'A voice, sir?'
'Do it!'
'Yes, sir.'
'Right.' Vimes pulled himself together. 'Constable Angua and I will have a look around here. Off you go.'
He watched Carrot and the troll carry the remains out. 'Okay,' he said. 'We're looking for arsenic. Maybe there'll be some workshop somewhere. I shouldn't think they'd want to mix the poisoned candles up with the others. Cheery'll know what - Where is Corporal Littlebottom?'
'Er ... I don't think I can hold on much longer...'
They looked up.
Cheri was hanging on the line of candles.
'How did you get up there?' said Vimes.
'I sort of found myself going past, sir.'
'Can't you just let go? You're not that high - Oh...'
A big trough of molten tallow was a few feet under her. Occasionally the surface wentgloop.
'Er... how hot would that be?' Vimes hissed to Angua.
'Ever bitten hot jam?' she said.
Vimes raised his voice. 'Can't you swing yourself along, Corporal?'
'All the wood's greasy, sir!'
'Corporal Littlebottom, I order you not to fall off!'
'Very good, sir!'
Vimes pulled off his jacket. 'Hang on to this. I'll see if I can climb up...'he muttered.
'It won't work!' said Angua. The thing's shaky enough as it is!'
'I can feel my hands slipping, sir.'
'Good grief, why didn't you call out earlier?'
'Everyone seemed to be busy, sir.'
'Turn around, sir,' said Angua, undoing the buckles of her breastplate. 'Right now, please! And shut your eyes!'
'Why, what... ?'
'Rrright nowwww, sirrrrr!'
'Oh...yes...'
Vimes heard Angua back away from the candle machine, her footsteps punctuated by the clang of falling armour. Then she started running and the footsteps changed while she was running and then...
He opened his eyes.
The wolf sailed upwards in slow motion, caught the dwarfs shoulder in its jaws as Cheri's grip gave way, and then arced its body so that wolf and dwarf hit the floor on the far side of the vat.