Read Online Wings by Terry Pratchett - Free Book Online Page A

like the look of him at all," said Angalo.
    "Have you got any suggestions, Thing?" said Masklin.
    "They are probably as frightened of you as you are of them."
    "I doubt it," said Angalo.
    "Tell them you will not harm them."
    "I'd much rather they told me they're not going to harm us." Masklin stepped forward, and raised his hands.
    "We are peaceful," he said. "We don't want anyone to be hurt."
    "Including us," said Angalo. "We really mean it."
    Several of the strangers backed away and raised their spears.
    "I've got my hands raised," said Masklin over his shoulder, "Why should they be so upset?"
    "Because you're holding a large rock," said Angalo flatly. "I don't know about them, but if you walked toward me holding something like that I'd be pretty scared."
    "I'm not sure I want to let go of it," said Masklin.
    "Perhaps they don't understand us." Gurder moved.
    He hadn't said a word since the arrival of the new nomes. He'd just gone very pale.
    Now some sort of internal timer had gone off. He gave a snort, leapt forward, and he bore down on Topknot like an enraged balloon.
    "How dare you accost us, you - you Outsider!" he screamed.
    Angalo put his hands over his eyes. Masklin got a firm hold on his rock.
    "Er, Gurder..." he began.
    Topknot backed away. The other nomes seemed puzzled by the small explosive figure that was suddenly among them. Gurder was in the grip of the kind of anger that is almost as good as armour Topknot screeched something back at Gurder.
    "Don't you harangue me, you grubby heathen," said Gurder. "Do you think all these spears really frighten us?"
    "Yes," whispered Angalo. He sidled closer to Masklin.
    "What's got into him?" he said.
    Topknot shouted something at his nomes. A couple of them raised their spears, uncertainly. Several of the others appeared to argue.
    "This is getting worse," said Angalo.
    "Yes," said Masklin. "I think we should -"
    A voice behind them snapped out a command. All the Floridians turned. So did Masklin.
    Two nomes had come out of the grass. One was a boy. The other was a small, dumpy woman, the sort you'd cheerfully accept an apple pie from. Her hair was tied in a bun, and like Topknot's, it had a long argy feather stuck through it.
    The Floridians looked sheepish.
    Topknot spoke at length.
    The woman said a couple of words.
    Topknot spread his arms above him and muttered something at the sky.
    The woman walked around Masklin and Angalo as if they were items on display. When she looked Masklin up and down he caught her eye and thought: She looks like a little old lady, but she's in charge. If she doesn't like us, we're in a lot of trouble.
    She reached up and took the stone out of his hand.
    He didn't resist.
    Then she touched the Thing.
    It spoke. What it said sounded very much like the words the woman had just used. She pulled her hand away sharply, and looked at the Thing with her head on one side. Then she stood back.
    At another command the Floridians formed, not a line, but a sort of V shape with the woman at the tip of it and the travellers inside it.
    "Are we prisoners?" said Gurder, who had cooled off a bit.
    "I don't think so," said Masklin. "Not exactly prisoners, yet." The meal was some sort of a lizard. Masklin quite enjoyed it; it reminded him of his days as an Outsider. The other two ate it only because not eating it would be impolite, and it probably wasn't a good idea to be impolite to people who had spears when you didn't.
    The Floridians watched them solemnly.
    There were at least thirty of them, all wearing identical argy clothes. They looked quite like the Store nomes, except for being slightly darker and much skinnier. Many of them had large, impressive noses, which the Thing said was perfectly okay and all because of genetics.
    The Thing was talking to them. Occasionally it would extend one of its sensors and use it to draw shapes in the dirt.
    "Thing's probably telling them we-come-from-place-belong-far-on-big-bird-that-doesn't-go-flap," said Angalo.
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