Witches Abroad (Discworld 12)

Nanny nodded. 'She's definitely getting a bit of colour back,' she said.

A few minutes later the girl opened her eyes and stared up blearily at Granny Weatherwax.

'Time to get up,' said Granny, in an unusually cheerful voice, 'you're missing the best part of the decade.'

The girl tried to focus on Nanny, then on Magrat, and then looked back at Granny Weatherwax.

'You?' she said.

Granny raised her eyebrows and looked at the other two.

'Me?'

'You are - still here?'

'Still?' said Granny. 'Never been here before in my life, Miss.'

'But - ' the girl looked bewildered. And frightened, Magrat noticed.

'I'm like that myself in the mornings, dear,' said Nanny Ogg, taking the girl's other hand and patting it. 'Never at my best till I've had a cup of tea. I expect everyone else'll be waking up any minute. Of course, it'll take 'em a while to clean the rats' nests out of the kettles - Esme?'

Granny was staring at a dust-covered shape on the wall.

'Meddling . . .' she whispered.

'What's up, Esme?'

Granny Weatherwax strode across the room and wiped the dust off a huge ornate mirror.

'Hah!' she said, and spun around. 'We'll be going now,' she said.

'But I thought we were going to have a rest. I mean, it's nearly dawn,' said Magrat.

'No sense in outstaying our welcome,' said Granny, as she left the room.

'But we haven't even had a . . .' Magrat began. She glanced at the mirror. It was a big oval one, in a gilt frame. It looked perfectly normal. It wasn't like Granny Weatherwax to be frightened of her own reflection.

'She's in one of her moods again,' said Nanny Ogg. 'Come on. No sense in staying here.' She patted the bewildered princess on the head. 'Cheerio, Miss. A couple of weeks with a broom and an axe and you'll soon have the old place looking like new.'

'She looked as if she recognized Granny,' said Magrat, as they followed the stiff hurrying figure of Esme Weather-wax down the stairs.

'Well, we know she doesn't, don't we,' said Nanny Ogg. 'Esme has never been in these parts in her life.'

'But I still don't see why we have to rush off,' Magrat persisted. 'I expect people will be jolly grateful that we've broken the spell and everything.'

The rest of the palace was waking up. They jogged past guards staring in amazement at their cobwebbed uniforms and the bushes that were growing everywhere. As they crossed the forested courtyard an older man in faded robes staggered out of a doorway and leaned against the wall, trying to get his bearings. Then he saw the accelerating figure of Granny Weatherwax.

'You?' he shouted, and, 'Guards!'

Nanny Ogg didn't hesitate. She snatched Magrat's elbow and broke into a run, catching up with Granny Weatherwax at the castle gates. A guard who was better at mornings than his colleague staggered forward and made an attempt to bar their way with his pike, but Granny just pushed at it and swivelled him around gently.

Then they were outside and running for the broomsticks leaning against a convenient tree. Granny snatched at hers without stopping and, for once, it fired up on almost the first attempt.

An arrow whiffled past her hat and stuck in a branch.

'I don't call that gratitude,' said Magrat, as the brooms glided up and over the trees.

'A lot of people are never at their best just after waking up,' said Nanny.