A few weeks passed if they had something better to do. Possibly they did.
"You want a WHAT?" Granny demanded.
"A day off." the girl said calmly. "It's been four weeks now."
"What would you do on your 'day off?" Granny asked.
The girl shrugged.
"I don't know. Scream at trees. Walk as far as I can."
"Name me a good poultice for infections.." Granny demanded
"Mouldy bread, and eucalyptus oil." she answered promptly.
"What's eucalyptus oil?" Granny demanded.
"Oil from the leaves of an Exian tree. The Exians swear at it, it's a cure for almost everything. Along with tea and beer. And why shouldn't I have a day off?"
"Witches don't take days off!"
Nanny stuck her head around the door.
"Me and Magrat are taking Esme to see the Nac Mac Feegle. You coming? What?" she demanded as Granny scowled at her.
"You've got until sunset. If you are not back by then, you can sleep with the goats." Granny grabbed her hat and walked out of the room. She stuck her head back in.
"Look in the box, and I'll pull your head off!" she snapped, and withdrew. The girl shrugged and wandered out.
"Shawn, where's Peter?" Verence asked Shawn.
"I think he went into town, he said something about finishing the letters and being bored." Shawn was staring down the hall. When Verence followed his stare, Shawn blushed and looked away. Verence wondered what was so intriguing about Millie. He shrugged.
"Could you take these down to the Carriage then? Then do the mail?" Shawn nodded and took the offered letters.
Peter was wandering along the market, seeing what was on offer. Walking around the corner of a stall, he bumped into a young woman.
"Watch where you are going!" she snapped.
"I'm sorry, but it is partially your fault as well." he said politely
"How dare you say that?" she demanded. Then she looked up.
"Sorry about that." she said, blushing. "It's been a bad day."
Behind them Shawn wandered past. He was watching Millie across the market square, and walked straight into a wall. Both of them grinned.
How's it been going up at Granny's?" he asked
She tried to 'touch' her mind as Granny had taught her, but her probe rebounded from his mind. She winced.
"I felt that." Peter commented before continuing. "I've got work up at the castle.
"Something Granny taught me." Heather explained.
Peter nodded.
"I met Granny a few weeks back, up at the castle. I can see why she is meant to be the best in the world."
Heather agreed.
"By the way, Granny wants some of that eucalyptus oil. She wants to try it out." Peter fumbled in a pocket and produced a small brown bottle with a picture of a parrot on the label.
"I've only got a few left, and it takes weeks to get it up from Richard Smith down in Ankh-Morpork." He twisted the lid off and she caught a whiff of the strong smelling oil. Her nose wrinkled and he put the lid back on.
"It's poisonous, and it'll explode if it catches alight. It'll clean things though! Clears the sinuses."
She put the bottle in a pocket.
"Is there anything interesting here today?" she asked, looking around.
"I'm not sure. Shall we have a look?" he replied, offering an arm.
Granny, Nanny, Magrat and Esme walked along a path back from the lake. Far off in the tree-line someone watched.
"These are the witches?" a voice asked. It didn't sound like a nice voice. It sounded like someone who would enjoy a puppy sandwich.
"These are the defenses of Lancre?", it said disbelievingly.
"Yes. Very good defenses. They have defeated Elves. Not half-elves, but True Elves." This voice was female, and sounded like one that knew that it was the most powerful here, even if it had to kick a few people to prove it.
"And last year they defeated a Vampire Clan." she continued.
"Yeah, I heard the Old Count was back." another voice answered. This voice was what a ferret would sound like if it could talk. This voice could steal your belt without you noticing.
"Lancre has grown rich, partly because of these witches. So we shall...reappropriate some of these riches, to deserving people of course."
The female voice said oilily.
"Which people would these be?" asked puppy-sandwich voice.
"Us you idiot!" snapped the ferret.
"But how will we get past the Witches?" puppy-sandwich voice asked in a worried tone.
The female produced a few blue bottles.
"Toss this though the window and it'll be night-night" she promised.
The men grinned.
"When do the rest of the boys arrive?" ferret voice asked.
"Later tonight. Tomorrow night..." she promised.
Heather sneezed violently. Granny looked over her almanac at her.
"If that's what having a 'day off' does to you, it'll be a while before you have another one." she commented.
"It could have something to do with crawling through the bracken this morning looking for that bloody herb!" Heather snapped back. Granny shrugged.
"You never did find it."
"Yes, that's cause it doesn't grow in the Ramtops!" Heather returned.
"You should have checked in the Herbal before you went traipsing off. Anyway, cure yourself. You should know enough by now." Granny put the almanac back in the drawer and stoked the fire for the night.
"Blow the lamp out when you come up." Granny directed, and closed the kitchen door behind her. Heather sighed, and stared at the moths circling the lantern. She concentrated and...
The great holy light, circling it, searching for the holy place, flapping wings, trying to touch the light....
...backed away from the moth mind. She sneezed again.
"I wonder if my body sneezed while I was away?" she asked the empty kitchen.
Opening a drawer, she took a piece of cotton wool. Taking the bottle from a pocket she swabbed some eucalyptus oil on her chest. She blew the lamp out and climbed the stairs.
