'He'd go spared
'Listen, you silly little man - '
'My lord - '
'You silly little lord, you'd be able to have him executed if you wished!'
'I couldn't do that!'
'Why not?'
'He'd go spare!'
'The man calls himself an officer of the law, and whose law does he listen to, eh? Where does his law come from?'
'I don't know!' groaned Nobby. 'He says it comes up through his boots!' He looked around. The shadows in the smoke seemed to be closing in.
'I can't be king! Ole Vimes'd go spare!'
'Will you stop saying that!'
Nobby pulled at his collar.
S a bit hot and smoky in here,' he mumbled. 'Which way's the window?'
'Over there - '
The chair rocked. Nobby hit the glass helmet-first, landed on top of a waiting carriage, bounced off and ran into the night, trying to escape destiny in general and axes in particular.
Cheri Littlebottom strode into the palace kitchens and fired her crossbow into the ceiling.
'Don't nobody move!' she yelled.
The Patrician's domestic staff looked up from their dinner.
'When you say don't nobody move,' said Drum-knott carefully, fastidiously taking a piece of plaster off his plate, 'do you in fact mean - '
'All right, Corporal, I'll take over now,' said Vimes, patting Cheri on the shoulder. 'Is Mildred Easy here?'
All heads turned.
Mildred's spoon dropped into her soup.
'It's all right,' said Vimes. 'I just need to ask you a few more questions - '
'I'm... s-s-sorry, sir - '
'You haven't done anything wrong,' said Vimes, walking around the table. 'But you didn't just take food home for your family, did you?'
'S-sir?'
'What else did you take?'
Mildred looked at the suddenly blank expressions on the faces of the other servants. 'There was the old sheets but Mrs Dipplock did s-say I could have - '
'No, not that,' said Vimes.
Mildred licked her dry lips. 'Er, there was... there was some boot polish...'