Sourcery

'Well?'

'Well what?' sniffed Rincewind.

'Look, this isn't the time to stand on your dignity!'

'You keep on trying, don't you mind me.'

'Make it fly!'

Rincewind pulled his hat further over his ears.

'Please?' said Conina.

The hat rose a bit.

'Wed all be terribly bucked,' said Nijel.

'Hear, hear,' said Creosote.

The hat rose some more. 'You're quite sure?' said Rincewind.

'Yes!'

Rincewind cleared his throat.

'Down,' he commanded.

The carpet rose from the ground and hovered expectantly a few feet over the dust.

'How did-’ Conina began, but Nijel interrupted her.

'Wizards are privy to arcane knowledge, that's probably what it is,' he said. 'Probably the carpet's got a geas on it to do the opposite of anything that's said. Can you make it go up further?'

'Yes, but I'm not going to,' said Rincewind. The carpet drifted slowly forward and, as happens so often at times like this, a rolling of masonry bounced right across the spot where it had lain.

A moment later they were out in the open air, the storm of stone behind them.

The palace was pulling itself to pieces, and the pieces were funnelling up into the air like a volcanic eruption in reverse. The sourcerous tower had completely disappeared, but the stones were dancing towards the spot where it had stood and ...

'They're building another tower!' said Nijel.

'Out of my palace, too,' said Creosote.

'The hat's won,' said Rincewind. 'That's why it's building its own tower. It's a sort of reaction. Wizards always used to build a tower around themselves, like those ... what do you call those things you find at the bottom of rivers?'

'Frogs.'

'Stones.'

'Unsuccessful gangsters.'

'Caddis flies is what I meant,' said Rincewind. 'When a wizard set out to fight, the first thing he always did was build a tower.'

'It's very big,' said Nijel.

Rincewind nodded glumly.

'Where are we going?' said Conina.

Rincewind shrugged.