A quick nod, a pause to send out a stream of brown juice. ‘With all the details of that body written on ’em. Whether it’s a dog or a cat or a green-banded nose-worm. Or a person. And things like hair colour and eye colour and other stuff — all written on those notes in that wallet in that bag. They’re instructions, you see, telling the bag what kind of bag it’s supposed to be. Some bags are liver bags, some are skin, some are brain, some are lungs. And it’s the mother and the father that sew up them bags, when they make themselves a baby. They sew ’em up, you see, with half and half, an’ that’s why brats share looks from both ma and da. Now this ’ere ox, it’s got bags too that look pretty much the same, so’s I been thinking of sewing its half with a human half — wouldn’t that be something?’
‘Something, good sir, likely to get you run out of the city — if you weren’t stoned to death first.’
The carter scowled. ‘That’s the probbem wi’ the world then, ain’t it? No sense of adventure!’
‘I have a very important meeting.’
Iskaral Pust, still wearing his most ingratiating smile, simply nodded.
Sordiko Qualm sighed. ‘It is official Temple business.’
He nodded again.
‘I do not desire an escort.’
‘You don’t need one, High Priestess,’ said Iskaral Pust. ‘You shall have me!’ And then he tilted his head and licked his lips. ‘Won’t she just! Hee hee! And she’ll see that with me she’ll have more than she ever believed possible! Why, I shall be a giant walking penis!’
‘You already are,’ said Sordiko Qualm.
‘Are? Are what, dearest? We should get going, lest we be late!’
‘Iskaral Pust, I don’t want you with me.’
‘You’re just saying that, but your eyes tell me different.’
‘What’s in my eyes,’ she replied, ‘could see me dangling on High Gallows. As shy;suming, of course, the entire city does not launch into a spontaneous celebration upon hearing of your painful death, and set me upon a throne of solid gold in ac shy;clamation.’
‘What is she going on about? No one knows I’m even here! And why would I want a gold throne? Why would she, when she can have
Her hands twitched oddly, most fetchingly, in fact, and then surrender cas shy;caded in her lovely eyes, thus providing Iskaral Pust with the perfect image to res shy;urrect late at night under his blankets with Mogora snoring through all the spider balls filled with eggs lodged up her nose.
‘You will indeed be silent, Iskaral Pust. The one with whom I must speak does not tolerate fools, and I will make no effort to intercede should you prove fatally obnoxious.’ She paused and shook her head. ‘Then again, I cannot imagine you being anything but obnoxious. Perhaps I should retract my warning, in the hope that you will give such offence as to see you instantly obliterated. Whereupon I can then evict those foul bhokarala and your equally foul wife.’ Sudden surprise. ‘Listen to me! Those thoughts were meant to be private! Yours is a most exe shy;crable influence, Iskaral Pust.’
‘Soon we shall be as peas in a pod! Those spiny, sharp pods that stick to everything especially crotch hair if one is forced to wee in the bushes.’ He reached out for her. ‘Hand in hand gliding down the streets!’
She seemed to recoil, but of course that was only his delicate and fragile self-esteem and its niggling worries, quickly buried beneath the plastering of yet another ingratiating smile on his face.
They escaped the temple through a little used side postern gate, slamming it shut just in time to avoid the squall of bhokarala excitedly pursuing them down the corridor.
Wretched sunshine in the streets, Sordiko Qualm seemingly indifferent to such atmospheric disregard — why, not a single cloud in sight! Worse than Seven Cities, with not a crevasse to be found anywhere.
Miserable crowds to thread through, a sea of ill-tempered faces snapping round at the gentle prod of his elbows and shoulders as he hurried to keep pace with the long-legged High Priestess. ‘Long legs, yes! Ooh. Ooh ooh ooh. Look at them scythe, see the waggle of those delicious-’
‘Quiet!’ she hissed over a shapely shoulder.
