01 The Colour of Magic by Pratchett Terry

Author:Pratchett, Terry [Terry, Pratchett,]
Format: epub
Published: 2010-04-10T22:08:27.124000+00:00

'It's the carcase of a deer that is just about how you humans like it, and a few lobsters, and a sea salmon. The Circumfence provides,' he said casually.

He looked hard at the tourist, and then down again at Rincewind.

'What are you staring at?' he said.

'It's just that-' said Twoflower.

'-compared to last night-' said Rincewind.

'You're so small,' finished Twoflower.

'I see, said the troll carefully.'Personal remarks now.' He drew himself up to his full height, which was currently about four feet. 'Just because I'm made of water doesn't mean I'm made of wood, you know.'

'I'm sorry,' said Twoflower, climbing hastily out of the furs.

'You're made of dirt,' said the troll,'but I didn't pass comments about things you can't help, did I? Oh, no. We can't help the way the Creator made us, that's my view. but if you must know, your moon here is rather more powerful than the ones around my own world.'

"the moon?' said Twoflower.'I don't under-'

'If I've got to spell it out,' said the troll. testily, 'I'm suffering from chronic tides.'

A bell jangled in the darkness of the shack. Tethis strode across the creaking floor to the

complicated devices of levers, strings and bells that was mounted on the Circumfence's topmost strand where it passed through the hut.

The bell rang again, and then started to clang away in an odd jerky rhythm for several minutes. The troll stood with his ear pressed close to it.

When it stopped he turned slowly and looked at them with a worried frown.

'You're more important than I thought,' he said. 'You're not to wait for the salvage fleet. You're to be collected by a flyer. That's what they say in Krull.' He shrugged. 'And I hadn't even sent a message that you're here, yet. Someone's been drinking vul nut wine again.'

He picked up a large mallet that hung on a pillar beside the bell and used it to tap out a brief carillon.

'That'll be passed from lengthman to lengthman all the way back to Krull,' he said. 'Marvellous really, isn't it?'

It came speeding across the sea, floating a manlength above it, but still leaving a foaming wake as whatever power that held it up smacked brutally into the water. Rincewind knew what power held it up. He was, he would be the first to admit, a coward, an incompetent, and not even very good at being a failure; but he was still a wizard of sorts, he knew one of the Eight Great Spells, he would be claimed by Death himself when he died' and he recognized really finely honed magic when he saw it.

The lens skimming towards the island was perhaps twenty feet across, and totally transparent Sitting around its circumference were a large number of black-robed men, each one strapped securely to the disc by a leather harness and each one staring down at the waves with an expression so tormented, so agonising, that the transparent disc seemed to be ringed with gargoyles.

Rincewind sighed with relief. This was such an unusual sound that it made Twoflower take his eyes off the approaching disc and turn them on him.

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