Thud!

do, somewhere in their gnarly little souls. I respect that. You can take a dwarf out of the Dark, but you can’t take the Dark out of a dwarf. Those symbols are very old. They have real power. Who knows what old evil lurks in the deep darkness under the mountains? There’s no darkness like it.”
    “You can take the mickey out of a copper, too,” said Vimes.
    “Ah, Mister Vimes, you have had a busy day. So much happening, so little time to think. Take time to reflect on all you know, sir. I am a reflecting kind of person.”
    “Commander Vimes?” The voice came from Miss Pointer/Miss Pickles, halfway up the stairs. “There is a big troll asking after you.”
    “What a shame,” said Mr. Shine. “That will be Sergeant Detritus. Not good news, I suspect. If I had to guess, I’d say that the trolls have sent around the taka-taka . You must go, Mister Vimes. I’ll be seeing you again.”
    “I don’t think I’ll see you,” said Vimes. He stood up, and then hesitated.
    “One question, right? And no funny answers, if you don’t mind,” he said. “Tell me why you helped Brick. Why should you care about a slushed-out gutter troll?”
    “Why should you care about some dead dwarfs?” said Mr. Shine.
    “Because someone has to!”
    “Exactly! Good-bye, Mr. Vimes.”
    Vimes hurried up the stairs and followed Miss Pointer/Miss Pickles out into the shop. Detritus was standing among the mineral specimens, looking uncomfortable, like a man in a morgue.
    “What’s happening?” said Vimes.
    Detritus shifted uneasily.
    “Sorry, Mister Vimes, but I was der only one dat knew where—” he began.
    “Yes, okay. Is this about the taka-taka ?”
    “How did you know about dat, sir?”
    “I don’t. What is the t aka-taka ?”
    “It der famous war club of der trolls,” said Detritus. Vimes, with the image of the peace club of the trolls downstairs still in his mind, couldn’t stop himself.
    “You mean you subscribe and get a different war every month?” he said. But that sort of thing was wasted on Detritus. He treated humor as some human aberration that had to be overcome by talking slowly and patiently.
    “No, sir. When der taka-taka is sent a-round the clans, it a summon-ing to war,” he said.
    “Oh damn. Koom Valley?”
    “Yes, sir. An’ I’m hearing dat der Low King and der Uberwald dwarfs is already on der way to Koom Valley, too. Der street is full of it.”
    “Er…bingle bingle bingle…?” said a small and very nervous voice.
    Vimes pulled out the Gooseberry and stared at it. At a time like this…
    “Well?” he said.
    “It’s twenty-nine minutes past five, Insert Name Here,” said the imp nervously.
    “So?”
    “On foot, at this time of day, you will need to leave now to be home at six o’clock,” said the imp.
    “Der Patrician want to see you and dere’s clackses arrivin’ and everythin’,” said Detritus insistently.
    Vimes continued to stare at the imp, which looked embarrassed.
    “I’m going home,” he said, and started walking. Dark clouds were rolling in overhead, heralding another summer storm.
    “Dey’ve foun’ der three dwarfs near der well, sir,” said Detritus, lumbering after him. “Looks like it was other dwarfs what killed ’em, sure enough. The ol’ grags have gone. Captain Carrot’s put guards on every exit he can find…”
    But they dig, Vimes thought. Who knows where all the tunnels go?
    “…and he wants permission to break open der big iron doors in Treacle Street,” Detritus went on. “Dey can get at the last dwarf dat way.”
    “What are the dwarfs saying about it?” said Vimes, over his shoulder. “The living ones, I mean?”
    “A lot of dem saw the dead dwarfs brought up,” said Detritus. “I fink most of dem would hand him der crowbar.”
    Let’s hear it for the mob, Vimes thought. Grab it by its sentimental heart. Besides, the storm is beginning. Why worry about an extra raindrop?
    “Okay,” he said. “Tell him this. I know Otto will be there with his damn picture box, so when that door is wrenched open, it’s going to be dwarfs doing it, okay? A picture full of dwarfs?”
    “Right, sir!”
    “How is young Brick? Will he swear a statement? Does he understand about that?”
    “I reckon he could, sir.”
    “In front of dwarfs?”
    “He will if I ask him, sir,” said Detritus. “Dat I can promise.”
    “Good. And get someone to put out a message on the clacks, to every city watch and village constable between here and