Thud! - A Novel Of Discworld Part 41

"I'll come with you," said Bashfullsson quickly.

"I think I need no a.s.sistance," lied Vimes, as coolly as he could.

"I'm sure you you do not," said the dwarf. "But Captain Gud is a little nervous." do not," said the dwarf. "But Captain Gud is a little nervous."

"He'll be a lot nervous if I don't like what I see," said Vimes.

"Yes. That's why I'm coming with you," said Bashfullsson.

Vimes set off across the cavern a little faster than he felt comfortable. The grag kept up by skipping at every other step.

"Don't think you know me, Mr. Bashfullsson," Vimes growled. "Don't think I took pity on those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds. Don't think I was merciful. You just don't kill the helpless. You just don't."

"The dark guards seemed to have no trouble with the prospect," said Bashfullsson.

"Exactly!" said Vimes. "By the way, Mr. Bashfullsson, what kind of dwarf doesn't carry an axe?" said Vimes. "By the way, Mr. Bashfullsson, what kind of dwarf doesn't carry an axe?"

"Well, as a grag, my first resort, of course, is to my voice," said the grag. "The axe is nothing without the hand, and the hand is nothing without the mind. I've trained myself to think think about axes." about axes."

"Sounds mystical to me," said Vimes.

"I suppose it would," said Bashfullsson. "Ah, here we are."

"Here" was the area that the newly arrived dwarfs had occupied. Very military, Vimes thought. A defensive square. You're not sure who your enemies are. And neither am I.

The nearest dwarf regarded him with that slightly defiant, slightly uneasy look he'd come to recognize. Captain Gud straightened up.

Vimes looked over the dwarf's shoulder, which was not hard to do. There were n.o.bby and Fred Colon, and both of the trolls, and even Cheery, all sitting in a huddle.

"Are my men under arrest, Captain?" he said.

"My orders are to detain everyone found here," said the captain. Vimes admired the flatness of the response. It meant: I am not interested in a dialogue at this time.

"What is your authority here, Captain?" he said.

"My authority comes threefold: the Low King, mining law, and sixty armed dwarfs," said Gud.

b.u.g.g.e.r, thought Vimes. I forgot about mining law. This is a problem. I think I need to delegate. A good commander learns to delegate. Therefore, I will delegate this problem to Captain Gud.

"That was a good answer, Captain," he said, "and I respect it." In one movement, he pushed past and headed for the watchmen. He stopped dead when he heard the sound of drawn metal behind him, raised his hands, and said: "Grag Bashfullsson, will you explain matters to the captain? I have stepped into into his custody, not out of it. And this is not the time or place for rash action." his custody, not out of it. And this is not the time or place for rash action."

He walked on without waiting for a reply. Admittedly, banking on the fact that someone would get into trouble if they killed you would probably come under the heading of rash action, but he'd just have to live with that. Or, of course, not.

He hunkered down by n.o.bby and Colon.

"Sorry about this, Mister Vimes," said Fred. "We were waiting on the path with some horses and they just turned up. We showed 'em our badges, but they just did not want to know."

"Understood. And you, Cheery?"

"I thought it'd be best to stay together, sir," said Cheery earnestly.

"Right. And you, Detr-" Vimes looked down, and felt the bile rise. Brick and Detritus both had chains on their legs.

"You let let them shackle you?" he said. them shackle you?" he said.

"Well, it seemed to be gettin' all poll-itical, Mister Vimes." said Detritus. "But say der word and me an' Brick can have 'em off, no trouble. Dey're only field chains. My granny could've bust out of 'em."

Vimes felt the anger rising, but put a lid on it. Right now, Detritus was being rather more sensible than his boss. "Don't do that, not until I say so," he said. "Where are the grags?"

"They're guarding them in another cave, sir," said Cheery. "And the miners. Sir, they said the Low King is on his way!"

"Good job it's a big cave, otherwise it'd be getting crowded," said Vimes. He walked back to the captain and bent down.

"You chained up my sergeant?" he said.

"He's a troll. This is Koom Valley," said the captain flatly.

"Except even I I could bust out of chain that thin," said Vimes. He glanced up. Sally and Angua had regained their amour propre in their proper armor, and were watching Vimes carefully. could bust out of chain that thin," said Vimes. He glanced up. Sally and Angua had regained their amour propre in their proper armor, and were watching Vimes carefully.

