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She raised her sword in both hands.
There was a sudden movement in the mists and the dull thud of a heavy piece of wood hitting a head. Herrena looked bewildered for a moment, and then fell forward.
Bethan dropped the branch she had been holding and looked at Cohen. Then she grabbed him by the shoulders, stuck her knee in the small of his back, gave a businesslike twist and let him go.
An expression of bliss passed across his face. He gave an experimental bend.
'It's gone!' he said. 'The back! Gone!'
Twoflower turned to Rincewind.
'My father used to recommend hanging from the top of a door,' he said conversationally.
Weems crept very cautiously through the scrubby, mist-laden trees. The pale damp air muffled all sounds, but he was certain that there had been nothing to hear for the past ten minutes. He turned around very slowly, and then allowed himself the luxury of a long, heartfelt sigh. He stepped back into the cover of the bushes.
Something nudged the back of his knees, very gently. Something angular.
He looked down. There seemed to be more feet down there than there ought to be.
There was a short, sharp snap.
The fire was a tiny dot of light in a dark landscape. The moon wasn't up yet, but the star was a lurking glow on the horizon.
'It's circular now,' said Bethan. 'It looks like a tiny sun. I'm sure it's getting hotter, too.'
'Don't,' said Rincewind. 'As if I hadn't got enough to worry about.'
'What I don't understand,' said Cohen, who was having his back massaged, 'ish how they captured you without ush hearing it. We wouldn't have known at all if your Luggage hadn't kept jumping up and down.'
'And whining,' said Bethan. They all looked at her.
'Well, it looked as if it was whining,' she said. 'I think it's rather sweet, really.'
Four pairs of eyes turned towards the Luggage, which was squatting on the other side of the fire. It got up, and very pointedly moved back into the shadows.
'Eashy to feed,' said Cohen.
'Hard to lose,' agreed Rincewind.
'Loyal,' suggested Twoflower.
'Roomy,' said Cohen.
'But I wouldn't say sweet,' said Rincewind.
'I shuppose you wouldn't want to shell it?' said Cohen.
Twoflower shook his head. 'I don't think it would understand,' he said.
'No, I shupposhe not,' said Cohen. He sat up, and bit his lip. 'I wash looking for a preshent for Bethan, you shee. We're getting married.'
'We thought you ought to be the first to know,' said Bethan, and blushed.
Rincewind didn't catch Twoflower's eye.
'Well, that's very, er —'
'Just as soon as we find a town where there's a priest,' said Bethan. 'I want it done properly.'
