The Colour of Magic

melted and dripped from their scabbards.
    But none of this in any way prevented the thing at the base of the cloud, now gleaming mirror-bright in the intensity of the power storm around it, from moving at a steady walking pace toward the Arch-astronomer.

    Rincewind and Twoflower watched in awe from the shelter of Potent Voyager ’s launch tower. The honor party had long since vanished, leaving their weapons scattered behind them.
    “Well,” sighed Twoflower at last, “there goes the Luggage.” He sighed.
    “Don’t you believe it,” said Rincewind. “Sapient pearwood is totally impervious to all known forms of magic. It’s been constructed to follow you anywhere. I mean, when you die, if you go to Heaven, you’ll at least have a clean pair of socks in the afterlife. But I don’t want to die yet, so let’s just get going, shall we?”
    “Where?” said Twoflower.
    Rincewind picked up a crossbow and a handful of quarrels. “Anywhere that isn’t here,” he said.
    “What about the Luggage?”
    “Don’t worry. When the storm has used up all the free magic in the vicinity it’ll just die out.”
    In fact that was already beginning to happen. The billowing cloud was still flowing up from the area but now it had a tenuous, harmless look about it. Even as Twoflower stared, it began to flicker uncertainly.
    Soon it was a pale ghost. The Luggage was now visible as a squat shape among the almost invisible flames. Around it the rapidly cooling stones began to crack and buckle.
    Twoflower called softly to his Luggage. It stopped its stolid progression across the tortured flags and appeared to be listening intently; then, moving its dozens of feet in an intricate pattern, it turned on its length and headed toward the Potent Voyager . Rincewind watched it sourly. The Luggage had an elemental nature, absolutely no brain, a homicidal attitude toward anything that threatened its master, and he wasn’t quite sure that its inside occupied the same space-time framework as its outside.
    “Not a mark on it,” said Twoflower cheerfully, as the box settled down in front of him. He pushed open the lid.
    “This is a fine time to change your underwear,” snarled Rincewind. “In a minute all those guards and priests are going to come back, and they’re going to be upset , man!”
    “Water,” murmured Twoflower. “The whole box is full of water!”
    Rincewind peered over his shoulder. There was no sign of clothes, moneybags, or any other of the tourist’s belongings. The whole box was full of water.
    A wave sprang up from nowhere and lapped over the edge. It hit the flagstones but, instead of spreading out, began to take the shape of a foot. Another foot and the bottom half of a pair of legs followed as more water streamed down as if filling an invisible mold. A moment later Tethis the sea troll was standing in front of them, blinking.
    “I see,” he said at last. “You two. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.”
    He looked around, ignoring their astonished expressions.
    “I was just sitting outside my hut, watching the sun set, when this thing came roaring up out of the water and swallowed me,” he said. “I thought it was rather strange. Where is this place?”
    “Krull,” said Rincewind. He stared hard at the now closed Luggage, which was managing to project a smug expression. Swallowing people was something it did quite frequently, but always when the lid was next opened there was nothing inside but Twoflower’s laundry. Savagely he wrenched the lid up. There was nothing inside but Twoflower’s laundry. It was perfectly dry.
    “Well, well,” said Tethis. He looked up.
    “Hey!” he said. “Isn’t this the ship they’re going to send over the Edge? Isn’t it? It must be!”
    An arrow zipped through his chest, leaving a faint ripple. He didn’t appear to notice. Rincewind did. Soldiers were beginning to appear at the edge of the arena, and a number of them were peering around the entrances.
    Another arrow bounced off the tower behind Twoflower. At this range the bolts did not have a lot of force, but it would only be a matter of time…
    “Quick!” said Twoflower. “Into the ship! They won’t dare fire at that!”
    “I knew you were going to suggest that,” groaned Rincewind. “I just knew it!”
    He aimed a kick at the Luggage. It backed off a few inches, and opened its lid threateningly.
    A spear arced out of the sky and trembled to a halt in the woodwork by the wizard’s ear. He