"Those two officers are a vampire and a werewolf," he said, still in the same level voice. "I know you know this, and you very wisely didn't try to lay a finger on them. And Bashfullsson's a grag. But you put my sergeant in weak chains that he could snap with a finger so you could kill him and say he was trying to escape. Don't even think think about denying it. I know a dirty trick when I see one. Shall I tell you what I'm going to do? I'm going to give you a chance to show brotherly love and let the trolls out, right now. And the others. Otherwise, unless you kill me, I'll poison your future career to the very best of my ability. And you don't about denying it. I know a dirty trick when I see one. Shall I tell you what I'm going to do? I'm going to give you a chance to show brotherly love and let the trolls out, right now. And the others. Otherwise, unless you kill me, I'll poison your future career to the very best of my ability. And you don't dare dare kill me." kill me."

The captain eyeballed him, but it was a game Vimes had mastered a long time ago. Then the dwarf's gaze fell on Vimes's arm, and he gave a groan and took a step back, raising his hand protectively.

"Yes! I'll do it! Yes!"

"See you do," said Vimes, taken aback. Then he, too, looked down at the inside of his wrist.

"What the h.e.l.l is this?" he said, turning to Bashfullsson. he said, turning to Bashfullsson.

"Ah, it left its mark on you, Commander," said the grag cheerfully. "An exit wound, perhaps?"

On the soft underskin of Vimes's wrist, the sign of the Summoning Dark blazed as a livid scar.

Vimes turned his arm this way and that.

"It was real real?" he said.

"Yes. But it is gone, I'm sure. There is a difference in you."

Vimes rubbed the symbol. It didn't hurt; it was just raised, reddened skin.

"It's not going to come back, is it?" he said.

"I doubt it'll risk it, sir!" said Angua.

Vimes opened his mouth to ask her what she meant by that piece of sarcasm when yet more dwarfs trotted in to the cavern.

These were the tallest and broadest dwarfs he'd ever seen. Unlike most dwarfs, they wore simple mail s.h.i.+rts and carried one axe: one good, large, beautifully balanced axe. Other dwarfs bristled with up to a dozen weapons. These dwarfs bristled with one each, and they separated and spread out into the cavern with a purpose, covering lines of sight, guarding shadows, and, in the case of four of them, taking up station behind Detritus and Brick.

When they finally clattered to a halt, another group stepped out of the tunnel. Vimes recognized Rhys, Low King of the Dwarfs. He stopped, looked around, glanced briefly at Vimes, and summoned the captain to him.

"We have everything?"

"Sire?" said Gud nervously.

"You know know what I mean, Captain!" what I mean, Captain!"

"Yes, but we found nothing on any of them, sire! We searched them, and we've gone over the floor three times!"

"Excuse me?" said Vimes.

"Commander Vimes!" said the king, turning and greeting Vimes like a long-lost son. "It is good to see you!"

"You've lost the b.l.o.o.d.y cube?" said Vimes. "After all this?"

"What cube would this be, Commander?" said the king. Vimes had to admire his acting ability, at least.

"The one you're looking for," he said. "The one dug up in my city. The one all this fuss is about. They wouldn't throw it away, because they're grags, right? You can't destroy words. It's the worst crime there is. They can't destroy it and they don't dare hide it. So they'd keep it with them."

The Low King looked at Captain Gud, who swallowed.

"It's not in this cave," he muttered.

"They wouldn't leave it anywhere else," said Vimes. "Not now! Someone might find it!"

The luckless captain turned to his king, seeking help there.

"There was panic everywhere when we arrived, sire!" he protested. "People running and screaming, fires everywhere! Complete chaos, sire! All we can be sure of it that no one got out! And we searched them all, sire. We searched them all!"

Vimes shut his eyes. Memories were fading fast as common sense walled up all those things that could not have happened, but he recalled the panicking grags, hunched over something. Had there been just a twinkle of blue and green specks?

Time for a long shot...

"Corporal n.o.bbs, come here!" he said. "Let him through, Captain. I insist!"

Gud didn't protest. His spirit was broken. A reluctant n.o.bby was produced.

"Yes, Mister Vimes?" he said.

"Corporal n.o.bbs, did you obtain that precious thing I asked you to acquire?" said Vimes.

