Pages 200-241 Summary

The library is aflame. The narrator reveals that all libraries are connected by bookworm holes, allowing for works to be rescued in case of fire. An apelike creature suddenly appears and begins pulling books from the shelves, only to disappear seconds later. Some time later, Brutha wakes in a shed beside Om, the novice's head swimming with fullness. Ephebe burns. Om explains that even the slaves are fighting for Ephebe.

Brutha joins Didactylos, Urn and Simony by the shore, where everyone is gathered around one of Urn's inventions: a steam-powered boat. Impressed, Simony wonders whether the technology might be weaponized. Didactylos admits that it was he, in an effort to keep knowledge from Vorbis, who set fire to the library. The group discusses the possibility of fleeing to Ankh-Morpork. Simony vocally denies the gods, advocating instead an aggressive doctrine of applied...