Pyramids (Discworld 7)

'I was right on the edge!' she wailed.

'You saw it?' he said hopefully.

She nodded and, with great care, got to her feet and backed away.

'Did your eyes feel as though they were being turned inside out?' said Teppic.

'Yes,' said Ptraci coldly. 'Can I have my bangles, please?'

'What?'

'My bangles. You put them in your pocket. I want them, please.'

Teppic shrugged, and fished in his pouch. The bangles were mostly copper, with a few bits of chipped enamel. Here and there the craftsman had tried, without much success, to do something interesting with twisted bits of wire and lumps of coloured glass. She took them and slipped them on.

'Do they have some occult significance?' he said.

'What's occult mean?' she said vaguely.

'Oh. What do you need them for, then?'

'I told you. I don't feel properly dressed without them on.' Teppic shrugged, and went back to rocking his knife in the crack.

'Why are you doing that?' she said. He stopped and thought about it.

'I don't know,' he said. 'But you did see the valley, didn't you?'

'Yes.'

'Well, then?'

'Well what?'

Teppic rolled his eyes. 'Didn't you think it was a bit, well, odd? A whole country just more or less vanishing? It's something you don't bloody well see every day, for gods' sake!'

'How should I know? I've never been out of the valley before. I don't know what it's supposed to look like from outside. And don't swear.'

Teppic shook his head. 'I think I will go and lie down in the shade,' he said. 'What's left of it,' he added, for the brass light of the sun was burning away the shadows. He staggered over to the rocks and stared at her.

'The whole valley has just closed up,' he managed at last. 'All those people . .

'I saw cooking fires,' said Ptraci, slumping down beside him.

'It's something to do with the pyramid,' he said. 'It looked very strange just before we left. It's magic, or geometry, or one of those things. How do you think we can get back?'

'I don't want to go back. Why should I want to go back? It's the crocodiles for me. I'm not going back, not just for crocodiles.'

'Um. Perhaps I could pardon you, or something,' said Teppic.

'Oh yes,' said Ptraci, looking at her nails. 'You said you were the king, didn't you.'

'I am the king! That's my kingdom over-' Teppic hesitated, not knowing in which direction to point his finger - 'somewhere. I'm king of it.'

'You don't look like the king,' said Ptraci.

'Why not?'

'He had a golden mask on.'