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‘Excuse me,’ cut in Fisher ‘When all what is done?’

‘This, of course! Foolish Iskaral-keep it si bard, when all this is done, eke out the eel-no, wait-er, seek out the eel Seal? Da! Peek at-eat an eel-seek and peek the bleak earl-perk the veal, deal the prick-oh, Hood’s breath! What was it again? And I had the gall to call him brilliant! He should’ve sent Sor-diko Qual ship of her sweethips-’ and he wagged his head side to side, side to side, eyes glazing, ‘slib-slab, slib-slul), oh!’

‘Thank you,’ Fisher said as theevery now and then to lick his lips, ‘for, er, the e I assure you, I understand’

‘Of course you do-you’re a man, aren’t you? Gods, that a si worship-ho needs gods and goddesses e have arses like that?’

‘Indeed, who? Now, since you have successfully delivered your e from your master, may I proceed on my way?’

‘What? Naturally Go away You’re a damned distraction, is what you are’

A tilt of the head, and the bard was indeed on his way once more

The mob outside the newly consecrated Temple of the Fallen One, or the Crippled God, or indeed the name by which ely rank More than natural sweat assun, this was the hu of desperation, made even sicklier with obsequious anticipation

Yet the door to the narrow-fronted tes were heaped up against it-copper and tin coins as well as links of chain and the odd clasp and cheap jewellery

Bedek on his cart and Myrla standing before hi the handles, found the alcoholics, the pock-scarred, the lame and the deformed Milky eyes stared, as if cataracts were punish seen too er for blessing, for even the passing brush of a twisted hand if it belonged to the Prophet Misshapen faces lifted up, held fixedly upon that door Once within the press, and unable to get any closer, the stink beca teeth and consumptive dissolution Fro but shoulders and the backs of heads Whi, he plucked at his wife’s tunic

‘Myrla Myrla!’

The look she turned on hie and… small, and with a shock Bedek suddenly saw her-and hinificant, worthless They were, he realized, no better than anyone else here Each of theuided out, to be raised up frolorious focus in the eyes of a god-eyes brie, eyes that understood injustice and the unfairness of existence A god, yes, to ht Whole

But Bedek had held no such notions They were not why he was here He and Myrla were different From all of these people They, you see, had lost a child

The door would remain locked, they learned, until at least ht not e with his own pain, they were told, he ht not be seen for days Yes, but did he bless people? Did he help people?

Oh, yes Why, I saw a man in terrible pain, and the Prophet took it all away

He healed the man?

No, he smothered him Delivered his spirit-now at peace-into the hands of the Fallen One If you are in pain, this is where you can end your life-only here, do you understand, can you be sure your soul will find a ho heart of the Fallen One Don’t you want to find your legs again? Other side of life, that’s where you’ll find them

And so Bedek came to understand that, perhaps, this Crippled God could not help theo home

But Myrla would have none of that The yearning was unabated in her eyes, but it had been transfor to do with Harllo Bedek did not knohat that new thing htened down to the core of his soul

Snell struggled to for senseless on the floor He had checked to see they were both breathing, since he’d heard thattheht for too long-though he’d been careful He was always careful when doing that, though if one of them did die, why, he would say it went to sleep and just never woke up and that happened, didn’t it, with the little ones? And then he’d cry because that was expected