Lords And Ladies

"Bugger that Diamanda girl! She's got Esme trying to outstare the sun," said Nanny Ogg. "No looking away, no blinking. . ."

"How long have they been doing it?"

"About an hour," said Nanny gloomily.

"That's terrible!"

"It's bloody stupid is what it is," said Nanny. "Can't think what's got into Esme. As if power's all there is to witching! She knows that. Witching's not power, it's how you harness it."

There was a pale gold haze over the circle, from magical fallout.

"They'll have to stop at sunset," said Magrat.

"Esme won't last until sunset," said Nanny. "Look at her. All slumped up."

"I suppose you couldn't use some magic to-" Magrat began.

"Talk sense," said Nanny. "If Esme found out, she'd kick me round the kingdom. Anyway, the others'd spot it."

"Perhaps we could create a small cloud or something?" said Magrat.

"No! That's cheating!"

"Well, you always cheat."

"I cheat for myself. You can't cheat for other people."

Granny Weatherwax slumped again.

"I could have it stopped," said Magrat.

"You'd make an enemy for life."

"I thought Granny was my enemy for life."

"If you think that, my girl, you've got no understanding," said Nanny. "One day you'll find out Esme Weatherwax is the best friend you ever had."

"But we've got to do something! Can't you think of anything?"

Nanny Ogg looked thoughtfully at the circle. Occasionally a little wisp of smoke curled up from her pipe.

The magical duel was subsequently recorded in Birdwhistle's book Legendes and Antiquities of the Ramptops and went as follows:

"The duel beinge ninety minutes advanced, a small boy child upon a sudden ran across the square and stept within the magic circle, whereup he fell down with a terrible scream also a flash. The olde witche looked around, got out of her chair, picked him up, and carried him to his grandmother, then went back to her seat, whilom the young witch never averted her eyes from the Sunne. But the other young witches stopped the duel averring, Look, Diamanda has wonne, the reason being, Weatherwax looked away. Whereupon the child's grandmother said in a loude voice, Oh yes? Pulle the other onne, it have got bells on. This is not a contest about power, you stupid girls, it is a contest about witchcraft, do you not even begin to know what being a witch IS?

"Is a witch someone who would look round when she heard a child scream?

"And the townspeople said, Yess!"

"That was wonderful," said Mrs. Quamey, the storekeeper's wife. "The whole town cheered. A true miffic quality."

They were in the tavern's back room. Granny Weatherwax was lying on a bench with a damp towel over her face.

"Yes, it was, wasn't it?" said Magrat.

"That girl was left without a leg to stand-on, everyone says."

"Yes," said Magrat.

"Strutted off with her nose in a sling, as they say."

"Yes," said Magrat.

"Is the little boy all right?"

They all looked at Pewsey, who was sitting in a suspicious puddle on the floor in the comer with a bag of sweets and a sticky ring around his mouth.

"Right as rain," said Nanny Ogg. "Nothing worse'n a bit of sunburn. He screams his head off at the least little thing, bless him," she said proudly, as if this was some kind of rare talent.

"Gytha?" said Granny, from under the towel.

"Yes?"

"You knows I don't normally touch strong licker, but I've heard you mention the use of brandy for medicinal purposes."

"Coming right up."

Granny raised her towel and focused one eye on Magrat.

"Good afternoon, your pre-majesty," she said. "Come to be gracious at me, have you?"

"Well done," said Magrat, coldly. "Can one have a word with you, Na-Mrs. Ogg? Outside?"

Right you are, your queen," said Nanny.

In the alley outside Magrat spun around with her mouth open.

"You-"

Nanny held up her hand.

"I know what you're going to say," she said. "But there wasn't any danger to the little mite."

"But you-"

"Me?" said Nanny. "I hardly did anything. They didn't know he was going to run into the circle, did they? They both /reacted just like they normally would, didn't they? Fair's fair."

"Well, in a way, but-"

"No one cheated," said Nanny

Margrat sagged into silence. Nanny patted her on the shoulder.