"Well now," said Cohen, "that depends, right? 'Cos in a onna look like a volcano Everyone in the world will see it I wonder if they'll believe in the gods any hter gods looked suddenly thoughtful "Anyway," Cohen went on "it dunt ods It does matter that, someone tried Next time, someone'll try harder,"

"All that will happen is that you will be killed," said Fate, but the ot to lose?" said Boy Willie "We're going to die anyway We're ready to die"

"We've always been ready to die," said Caleb the Ripper "That's e've lived such a long time," said Boy Willie "But why be so upset? said Blind Io "You've had long eventful lives, and the great cycle of nature-"

"Ach, the great cycle o' nature can eat ma loincloth!" said Mad Hamish "And there's not many as would want to do that," said Cohen "And I ain'tthis 'cos we are goin' to die, d'yer see? And 'cos soe of the world somewhere and saw all them other worlds out there and burst into tears 'cos there was only one lifetiht" But the gods were looking around The wings had shattered and broken off The fuselage smashed down on to the cobbles, and slid on "Now is the time to panic," said Rincewind The stricken Kite continued to scrape across the flagstones in a growing smell of scorched wood A pale hand reached past Rincewind "It would be advisable," said Leonard, "to hold on to so" He pulled a small handle labelled "Sekarb" Now the Kite stopped In a very dynaods looked down A hatch opened in the strange wooden bird It fell off and rolled a little way The gods saw a figure get out He appeared, in many ways, to be a hero, except that he was far too clean He looked around, rehty ones," he said "I do apologise, but this should not take long And may I take this opportunity to say on behalf of the people of the Disc that you are doing a wonderful job here" He ods, and stopped in front of Cohen "Cohen the Barbarian?"

"What's it to you?" said Cohen, mystifed "I am Captain Carrot of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, and I hereby arrest you on a charge of conspiracy to end the world You need not say anything-"

"I don't intend to say anything" said Cohen, raising his sword "I' head off"

"Hold it, hold it," said Boy Willie urgently "Do you knoe all are?"

"Yessir I believe so You are Boy Willie, aka Mad Bill, Wilhel to arrest us? You say you are some kind of a watchman?"