Granny scrambled upright.
There was nothing but grass inside the circle. No snow, no elves.
She turned to Diamanda. So did Nanny. The girl was lying unconscious.
“Elf-shot,” said Granny.
“Oh, bugger.”
“The point's still in there.”
Nanny scratched her head.
“I could probably get the point out, no problem,” she said, “but I don't know about the poison . . . we could tie a tourniquet around the affected part.”
“Hah! Her neck'd be favourite, then.”
Granny sat down with her chin on her knees. Her shoulders ached.
“Got to get me breath back,” she said.
Images swam in the forefront of her mind. Here it came again. She knew there were such things as alternative futures, after all, that's what the future meant. But she'd never heard of alternative pasts. She could remember having just gone through the stones, if she concentrated. But she could remember other things. She could remember being in bed in her own house, but that was it, it was a house, not a cottage, but she was her, they were her own memories. . . she had a nagging feeling that she was asleep, right now . . .
Dully, she tried to focus on Nanny Ogg. There was something comfortingly solid about Gytha Ogg.
Nanny had produced a penknife.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Going to put it out of its misery, Esme.”
“Doesn't look miserable to me.”
Nanny Ogg's eyes gleamed speculatively.
“Could soon arrange that, Esme.”
“Don't go torturing it just because it's lying down, Gytha.”
“Damn well ain't waiting for it to stand up again, Esme.”
“Gytha.”
“Well, they used to carry off babies. I ain't having that again. The thought of someone carrying off our Pewsey-”
“Even elves ain't that daft. Never seen such a sticky child in all my life.”
Granny pulled gently at Diamanda's eyelid.
“Out cold,” she said. “Off playing with the fairies.”
She picked the girl up. “Come on. I'll carry her, you bring Mr. Tinkerbell.”
“That was brave of you, carrying her over your shoulder,” said Nanny. “With them elves firing arrows, too.”
“And it meant less chance of one hitting me, too,” said Granny.
Nanny Ogg was shocked.