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Pulling down his loincloth And urinating in an arcing stream

Somewhere, a woman screamed

‘They’ll collect that body,’ one merchant said, awed, ‘down at the Eddies I’ve heard there’re surgeons who can-’

‘And wouldn’t you pay a peak for that, Inchers!’ his co, Hulbat – watch yourself! I was just saying -’

‘And ten thousand wo turned to face the canal

Then strode forward Hips Chest Shoulders

A moment later his head disappeared beneath the thick, foul water

Not a flounder, not a flail Those who had bet on Vanishing crowed Crowds pulled apart, figures closing on bookmakers

‘Brys Beddict, what’s the distance across?’

‘A hundred paces’

‘Aye’

They re After a moment, Brys shot the Finadd a quizzical look Gerun nodded towards the launch below ‘Look at the line, lad’

There was some commotion around the retrieval line, and Brys saw – at about the sa voices, did others – that the rope was still playing out ‘He’s walking the bottom!’

Brys found he could not pull his eyes fro rope A dozen heartbeats Two dozen A half-hundred And still that rope snaked its way into the water

The cries and shouts had risen to deafening pitch Pigeons burst into the air fro with bookmakers for payment tiles Someone fell from the Third Tier and, haplessly, stones and did notround his body

‘That’s it,’ Gerun Eberict sighed

A figure was e ht hundred docks At seventy to one ‘You’re a rich ot richer, Finadd’

‘And Ublala Pung’s a free one Hey, I saw your brother earlier Tehol Other side of the canal He earing a skirt’

‘Don’t stand so close – no, closer, so you can hear me, Shand, but not too close Not like we know each other’

‘You’ve lost your mind,’ she replied

‘Maybe Anyway, see that man?’