See previous disclaimers and REVIEW
* * *
"Right. If I move, I will be shot. Please don't be highwaymen. I've only got this hat."
The small army surrounding him exchanged looks amongst its members."
"Nonsense," said the one who had his foot on Rincewind's head, "he is not the One."
"No!" said Rincewind, who recognized the tone of voice, "I am not! I swear that I am not anything special." Everyone gasped. The peasant who had first attacked Rincewind looked shocked. The man above him stiffened, and Rincewind closed his eyes.
"I admit, you fulfill the Prophesy. Where do you come from?"
"Ankh-Morpork."
There was a general sigh.
"But where do your ancestors come from?"
"Ephebie"
Everyone gasped again, and Rincewind took the opportunity to see who had spoken. It was a woman, dressed in a white shirt like vestment with baggy red pants.
"Uyidako, we have no proof this man is the Great Wizard-"
"I'm Not the Great Wizard, let me go!" Rincewind grabbed the man's ankle, flipped him, grabbed his crossbow as it fell, and fired a shot randomly into the crowd. He punched out one of them and made a break for the jungle that surrounded what was obviously a small village in the middle of nowhere. There were unpainted wooden huts, with large stones on the roofs, and fifty yards till the last f them and freedom. There was a beach on his right, and-
-More soldiers than he could shake a stick at in front of him. He sagged, turned around, and-
-Was face to face with Uyidako. Who was holding his arrow.
"You can come with me," she whispered quietly, "Or try to convince them you're a regular visitor in a town with fifty people. Your call."
Begging and pleading time. Rincewind dropped to his knees and grabbed Uyidako beseechingly around the waist.
"Please have mercy."
The soldiers laughed, and Uyidako blushed a bright color. Then she unpried Rincewind.
"Come with me."
* * *
Ponder Stibbons and Eskarina smith with barreling down the street in search of one of the Disc's most elusive species, the Farrell Duck.
"I can feel it. We're really close now." Ponder looked around Esk had been running with her eyes closed. She was not blind, with her Borrowing abilities and such, but clearly hadn't noticed they'd wandered into a seedy part of town. Not the Shades, just a seedy part of town where there were no building codes and no buildings that looked like they'd survived to the signing of the end of the documents if there had been any.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes I am, and-" Esk grabbed his hand, and Ponder jumped. "There it is!"
And Ponder saw it too. The Farrell Duck, alive, quacking, one street away.
* * *
Rincewind and Uyidako were sitting in standard tea service fashion near a table made out of a box that said Johnson's Kazoos on the side. The poorly designed sliding door had been closed, and dim candles lit the interior, while bright white light streamed through the windows. It didn't actually light up anything, but streamed through simply for effect. Rincewind had a felling this had effect been cultivated.
"So, um, you lay accordions?" She gave him a shocked look. "I mean live here. Sorry, I've been desperately trying to forget this language ever sine my last trip to the Aurient. What happens here that you need such a large army?"
She gave him a perplexed look. "Don't you know? This is Switch' Off. We are one of the only cities left free on this island. There is an attack force that has been assembled by the Agatean Empire and others to drive us into submission and annex this half of Ting Ling for their countries. We have supporters, too though, but the war is going badly. I think we have about one more week of freedom before we cease to be guerillas and become rioters in someone else's country. But I won't let that happen. I am Uyidako, village priestess, and I am currently the head of five hundred Pseudoagatean soldiers and one hundred Ephebean Marines. But the thousands outnumber us, that they do. Even if we did number more, we would still have no chance against the Walking Suits."
"Whaa?"
"I will explain later. Now, you must wonder at the Prophesy."
"Yes. I want to really convince them I can't be their leader."
"Um, very well. This is the Prophesy."
* * *
"Right. If I move, I will be shot. Please don't be highwaymen. I've only got this hat."
The small army surrounding him exchanged looks amongst its members."
"Nonsense," said the one who had his foot on Rincewind's head, "he is not the One."
"No!" said Rincewind, who recognized the tone of voice, "I am not! I swear that I am not anything special." Everyone gasped. The peasant who had first attacked Rincewind looked shocked. The man above him stiffened, and Rincewind closed his eyes.
"I admit, you fulfill the Prophesy. Where do you come from?"
"Ankh-Morpork."
There was a general sigh.
"But where do your ancestors come from?"
"Ephebie"
Everyone gasped again, and Rincewind took the opportunity to see who had spoken. It was a woman, dressed in a white shirt like vestment with baggy red pants.
"Uyidako, we have no proof this man is the Great Wizard-"
"I'm Not the Great Wizard, let me go!" Rincewind grabbed the man's ankle, flipped him, grabbed his crossbow as it fell, and fired a shot randomly into the crowd. He punched out one of them and made a break for the jungle that surrounded what was obviously a small village in the middle of nowhere. There were unpainted wooden huts, with large stones on the roofs, and fifty yards till the last f them and freedom. There was a beach on his right, and-
-More soldiers than he could shake a stick at in front of him. He sagged, turned around, and-
-Was face to face with Uyidako. Who was holding his arrow.
"You can come with me," she whispered quietly, "Or try to convince them you're a regular visitor in a town with fifty people. Your call."
Begging and pleading time. Rincewind dropped to his knees and grabbed Uyidako beseechingly around the waist.
"Please have mercy."
The soldiers laughed, and Uyidako blushed a bright color. Then she unpried Rincewind.
"Come with me."
* * *
Ponder Stibbons and Eskarina smith with barreling down the street in search of one of the Disc's most elusive species, the Farrell Duck.
"I can feel it. We're really close now." Ponder looked around Esk had been running with her eyes closed. She was not blind, with her Borrowing abilities and such, but clearly hadn't noticed they'd wandered into a seedy part of town. Not the Shades, just a seedy part of town where there were no building codes and no buildings that looked like they'd survived to the signing of the end of the documents if there had been any.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes I am, and-" Esk grabbed his hand, and Ponder jumped. "There it is!"
And Ponder saw it too. The Farrell Duck, alive, quacking, one street away.
* * *
Rincewind and Uyidako were sitting in standard tea service fashion near a table made out of a box that said Johnson's Kazoos on the side. The poorly designed sliding door had been closed, and dim candles lit the interior, while bright white light streamed through the windows. It didn't actually light up anything, but streamed through simply for effect. Rincewind had a felling this had effect been cultivated.
"So, um, you lay accordions?" She gave him a shocked look. "I mean live here. Sorry, I've been desperately trying to forget this language ever sine my last trip to the Aurient. What happens here that you need such a large army?"
She gave him a perplexed look. "Don't you know? This is Switch' Off. We are one of the only cities left free on this island. There is an attack force that has been assembled by the Agatean Empire and others to drive us into submission and annex this half of Ting Ling for their countries. We have supporters, too though, but the war is going badly. I think we have about one more week of freedom before we cease to be guerillas and become rioters in someone else's country. But I won't let that happen. I am Uyidako, village priestess, and I am currently the head of five hundred Pseudoagatean soldiers and one hundred Ephebean Marines. But the thousands outnumber us, that they do. Even if we did number more, we would still have no chance against the Walking Suits."
"Whaa?"
"I will explain later. Now, you must wonder at the Prophesy."
"Yes. I want to really convince them I can't be their leader."
"Um, very well. This is the Prophesy."