"Er...what would that be, sir?" said n.o.bby. Vimes's heart leapt. n.o.bby's face was an open book, albeit the kind that got banned in some countries.

"n.o.bby, there are times when I'll put up with you mucking about. This isn't one of those," he said. "Did you find the thing I asked you to look for I asked you to look for?"

n.o.bby looked into his eyes. "I...Oh? Oh. Oh. Oh, yes, sir," he said. "I...yes...we rushed in, you see, you see, you see, and people were running everywhere and there was, like, smoke..." n.o.bby's face glazed and his lips moved soundlessly in an agony of creation, "...an', an' I was bravely fightin' when what did I see but a sparkly thing rollin' and bein' kicked about, an' I thought, I jus' Oh, yes, sir," he said. "I...yes...we rushed in, you see, you see, you see, and people were running everywhere and there was, like, smoke..." n.o.bby's face glazed and his lips moved soundlessly in an agony of creation, "...an', an' I was bravely fightin' when what did I see but a sparkly thing rollin' and bein' kicked about, an' I thought, I jus' bet bet that's the very same sparkly thing Mister Vimes very specific'ly told me to be lookin' out for...an' here it is, all safe..." that's the very same sparkly thing Mister Vimes very specific'ly told me to be lookin' out for...an' here it is, all safe..."

He pulled a small, glittering cube out of his pocket and held it out.

Vimes was faster than the king. His hand shot forward, closed over the cube, and was locked in a fist in the skin of a second.

"Well done, Corporal n.o.bbs, for obeying my orders so concisely," he said and stifled a grin at n.o.bby's impeccably dreadful salute.

"I believe that is dwarf property, Commander Vimes," said the king calmly.

Vimes opened his hand, palm up. The cube, only a couple of inches across, gave off little blue and green glints. The metal looked like bronze that had been corroded by time into a beautiful pattern of greens, blues, and browns. It was a jewel.

He's a king, thought Vimes. A king on a throne as wobbly as a rocking horse. And he's not nice nice. It's not a job where the nice last long. He even got a spy into my my Watch! I will not put my faith in kings. Right now, who do I trust? Watch! I will not put my faith in kings. Right now, who do I trust?

Me.

One thing I do know it that no d.a.m.n demon got inside my head, no matter what they say. I wouldn't buy that even if they threw in a lifetime supply of cabbage! No one gets into my head but me! This d.a.m.n...burn is just a...coincidence. It doesn't mean anything! But you play the hand you're dealt..."Take it," he said, opening his hand. On his wrist, the Summoning Dark glowed.

"I ask you to give it to me, Commander," said Rhys.

"Take it," Vimes repeated. And he thought: Let's see what Vimes repeated. And he thought: Let's see what you you believe, shall we? believe, shall we?

The king reached out, hesitated, and then slowly withdrew his hand.

"Or, perhaps," he said, as if the thought had just occurred to him, "it might be best to leave it in your celebrated custody, Commander Vimes."

"Yes. I want to hear what it has to say," said Vimes, closing his fist again. "I want to know what was too dangerous to know."

"Indeed, so do I," said the king of the dwarfs. "We will take it to a place that can-"

"Look around you, sire!" snapped Vimes. "Dwarfs and trolls died here! They weren't fighting, they were standing together! Look around you, the place looks like a G.o.dsd.a.m.n game board! Was this their testament? Then we listen to it here! In this place! At this time!"

"And supposing what it has to say is dreadful?" said the king.

"Then we listen!"

"I am the king, Vimes! You have no authority here! This is not your city! You stand here defying me with a handful of men and your wife and child not ten miles away-"

Rhys stopped, and the echoes bounced back from distant caves, tumbling over themselves and dying into a silence that rang like iron.

Out of the corner of his ear, Vimes heard Sally say: "Oops..."

Bashfullsson hurried forward and whispered something in the king's ear. The king's expression changed, as only a politician's face can, into careful amity.

I'm not going to do a thing, Vimes told himself. I'm just going to stand here.

"I do look forward to seeing Lady Sibyl again," said Rhys. "And your son, of course..."

"Good. They're staying in a house not ten miles away," said Vimes. "Sergeant Littlebottom?"

"Sir?" said Cheery.

"Please take Lance Constable von Humpeding with you and go down to the town, will you? Tell Lady Sybil I'm fine," Vimes added, not taking his eyes off the king. "Off you go, right now."