"You want a WHAT?" Granny demanded.
"A day off." the girl said calmly. "It's been four weeks now."
"What would you do on your 'day off?" Granny asked.
The girl shrugged.
"I don't know. Scream at trees. Walk as far as I can."
"Name me a good poultice for infections.." Granny demanded
"Mouldy bread, and eucalyptus oil." she answered promptly.
"What's eucalyptus oil?" Granny demanded.
"Oil from the leaves of an Exian tree. The Exians swear at it, it's a cure for almost everything. Along with tea and beer. And why shouldn't I have a day off?"
"Witches don't take days off!"
Nanny stuck her head around the door.
"Me and Magrat are taking Esme to see the Nac Mac Feegle. You coming? What?" she demanded as Granny scowled at her.
"You've got until sunset. If you are not back by then, you can sleep with the goats." Granny grabbed her hat and walked out of the room. She stuck her head back in.
"Look in the box, and I'll pull your head off!" she snapped, and withdrew. The girl shrugged and wandered out.
"Shawn, where's Peter?" Verence asked Shawn.
"I think he went into town, he said something about finishing the letters and being bored." Shawn was staring down the hall. When Verence followed his stare, Shawn blushed and looked away. Verence wondered what was so intriguing about Millie. He shrugged.
"Could you take these down to the Carriage then? Then do the mail?" Shawn nodded and took the offered letters.
Peter was wandering along the market, seeing what was on offer. Walking around the corner of a stall, he bumped into a young woman.
"Watch where you are going!" she snapped.
"I'm sorry, but it is partially your fault as well." he said politely
"How dare you say that?" she demanded. Then she looked up.
"Sorry about that." she said, blushing. "It's been a bad day."
Behind them Shawn wandered past. He was watching Millie across the market square, and walked straight into a wall. Both of them grinned.
How's it been going up at Granny's?" he asked
She tried to 'touch' her mind as Granny had taught her, but her probe rebounded from his mind. She winced.
"I felt that." Peter commented before continuing. "I've got work up at the castle.
"Something Granny taught me." Heather explained.
Peter nodded.
"I met Granny a few weeks back, up at the castle. I can see why she is meant to be the best in the world."
Heather agreed.
"By the way, Granny wants some of that eucalyptus oil. She wants to try it out." Peter fumbled in a pocket and produced a small brown bottle with a picture of a parrot on the label.
"I've only got a few left, and it takes weeks to get it up from Richard Smith down in Ankh-Morpork." He twisted the lid off and she caught a whiff of the strong smelling oil. Her nose wrinkled and he put the lid back on.
"It's poisonous, and it'll explode if it catches alight. It'll clean things though! Clears the sinuses."
She put the bottle in a pocket.
"Is there anything interesting here today?" she asked, looking around.
"I'm not sure. Shall we have a look?" he replied, offering an arm.
Granny, Nanny, Magrat and Esme walked along a path back from the lake. Far off in the tree-line someone watched.
"These are the witches?" a voice asked. It didn't sound like a nice voice. It sounded like someone who would enjoy a puppy sandwich.
"These are the defenses of Lancre?", it said disbelievingly.
"Yes. Very good defenses. They have defeated Elves. Not half-elves, but True Elves." This voice was female, and sounded like one that knew that it was the most powerful here, even if it had to kick a few people to prove it.
"And last year they defeated a Vampire Clan." she continued.
"Yeah, I heard the Old Count was back." another voice answered. This voice was what a ferret would sound like if it could talk. This voice could steal your belt without you noticing.
"Lancre has grown rich, partly because of these witches. So we shall...reappropriate some of these riches, to deserving people of course."
The female voice said oilily.
"Which people would these be?" asked puppy-sandwich voice.
"Us you idiot!" snapped the ferret.
"But how will we get past the Witches?" puppy-sandwich voice asked in a worried tone.
The female produced a few blue bottles.
"Toss this though the window and it'll be night-night" she promised.
The men grinned.
"When do the rest of the boys arrive?" ferret voice asked.
"Later tonight. Tomorrow night..." she promised.
Heather sneezed violently. Granny looked over her almanac at her.
"If that's what having a 'day off' does to you, it'll be a while before you have another one." she commented.
"It could have something to do with crawling through the bracken this morning looking for that bloody herb!" Heather snapped back. Granny shrugged.
"You never did find it."
"Yes, that's cause it doesn't grow in the Ramtops!" Heather returned.
"You should have checked in the Herbal before you went traipsing off. Anyway, cure yourself. You should know enough by now." Granny put the almanac back in the drawer and stoked the fire for the night.
"Blow the lamp out when you come up." Granny directed, and closed the kitchen door behind her. Heather sighed, and stared at the moths circling the lantern. She concentrated and...
The great holy light, circling it, searching for the holy place, flapping wings, trying to touch the light....
...backed away from the moth mind. She sneezed again.
"I wonder if my body sneezed while I was away?" she asked the empty kitchen.
Opening a drawer, she took a piece of cotton wool. Taking the bottle from a pocket she swabbed some eucalyptus oil on her chest. She blew the lamp out and climbed the stairs.