'We ought to help him,' said Carrot, as the golems smashed into each other again.
'How? If it... if he can't stop it, what makes you think we can? Come on!'
Carrot shook her off.
Dorfl picked itself up from among the bricks and charged again. The golems met, scrabbling at one another for purchase. They stood locked for a moment, creaking, and then Dorfl's hand came up holding something. Dorfl pushed himself back and smashed the other golem over the head with its own leg.
As it spun Dorfl's other hand lashed out, but was grabbed. The king swivelled with a strange grace, bore Dorfl to the floor, rolled and kicked out. Dorfl rolled too. He flung out his arms to stop himself, and looked back to see both his feet pinwheeling into the wall.
The king picked up its own leg, balanced for a moment, and joined itself together.
Then its red gaze swept the factory and flared when it caught sight of Carrot,
'There must be a back way out of here,' muttered Angua. 'Carry got out!'
The king started to run after them, but hit an immediate problem. It had put its leg on back to front. It began to limp in a circle but, somehow, the circle got nearer to them.
'We can't just leave Dorfl lying there/ said Carrot.
He pulled a long metal rod out of a stirring tank and eased himself back down to the grease-crusted floor.
The king rocked towards him. Carrot hopped backwards, steadied himself on a rail, and swung.
The golem lifted its hand, caught the rod out of the air and tossed it aside. It raised both fists and tried to step forward.
It couldn't move. It looked down.
'Thsss,' said what remained of Dorfl, gripping its ankle.
The king bent, swung one hand with the palm edgewise, and calmly sheared the top off Dorfl's head. It removed the chem and crumpled it up.
The glow died in Dorfl's eyes.
Angua cannoned into Carrot so hard he almost fell over. She wrapped both arms around him and pulled him after her.
'It just killed Dorfl, just like that!' said Carrot.
'It's a shame, yes,' said Angua. 'Or it would be if Dorfl had been alive. Carrot, they're like... machinery. Look, we can make it to the door - '
Carrot shook himself free. 'It's murder,' he said. 'We're Watchmen. We can't just... watch! It killed him!'
'It's an it and so's he - '
'Commander Vimes said someone has to speak for the people with no voices!'
He really believes it, Angua thought. Vimes puts words in his head.
'Keep it occupied!' he shouted, and darted away.
'How? Organize a sing-song?'
'I've got a plan.'
'Oh, good!'
Vimes looked up at the entrance of the candle-factory. He could dimly see two cressets burning on either side of a shield. 'Look at that, will you?' he said. 'Paint not dry and he flaunts the thing for all the world to see!'
'What's dat, sir?' said Detritus.