Soul Music

"Like a chocolate bar?" said Recent Runes. The missed dinner, hitherto forgotten, was beginning to loom large in everyone's stomachs.

The Dean looked down at his shiny new leather robe. Everyone had said how good it was. They'd admired BORN TO RUNE. His hair was right, too. He was thinking of shaving off his beard but just leaving the side bits because that felt right. And coffee… yes… coffee was in there somewhere. Coffee was all part of it.

And there was the music. That was in there. That was everywhere.

But there was something else, too. Something missing. He wasn't sure what it was, only that he'd know it if he ever saw it.

It was very dark in the alley behind the Cavern, and only the keenest‑sighted would have seen several figures pressed against the wall.

The occasional glint of a tarnished sequin would indicate to those who knew about such things that these were the Musicians' Guild's crack enforcers, the Grisham Frord Close Harmony Singers. Unlike most of the people employed by Mr Clete they did, in fact, genuinely have some musical talent.

They'd also been in to see the band.

"Do‑wop, uh do‑wop, uh do‑wop—" said the thin one.

"Bubububuh—" said the tall one. There's always a tall one.

"Clete's right. If they keep pulling in audiences like that, everyone else is out of the show," said Grisham.

"Oh yeah," said the bass man.

"When they come through that door—" three more knives slipped from their sheaths '‑well, just take your time from me."

They heard the sound of feet on stairs. Grisham nodded.

"A‑one, a‑two, a‑one‑two‑thr—"

GENTLEMEN?

They pivoted.

A dark figure stood behind them, holding a glowing scythe in its hands.

Susan smiled horribly.

TAKE IT FROM THE TOP?

"Oh, nooo," said the bass man.

Asphalt unbolted the door and stepped out into the night.

"Hey, what was that?" he said.

"What was what?" said Dibbler.

"I thought I heard some people running away…" The troll stepped forward. There was a ting. He reached down and picked up something.

"And whoever it was dropped this…"

"Just some item or other," said Dibbler loudly. "Come along, boys. You don't have to go back to any flophouse tonight. It's The Gritz for you!"

"That's a troll hotel, isn't it?" said Glod suspiciously.

"Trollish," said Dibbler, waving a hand irritably.

"Hey, I bin in dere once doing cabarett!" said Cliff.

"Dey got nearly everything! Water out of taps in nearly every room! A speaking tube so's you can holler your meal order right down to the kitchen, and dese guys with actual shoes on who brings it right to you! The works!"

"Treat yourself!" said Dibbler. "You boys can afford it!"

"And then there's this tour, is there?" said Glod sharply. " We can afford that too, can we?"

"Oh, I shall help out with that," said Dibbler expansively. "Tomorrow you'll go to Pseudopolis, that'll take two days, then you can come back via Sto Lat and Quirm and be back here on Wednesday for the Festival. Great idea that. Giving something to the community, I've always been in favour of giving to the community. It's very good for… for… for the community. I'll get it all organized while you're away, OK? And then…" He put one arm around Buddy's shoulders and another around Glod's head. "Genua! Klatch! Hersheba! Chimera! Howondaland! Maybe even the Counterweight Continent, they're talking about discovering it again real soon now, great opportunities for the right people! With your music and my unerring business sense, the world is our mollusc! Now, you just go off with Asphalt, the best rooms now, nothing's too much for my boys, and get some sleep without worrying about the bill—"

"Thank you," said Glod.

"‑you can pay it in the morning."

The Band With Rocks In shambled away in the direction of the best hotel.

Dibbler heard Cliff say, "What's a mollusc?"

"It's like two plates of precipitated calcium carbonate with a salty slimy fishy thing in the middle."

"Sounds tasty. You don't have to eat dat bit in the middle, do you?"

When they'd gone, Dibbler looked at the knife he'd taken from Asphalt. It had sequins on it.

Yes. A few days with the lads out of the way was definitely a good move.

On his perch in the gutter above, the Death of Rats gibbered to himself.

Ridcully walked slowly out of the Cavern. Only a light drift of used tickets on the steps bore witness to the hours of music.

He felt like someone watching a game who didn't know the rules. For example, the boy had been singing… what was it? Rave In. What the hell did that mean? Raving, yes, he could understand that, and in the Dean's case it was perfectly accurate. Rave In? But everyone else had seemed to know what was meant. And then there had been, as far as he could remember, a song about not stepping on someone's shoes. Fair enough, sensible suggestion, no‑one wanted their feet trodden on, but why a song asking people to avoid doing so should have such an effect Ridcully was at a loss to understand.

And as for the girl…

Ponder bustled up, clutching his box.