'Where's the nearest village that way?' she said. 'One with a good stone building in it. Slake, isn't it? There's a coaching inn up there.'
'That'th right. Thlake.'
'Well, we ain't going anywhere on foot in this weather,' said Nanny. 'Slake it's got to be, then.'
She got back into the coach and felt it turn round.
'Is there a problem?' said Magrat, 'Why are we going uphill?'
'Road's washed out,' said Nanny.
'We're heading into Uberwald?'
'Yes.'
'But there's werewolves and vampires and-'
'Yes, but not everywhere. We should be safe on the main road. Anyway, there's not much of a choice.'
'I suppose you're right,' said Magrat reluctantly.
'And it could be worse,' said Nanny.
'How?'
'Well... there could be snakes in here with us.'
Agnes saw the rocks rush past, looked down and saw the foam of the swollen river.
The world spun around her when Vlad stopped in midair. Water washed over her toes.
'Let there be... lightness,' he said. 'You'd like to be as light as the air, wouldn't you, Agnes?'
'We - we've got broomsticks...' Agnes panted. Her life had just flashed past her eyes and wasn't it dull? Perdita added.
'Useless cumbersome stupid things,' he said. 'And they can't do this-'
The walls of the gorge went past in a blur. The castle dropped away. Clouds drenched her. Then they unrolled as a silver-white fleece, under the silent cold light of the moon.
Vlad wasn't beside her. Agnes slowed in her rise, flung out her arms to grip what wasn't there, and began to fall back
He appeared, laughing, and grabbed her around the waist.
'-can they?' he said.
Agnes couldn't speak. Her life passing in front of her eyes one way had met it passing in front of her eyes going in the opposite direction, and words would fail her now until she could decide when now was.
'And you haven't seen anything yet,' said Vlad. Wisps of cloud coiled behind them as he raced forward.
The clouds vanished under them. They might have been as thin as smoke but their presence, their imitation of groundness, had been a comfort. Now they were a departing edge,
and far below were the moonlit plains.
'Ghjgh,' gurgled Agnes, too tense and terrified even to scream. Wheee! crowed Perdita, inside.
'See that?' said Vlad, pointing. 'See the light all around the Rim?'
Agnes stared, because anything now was better than looking down.