The Color of Magic The Sending of Eight / Chapter 10 Summary

How It All Goes Down

  • We come in on the middle of Rincewind's story about how he got his one spell lodged into his brain.
  • Twoflower asks what the spell does, but Rincewind tells him nobody will know until he says it or dies—"Then it will sort of say itself" (2.10.5).
  • Twoflower suggests they find this Bel-Shamharoth fellow and explain the whole situation to him. Maybe he'll let them out.
  • Rincewind thinks something must be wrong with the echo in the temple, but Twoflower's gone before he can explain just how crazy such a suggestion is.
  • In the center of the Temple, they find both Luggage and Hrun, who claims Luggage as his own.
  • Rincewind tells Hrun he can't say the word eight in the temple, but Kring wonders, "Why can't he say eight?" (2.10.47). Aloud.
  • The octagonal slab in the center of the temple rises into the air and crashes onto the floor, releasing the Soul Render, whose tentacles reach for the trespassers.
  • Hrun fights, Rincewind tries to flee, and Twoflower sets up his camera to get a picture.
  • The tentacles grab the adventurers, and Rincewind snags the camera in mid-drag, thinking, if nothing else, he'll belt Bel-Shamharoth with it.
  • The camera's salamander attachment goes off with a bright flash, instantly defeating Bel-Shamharoth because that's just how it goes with these nether-realm creatures from beyond.
  • Unfortunately, Bel-Shamharoth is a load-bearing boss, so the whole temple begins to collapse into spectacular rubble.
  • Hrun whistles as the temple breaks down around them, and his horse comes galloping in to save the day; they escape just as the temple crashes around them. All in a day's work, right?
  • That night, Hrun and Twoflower divvy up the temple loot while Rincewind tries to shut his ears to Kring's incessant talking.
  • Twoflower suggests they have Hrun accompany them, but Rincewind isn't so sure the barbarian won't tie them up and rob them.
  • Looking at the camera imp doing his laundry, Rincewind gets an idea.