The Carpet People

and upended it over the hole.
    Mealy wiped his hand on his apron. ‘There,’ he said. ‘All done.’
    ‘I’m afraid we’re only just beginning,’ said Snibril. ‘There could be thousands of them underneath us right now—’
    ‘Everyone must do what I say!’ screamed the Emperor. ‘I am in charge!’
    The sergeants turned to look at him.
    ‘We ought to protect the Emperor,’ said one of them.
    ‘We could shove him down the hole with those friends of his,’ said Mealy. ‘They’d protect him all right.’
    The Emperor’s little piggy eyes glanced from Mealy to the table to Snibril and back again.
    Then he shouted, ‘Guards!’
    The door to the passageway banged open, and a couple of armed men stepped into the room.
    ‘I want these men locked up!’ shouted the Emperor.
    ‘Really?’ said Bane. ‘What for?’
    An hour makes a lot of difference.
    They brought the army in. In order to save a lot of explaining, they did it by getting a signed order from the Emperor.
    It was signed of his own free will, after Glurk explained patiently that if it wasn’t signed of his own free will, there would be trouble.
    Then there was a council of war.
    ‘I always knew this would happen,’ said Bane. ‘Once upon a time the Emperor was elected. Then Targon made it hereditary, so that stupid brat of his could take over. Hardly anyone objected! It’s as bad as having kings .’
    ‘That’s going too far!’ said Brocando.
    ‘I’m sorry. You’re right. At least the Deftmenes have had kings for a long time. At least you’re good at being kings.’
    ‘Don’t start arguing,’ said Snibril. ‘We ought to be wondering what the mouls are doing.’
    ‘They’re doing what they always do,’ said Bane. ‘They’re waiting for Fray, so they can attack when everyone is disorganized. They just got a bit impatient here.’
    ‘We might be lucky,’ said Owlglass. ‘Of course, when I say lucky—’
    ‘It’ll happen,’ said Pismire, despondently. He waved a map in front of him. ‘The village and Jeopard and Ware are more or less in a straight line.’
    ‘Does that mean anything?’ said Snibril.
    ‘Nothing good,’ said Pismire. ‘Where’s the Emperor?’
    ‘Glurk and the cooks have got him locked up in the kitchens,’ said Bane. ‘Best way. He can’t eat and shout at the same time.’ He looked down at a scrap of paper in front of him. ‘With every fighting man we’ve got, we’re still less than fifteen hundred people,’ he said.
    ‘Less than that, in fact,’ said Pismire. ‘You can’t leave women and children and old people in the city. Remember Tregon Marus. Buildings fall down. We’ll have to get them to safety and guard them.’
    ‘No. Arm the women,’ said Brocando.
    ‘Don’t be stupid,’ said Bane. ‘Women don’t know how to fight.’
    ‘Deftmene women do,’ said Brocando.
    ‘Oh, yes? Who with?’
    ‘Deftmene men,’ said Brocando.
    ‘He’s got a point,’ said Pismire. ‘My granny had a wallop like a wrestler. I think she could go through a moul like a hot knife through runny butter.’
    ‘I absolutely forbid it,’ said Bane. ‘Women fighting? That’s not warfare. That’s just a vulgar mess. No. I mean it. I want that absolutely understood, Your Majesty. Get them to safety, yes – but no fancy ideas. Besides, they wouldn’t have the first idea about tactics.’
    ‘Fine,’ said Brocando. ‘All right. No fighting women.’ Snibril noticed that he was grinning in a funny way.
    ‘Besides,’ said Bane, ‘there’s not enough weapons to go round as it is.’
    ‘There’s a whole armoury in the palace!’ said Owlglass.
    ‘When we unlocked it there was nothing in there but a hole in the floor,’ said Bane. ‘The mouls have got them.’
    ‘Well, then—’ Brocando began.
    ‘You’re going to suggest we attack the mouls toget weapons off them, aren’t you,’ said Bane coldly.
    ‘Well—’ Brocando began.
    ‘Don’t,’ said Bane. He slapped his hand on the table. ‘They’re out there,’ he said, ‘and down there. I know it. Just waiting. After Fray strikes, they’ll attack. That’s how it’ll happen. That’s how they do it, if they can’t worm their way in from inside.’
    Snibril had been listening to this. When he finally spoke, he felt as though he was reading words off a page. These were the words he had to say now.
    ‘I can help,’ he said. They all looked at him.
    ‘I can sense when Fray is coming,’ he said. ‘I’m not as good at it as