The towers followed them up into the mountains although, Vimes noticed, there were some differences in construction. Down on the plains they were more or less just a high wooden gantry with a shed at the bottom but here, although the design was the same, it was clearly temporary. Next to it men were at work on a heavy stone base - fortifications, he realized, which meant that he really was beyond the law. Of course, technically he"d been beyond his law since leaving Anhk-Morpork, but laws were where you could make it stick and these days a City Watch badge would at least earn respect, if not actual cooperation, everywhere on the plains. Up here, it was just an ugly brooch.
Slake turned out to be a stone-walled coaching inn and not much else. It had, Vimes noticed, very heavy shutters on the window. It also had what he thought was a strange iron griddle over the fireplace until he recognized it for what it was, a sort of portcullis that could block off the chimney. This place expected to withstand the occasional siege that might include enemies who could fly.
It was sleeting when they went out to the coaches.
"A storm"s closing in, mmm-mhm," said Inigo. "We shall have to hurry."
"Why?" said Sybil.
"The pass will probably be closed for several days, Your Ladyship. If we wait, we may even miss the coronation. And... er... there may be slight bandit activity..."
"Slight bandit activity?" said Vimes.
"Yes, sir."
"You mean they wake up and decide to go back to bed? Or they just steal enough for a cup of coffee?"
"Very droll, sir. They do, notoriously, take hostages - "
"Bandits don"t frighten me," said Sybil.
"If I may - " Inigo began.
"Mister Skimmer," said Lady Sybil, drawing herself up to her full width, "I did in fact just tell you what we are going to do. See to it please. There are servants at the consulate, aren"t there?"
"There is one, I believe - "
"Then we shall happily make do as best we can. Won"t we Sam?"
"Certainly, dear."
It was seriously snowing by the time they left, in great feather lumps which fell with a faint damp hiss, muffling all other sound. Vimes wouldn"t have known that they"d reached the pass if the coaches hadn"t stopped.
"The coach with your... men on it should go in front," said Inigo, as they stood in the snow beside the steaming horses. "We should follow close behind. I"ll ride with our driver, just in case."
"So that if we"re attacked by anyone you can give them a potted summary of the political situation?" said Vimes. "No, you will ride inside with the Lady Sybil, and I"ll ride on the box. Got to protect the civilians, eh?"
"Your Grace, I - "
"However, your suggestion is appreciated," Vimes went on. "You get inside, Mister Skimmer."
The man opened his mouth. Vimes raised an eyebrow.
"Very well, Your Grace, but it is extremely - "
"Good man"
"I should like my leather case down from the roof, though."
"Certainly. A bit of fact-finding will take your mind off things."
Vimes walked forward to the other carriage, poked his head inside and said, "we"re going to be ambushed, lads."
"Dat"s interestin"," said Detritus. He grunted slightly as he wound the windlass of his crossbow.
"Oh," said Cheery.
"I don"t think they"ll try to kill us," Vimes went on.