Стража! Стража!

           "Whathappenedtothecarriage?"

           Vimeswavedahandvaguelyinthedirectionthat,asfarashecouldtell,thehorseshadtakeintheirpanic.

           Enrolsneezedacloudofwarmgasthatsmelledworsethansomethingwalledupinacellar,pawedtheairweakly,lickedVimes’sfacewithatonguelikeahotcheese-grater,struggledoutofhisarmsandtrottedaway.

           "Where’sheoffto?"boomedLadyRamkin,emergingfromthemistsdraggingthehorsesbehindher.Theydidn’twanttocome,theirhooveswerescrapingupsparks,buttheywerefightingalosingbattle.

           "He’sstilltryingtochallengeit!"saidVines."You’dthinkhe’dgivein,wouldn’tyou?"

           "Theyfightlikeblazes,"saidLadyRamkin,asheclimbedontothecoach."It’samatterofmakingyouropponentexplode,yousee."

           "Ithought,inNature,thedefeatedanimaljustrollsonitsbackhisubmissionandthat’stheendofit,"saidVimes,astheyclatteredafterthedisappearingswampdragon.

           "Wouldn’tworkwithdragons,"saidLadyRamkin."Somedaftcreaturerollsonitsback,youdisembowelit.That’showtheylookatit.Almosthuman,really."

           ThecloudswereclusteredthicklyoverAnkh-Morpork.Abovethem,theslowgoldensunlightoftheDisc-worldunrolled.

           Thedragonsparkledinthedawnasittrodtheairjoyously,doingimpossibleturnsandrollsforthesheerdelightofit.Thenitrememberedthebusinessoftheday.

           They’dhadthepresumptiontosummonit...

           Belowit,therankwanderedfromsidetosideuptheStreetofSmallGods.